In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Saw a silhouette across a fluorescent
Floating overhead, undoing his helmet
Through the murky beams and blue-green sea life
I saw him spinnin' towards the moonlight
I pull him in, he wasn't breathin'
His eyes were wide and I saw two of me there
There's an ugly buzz that hovers just above the quiet
Found a way to make it silent
I'm comin' up for air [Repeat: x2]
Air [Repeat: x2]
They hold my hand and ask me to pull through
A voice I know says "Dear, he probably can't hear you"
Comin' up for air [Repeat: x3]
Floating overhead, undoing his helmet
Through the murky beams and blue-green sea life
I saw him spinnin' towards the moonlight
I pull him in, he wasn't breathin'
His eyes were wide and I saw two of me there
There's an ugly buzz that hovers just above the quiet
Found a way to make it silent
I'm comin' up for air [Repeat: x2]
Air [Repeat: x2]
They hold my hand and ask me to pull through
A voice I know says "Dear, he probably can't hear you"
Comin' up for air [Repeat: x3]
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Standing On The Edge Of Summer
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Holiday
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
No Surprises
Radiohead
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Blue
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“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Okay......where to start? I've listened to this song a billion times. I'm way to crazy about Ben Folds. I believe that there are two people who are talking in this song. The first stanza is spoken by the person who is drowning. The way that it sounds to me is that he and someone that he knew well were scuba diving. Now I know I sound like I'm just thinking about this way too much, but I scuba dive and I know for a fact that when you go out at night you take flurorescent lights with you and usually the boat shines some down too. This person that he's seeing "undoing his helmet" could be trying to get the drowning person his air tube. Also he talks of the sea life. Had he just fallen in or something like that he likely wouldn't see anything. The next verse is the other person he was diving with. He talks about pulling him out of the water and seeing himself reflected in his eyes. The buzzing that is mention could possibly the air still leaking out because that's what it does when you disconnect it to get someone else air. Also the heartmachine as mentioned in other comments wouldn't buzz it would beep (just my opinion). The last phrase is just the guy who drowned kinda coming to. He's obviously with people he knows. "A voice I know...." He knows the voice and if he knew the voice he would also know the "Dear". That's just my opinion of the song. I was very pleasantly surprised with this little ditty when I bought the Godzilla soundtrack. :) God I sound really cool!