This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
You surely are a truly gifted kid
But you're only good as
The last great thing you did
And where've you been since then
Did the schedule get you down
I hear you've got a new girlfriend
How's the wife taking it?
If it's uphill all the way
You should be used to it by now
You must know me, Father it's your son
And I know that you are proud
Of everything I've done
But it's the wonders I perform,
Pulling rabbits out of hats
When sometimes I'd prefer
Simply to wear them
If it's uphill all the way
You should be used to it and say
My back is broad enough sir
To take the strain and it's
Hello mother, it's your son
And aren't you proud, of all I've done
But I'm turkey hungry, I'm chicken free,
And I can't break dance on your knee
But it's "stay right there son, baby do",
While I is itchin' for something new
So watch me hawk eye, understand
The force of will, the sleight of hand
Movin' the river,
I'm turkey hungry, I'm chicken free
And I can't break dance on your knee
Movin' the river,
Bucket by spoon,
And do you think that they'll like me
When they learn what I do
Movin' the river,
Money for jam,
But it takes such an effort
To stay where I am
But you're only good as
The last great thing you did
And where've you been since then
Did the schedule get you down
I hear you've got a new girlfriend
How's the wife taking it?
If it's uphill all the way
You should be used to it by now
You must know me, Father it's your son
And I know that you are proud
Of everything I've done
But it's the wonders I perform,
Pulling rabbits out of hats
When sometimes I'd prefer
Simply to wear them
If it's uphill all the way
You should be used to it and say
My back is broad enough sir
To take the strain and it's
Hello mother, it's your son
And aren't you proud, of all I've done
But I'm turkey hungry, I'm chicken free,
And I can't break dance on your knee
But it's "stay right there son, baby do",
While I is itchin' for something new
So watch me hawk eye, understand
The force of will, the sleight of hand
Movin' the river,
I'm turkey hungry, I'm chicken free
And I can't break dance on your knee
Movin' the river,
Bucket by spoon,
And do you think that they'll like me
When they learn what I do
Movin' the river,
Money for jam,
But it takes such an effort
To stay where I am
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Mountain Song
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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."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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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.
One of the tasks Hercules accomplished was moving a river to clean a supposedly uncleanable stable.
To me as a high school student, this song was always a voice for my anxiety about being able to keep up the pace of accomplishment I had set. "You're only as good as the last great thing you did, and where've you been since then?" As an adult, it's hard to hear the song without that wash of earlier interpretation, but now I think it's about a guy in a mid-life crisis looking to break out of his rut.
As with most tracks on the Steve McQueen LP, and several on ' From Langley Park To Memphis', this song has a very deep personal association for me in terms of life experience. The main message I believe is about living under the weight of expectation, and seeking approval., which has its' roots in childhood with overcritical ( father ) and overprotective ( mother ) parents, and then reflects in later life with references to moving forward - (new girlfriend, how's the wife taking it ) , and achieving success ( moving the river bucket by spoon - but do you think they'll like me.. ) The interlaced message is one of a frustrated individual yearning to prove his worth and having to do it by stealth against others' wishes - ( the force of will, sleight of hand ) and holding resentment against childhood learning ( I can't breakdance on your knee ). Also acknowledging it is a simple thing to go on pleasing everyone by being the same, but it's not really what he wants to be ( money for jam....) Yet another example of McAloon's superb use of metaphor to describe the inner frustrations of life. As I have said before, this bloke is an out and out genius.
The key line is 'it takes such an effort to stay where I am' how true
I certainly relate to this song quite a bit, and I think a lot of people can. I think out of all the cryptic and often hard to interpret lyrics that Paddy has written over the years, this is one of his most universally relatable lyrics. I think if you take this very literally then it is mainly about pressure put upon kids by parents and other adults in their life; however, I think in a broader interpretation of this song, it's mostly just about pressure in general. Right from the get go, with the line "You surely are a truly gifted kid but you're only good as the last great thing you did" It sums up the modern day societal mentality that has dominated for the past several centuries, and especially the most recent two: That we must keep moving and that we must never be happy. No one these day seems to be truly happy with where they are in their life. Everyone needs to keep moving. They're "only as good as the last great thing they did". My interpretation is simply that this song is an expression of trying to keep up in life. This song is about "Moving the river bucket by spoon". It's about the effort it takes to "stay where I am". I admire how well this song is written and how tastefully it explores such a simple, yet pressing topic that is universally relatable.
I agree with all of the thoughts above, but another interesting way to look at it could be that the narrator is self-aggrandizing the things he does, despite the fact that they would happen whether he were doing them or not. A cog in the machine can be easily replaced; a river flows whether we're there to assist it or not.