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.
It must be hard ringing the bells
Of doors that don't swing wide anymore
It must be hard hearing the sound
Of voices just inside of the door
A man who couldn't hold your coat
Who's hung on ever antidote
So it must be hard watching the fellows gloat
Ballantines
It must be hard seeing the same old crowd
Just pass you by in the street
It must be tough knowing your stuff
Could only horrify the elite
You cut off everyone you know
Boy you told `em all where to go
Now it must be hard getting the same revoke
Ballantines
Well, patrons at the bar in Lexington Kentucky
Who sprung for every drink you downed
With things the way they are it's not that kind of party
If what you've got might just be good fooling around
The fat cows won't be getting thin
Seeing the kind of jam you're in
Though the angels dance on the head of another pin
Ballantines
Ballantines
Ballantines
Of doors that don't swing wide anymore
It must be hard hearing the sound
Of voices just inside of the door
A man who couldn't hold your coat
Who's hung on ever antidote
So it must be hard watching the fellows gloat
Ballantines
It must be hard seeing the same old crowd
Just pass you by in the street
It must be tough knowing your stuff
Could only horrify the elite
You cut off everyone you know
Boy you told `em all where to go
Now it must be hard getting the same revoke
Ballantines
Well, patrons at the bar in Lexington Kentucky
Who sprung for every drink you downed
With things the way they are it's not that kind of party
If what you've got might just be good fooling around
The fat cows won't be getting thin
Seeing the kind of jam you're in
Though the angels dance on the head of another pin
Ballantines
Ballantines
Ballantines
Lyrics submitted by patriciadsc
Ballantines Lyrics as written by Aimee Mann
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
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”
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.
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.
'Ballantines' is the name of a beer brewery in America, famous for their Ballantine Ale.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballantine_%28brewery%29
To me, this song is about someone either working there or just around the time the place was big.. and is clearly an alcoholic of some sort. The song seems like typical Aimee Mann with wry and clever lyrics- her and Sean Hayes are listing out reasons for him being an alcohol or wallowing his pain in drinking. She's playfully saying 'it must be hard', as if humouring him, making it seem like his excuses for drinking are worth it. He's like most Aimee character- downtrodden and lost. He's 'ringing the bells of doors that don't swing wide anymore', 'watching the fellows gloat'. He's depressed 'seeing the same old crowd pass you by in the street'.
"You cut off everyone you know Boy you told `em all where to go Now it must be hard getting the same revoke Ballantines"
The bridge there is showing him cutting himself off from everyone, being alone due to his own failures.
The last two verses are a continuation and directly addresses his drowning his sorrows in beer- 'sprung for every drink you downed'. I think the (?) part is 'if what you got just might be coming around..'
I also think it's 'Them fat cats" instead of 'fat cows"- here she's sympathizing with him sort of, and showing the characters reserve for the people who he is isolated from.
To me, this song is amazing and one of the best I've heard from her. It reminds me of 'Way Back When' and is a wonderful song that's upbeat and lovely tone is constrated greatly by the subject matter- typical Aimee Mann characters, sad and alone and full of regret and disillusionment. The tone and duet makes it a type of knowledgable song- the narrator is as aware of the problems of the character as the character himself is, sympathizing but also presenting him with the obvious problems in his life and it works as a sort of anthem for anyone who is not only an alcoholic, but lost, alone. etc.