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.
Mail order brides, turtlenecks, and trophy wives,
Had the ways and means to breach,
The borders of easy street,
And to blend right in,
We all surrounded them in a white picket fence,
Now both ends meet,
Sufficed to say there's a time and a place,
So I wait,
For the tug-of-war and who you'll pull for,
While between you and me from point A to point be is a fine line,
That burns at both our good ends,
Two peas in a pod, a battle axe, and a bastard child,
Took one step more and went straight to the source,
And to blend right in,
They opened fire with their rain checks spent to make ends meet,
Sufficed to say there's a time and a place,
So I wait,
For the tug-of-war and who you'll pull for,
While between you and me from point A to point be is a fine line,
That burns at both our good ends,
Go on, paint the whole town red,
I'd rather follow who cleans up the mess,
And so I wait,
Sufficed to say there's a time and a place,
So I wait,
For the tug-of-war and who you'll pull for,
While between you and me from point A to point be is a fine line,
That burns at both our good ends.
Had the ways and means to breach,
The borders of easy street,
And to blend right in,
We all surrounded them in a white picket fence,
Now both ends meet,
Sufficed to say there's a time and a place,
So I wait,
For the tug-of-war and who you'll pull for,
While between you and me from point A to point be is a fine line,
That burns at both our good ends,
Two peas in a pod, a battle axe, and a bastard child,
Took one step more and went straight to the source,
And to blend right in,
They opened fire with their rain checks spent to make ends meet,
Sufficed to say there's a time and a place,
So I wait,
For the tug-of-war and who you'll pull for,
While between you and me from point A to point be is a fine line,
That burns at both our good ends,
Go on, paint the whole town red,
I'd rather follow who cleans up the mess,
And so I wait,
Sufficed to say there's a time and a place,
So I wait,
For the tug-of-war and who you'll pull for,
While between you and me from point A to point be is a fine line,
That burns at both our good ends.
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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
Hayalperest
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.
No Surprises
Radiohead
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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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
i really wish people wouldn't just comment on a song to say its good. It isn't called Songmeanings.net for nothing. That being said, i think this song is about a husband who cheats on his wife, or vice versa. It seems like a little perfect home, (with a white picket fence) and neighborhood, but inside, things are bad, (padlocks and a bastard child). The husband, or wife, is waiting for the other to return home, but he/she does not, (and so i wait). Thats basically what i think the song is about, but i could be way off base. You never know with FTM.
so, i am a new user and this is my first song analysis. dont judge harshly please
i accidentally put that as a reply. dont judge once again
first of all, i agree with AuntieEm&UncleSam about the analysis of the line: "mail order brides turtle necks and trophy wives had the ways and means to breach the borders of easy street" But, i also think that FTM is comparing 2 married couples no child.
when he says "we all surround them in a white picket fence" he means that we glorify a family that looks that well off even though there is no love in the couple.
He speaks of the other couple after the chorus: "2 peas in a pod, a battleaxe, and a bastard child took one step more and went straight to the source and to blend right in they opened fire with their rain checks spent to make ends meet" A battleaxe is a woman with a strong opinion. a bastard child is a child with unwed parents. they are an unfortunate couple. but they are perfect for eachother. (2 peas in a pod).
we dont look at them as a well off couple. they spent their rain checks to make ends meet. But they are in love, and thats all that matters.
the chorus is saying that theres a time and a place that he will wait for love. the tug of war is life and its challenges. he will pull for the one he loves. "While between you and me from point A to point B is a fine line" -things will be fine when theres love between 2 people
"go on, paint the whole town red I'd rather follow who cleans up the mess And so I wait." -even if the community doesnt look at them as a well off successful couple, they are there for eachother through hard times(the mess). so he will wait for that love.
at least, thats what i got out of it.
@jwolf Yours is the only plausible interpretation! Thank you! Now I actually know what this song is about!
My simple guess is that the song is about the dark truth of the "American Dream" and/or Suburbia. The house, family and white picket fence.
In the end, the husband turns into a lonely sex addict who would stoop to the point of mail-order brides, despite their clean upstanding exterior (turtlenecks). Wives are simply objects or trophies to the husband and are seen as such in the neighborhood. The children are spoiled, crazy and violent bastards who oftentimes struggle to "blend in" at school (shootings at small suburban schools anyone?). Looking to the source (the messed up family) as to why the kids turn out the way they do.
Might not cover all of the lyrics I guess, but that's my thoughts on the song.
good song
Codfish, fuck off.
I agree with cold fish about the song and the people that jsut coment it.
But i modifyied my meaning a littel bit.
TO me its about a broken home. The couple fights back and forth over and over agian .
The guy blames the girl for alot of things. She fires back by spending the rain check.
He's trying to find a fine line between him and her where they both agree on things.
whoa...m333333....looks like someone had a bad day. As for ajslikes2argue, yeah, i agree, it could also be about a broken home. There are so many different ways FTM's lyrics and be interpreted, who knows what Darroh was really thinking when he wrote it. I think that the underlying focus of the song is things seem fine on the outside, when they're not.
Actually seemed like you were being a douche.
I think it's about a broken home, but I kind of viewed it as if he's taking an outsiders look, or about a child's look at parents that wanted to "stick it out" for the kid.
"Sufficed to say there's a time and a place So I wait For the tug-of-war and who you'll pull for While between you and me from point A to point B is a fine line That burns at both our good ends"
and
"go on, paint the whole town red I'd rather follow who cleans up the mess And so I wait."
I don't know though, it's 3:30 AM and I haven't slept in 23 hours...
hm...i think this song is definitely about a broken home. however, i think the scenario in the song is that of a divorced father who remarries some woman with a child. I dont know, maybe im just relating it to my own life, but i see the song being sung from the sons point of view with a new mom and step sibling coming into the picture.
"mail order brides turtle necks and trophy wives had the ways and means to breach the borders of easy street" this sets up that this whole marriage is in no way based on love, affection or even companionship...the father needs to fit into society and have a "picture perfect family" while the wife needs a meal ticket for her and her child...hence "easy street"
i think the chorus is the son addressing his new step-mother..."sufficed to say there is a time and a place so i wait for the tug of war and who youll pull for"-basically he sees right through her, and knows that there will come a time when her true colors will show through and she will be forced to show allegiance to her new family, but he knows she wont.
"two peas in a pod, a battle axe and a bastard child took one step more and went straight to the source"-this is explaining further the motives of the mother and her child. They took one step more, as in skipped the true meaning of marriage, and went straight to the source, as in they were in it for financial stability.
Thats pretty much all i got on this song...oh, and i agree with codfish...dont post if you arent going to give an interpretation of the song. We all know its a good song...thats why we are all here.
I'm thinking this song is from the point of view of a guy that watched and maybe encouraged a "perfect couple" to get together while he actually had a thing for the woman, maybe they were friends/lovers.
But the guy knows that the husband wasn't deserving (bastard child, i.e. father not around?), knows they're struggling, and waits and watches to see if the wife is going to stick it out in the bad relationship or leave the husband and come to him. "I'd rather follow who cleans up the mess" indicates he's not the kind to speak up and actively do something about the situation, but still the waiting and watching (or having an affair) creates anxiety and stress, and thus "burns at both [their] good ends."
Just a thought!
so, i am a new user and this is my first song analysis. dont judge harshly please<br /> <br /> first of all, i agree with AuntieEm&UncleSam about the analysis of the line: "mail order brides turtle necks and trophy wives had the ways and means to breach the borders of easy street" But, i also think that FTM is comparing 2 married couples no child.<br /> <br /> when he says "we all surround them in a white picket fence" he means that we glorify a family that looks that well off even though there is no love in the couple.<br /> <br /> He speaks of the other couple after the chorus: "2 peas in a pod, a battleaxe, and a bastard child took one step more and went straight to the source and to blend right in they opened fire with their rain checks spent to make ends meet"<br /> A battleaxe is a woman with a strong opinion. a bastard child is a child with unwed parents. they are an unfortunate couple. but they are perfect for eachother. (2 peas in a pod).<br /> <br /> we dont look at them as a well off couple. they spent their rain checks to make ends meet. But they are in love, and thats all that matters.<br /> <br /> the chorus is saying that theres a time and a place that he will wait for love. the tug of war is life and its challenges. he will pull for the one he loves. "While between you and me from point A to point B is a fine line" -things will be fine when theres love between 2 people<br /> <br /> <br /> "go on, paint the whole town red I'd rather follow who cleans up the mess And so I wait." -even if the community doesnt look at them as a well off successful couple, they are there for eachother through hard times(the mess). so he will wait for that love.<br /> <br /> at least, thats what i got out of it.<br /> <br />