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.
You used to slide down
The carpeted stairs
Or down the banister
You stuttered like a kaleidoscope
Cause you knew too many words
You used to make ginger bread houses
We used to have taffy pulls
Take ecstasy with me baby
Take ecstasy with me.
You had a black snowmobile
We drove out under the northern lights
A vodka bottle gave you
Those raccoon eyes
We got beat up
Just for holding hands
The carpeted stairs
Or down the banister
You stuttered like a kaleidoscope
Cause you knew too many words
You used to make ginger bread houses
We used to have taffy pulls
Take ecstasy with me baby
Take ecstasy with me.
You had a black snowmobile
We drove out under the northern lights
A vodka bottle gave you
Those raccoon eyes
We got beat up
Just for holding hands
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
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."
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
It's all in the tense.
You "used," to is repeated throughout the first verse. It directly implies that you do not anymore. These small things, sliding down the bannister, making gingerbread houses, they're these quaint, lovely things you notice when you're in love, particularly in childhood. But, again, these are things that are no longer so.
The entire first verse is a depiction of childhood romance, the wonder, innocence and beauty of it. It's a shame that as you get older romance is not so innocent as it is in childhood, and Stevin Merritt knows so. The first chorus is kind of shocking; from this world of childhood love, Merritt now demands taking ectacy, only its not so much a demand as it is the admission of a last resort.
Obviously, Merritt being gay is important to note. I think in this song the subject is a childhood friendship that has emerged into love. Unfortunatly this kind of love is unacceptable, but neither was willing to give it up. To get beat up just for holding hands is horrible, but I don't think either of them was destroyed by this. I can imagine it only making the relationship stronger, because the answer to this violent reaction is obviously compassion for eachother.
I think the black snowmobile is a venture probably taken quite often in childhood. I imagine this song emerging after a reaquintance with eachother after a very long parting. I think these two find that whatever passion was strong enough to risk injury, and endure struggle throughout growing up, whatever magic was there as they shared taffy pulls is gone. And as I said, they go to great lengths to reignite it. The black snowmobile is desperation, and of course, snowmobiles are always destined to be headed somewhere cold and icy, and so are Merritt and lover.
They drink vodka, but drinking only makes them realize just how distant they've become. As Merritt enters into the final chorus it's apparent that this has failed him, that he believes its going to take some kind of miracle to reanimate what was worth any risk to feel when he was younger. And that miracle is, he hopes, this tiny little pill. Not an answer, as he's certainly acknowledged by now, vodka bottle drained and departed, that what he has will never be what he had. A pill is a temporary fix, and he knows it, but its not an answer, because he doesn't have one. It's a suggestion, a desperate hope for feeling again.
@Joelhughes2006 very well said