It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken

To me, this song is about individuality in a relationship.

When the colour of the night and all the smoke for one life

This line just reminds me of standing by yourself, out in the country side, at the dusk of a winter´s day. You know when you turn around to go back to the city, that you´ll have to deal with friends and family and work and life, but for now, you are the only life.

gives way to shaky movements, improvisational skills, a forest of whispering speakers

When you go back to ´life´, you find yourself woefully unprepared. So you fake it, just trying to do the best that you can. I think the forest of whispering speakers are those little voices you hear around you. Your friends and family, who think they know what you should do, your intuition, the voice of God.

let's swear that we will get with the times, in a current health to stay let's get friendship right get life day-to-day

I think these lines deal with a relationship. It´s like ´Things aren´t perfect, and I don´t know what the hell I´m doing, but I just want a simple, strong relationship with someone I love. Let´s be healthy, let´s be friends again, let´s just live life day to day without worrying about the future and all those things that don´t really matter.

in the forget-yer-skates dream full of countervailing woes

I think this once again refers to the sense of inadequacy. You´ve shown up at the rink without your skates. Therefore, you can´t play in the game. I think this might refer to a break in the relationship. And I think countervailing woes is sort of the idea that, on one hand, you really want to get on the ice. But on the other hand, it´s overwhelming you, and you´re glad to be able to sit this one out.

in diverse-as-ever scenes proceeding on a need-to-know

I think this line is just going with the flow of life. Go on a need to know basis.

in a face so full of meaning as to almost make it glow

This refers to a partner, that feels some strong emotion.

O' for a good life, we just might have to weaken

and find somewhere to go go somewhere we're needed find somewhere to grow grow somewhere were needed.

To me, those lines mean that to really live life, and feel good, you need to weaken. To let down those defenses, and put yourself in a space where you can grow. In the sense of the relationship, I think it means two people finding their own separate paths, because they were stifling each other. Growing up and growing apart.

I interpreted this as one generation watching their parent near death.

When the color of the night (grey)

"And all the smoke for one life Gives way to shaky movements"

(the essence of a person gives way to the shakes)

Improvisational skills

(how they handle the loss through excuses)

A forest of whispering speakers

(no one will talk about death)

Let's swear that we will Get with the times In a current health to stay Let's get friendship right Get life day to day

(what the current generation promises themselves to do with their lives)

In the forget yer skates dream Full of countervailing woes

(forget childhood fears... there are adult fears to worry about)

In diverse as ever scenes

(hospital, doctor, good news bad news)

Proceeding on a need to know

(only tell those who need to know what is happening)

In a face so full of meaning As to almost make it glow

(the face of your loved one, with all their history on their face)

For for a good life We just might have to weaken And find somewhere to go Go somewhere we're needed Find somewhere to grow Go somewhere we're needed

(Life life as the journey)

i cant believe no one had said anything about his song...it is so awesome and T-Hip is one of the greatest bands ever.

I heard this song on the radio and just had to find the lyrics for it, I love it but I've only heard it twice. :(

It came on this morning while I was getting ready for class and my sister gave me one of those "what the hell is this?" looks but she doesn't like a lot of what I listen to,lol.

I think the lyric of the song is actually an argument AGAINST the title. Something Gord probably heard before, and decided he didn't agree with.

It seems that this song is about choice. And how we're forced to make these choices that affect our life, even when we are not "ready" to make these choices. "shaky movements", "improvisational skills", speak about someone who is unsure of themselves. the smoke is clearing and the paths are coming clearer, and he/she must decide.

gord seems to also be speaking of keeping to the essentials.. "a current health to stay, let's get friendship right, get life day-to-day".. and this might also be about that too "forget yer-skates-dream full of countervailing woes".. and the rest of it.. the next four lines are actually my favorite in the song..

I think it's all about choice, based on limited information, and made with limited experience.

kind of reminds of the bridge in "Courage".

just a comment.. the forget-your-skates dream is a terrible event. there are few worse things that can happen to a hockey player then get to the rink and not have your skates. it has happened to me for real and i had those dreams as a kid. you wake up and you think, oh fuck good thing that was a dream because what was happining to me in that story was pretty shitty. nice, back to sleep, skates are on the rack.

just an FYI:

the reason why it's in quotations is because it's a graphic novel.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Good_Life,_If_You_Don%27t_Weaken

Canadian, no less.

The first five lines strike me as a song for performing musicians, particularly while choking onstage. Sometimes, all the practice you put into something simply puffs away the moment you're in the spotlight before a "forest of whispering speakers". I especially like this phrase for the double entendre it presents: it can mean both audio speakers and critics in the audience. When you're screwing up on stage all your past mistakes come flooding back--all the way to hockey practice as a kid. All you have left are your "improvisational skills".

A) This song is gorgeous. B) I agree with wackakapow that it seems to be from a musician's viewpoint - resorting to "shaky movements and improvisational skills" makes me think Gord is talking about himself on stage, kind of being self-effacing.
C) I'm glad that I'm not the only one who gets kinda choked up when I hear this one... man, it's powerful.
D) Greatest. Band. Ever.

I agree the hip rules!!!! I love them so much!!! This song is great too.