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,
How now are you gone awry?
How now are we back here tonight?
That's all there is
Roll the dice
This is all there is
Roll the dice
How now baby is a little bit enough of it
When you live a double life?
How now are you going to bite both hands?
That's all there is
Roll the dice
This is all there is
Roll the dice
How now baby is a little bit enough of it
When you live a double life?
Well I knew but I've forgotten
Because everyone keeps asking
How come they feel so terrible
If terrible is in fashion
How now are we back here tonight?
That's all there is
Roll the dice
This is all there is
Roll the dice
How now baby is a little bit enough of it
When you live a double life?
How now are you going to bite both hands?
That's all there is
Roll the dice
This is all there is
Roll the dice
How now baby is a little bit enough of it
When you live a double life?
Well I knew but I've forgotten
Because everyone keeps asking
How come they feel so terrible
If terrible is in fashion
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Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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When We Were Young
Blink-182
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This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
check out the guitar in this song.. its nothing overly special but it makes me wet myself, my goodness.
The thought of a girl wetting herself turns me on. ^_-
The folks at the NF forums don't like this track too much, but I've always loved this song. You're right, the solo/bridge type thing in it is really awesome. I can't really figure out the meaning of it though, there isn't much to work with. Just from the title I'm guessing it might mean something about trying not to be somebody else, and just be yourself.
I think (From a blog entry he did earlier this year) that this is about being addicted to medication... and not telling anyone, or maybe not even knowing yourself... AKA it being a double life.
For me, this song is about cheating and the strain of living two separate lives. It's about having only a small taste of the person you wan but being tied to someone already:
"how now baby is a little bit enough of it" "how now are you going to bite both hands"
This song is about the agony of having to make the choice of one person over the other
yeah, i think this is about being addicted to meds, because he is bipolar and stuff. so like, ur addicted and part of u wants to take the drugs more than u should, but the other part doesn't want to, hence biting the hand thing. but then i think he's saying it's kind of hopeless if u are addicted, 'that's all there is, roll the dice' just like, accept it and see what fate brings you. and also about the double life, ur two people not really knowing inside. but that bit at the end kind of confuses me. the fact that he doesn't get why everyone feels terrible because it's in fasion is like...i guess going against what everyone is saying. like, he doesn't get why ppl do what other ppl tell them to do. and if everyone is talking about it he just forgets??? i don't really know...