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”
Going round in circles,
Directions all messed up
I go to ground on a bottle of wine
And drown myself in the flood.
My frozen toes are beginning to melt
I believe I'm catching a cold.
Got oil on my feathers and I can't fly
Gotta go back to your love.
I'm a clown without a circus
There's no one to see my act.
I can laugh and sing and stand on my head,
Nobody knows where I'm at.
It's hard to be convincing
When these blues don't give an inch.
I ain't exactly losing,
But I'm beginning to feel the pinch.
(chorus)
My days are long and lonely,
And I feel so insecure,
There ain't nothing funny, I'm losing you honey.
I can't laugh anymore.
I can't laugh anymore.
Going round in circles,
Compass is all messed.
I'm going to ground on a bottle of wine,
Drown myself in the flood.
My frozen toes are beginning to melt
I believe I'm catching a cold,
Got all of my feathers and I can't fly,
Gotta go back to your love.
Old Chang surely told me
Not to mess with what you got.
But I went stomping all over your head
Like a bull in a China shop.
(chorus)
I'm a clown without a circus,
There's no one to see my act.
I can laugh and sing and stand on my head,
Nobody knows where I'm at.
Going round in circles,
Directions all messed up.
Going to ground on a bottle of wine
Drown myself in the flood.
Directions all messed up
I go to ground on a bottle of wine
And drown myself in the flood.
My frozen toes are beginning to melt
I believe I'm catching a cold.
Got oil on my feathers and I can't fly
Gotta go back to your love.
I'm a clown without a circus
There's no one to see my act.
I can laugh and sing and stand on my head,
Nobody knows where I'm at.
It's hard to be convincing
When these blues don't give an inch.
I ain't exactly losing,
But I'm beginning to feel the pinch.
(chorus)
My days are long and lonely,
And I feel so insecure,
There ain't nothing funny, I'm losing you honey.
I can't laugh anymore.
I can't laugh anymore.
Going round in circles,
Compass is all messed.
I'm going to ground on a bottle of wine,
Drown myself in the flood.
My frozen toes are beginning to melt
I believe I'm catching a cold,
Got all of my feathers and I can't fly,
Gotta go back to your love.
Old Chang surely told me
Not to mess with what you got.
But I went stomping all over your head
Like a bull in a China shop.
(chorus)
I'm a clown without a circus,
There's no one to see my act.
I can laugh and sing and stand on my head,
Nobody knows where I'm at.
Going round in circles,
Directions all messed up.
Going to ground on a bottle of wine
Drown myself in the flood.
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings, edited by CptAlpha
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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
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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
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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.
For a long time, I thought the song was about a person feeling lost after a breakup. The bewilderment was always so obvious to me "going round in circles, compass is all messed up" "Got oil on my feathers and I can't fly" (oil possibly representing his hate during the relationship, because when you're in love, everything seems light: it's as if you were flying), and also, well the chorus just states that his days are "long and lonely". The clown metaphor (which I found extremely moving, by the way) was, still back then to me, a pure example of his loneliness despite his many efforts and commitment ("I can laugh and sing and stand on my head: nobody knows where I'm at"); sometimes when you want to impress your crush, you become a whole unrecognisable person, like putting on a mask or 'putting on an act'. I also find it interesting that later on he says "I can't laugh anymore" when he specifically said it was part of his act, which means one thing: he lost his ability to amuse. He lost a part of his identity. And I find the "old Chang surely told me" part rather self explanatory. The reason the relationship didn't work out was his own fault.
And then, I realised something not too long ago: all of the song is a description of a pilot landing a plane (and let's be obvious: the album's cover shows it all, and after a bit of research, I found a few photos of the whole band with pilot suits on. I wonder though what drove the band so much for flying, but maybe this is the concept of the album?? Idk) and I find it explains everything. His trajectory is going in circles because he probably broke his compass. He is on a bottle of wine because he feels dizzy after flying so much. The clown without a circus is basically the pilot saying "I'm making all of these circles around in the air like a stage performance, but no one's watching anyway". And well, the "my frozen toes are beginning to melt, I believe I'm catching a cold" part is obvious. The bull in the China shop part is because his aircraft was hard to control as he tried reducing speed on the landing runway, maybe? In any case, the pilot metaphor somehow makes more sense I find.
An amazing song!!! And the rest of the album is stunning!! Pure prog at its best!!!
@CptAlpha<br /> <br /> Great interpretation Cap !<br /> <br /> Mostly everything you wrote makes absolutely sense.<br /> There's one little thing I would like to add though.<br /> "But I went stompin' all over your head" obviously means that he treated his partner badly. "Like a bull in a china shop" just means really, really badly and has not really anything to do with the aircraft. Don't you think ?<br /> <br /> Unfortunately I can identify myself with the lyrics which makes the song even sadder . . . but just for me.<br /> <br /> Watch and Chance must have been the band's summit, at least in my eyes. It was the first "real" music that I was listening to at the age of 7 and 9. English not being my native language, I didn't grasp a word at that time, but I devoured the music.