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”
The quiet should be nice but isn't
I guess we're going to spend the day like this
In psychic screaming
Don't you feel my eye-lasers hit?
Stare you down but god, your skin is thick
What's it take to notice?
Show me you can read my mind
You're useless to me if you
Don't know the why or how
Or what my body needs
Give me something I can feel
Show me you can read my mind
I'm tired of all the war you bring home
I command higher devotion
Better get busy
What makes you think I'd give in for less?
I'm only happy with my happiness
If you push me over it's over
Show me you can read my mind
You're useless to me if you
Don't know the why or how
Or what my body needs
Give me something I can feel
Show me you can read my mind
I guess we're going to spend the day like this
In psychic screaming
Don't you feel my eye-lasers hit?
Stare you down but god, your skin is thick
What's it take to notice?
Show me you can read my mind
You're useless to me if you
Don't know the why or how
Or what my body needs
Give me something I can feel
Show me you can read my mind
I'm tired of all the war you bring home
I command higher devotion
Better get busy
What makes you think I'd give in for less?
I'm only happy with my happiness
If you push me over it's over
Show me you can read my mind
You're useless to me if you
Don't know the why or how
Or what my body needs
Give me something I can feel
Show me you can read my mind
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More Featured Meanings
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
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.
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/
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
This song is about juvenile difficulties faced by a couple once the "honeymoon phase" had ended. The song is told from the perspective of the man in the relationship, although it is not necessarily favorable to his state of mind.
The quiet should be nice, but isn't I guess we're gonna spend the day like this In psychic screaming
One of the first things that happens to struggling couples after the lust and magic of fresh love has faded is a breakdown of communication. This verse is the man making note that while once quiet was nice, and a mutual part of their relationship, he now knows that the silence is actually filled with thousands of judgments and harsh criticisms of their love.
Don't you feel my eye lasers hit? I stare you down, but God your skin is thick What's it take to notice?
This verse follows the same theme, with the man of the relationship recognizing that the silence betrays happiness, and whatever grudge and anger he carries is born by the weight and wrath of his stare. His woman, however, remains completely unaware of what is happening.
Show me you can read my mind Give me something that I need You're useless to me if you Don't know the why or how Or what my body needs Give me something I can feel Show me you can read my mind Read my mind, read my mind
The chorus is the most telling aspect of the song. The man is claiming that his lover doesn't actually know anything about him. He wants her to prove her devotion to him, hence the title, "higher devotion," because he feels like she doesn't know what he wants, needs, or likes. Because of the tone the chorus is delivered in though, it is apparent that the man is actually as immature and unprepared for love as he claims his lover is. He wants her to go the extra mile, but he has done nothing to deserve it.
I'm tired of all the way you bring home I command a higher devotion Better get busy
Here is the revelatory statement, where the narrator, the man, reveals that he thinks he deserves a better, more dedicated woman. However, instead of realizing that relationships are mutual efforts, he shows his arrogance by simply commanding his woman to "try harder" at meeting his expectations.
What makes you think I'd give in for this? I'm only happy with my happiness If you push me over, it's over
Continuing his egotistical rant, the man goes on to proclaim that the only thing he finds pleasing is himself, and what he can do for himself. Her "nagging" and "complaining" (the "war" she brings home) does nothing to reinforce the love that is supposed to exist between the two of them.
The repetition of the chorus serves to reinforce that the relationship has truly begun to die, and the man will never be satisfied by his woman's devotion, for the sole reason that he expects more from her than he deserves.