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.
Transform our hearts
Into melody
And remove the parts
Then the tragedy
And I'll build a wall underneath the sea
To look over your shoulder
Look over your shoulder
Look over your shoulder just to see
All your enemies
Watching you watching me
(it's the weight of the world that we're on to,
It's the weight of the world.
It's the weight of the world that we're on to,
It's the weight of the world.)
We've left our hands
With no escape
And our hearts are tied
Tied to his me
And if we let them go
Will we break
Mmmâ?¦ mmmâ?¦
(chorus)
It's the weight of the world that we're onto,
It's the weight of the world that we're standing on
It's the weight of the world that we're onto,
It's the weight of the world that we're standing onâ?¦ standing on, I'm not standing on
Come on with your fingers
Come on with your fingers
Come on with your fingers
Don't slow down
Come on with your fingers
Come on with your fingers
Come on with your fingers
Don't slow down
Come on with your fingers
Come on with your fingers
Come on with your fingers
Don't slow down
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Into melody
And remove the parts
Then the tragedy
And I'll build a wall underneath the sea
To look over your shoulder
Look over your shoulder
Look over your shoulder just to see
All your enemies
Watching you watching me
(it's the weight of the world that we're on to,
It's the weight of the world.
It's the weight of the world that we're on to,
It's the weight of the world.)
We've left our hands
With no escape
And our hearts are tied
Tied to his me
And if we let them go
Will we break
Mmmâ?¦ mmmâ?¦
(chorus)
It's the weight of the world that we're onto,
It's the weight of the world that we're standing on
It's the weight of the world that we're onto,
It's the weight of the world that we're standing onâ?¦ standing on, I'm not standing on
Come on with your fingers
Come on with your fingers
Come on with your fingers
Don't slow down
Come on with your fingers
Come on with your fingers
Come on with your fingers
Don't slow down
Come on with your fingers
Come on with your fingers
Come on with your fingers
Don't slow down
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
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Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
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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,
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.
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.
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.
I think it's probably about attempting to transcend the hard feelings and the weight of everyday life that "Story" and "Houses" explored:
"Transform our hearts into melody Remove the parts, then the tragedy"
In doing so, we try to go beyond the human condition, but soon enough we find that we're bound to this world after all.
"We've left our hands with no escape And our hearts are tied, tied to this weight If we let them go, will we break?"
The song reaches its climax at the realization that we are small after all, and that our fragile transcendentalism can be destroyed by the merest shrug of the universe.
"Come out with your fingers, tear us all down"
The thread that unites the song is the whisper of "it's the weight of the world that we're onto, it's the weight of the world". By the end of the song, one realizes that we can't escape the world we live in with just grand thoughts, or even heartfelt melody - it's part of us, tied to our hearts.