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.
Big nights are black and blue
They get cold and they get wet
And they're calling out for you
Like no one you ever met
No one dreams in the hours around me
The more I lose the more you find me
I lose track with every kiss
We shouldn't be isolated like this
Yeah, you're my friend
And when we're lost I'll still hold your hand
Revealed in white when the shadows fail
In any shadow that you can name
I'll be the shadow of your name
Hold the prize close to your heart
Prizes made for those who failed
Hold the prize away from you
So maybe you can hold me as well
When time peels off your statued skin
I'll still be fooled by what remains
Yeah whatever's left of you will be my dream
Yeah, you're my friend
And when we're drunk
I'll still hold your hand
Revealed in white when the shadows fail
In any shadow that you can name
I'll be the shadow of your name
In any shadow that you name
I'll be the shadow of the name
I'll be the shadow of your name
They get cold and they get wet
And they're calling out for you
Like no one you ever met
No one dreams in the hours around me
The more I lose the more you find me
I lose track with every kiss
We shouldn't be isolated like this
Yeah, you're my friend
And when we're lost I'll still hold your hand
Revealed in white when the shadows fail
In any shadow that you can name
I'll be the shadow of your name
Hold the prize close to your heart
Prizes made for those who failed
Hold the prize away from you
So maybe you can hold me as well
When time peels off your statued skin
I'll still be fooled by what remains
Yeah whatever's left of you will be my dream
Yeah, you're my friend
And when we're drunk
I'll still hold your hand
Revealed in white when the shadows fail
In any shadow that you can name
I'll be the shadow of your name
In any shadow that you name
I'll be the shadow of the name
I'll be the shadow of your name
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Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
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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,
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
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.
Ridiculously cryptic. It sounds like he tells a story of wanting a good friend of his, yet standing by her and being too afraid to tell her as she goes for other guys. He stays as a support structure even though he himself wants to be with her.