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.
And then the past recedes
And I won't be involved
The effort to be free
Seems pointless from above
You're looking down at me
I'd rather stay below
Than have you staring up at me
There's nowhere I want to go
Ay, this business of how long we try to stay alive
Why to be here you first got to die
So I gave it a try
And what do you know
Time was so long ago
And things come back you see
To where they don't belong
And every drop of sea is the whole ocean
I lied to the greatest thieves
About anything and everything
I'm a figure of forgotten speech
I'm out of reach
I can't play it safe
But I might just in case
I'm disguised as a reaching hand
I'm a working man
I don't understand why clockout
Comes so slow every time
That's one line I stay right behind
Yeah
And I won't be involved
The effort to be free
Seems pointless from above
You're looking down at me
I'd rather stay below
Than have you staring up at me
There's nowhere I want to go
Ay, this business of how long we try to stay alive
Why to be here you first got to die
So I gave it a try
And what do you know
Time was so long ago
And things come back you see
To where they don't belong
And every drop of sea is the whole ocean
I lied to the greatest thieves
About anything and everything
I'm a figure of forgotten speech
I'm out of reach
I can't play it safe
But I might just in case
I'm disguised as a reaching hand
I'm a working man
I don't understand why clockout
Comes so slow every time
That's one line I stay right behind
Yeah
Lyrics submitted by owenparry26
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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
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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.
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Mountain Song
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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."
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In my opinion, this song is about John leaving the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and his history with the band.
"And then the past recedes And I won't be involved The effort to be free Seems pointless from above"
The past recedes, his past with the band has receded. When he was really addicted to heroin and cocaine, he often got in fights with Anthony and the band. He would mess up purposely on shows, as he didn't like how famous they were becoming. And I won't be involved: He literally won't be involved with the band anymore. The last two lines are kinda hard. Maybe he's thinking about how he wanted to be free from the band at that drugged out time in his life, and now looking back, or looking above, he sees it as pointless.
You're looking down at me I'd rather stay below Than have you staring up at me There's nowhere I want to go
I think these lines can be attributed to John's desire not to be famous. He left the band for the second time, on good terms, but because he wanted to pursue different paths and wasn't really comfortable around all the fame they were getting. So he says "You're looking down on me, I'd rather stay below". Than have you looking up at me" He'd rather stay below, as an audience member (not literally). He doesn't want them looking up at him, he doesn't like the fame. "There's nowhere I want to go", I guess he doesn't want to go anywhere with the band now?
"Ay, this business of how long we try to stay alive Why to be here you first got to die So I gave it a try And what do you know Time was so long ago And things come back you see To where they don't belong"
To me, these lines chronicle John's drug use. You have to "die" to go on later in live, and come to peace with yourself, according to these lyrics. John "died" when he started getting addicted to heroin and other drugs. I guess, looking back, he knows it was pretty much death. He says that time was so long ago, and how things come back. In my opinion, it's about how his drug addiction can come back to haunt him. Things come back to where they shouldn't be. I dunno if he went into relapse after he got clean, but if so this could possibly be talking about this. Or maybe he still feels the shame of his addiction years later.
@fcbman15 yes yes yes yes. The logic in this was beautiful. None of those conceited "ah, everyone here is so shallllllll-ooooooooooooooooooooooo".