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.
She calls me from the cold
Just when I was low, feeling short of stable
And all that she intends
And all she keeps inside, isn't on the label
She says she's ashamed
And can she take me for awhile?
Can I be a friend, we'll forget the past
Maybe I'm not able
And I break at the bend
We're here and now, but will we ever be again
'Cause I have found
All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade
Away again
She dreams a champagne dream
Strawberry surprise, pink linen and white paper
Lavender and cream
Fields of butterflies, reality escapes her
She says that love is for fools who fall behind
And I'm somewhere in between
I never really know
A killer from a savior
'Til I break at the bend
We're here and now, but will we ever be again
'Cause I have found
All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade
Away again
It's too far away for me to hold
It's too far away
It's too far away for me to hold
It's too far away
It's too far away for me to hold
It's too far away
It's too far away for me to hold
It's too far away
It's too far away for me to hold
It's too far away
It's too far away for me to hold
It's too far away
Guess I'll let it go
Just when I was low, feeling short of stable
And all that she intends
And all she keeps inside, isn't on the label
She says she's ashamed
And can she take me for awhile?
Can I be a friend, we'll forget the past
Maybe I'm not able
And I break at the bend
We're here and now, but will we ever be again
'Cause I have found
All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade
Away again
She dreams a champagne dream
Strawberry surprise, pink linen and white paper
Lavender and cream
Fields of butterflies, reality escapes her
She says that love is for fools who fall behind
And I'm somewhere in between
I never really know
A killer from a savior
'Til I break at the bend
We're here and now, but will we ever be again
'Cause I have found
All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade
Away again
It's too far away for me to hold
It's too far away
It's too far away for me to hold
It's too far away
It's too far away for me to hold
It's too far away
It's too far away for me to hold
It's too far away
It's too far away for me to hold
It's too far away
It's too far away for me to hold
It's too far away
Guess I'll let it go
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This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Here's what Carl (Lead Singer) said about the song:
Was the song shimmer about any one girl in particular??? Fuel_Carl: "Yes, it actually was. A girl I dated in college and I thought -- at one time we got close to getting married and then she married someone else. Then she called me two years later. It was weird. Two lives that are so interconnected -- then your worlds collide again...it's pretty intense."
Really?! dats wut happened to me. n diz song brings me memories from a relationship . i was 15 though n he was 20. i was young n didn know what i had.we broke up n he promised to be there for me no matter wat n he stopd callin me den two months later he was engaged. a couple of more later married n i just cried myself to sleep every night. its been almost 2 years n i just dont know wat went wrong. i say it was da age difference but i never got a call bak to make it all better. i sometimes wonder if well see each other later on in life n if ill b strong enough to not throw myself into his arms n ask him wut i did wrong:(<br />
@missinusince07: <br /> <br /> you - 15<br /> him - 20 = pedophile<br /> <br /> And p-l-e-a-s-e write the words the way they are spelled, not the way you say them. Jeez.
@janettetsmith<br /> <br /> Big assumption there, you may be interested to know that with other people a relationship doesn't have to involve a horizontal folk dance. More sympathy and less pedantry would be nice too :)<br /> <br /> @missinusince07 <br /> <br /> I don't know exactly why, but this is one of few songs that can make tears well in my eyes. Much to the amusement of my 10yo song. And don't blame yourself at all, as painful as it may seem you were on different trajectories. Be true to yourself and your path
@Jams very similar thing happened to me. the first woman i fell in love with, we were engaged we kind of split up to work on each other and she ended up marrying some other guy. a few years later she added me on facebook and hated her life, said shed have killed herself if not for her kids. that if she knew some of the things she knew before she married the guy she wouldnt have. we became friends again for a short time, and she even watched my boys from my current marriage. then she blocked me and we havent spoken mcuh since then. it killed me. its been almost 13 years since we were together and about 11 since we broke up. about 9 since we were on good terms as friends.<br />
this song has a pretty deep meaning i think, about a guy dating a kinda messed up girl..and he can't tell that he is..and she's bring him down..well that's my view of the song...the last verse is pretty clear i think..she dreams all the "far out" dreams..and reality escapes her..and that love is for fools that fall behind..love holds you back..and he's somewhere in between..letting all this bring him down..he never really knows a killer from a savior..he can't tell the difference from her..he thinks she's the best thing to happen to him..but she's slowly killing him..well that's what i think anyway
Here's the real, on the song, and it's not what you think. It seems that the real meaning is easily lost amongst us simpletons. The standard on this forum seems to break down the song, line for line, so I shall follow suit. The song is a simple breakdown of the relationship between the Sun and the earth, and all on it. "She calls me from the cold" - She, being the Sun, in the cold of space… "Just when I was low, feeling short of stable" - I, being the earth and humans and the state of the planet's destruction from man, feels low and unstable. "And all that she intends and all she keeps inside, isn't on the label" - The extreme, destructive force that she will ultimately release on the entire solar system, is her true intentions and no one knows what is in the center of the sun or what causes it. "She says she's ashamed and can she take me for awhile?" - There would be shame in sharing time with someone you intended to destroy and I know the words say "awhile" but everyone has to admit it sounds like he sings "a whirl". Either word explains the time spent in direct relation to one another. "And can I be a friend, we'll forget the past, but maybe I'm not able" - The friendship is that She actually provides a life source for the entire planet, but any past Extinction level event caused by the sun can easily remain unknown or forgotten but shouldn't be, by it's inhabitants. "And I break at the bend" - Once the Sun grows to the point of scorching the earth when the elliptical pattern sends us close again it will be the breaking point of life surviving on the planet. [Chorus] "We're here and now, but will we ever be again" - this is a dual example of reality in our minds and this dimension. Here and now is truly all that applies in life since it could all end in a second, but we don’t live that way as a society, where instead, we live correcting the past or planning for the future, when, if we ever, are living here and now, meeting our immediate needs, (not wants and desires) equally distributing the resources available in a way to meet the most needs. "'cause I have found all that shimmers in this world is sure to fade away, again." All natural light we experience here is a direct result of the sun and it will end and be dark in this region again, as it was before there was a sun here. "She dreams a champagne dream" - If you're going to dream, dream big! She knows she's going to explode and the biggest star explosion, we are aware of, is the champagne super nova. Also note that the music bursts into loud, explosive, hard rock tempo, with this line in the song, and it totally jams. "Strawberry surprise, pink linen on white paper" - colorful descriptions of humans, red jelly insides, pink skin on white bones, and a fragile description applied. "Lavender and cream, fields of butterflies, reality escapes her" - all the lavenders and creams we use to protect ourselves from her, simple existences we know as reality, have no meaning to her. "She says that love is for fools who fall behind" - Love is generally a possessive statement, feelings related to persons seeking attachment. If you love the relationship, (earth and sun) possessively, with the hope of preserving its love for eternity, instead of finding a way for the species to survive in a new location, we will be left behind and destroyed. "And I'm somewhere in between" - Earth has reached its half life. "I never really know a killer from a savior, till I break at the bend" - regardless of beliefs, most religions in history of man, are but anthropomorphized for the worship of the sun. Even Jesus Christ is a copy of Egyptian religion and similar stories are the only reference to the behaviors of the sun and the earth's relationship. The sun is our ultimate killer, leading to our bodies decay and the earths decay, but is also the provider of life and is represented, by us, as a Savior, throughout history. When we break at the bend, the truth will be revealed and then we'll know for sure. "It's too far away for me to hold, it's too far away… guess I'll let it go?" - too far away, in actual space and actual time, as well as in our thoughts, for any of us to truly grasp, as a concept of singularity of the species, so I guess I'll let the conversation or thought just go!
And the album title is SUNBURN!!!!
fucking brilliant, these comments are why I enjoy reading interpretations of song meanings
You are simply brilliant!!! How long did you think about this for?! At first I thought how high is this guy, but it really does make sense. Nice interpretation
"...and it totally jams." Dude for sure.
Wait! I just realized something! If you look at the sunburn album cover, It shows fire on the ground and a man looking towards the sun as if confused and frightened. This supports trieyeopen's comment. He looks confused as the sun causes havoc on the world, as he thought that they were coinciding in friendship.
@trieyeopen its a stretch but i can see your interpretation. I enjoy these though cus everyone says the same thing and has pretty much the same opinion and understanding of what ever song is the topic. This is why i come here. to see some interpretations that i would never have considered. kudos
@trieyeopen the champagne dreams she has (She dreams a champagne dream<br /> Strawberry surprise, pink linen and white paper<br /> Lavender and cream) is obvious dreams of marriage and all the trimmings.. the champagne supernova was not t real it was a song by oasis and the supernova that was named champagne supernova was actully named in honor of the oasis song that came out in 1996. and shimmer came out in 1998 and the naming of the supernova was in 2003<br /> <br /> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_2003fg<br /> <br /> i still like your interpretation though. as humans we look for meaning in anything we see. even the other replies chimed in about the album name and the cover and they gave it credence based on interpretation.. i hate to be a buster but when i said your interpretation was a stretch it really is.. but still i like it.
@trieyeopen THis is awesome. I do the same things with songs. I'm usually very wrong most times. Its easy to look at it after its written, but are these guys really THAT clever to come up with that? That's like Chuckles Manson saying the Beatles White Album was about him.
@trieyeopen Man, sounds like the kind of B.S. Captain Planet (first name Gaylord) would be trying to use to frighten children into becoming Green Weenies. Remember, "THE POWER IS YOURS!" Gimme a break, doofus!
@trieyeopen That’s a very eloquent assessment, and it’s entirely possible, but I have a feeling it’s a song about a girl he used to f*ck.
This song is so amazing. This is one of the few songs that I could listen to over and over and over and never get tired of it. Although i think this song has an underlying sad meaning of not being able to go back to the past, this song for some reason just gives me the happiest feeling. It's one of the best songs to put on in if your in the car with a bunch of friends and you can just blast it and everyone can sing to it.
It's interesting how the same song affects people differently. I go more with the underlying sad as it makes me very emotional, but I can definitely listen to it over and over, as I'm doing now.
I agree that that I see the underlying sadness of the song, and it's not one of those songs that makes me happy. I find it to be about someone who broke his heart and how he was so happy in the past but he can never go back to that. "All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade away", meaning everything that's good fades away and never comes back. It's all fleeting. He tries to hang on that time, but it slips his grasp, and that's what the line "too far away for me to hold" means. He is left heartbroken and both the love of his life and his happiness are too far away for him to hold, and he has to let it all go. It's one of those songs that is really emotional and resonates deeply.
LiveUrLife- I realize you made your posting over a year ago, but just coming across it now still angers me. You are correct in that Carl Bell is not the lead singer. But before making smart comments, try purchasing the actual album and reading the liner notes. There you would learn that though he is the guitarist, he writes all the brilliant music that Fuel performs.
She killed his spirit when she left
@Romantic_mi This is what I see in the song as well. It's a sad, but sweet song.He tries to hold on to her and the happiness he felt with her, but it slips away after she goes a separate way and leaves him. And now he's left all alone as all that was good in his life has faded away. He can't return to that place in the past, and all he has now is the memories, which bring far more pain than joy, because it's difficult to remember a time when you were happy and know you can never have that again in this life. The past becomes "too far away for him to hold", and begins to seem like a dream now that all he feels is despair. That's the way I see this song.
i think his girlfriend is too idealistic, and he's too jadaed to deal...but i'm no expert
I'll interpret this song line by line.:D
She calls me from the cold-the girl that left him comes back to him when her life has gone sour Just when I was low, feeling short of stable-still when he misses her, having no stability in life And all that she intends-her true intentions And all she keeps inside isn't on the label-can't be seen because she hides them She says she's ashamed-says she's ashamed of how things ended. Can she take me for awhile-she wants to be in his life again Can I be a friend, we'll forget the past-at the least a friend, and can they forget the past? Or maybe I'm not able-but he's not sure if he can foget how she was to him And I break at the bend-and he "breaks" from trying to bend himself from the person he is to the one she wants him to be
We're here and now, will we ever be again-she's back now, will they ever have a second chance? 'Cause I have found-he's realized All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade-anything that is good, will never stay that way Away again-ever
She dreams a champagne dream-she dreams a perfect life Strawberry surprise, pink linen on white paper-"" Lavender and cream-"" Fields of butterflies, reality escapes her-everything she believes, is not true She says that love is for fools that fall behind,-this line confuses me..ha And I'm somewhere between-he's somewhere in between the love triangle Never really know-he never knows A killer from a savior-the girl is there to save him or ruin him more 'Til I break at the bend-and breaks again
We're here and now, will we ever be again-same 'Cause I have found-same All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade Away again-same
It's too far away for me to hold Too far away....-she's been gone for so long that the love he once had fornher is to far for him to get back It's too far away for me to hold Too far away....
It's too far away for me to hold Too far away.... It's too far away for me to hold Too far away.... It's too far away for me to hold Too far away....
It's too far away for me to hold Too far away....
Guess I'll let it go.... -so even though he knows he loves her, he has to give her up because she will never be the girl he wants
^^Perfect interpretation, but that line about "love is for only fools that fall behind" means that she's having fun and love isn't in the equation. She just wants to have fun and not worry about love yet, but he's behind in her seek for enjoyment.
Loved your interpretation.
@chilimak20
@chilimak20 Your exactly right! I've a been rock musician/songwriter since the late 80's. It's basically a break up song in different packaging. He's saying, they were once together, she calls him out of the blue just when his heart was healing & thought she might restart their relationship & is talking about marriage etc. He's at the point where he's isn't quite over her & unfortunately vulnerable enough to take her back regardless of how the relationship ended.<br /> He's pretty sure that if he takes her back, she'll break his heart again. So he's thinking out loud, "do I try this again? Can I love her all over again? Will it be different? <br /> Seems we've all been there. Music is timeless & regardless what the writer intended, we all have our interpretations of songs. That's the beauty of music....<br /> :(Rexx Anthony Michaels)
The key to this song is and i break at the bend. Means that he chooses the familiar over the Unknown. He chooses to go back to her even though he thinks she isnt right for him, because the one that he dreams about (who shimmers) is too far away for him to hold.
So the song is about him settling for her.
@Raycharles01 they always settle
@Raycharles01 they always settle
@Raycharles01 they always settle
I've always had the personal belief that the song is about being in love with someone out of your league, and it eats away at you has try your best to become hers. "All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade-anything that is good, will never stay that way" means to me that everything in this world you want is worthless without her. "She dreams a champagne dream" means to me how someone can be luxurious to you and dream of better things than you. This applies to my case of having a crush on a girl who is most definately more decent than I am, and has ambitious dreams.