This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
This doesn't make much sense
Think far out but I'm still locked in
I'm still lost, walking in circles
The floor swallowed me up whole
There's nowhere to go
There's a vulture on my shoulder
And he's telling me to give in
Always hissing right in my ear
Like it's coming from my own head
It's got me mixed up
Trying not to give up
Tell me there's a way to get out of here
Oh, fixed at zero!
I've learned to talk with my fingers
The only voice that wakes my ears
Oh, make my bones do something
Ever wanna jump out of your skin
Anticipating til the sidewalk ends
There's nowhere to go
There's a vulture on my shoulder
And he's telling me to give in
Always hissing right in my ear
Like it's coming from my own head
It's got me mixed up
Trying not to give up
Tell me there's a way to get out of here
Oh, fixed at zero!
There's a vulture on my shoulder
And he's telling me to give in
Always hissing right in my ear
Like it's coming from my own head
It's got me mixed up
Trying not to give up
Tell me there's a way to get out of here
Oh, fixed at zero!
I'm fixed at zero!
Think far out but I'm still locked in
I'm still lost, walking in circles
The floor swallowed me up whole
There's nowhere to go
There's a vulture on my shoulder
And he's telling me to give in
Always hissing right in my ear
Like it's coming from my own head
It's got me mixed up
Trying not to give up
Tell me there's a way to get out of here
Oh, fixed at zero!
I've learned to talk with my fingers
The only voice that wakes my ears
Oh, make my bones do something
Ever wanna jump out of your skin
Anticipating til the sidewalk ends
There's nowhere to go
There's a vulture on my shoulder
And he's telling me to give in
Always hissing right in my ear
Like it's coming from my own head
It's got me mixed up
Trying not to give up
Tell me there's a way to get out of here
Oh, fixed at zero!
There's a vulture on my shoulder
And he's telling me to give in
Always hissing right in my ear
Like it's coming from my own head
It's got me mixed up
Trying not to give up
Tell me there's a way to get out of here
Oh, fixed at zero!
I'm fixed at zero!
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I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
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.
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/
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
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.
Sierra talking describing the song:
"The vulture represents all your demons and bad habits that lurk in the back of your mind. They haunt you and try to control you. It's not always a bad thing. We aren't perfect. We all have a little vulture inside us, and sometimes it makes us take chances that we can learn from. I chose a vulture not only because it rhymed with "shoulder," but because they're so evil and lazy. It waits for its food to die and isn’t even a skilled hunter. Sometimes we get all get lazy. We feel fixed at zero, which basically means to be stuck in one spot, not able to move forward or in the right direction–in the sense that 10 is the greatest and zero is the lowest."
I listened to lots live videos of this A LOT and tried to get these as accurate as possible! I know there's probably some parts that are wrong and there's one part I couldnt figure out. If you think the lyrics are incorrect please post the correction and I'll fix it. ^__^
Love this song =D Good job working out these lyrics, they're not that easy to hear. The second line is bugging me though... I think it COULD be "Think far out but I'm still locked in."
I think in the chorus it's "No, I can't explain why I'm not all there." also, I agree with Grinchy. I think it's "Think far out, but I'm still locked in" as well.
the words are right except for the chorus these lyrics are from the one that they performed at sxsw so i think the official:
There's a vulture on my shoulder And he's telling me to give in Always hissing right in my ear Like it's coming from my own head And I've been fixed up, trying not to give up knowing there's a way to get out of here Fixed at zero
yeah, I see they changed the lyrics since I submitted these. I fixed them now. =]<br /> And I just listened to the full, recorded version and I'm pretty sure it's:<br /> "It's got me mixed up, trying not to give up<br /> tell me there's a way to get out of here"<br /> not<br /> "And I've been fixed up, trying not to give up<br /> knowing there's a way to get out of here"<br /> <br />
I think this song talks about the temptations of the world. For example "There's a vulture on my shoulder ,And he's telling me to give in ,Always hissing right in my ear ,Like it's coming from my own head" Could mean that the "Vulture" is all the "bad" things in the world trying to get her to change her ways and her morals.
all the lyrics are at fixedatzero.com
Sierra, i just wanted to say you are truly amazing...! You, have made me believe i can be more then just a simple every day person. Idk why but i now feel like the skys my limit and no one can touch me... im 16 years old and music of course is my life. nothing else could possibly mean more. ivy <3
I think this song is pretty self-explanatory. It talks about hearing your conscience (the vulture) telling you things you know you should do, but don't know if you will do. And because you can't make the decision to listen to that voice, you're "fixed at zero"...you're not going anywhere.
[This doesn't make much sense Think far out but I'm still locked in I'm still lost, walking circles The floor swallowed me up whole There's no where to go] No matter what, you're going insane doing the same things over and over again each day. The earth begins to devour you, because you literally aren't "living". You're getting swallowed up by everything.
[I've learned to talk with my fingers The only that voice that wakes my ears Oh make my bones do something Ever wanna jump out your skin Anticipate until the sidewalk ends There's no where to go] I'm not sure what it means to "talk with your fingers", but I still think it has something to do with being "unheard" to the rest of the world. You're locked in your mind, and you want to jump out and be free...but there's no path in front of you.