This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Life's an ocean
Too much commotion, too much emotion
Dragging me down
Living for today, don't have time to pray
Ready for the game
Take a line of fickle flame
Imagine the future
Woke up with a scream
I was buying some feelings
From a vending machine
Say that I will see
Something more than I have
There's something inside of me
Crying out for something else
And if someone hears my scream
Put it in a letter to me
Slippery slimy road down
Life's an ocean too much commotion
Not enough emotion to satisfy me
Slippery slidy road down
It's slippery slidy road down
Hold my hand and we'll walk down
Dry those eyes and we'll walk down
Slippery slidy road down
Life's an ocean, life's an ocean
Too much commotion, too much emotion
Too much commotion, too much emotion
Dragging me down
Living for today, don't have time to pray
Ready for the game
Take a line of fickle flame
Imagine the future
Woke up with a scream
I was buying some feelings
From a vending machine
Say that I will see
Something more than I have
There's something inside of me
Crying out for something else
And if someone hears my scream
Put it in a letter to me
Slippery slimy road down
Life's an ocean too much commotion
Not enough emotion to satisfy me
Slippery slidy road down
It's slippery slidy road down
Hold my hand and we'll walk down
Dry those eyes and we'll walk down
Slippery slidy road down
Life's an ocean, life's an ocean
Too much commotion, too much emotion
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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What I love about Richard Ashcroft is his lyrics about being depressed. This song and especially the first verse is just IT.
Life is an ocean filled with so many emotions that you sometimes cannot stand it. So you get overwealmed by your feelings and you start to sink. Life without feelings would be awful, but at the same time living with them is sometimes even worse.
Its not just the lyrics, Nicks guitar playing is incredibly emotive. He had so much atmosphere to his playing, its a shmae we never ever see him doing anything now, he was a special talent.
I hate to use exclamation marks and smilies, but:
"Imagined the future Woke up with a scream I was buying some feelings From a vending machine"
BEST LYRICS EVER!!! =)
This song is sort of dystopic as in the line you just mentioned. It's like shutting down for a while and letting life toss and turn you until the storm clears and you can stand up again.