Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Walk out over ancient hills
There's something underheel
Reach down let your fingers touch
A blade as hard as steel
I was the man that left it there
I tried to build my home
Watching over a cold frontier
A thousand miles from Rome
And our worlds collide after all these years on a cold frontier
I cleared the woods and I drained the land
For houses set to last
Now all my cities and all my roads
Are contours beneath the grass
And the men that we couldn't tame
We drove them into the West
Their songs and their stories still remain
What became of all I left?
Just the stones and the clay that the plough reveals
On this cold frontier
A silver coin I will leave for you
You can spin it in the air
On any country it chooses to fall
The coin will pay your fare
In the faces under the skin
Of all those who've worked this land
You'll find the traces of all who've been
They lie so close to hand
Let the borders fall after all these years to my cold frontier...
There's something underheel
Reach down let your fingers touch
A blade as hard as steel
I was the man that left it there
I tried to build my home
Watching over a cold frontier
A thousand miles from Rome
And our worlds collide after all these years on a cold frontier
I cleared the woods and I drained the land
For houses set to last
Now all my cities and all my roads
Are contours beneath the grass
And the men that we couldn't tame
We drove them into the West
Their songs and their stories still remain
What became of all I left?
Just the stones and the clay that the plough reveals
On this cold frontier
A silver coin I will leave for you
You can spin it in the air
On any country it chooses to fall
The coin will pay your fare
In the faces under the skin
Of all those who've worked this land
You'll find the traces of all who've been
They lie so close to hand
Let the borders fall after all these years to my cold frontier...
Lyrics submitted by Moontouched
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Ministry
Ministry
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Audioslave
Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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,
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Songnotes from the album: On a recent trip to a warm and sunny Italy I wondered about how an ordinary Roman soldier would have felt about being posted to a cold frontier on the Tamar, the Tyne or the Dee. After more than three centuries here it must have seemed as if their world would never fade. Once again with a common currency and an almost border-free Europe we can share the same illusions...