oh billy come on, cause i've heard your hundreth song
and though i liked the tale of the millionares that constructed the fine bolts and put the buildings in the air
billy come on, oh come and sing your hundreth song.
precautionary tales to reactionary table, ha-ha

granted your songs have been living in this world
have been eating in this world
have been breathing in this world
rain on rain on

i find it unacceptable
i've made concessions to the world
to the running of the world
to the turning of the world
can beneath me burn

billy was a girl, but he couldn't tie his curls
but the proxis breaks, the angry bed
the lover and the wood lives on common care

billy come on in the echoing morning calm
try to find your breath and breathe the air for the troupe of sellers and millionaries

billy come on like a population bursts from your songs
for the birdies and the babies and the downtown pushers, please billy

granted your lungs have been sucking in this world
have been breathing in this world
have been lying in the sand
rain on rain on

i find it unacceptable that you keep singing to the world
and keep lying in the world
and keep crushing everybody's heads .. (?)




Lyrics submitted by scarybears

Time Destroys its Plan at the Reactionary Table song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

5 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    quite nice interpretation, though some parts i'd make out otherwise, for example:

    "bring the cautionary tales to reactionary table"

    "the angry bear" (instead of angry bed:)

    "for their buddies and their babies and their hometown pushers"

    and i always understand "i mean" instead of "have been" in the chorus, but of course, your interpretation makes much more sense. though the lines "i mean living in this world / i mean eating in this world / i mean breathing in this world/ rain on, rain on, rain on" affect me much more, it's like all the chaos and absurdity of the world is being conveyed through this chorus. i always listen to it in a volume that's going to rip up my eardrums :)

    anyway, The Golden River is a masterpiece, one of the best records i've ever heard. i keep listening to it almost daily since i discovered it, and it has been for about three months now! :) i just can't understand, why such an amazing band is being so overlooked. no hype like around their canadian fellows Arcade Fire or Wolf Parade, though i think they're much bigger... there is so much awesome music coming from Canada nowadays, i think i'm going to move there :)

    iwantobeahorseon July 20, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yes, Canada has plenty of great bands. I'm an aspiring Canadian musician.

    Cool Cozon June 19, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Man ALL the lyrics for Frog Eyes on this site are way way way off.

    Vocalitieson February 03, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i don't understand for the life of me why they're all wrong, i can understand him PERFECTLY

    owen_vs_the_owlon May 14, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    here's what i've got to try to fill in the rest of the song.

    oh billy come on, oh cause i've heard your hundredth song and though i liked the tale of the millionaires that constructed the fine bolts and put the buildings in the air billy come on, oh come and sing your hundredth song. bring cautionary tales to the reactionary table, ha-ha!

    granted your songs have been living in this world have been eating in this world have been breathing in this world rain on, rain on, rain on

    i find it unacceptable i've made concessions to the world to the running of the world to the turning of the world can beneath me burn

    billy was a girl, but he couldn't tie his curls but the praxis breaks the angry bear the lover in the wood lives on common care billy come on, oh in the echoing morning calm try to find your breath and breathe the air for the troupe of sellers and millionaries

    billy come on, oh like a population bursts from your songs for the birdies and the babies and the downtown pushers please billy, ha-ha!

    granted your lungs have been sucking in this world have been breathing in this world have been lying in this world rain on, rain on, rain on

    i find it unacceptable that you keep singing to the world and keep lying in the world and keep crushing everybody's heads and what everybody (oh) thinks about rain on, rain on, rain on

    keep ringing on the rail, the wrong, the wrong keep singing to the wrong, to the wrong, to the song singers singing bring it fucking on and on and on

    this set of millionaires that burst the tale and ripped the hair the final fate of lies, dear the final fare and sail

    as far as i can tell, this song is about modern industrial society ("millionaires who constructed the fine bolts and put the buildings in the air"), themes also found elsewhere on the golden river, like in "one in six children will flee in boats."

    the plight of the millionaires may make a good story, and they may have made seemingly great accomplishments, but it serves as a cautionary tale, as it was always destined to fail. no one does or can do anything about it; even people who are passionately opposed lose heart ("the praxis breaks the angry bear"), and some live their lives within the system, not necessarily agreeing with it, but doing nothing to change it ("the lover in the wood lives on common care"). billy goes around glorifying this system and spreading his propaganda, preventing people from thinking on their own.

    it may be frustrating, but in the end it all has to break down, and at the very least it can serve as a warning.

    YeahBuddayon May 24, 2010   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
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.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
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”
Album art
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
Punchline
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.