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AC/DC – Let There Be Rock Lyrics 6 years ago
Rock is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way to the shop if you want a chiko roll, but that's just peanuts to rock.

By drawing a clever parallel between Genesis and the creation of rock, Bon brilliantly captures the immense importance of rock. At the same time, he acknowledges the debt owed to musicians past who created blues and then the later artists who, like gods, fused blues and jazz with pop sensibility to create the rock n roll universe.

Time began in 1955 - coincidentally the year young Angus was born. Something new and cataclysmic was happening. No one knew where it would lead, but roll over Beethoven and give Tschaikovski the news, rock n roll began and it would change everything.

It came from the streets, from the hopes and dreams of millions of wannabe guitar heroes and rock stars creating their own brand of music no one had heard before. And the rich businessmen were there to exploit them for profit.

And now we have a 92 decibel rocking band playing good and loud, to celebrate and consummate the rise of rock to its pinnacle.

This song could have gone oh so close to Spinal Tap bombast, but totally avoids that trap. It's passionate and expansive, historical and anthemic, but still raw and cool and hot, all at the same time. It's brilliant lyrically and musically, with all the allusions to old time music in both the riffs and the words.

My favourite performance of this was in Colchester for the TV show "Rock Goes to College". Look it up on YouTube, but avoid the version with the Comcast interruption (you will see it referred to in the description). Bon looks like he's about to have a stroke, Angus is going nuts, Malcolm is dripping with sweat and Cliff has so much hair he looks like a haystack on legs. But the star of this one is Phil. What a machine. The picture cannot keep up with how fast he is hitting that high hat, and even in the quiet bits he's working so hard it reminds me of the rowing scene from Ben Hur, but on fast forward. Awesome.

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AC/DC – Night Prowler Lyrics 6 years ago
A sharp intake of breath opens the song. Immediately something is close and sinister, creeping towards you in the dark with menacing, predatory intentions. Then the guitar kicks in, stabbing the silence recklessly, almost clumsily, before settling into a low grumbling rhythm overlaid with the wolfish howl of Angus' lead. And then you know you're in danger when Bon enters with his gravelly, rasping and threatening description of the scene and his intentions, all delivered with a menace that betrays both an evil joy for his freedom and a subconscious anger at the people who are safe in bed while he is on the street.

This is a great song, no one could sing this like Bon or play it like AC/DC. It's bluesy and raw and thrillingly terrifying.

But Bon and the boys aren't really mean (unless you mess with them first ...). They're just having fun. So at the end, after the Night Prowler has supposedly taken you as his victim (exactly how is left to your fears and fantasies), Bon ends the song with a Mork impression, as a cheeky way of saying "nah, just kidding".

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AC/DC – If You Want Blood Lyrics 6 years ago
To me this song about the commitment the band have to putting on a great show and giving absolutely everything they've got to entertain their audience. Watch the band live and you will see what I mean.

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AC/DC – She's Got Balls Lyrics 6 years ago
This is Bon Scott at his lewd and clever best. Kicked along up by Malcolm Young's strutting, rutting rhythm guitar and the band's testosterone fuelled backing vocals, Bon describes his woman: pretty, stylish, sensual and sexually adventurous. But more than that, she's no pushover, she's her own person, she's his match, she's a force to be reckoned with.

"No one has to tell her what a feller is for" - one of the great rock n roll lines of all time. She's wants Bon for sex just like he wants her, and the alliteration leading to the unspoken but obvious answer to what a fella is for.

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Alanis Morissette – Your House Lyrics 8 years ago
I think she's obsessed with a current boyfriend, and goes to his house when he's not there as a way of being with him. I think it's a current boyfriend because she got in easily - probably has the key. She's having fun, she's being a little naughty, almost hoping to be discovered. She thinks what she's doing is romantic.

Then she finds the letter. She is confused, and then devastated.

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AC/DC – Heatseeker Lyrics 13 years ago
This is a song came out in the 80s in the middle of the AIDS epidemic. It's all about how to have safe sex.

"I gotta keep that engine clean"

"I gotta keep those tyres burning" - tyres are made of RUBBER!

"I don't need no one to hose me down" - I keep clean, I don't let anyone's hose go near me (no gay sex). My partners don't use douches because that doesn't protect you.

"I don't need no life preserver" - I don't need a condom because I have my partner perform oral sex ("Get your head down and blow") which is safer. Not sure if that's true though.

"You gotta keep that serpent clean".

See? Another deep and meaningful song lyric from the crayons of Brian Johnson.










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R.E.M. – Stand Lyrics 14 years ago
Spot on. Go to the top of the class.

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Cake – I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor cover) Lyrics 14 years ago
I agree with Prometeo. Even though the words are (almost) the same as the original, the meaning is different. Gloria Gaynor was over him, strong, pushing him out. Cake is not quite there yet, still hurting, trying to be strong.

One of the best covers of all time.

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Jamiroquai – Starchild Lyrics 14 years ago
This song is about the second coming of Jesus. The singer looks at the evil in the world (including televangelists) that Jesus was supposed to save us from, and wishes that Jesus has come back to save us again. He hopes that somewhere in the world tonight, there's a fire keeping the second baby Jesus warm, ready to save the world.

Superman = starchild = Jesus.

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Don McLean – Castles In The Air Lyrics 14 years ago
This song is about a commitment-phobic coward. Hos current life is too much for him and he wants to escape, and he doesn't have the guts to tell his girl to her face that he's leaving her for a pipe dream. He's asking someone else to do the dirty work for him. Cad.

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The Wiggles – Fruit Salad Lyrics 14 years ago
Paul Hester is the cook on the video from this song. He was later in Crowded House. Later still, he committed suicide.

Odd how life can turn out so well and then so badly.

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Alanis Morissette – Hand In My Pocket Lyrics 14 years ago
"green" means young and inexperienced and therefore clueless. It refers to trees, which are green and weak when they are saplings, but get woody tall and strong when they mature.

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The Cars – Drive Lyrics 15 years ago
OK this song has a slightly different meaning for me.

It's a one of the most beautiful and unique love songs ever.

In a nutshell: anybody can love you when you're happy, but I'll love you when everything has gone wrong. I'll tell you the truth. I'll do what it takes to support you, even if it's hard for me.

Put another way, this song is like the marriage vows - for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health.

Who really loves you? The guy whose going to drive you home tonight.

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Willie Nelson – To All The Girls I've Loved Before Lyrics 15 years ago
This song is hilarious. It looks like the wto of them met at a party, thought it would be a lark to do a duet, spent 5 minutes writing the song and another 5 recording it, and released it, laughing all the way to the bank (OK, maybe Willie was laughing all the way to the IRS).

I like the way Willie focusses on the relationships, and Julio focusses on the sex. Somehow Julio doesn't seem as sincere.

And I love the double entendre in Julio's verses (probably unintentional).

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Deep Purple – Smoke on the Water Lyrics 15 years ago
Great riff (not as good early ACDC though), but the rest of the song is crap. 2nd worst song on Machine Head (worst is Space Trucking).

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Deep Purple – Fireball Lyrics 15 years ago
Worst guitar solo ever, immediately followed by the best organ solo ever.

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The Wiggles – Big Red Car Lyrics 15 years ago
I love the "Elvis" feel of this song.

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Midnight Oil – Scream In Blue Lyrics 15 years ago
It's about a nightmare.

The reference to sheets is to his bed where he sleeps where he has the nightmare. No-one else knows his dreams, and he doesn't really want others to know either.

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Billy Joel – Goodnight Saigon Lyrics 15 years ago
AdamDuritzFanatic, I think the significance is that the enemy would work out how many helicopters they were being attacked with, and plan accordingly.

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The Doors – Riders On The Storm Lyrics 15 years ago
Isn't the line

"If you give this man a ride, sweet *family* will die"?

To me this song is about the danger of undirected male agression and ambition, and how women should love their men and make them understand, because the future of the world depends on it.

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Men at Work – Who Can It Be Now? Lyrics 15 years ago
About a person struggling with paranoid schizophrenia: he know's he's not right in the head, but he moves in an out of sanity and can't help it.

The tension between sanity and insanity is what makes this song.

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The Police – De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da Lyrics 15 years ago
He's fallen in love and get's tongue-tied around her.

He compares his situation to leaders and poets, who skilfully use their words to get fame and power.

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The Police – Don't Stand So Close To Me Lyrics 15 years ago
To understared, mindhuntress, purple wave and other who think that this isn't about what the teacher and student haven't actually done anything:

How do you explain:

"It's no use, he sees her"

?

The song tells the story of her desire (first verse is all about her), his temptation (second verse begins with her and ends focussing on him), him giving into the temptation (at the end of the second verse, we're left with a question: did he stop his car to pick her up or not?), the trouble it causes (She brags about it to fellow students, and/or they suspect what's happening (loose talk), the teaching staff find out or suspect (strong words and accusations), and then we find they he's given in to temptation (he sees her) and then the unhappy ending to the relationship (the song finishes with him telling her not to stand so close - he pushes her away).

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George Michael – I Want Your Sex Lyrics 15 years ago
To those who think this is about gay sex, read the fucking lyrics (pun intended)!

"There's boys that you can trust
And girls that you don't"

That seems to be about a heterosexual relationships.

"I've waited so long baby
Out in the cold
I can't take much more girl
I'm losing control"

He says "girl"!

"I'm not your father
I'm not your brother
Talk to your sister
I am a lover"

Why would he tell a gay bloke to talk to his sister?

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George Michael – Father Figure Lyrics 15 years ago
This song IS beautiful, but very, very, creepy.

No one line is clear, but there are too many double-meanings here to ignore the probability that this song is about someone who is not yet considered to be old enough to be in a sexual relationship.

"That's all I wanted"

This is something that someone whose desires had unintented consequences would say. It's a bit like "I didn't mean it to turn out the way it did".

"Something special, something sacred
In your eyes
For just one moment
To be bold and naked
At your side"

Why just for one moment? There is an element of secrecy here.

"Sometimes I think that you'll never
Understand me"

What is being misunderstood here? Is the lover misunderstanding the singer's intentions? Why?

"That's all you wanted
Something special, someone sacred
In your life
Just for one moment
To be warm and naked
At my side"

At least the relationship is consensual - but is it? Or is it consensual only in eyes of the singer?

"I will be your father figure"

The combination of father figure in a sexual context? I get that it can be interpreted as "I will be the strong man looking after you, protecting you", which a lot of women secretly want, but there's a second, more sinister meaning.

"Put your tiny hand in mine"

It's a tiny hand, isn't it?

"I will be your preacher teacher"

Fathers, preachers, teachers: all occupations where those who prey on children have lurked.

"Anything you have in mind"

It might be a fun role play, or it might be that he is projecting consent on a child too young to know better.

"I have had enough of crime"

Crime? What an odd choice if this is about an adult relationship.

"That's all I wanted
But sometimes love can be mistaken
For a crime"

See my comments on the opening line. It's hard to explain this line any other way. Could possibly be about Biblical references to homosexuality being an abomination, which would fit the theme of the album, but again, the double-meaning.

"So when you remember the ones who have lied
Who said that they cared
But then laughed as you cried"

She's been hurt before. But is he turning her against those who sought to protect her from him?

"Beautiful Darling
Don't think of me
Because all I ever wanted"

This could mean "I'm not the monster they say I am: I didn't mean to hurt you". Note how the lyrics trail off after "wanted" - it's like there's regret there.

"(Greet me with the eyes of a child)"

More double meaning.

"My love is always tell me to..."

It's almost as if he wants to resist an urge, but can't.

"I will be the one who loves you until the end of time"

There's a hint, just a hint, of "farewell" in this statement. I think it starts where he says "when you remember ... don't think of me". For some reason, they won't be together.

__________________________________

Now, the above interpretation has nothing at all to do with George Michael's sexual preferences. I'm a big fan of his, and he has great songs. I don't think gay = rock spider. Nor do I think George is into that sort of thing.

It's all about the song itself. There are too many indications in this song to ignore.

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Cold Chisel – Cheap Wine Lyrics 15 years ago
To me, this song isn't about being happy with what you have.

It's about a man who was once living the high life but has fallen on hard times.

"Once I smoked a Danneman cigar
Drove a foreign car
Baby that was years ago
I left it all behind"

Once I was well off, but that was a long time ago.

"Had a friend, I heard she died
On a needle she was crucified
Baby that was years ago
I left it all behind"

His girlfriend died of a drug overdose. This is possibly the cause of him losing his way in life. I interpret the dispassionate way he refers to "a friend" that he "heard" had died, as indicating that the memory is too painful to face, but the language of crucifiction is very powerful.

"for my

Cheap wine and a three-day growth
Cheap wine and a three-day growth
Come-on, come-on, come-on"

He's let himself descend into alcoholism and has lost his job and his home and the life he once had.

"I don't mind takin' charity
From those that I despise
Baby i don't need your love
I don't need your love"

He's pushing away a girl who loves him and is trying to save him.

"Baby you can shout at me
But you can't meet my eyes
I don't really need your love
I don't need your love,"

She can try to get him to get back on track but shouting at him, but she doesn't know (or can't understand) what he's been through.

"I got my

Cheap wine and a three-day growth
Cheap wine and a three-day growth
Come-on, come-on, come-on, come-on

Sitting on the beach drinkin' rocket fuels Oh Yeah!
Spent the whole night breakin' all the rules Oh Yeah!
Mending every minute of the day before
Watching the ocean, watching the shore
Watching the sunrise, and thinkin' there could never be more
Never be more
Anytime you want to find me
I don't hve a telephone
I'm another world away
But I always feel at home, with my

Cheap wine and a three-day growth
Cheap wine and a three-day growth
Come-on, come-on, come-on, come-on, come-on

Cheap wine and a three-day growth
Cheap wine and a three-day growth
Come-on, come-on, come-on, come-on, come-on
Cheap wine and a three-day growth... "

In that passage, he spends his nights drinking and thinking about his past life, what he's lost, and not caring. He can't go back, and he's given up. He's cut himself off from the world.

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10cc – I'm Not In Love Lyrics 15 years ago
It's not about an ex.

"And just because I call you up
Don’t get me wrong, don’t think you’ve got it made."

Would you say that about an ex? It's an indication that she likes him, but he's unwilling to commit, even though he really wants to.

"So if I call you, don’t make a fuss
Don’t tell your friends about the two of us"

Again, the girl might "make a fuss" and tell her friends about the two of them. Not an ex.

Then there's:

"Ooh, you’ll wait a long time for me
Ooh, you’ll wait a long time"

Again, she's waiting for him.

It's possible that the statements that seem to indicate she's into him are mere fantasy. The reality may be that he likes her but she doesn't like him. That's hurtful, so he pretends to himself that he doesn't like her and that she likes him.

But then why did she give him a picture of herself?

Regardless, it;s not about an ex.

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Sade – Paradise Lyrics 15 years ago
The male back-up vocals make this song. He provides the bedrock of the relationship (and the vocals) that allows her to soar in her love.

The great thing about this song is that it's about lifelong relationship, not a fleeting lust, but with an intimate sexual undertone delivered by the Latin feel of the music.

A very simple but beautiful love song.

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Alanis Morissette – Hand In My Pocket Lyrics 15 years ago
I see this as an anthem for Generation X, the generation that were becoming adults in the 90's.

We became adults during a recession: we found it hard to find jobs. Our bosses and our parents enjoyed the prosperity of the 50s and 60s, and were were screwing us for all we were worth when we did get a job working for them.

We became adults in a post AIDS world. Our bosses and parents had "free love".

We live in a postmodern world of uncertainty. Things are always morally ambigious and the truth is spun out of every communication.

We grew up at the end of the Cold War: still with the threat of nuclear holocaust over our heads. Would we even have a future?

We're not engaged with politics and big issues. We're too busy looking after ourselves.

And we were too young to enjoy the prosperity of the 80s as an adult.

We don't have the luxury of being able to be activists like our parents, because we couldn't afford to be. And anyway, boomers abandoned their high ideals of the 60s and sold out to affluenza.

Now I'm not saying the song is *about* all of the above. But the circumstances of Gen X set the song in context, and allow us to consider the feelings expressed in the song in a wider context.

The song is deliberately ambigious about whether the "fine fine fine" is genuine or sarcastic. I think its both.

In essence, the song is saying that life as a young adult in the 90s is hard and confusing, but I'm happy and cautiously optimistic. The hand in my pocket is a sign of both relaxation and disengagement.

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The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Hey Joe Lyrics 15 years ago
The WORDS of this song seem misogynistic. He shoots his lady, gets no condemnation from Jimi, and he even says "shoot her one more time"!

BUT

Thhe music and the back-up singers tell the real story. Listen to the slow pace, the low rumbles, and then the fantastic solo after "I gave her the gun, I shot her". The music tells us about the gravity, the tragedy of the situation. The regret and guilt.

Notice the back up singers in the first verse sing "Ooo ooo", and in the second verse and onwards, repeatedly sing "Hey Joe". That's his conscience, and his girlfriend: he's remembering his girlfriend: he's haunted by her and what he did to her.

Then comes "Hey Joe, where you going to run to now?" There's the kicker: he can run from the law, but he can't run from his conscience, her ghost.

Listen to also to the building drums throughout the song. They also tell of the tragedy, building towards his frenzied, but ultimately fruitless escape.

Listen also to the way the lyrics are sung: hesitatingly, then with false machismo, then there's little wordless vocalisations during the solo after he shoots her that in effect says "OMG, what have I done?!".

Song interpretation involves more than just the lyrics.

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The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Castles Made Of Sand Lyrics 15 years ago
battaglia01 on page 2 adds another dimension to the song, but I still disagree with the analysis of verse three.

Actually I think my verse three analysis fits better with his(?) theory about the song than his interpretation does?

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The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Castles Made Of Sand Lyrics 15 years ago
ZoSo on page 1 has the first two verses right, but I disagree (or see a potential third meaning) in the third verse.

The girl's heart was a frown because she was crippled and mute. She pulls her wheelchair to the shore to commit suicide. So far so good, I agree with ZoSo.

But then a sight that she'd never seen made her JUMP and SAY "look a golden winged ship is passing my way". There's no such thing as a golden winged ship. She saw something and misinterpreted it, perhaps a mirage. She was at the edge of the shore: she wouldn't know how to swim. She would therefore have jumped in the water and drowned.

So there are multiple "castles made of sand" in this verse:
* she wasn't really cripple: she could jump.
* she wasn't really mute: she could talk
* it was a mirage, something not real, a dream if you will, that made her realise this
* at the exact moment she realises she doesn't need to miserable, and doesn't need to commit suicide, she dies
* her life was miserable for nothing: it was all in her head
* her legs did hurt her (giving the lie to "to her legs she smiled you won't hurt me no more").

The golden winged ship kept going, indifferent to her fate.

This is therefore the most powerful of the third verses. In effect, Hendrix is saying don't live life in misery. It will slip away from you and you'll have wasted it on sadness and self-pity. Don't give up.

It's therefore also a nuanced counterpoint to the first two verses, which are about the transience of love and dreams. The last verse is saying we need love and dreams to sustain us, even though they are transient. If we live our lives without happiness in our heart and the hope of things to come, we will have wasted it.

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Australian Crawl – Reckless Lyrics 15 years ago
I think he's treated his girlfriend badly, and they have broken up. This happened some time ago and he regrets it deeply.

I thought the first line was:

"Met down by the jetty landing"

In other words, he met her at the ferry wharf. He is there now and it reminds him of her and when they were happy.

The second verse is how he feels about the breakup - a tragic failure despite having tried hard to survive (Scott, Burke and Wills) and lonely and invisible (Russian sub).

The music evokes a winter's day on the harbour. It's windy and cold (pontoons bump and spray when the water is unsettled and whipped up by wind). Life is dreary and pointless without her.

Great song.

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Dire Straits – Private Investigations Lyrics 16 years ago
JV and myimaginaryband have it right.

If you've ever kept a diary in which you explore your own emotions through a difficult time in a relationship, you'll know exactly what the song is about.

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Deep Purple – When a Blind Man Cries Lyrics 16 years ago
The thing that just ... get's me ... about this song is the idea of a blind man crying. Think about it - it's the only thing his eyes can do.

The lyrics are beautifully sung, and with such perfect timing - the little pauses are so powerful.

A very underrated song - deserves a lot more prominence.

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AC/DC – T.N.T. Lyrics 16 years ago
People, the character is fictional - it's about a badass guy ON A TV SHOW.

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AC/DC – Ride On Lyrics 16 years ago
This is a great song, many of Bon's songs are quite meaningful (eg Let There Be Rock, Sin City, Dog Eat Dog). Bon is very underrated as a songwriter.

One thing has always bothered me about Ride On. however. It's the lines:

"And I ain't too old to hurry
Cause I ain't too old to die"

Seems to me that Bon misspoke the lyric, and it should've been "ain't too young to die".

But for that line, the song is so tightly constructed around the idea that he's too old to be reckless and too young to know how to stop, and that it's stopped being fun, and that time is running out. It's a song about growing up, and not being able to.

Does anybody know if he sang the lyric differently in other performances?

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AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap Lyrics 16 years ago
I think a "necktie" is putting a tyre around the victim's neck and setting it alight.

The song is essentially a separate advertisement for a hitman. Each verse gives a different example of a problem he can solve for you, and how he'll go about it.

There's no gay sex in it.

The first is offering to solve a problem at school: perhaps the teacher is picking on a student or requiring sexual favours.

The second verse is addressed to a girl whose man is cheater on her. Bon is saying "Get back at him by cheating on him with me!".

The third verse is offering to arrange the murder of the customer's wife, (or, possibly, to seduce her, which would give him ground for alimony-free divorce).

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AC/DC – Who Made Who Lyrics 16 years ago
OMG! I completely misheard the lyrics of this song. My mishearing in caps below, and the resulting interpretation in square brackets:

_____________________________________

The video gameS, THEY play me
[Instead of playing the video games, where he controls the action, they play him: the person who appears to be the inventor and controller is actually the invention. The parallel is with God: he doesn't control man, man invented the idea and controls that idea - ie God is an illusion]
Face it on a level, GONNA take you every time on a one on one
[God is supposed to be powerful, but we control him, he doesn't exist.]
Feeling running down your spine
Nothing gonna save your one last TIME cause it owns you
Through and through
[God won't save you from death.]

The databank knows my number
[The databank is God's list of souls, the number is 666]
Says I gotta pay cause I made the grade last year
[God says I have to pay for my sins, but my sins are my achievements]
Feel it when I turn the screw
Kicks you round the world, there ain't a thing that it can't do
Do to you
[God says he will punish me, that there's nothing I can do about it, but ...]

CHORUS:
Who made who, who made you?
Who made who, ain't nobody told you?
Who made who, who made you?
[The question is whether God created man or man created God.]
If you made them and they made you
Who BEGOT THE DEVIL, and who made who?
[If God made you parents/elders, and your parents made you, who made the devil? Who made God?]

Who made who, who turned the screw?

SET ALIGHT send me PITCH, YEAH
Get it in the eye,
[Always confused about this, but I thought it referred to burning in hell]
take it to the world
[Let's get back to the real world]
spinning like a dynamo
Feel it going round and round
[We turning religion's concept of reality on its head, enjoy it]
Running out of SHIT, you got no LIFE in a NAKED town
[Your life isn't watched over by God, you've no immortal soul, you're naked and so is everyone else]
So don't look down, no
[You're unsupported by God, and there is no hell]

CHORUS:
Who made who, who made you?
Who made who, ain't nobody told you?
Who made who, who made you?
If you made them and they made you
Who BEGOT THE DEVIL, and who made who?

Ain't nobody told you, who made who?

______________________________________

I always marvelled at how Brian Johnson could come up with such a deep song. Bon, mayble - Brian, no way. Now I know: he didn't.

I like my version better!

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AC/DC – Let There Be Rock Lyrics 16 years ago
Bit of trivia - on the studio track, Bon misreads "92" as "42", so the line becomes:

"There was a 42 decibel rocking band"

Which ain't that loud!

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Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody Lyrics 16 years ago
I agree with pjkun, but have a different take on the opera bit. It is a trial, but I hear more than just the court and the accused.

Generally the opera bit reflects the fact that poor simple Freddy is overwhelmed and can't understand what's going on at his trial. There's a lot of media interest in the trial, and a lot of self-important pomp and ceremony from the judges and lawyers. I hear the media commenting on the trial and enjoying the spectacle, at his expense.

The media wait outside court. One says:

"I see a little silhouetto of a man"

In other words, I see him coming.

The media pack run up to him, jostling him and bristling with microphones. Freddy is dumbfounded. They ask him incomprehensible, stupid questions:

"Scaramouche, Scaramouche
Will you do the Fandango?"

In other words, will you perform for us?

As the reporters turn to their TV cameras and notebooks, they feign shock at the murder, and also echo the gunshot and blaze of camera flashes, saying:

"Thunderbolt and lightning
Very, very frightening me"

Then we turn to the lawyers arguing his case. Freddy can't understand what they are saying, but he understands that they are arguing in high-falutin' language. He hears each lawyer argue in turn:

"(Galileo) Galileo
(Galileo) Galileo
Galileo, figaro"

The media react to the spectacle:

"Magnifico!"

Then he's put in the witness box to plead for his life. His simple and ineffectual plea contrasts sharply with the court's pomposity:

"I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me"

His lawyer takes over:

"(He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity)"

He settles to continue his testimony or plea:

"Easy come, easy go, will you let me go"

The court, media and lawyers react and argue in turn:

"Bismillah!
No, we will not let you go
(Let him go!)
Bismillah!
We will not let you go
(Let him go!)
Bismillah!
We will not let you go"

In the commotion, we hear his rising pleas trying to cut through the increasingly out-of-control trial:

(Let me go!)
Will not let you go
(Let me go!)
No, no, no, no, no, no, no"

The judge attempts to call the court to order:

"Oh, mama mia, mama mia"

Freddy echoes this plea and references the earlier plea to his mother, with the media chorus joining in "reporting" his reaction to his being found guilty:

"Mama mia, let me go
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me
For me"

His reaction at the realisation he will be executed rings high above the commotion with the second:

"For me"

The hard rock bit has me a little confused. Who is he talking to? Who is he blaming for being left to be executed? God? His mother? Is he just lashing out?

One of the great things about the song is that the main character is not portrayed sympathetically. He expressed no remorse for taking life: he only considers himself and possibly his mother. He is divorced from reality, except in the hard rock bit (the parallels drawn with "The Stranger" are apt.

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