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.
The return of the Thin White Duke
Throwing darts in lovers' eyes
Here are we, one magical moment, such is the stuff
From where dreams are woven
Bending sound, dredging the ocean, lost in my circle
Here am I, flashing no color
Tall in this room overlooking the ocean
Here are we, one magical movement from Kether to Malkuth
There are you, you drive like a demon from station to station
The return of the Thin White Duke, throwing darts in lovers' eyes
The return of the Thin White Duke, throwing darts in lovers' eyes
The return of the Thin White Duke, making sure white stays
Once there were mountains on mountains
And once there were sun birds to soar with
And once I could never be down
Got to keep searching and searching
Oh, what will I be believing and who will connect me with love?
Wonderful, wonderful, wonder when
Have you sought fortune, evasive and shy?
Drink to the men who protect you and I
Drink, drink, drain your glass, raise your glass high
It's not the side-effects of the cocaine
I'm thinking that it must be love
It's too late to be grateful
It's too late to be late again
It's too late to be hateful
The European cannon is here
I must be only one in a million
I won't let the day pass without her
It's too late to be grateful
It's too late to be late again
It's too late to be hateful
The European cannon is here
Should I believe that I've been stricken?
Does my face show some kind of glow?
It's too late to be grateful
It's too late to be late again
It's too late to be hateful
The European cannon is here, yes it's here
It's too late
It's too late, it's too late, it's too late, it's too late
The European cannon is here
It's not the side-effects of the cocaine
I'm thinking that it must be love
It's too late to be grateful
It's too late to be late again
It's too late to be hateful
The European cannon is here
I must be only one in a million
I won't let the day pass without her
It's too late to be grateful
It's too late to be late again
It's too late to be hateful
The European cannon is here
Should I believe that I've been stricken?
Does my face show some kind of glow?
It's too late to be grateful
It's too late to be late again
It's too late to be hateful
The European cannon is here, yes it's here
It's too late
It's too late, it's too late, it's too late, it's too late
The European cannon is here
Throwing darts in lovers' eyes
Here are we, one magical moment, such is the stuff
From where dreams are woven
Bending sound, dredging the ocean, lost in my circle
Here am I, flashing no color
Tall in this room overlooking the ocean
Here are we, one magical movement from Kether to Malkuth
There are you, you drive like a demon from station to station
The return of the Thin White Duke, throwing darts in lovers' eyes
The return of the Thin White Duke, throwing darts in lovers' eyes
The return of the Thin White Duke, making sure white stays
Once there were mountains on mountains
And once there were sun birds to soar with
And once I could never be down
Got to keep searching and searching
Oh, what will I be believing and who will connect me with love?
Wonderful, wonderful, wonder when
Have you sought fortune, evasive and shy?
Drink to the men who protect you and I
Drink, drink, drain your glass, raise your glass high
It's not the side-effects of the cocaine
I'm thinking that it must be love
It's too late to be grateful
It's too late to be late again
It's too late to be hateful
The European cannon is here
I must be only one in a million
I won't let the day pass without her
It's too late to be grateful
It's too late to be late again
It's too late to be hateful
The European cannon is here
Should I believe that I've been stricken?
Does my face show some kind of glow?
It's too late to be grateful
It's too late to be late again
It's too late to be hateful
The European cannon is here, yes it's here
It's too late
It's too late, it's too late, it's too late, it's too late
The European cannon is here
It's not the side-effects of the cocaine
I'm thinking that it must be love
It's too late to be grateful
It's too late to be late again
It's too late to be hateful
The European cannon is here
I must be only one in a million
I won't let the day pass without her
It's too late to be grateful
It's too late to be late again
It's too late to be hateful
The European cannon is here
Should I believe that I've been stricken?
Does my face show some kind of glow?
It's too late to be grateful
It's too late to be late again
It's too late to be hateful
The European cannon is here, yes it's here
It's too late
It's too late, it's too late, it's too late, it's too late
The European cannon is here
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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"
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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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."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
American Town
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DB is an adept of high tantric magick. Kether and Malkuth are the top and bottom of the Tree of Life, respectively, in Qabbala. This song is about enlightenment through sexual yoga.
"lost in my circle" and "flashing no colour" are references to a western magickal circle, and the Hindu Tantric tattva method of 'colour flashing' for consciousness alteration... respectively.
"Its not the side effects of the cocaine"... i.e. a long-lasting erection, 'it must be love' in that it is agape (pure love) that creates a tantric union.
I must be only one in a million/won't let the day pass without her : when one experience sexual samadhi, one realizes one is only one of a precious few who can or have, and that it is due entirely to one's consort, and the devotion thereof.
That I've been stricken/some kind of glow : he is 'pinching' himself to verify what he is experiencing. Those in tantric bliss commonly express the feeling that they feel like they are glowing, or have fire coming off them, and expect to see it when they open their eyes.
It's too late : once at this stage, it is beyond the point of making any amends or correcting one's technique or practices - one has attained already and the problem is now to maintain purity and sanity after having 'seen the light'.
The european cannon is a tongue-in-cheek kind of pun on the term 'the Pali Canon', which are the scriptures of Buddhism, which David was following at this time (along with Qabbalah). The Pali Canon is the doctrine of buddhist enlightenment - David's 'European Cannon' is the western magickal tradition being brought to life in the 20'th century and thus 'is here'.
So, yes he was on a lot of cocaine at the time, but he could afford it, and was doing so on the path. The Left Hand Path of red tantra.