This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
It must be getting early
Clocks are running late
Paint by numbers morning sky
Looks so phony
Dawn is breaking everywhere
Light a candle, curse the glare
Draw the curtains, I don't care
'Cause it's alright
I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive
I see you got your list out
Say your piece and get out
Yes, I get the gist of it
But it's alright
Sorry that you feel that way
The only thing there is to say
Every silver lining's got a
Touch of grey
I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive
It's a lesson to me
The Ables and the Bakers and the C's
The ABC's
We all must face
And try to keep a little grace
It's a lesson to me
The Deltas and the East and the Freeze
The ABC's
We all think of
And try to keep a little love
I know the rent is in arrears
The dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears
But it's alright
Cows are giving kerosene
The kid can't read at seventeen
The words he knows are all obscene
But it's alright
I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive
The shoe is on the hand, it fits
There's really nothing much to it
Whistle through your teeth and spit
'Cause it's alright
Oh, well, a touch of grey
Kind of suits you anyway
That was all I had to say, and
It's alright
I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive
We will get by
We will get by
We will get by
We will survive
We will get by
We will get by
We will get by
Clocks are running late
Paint by numbers morning sky
Looks so phony
Dawn is breaking everywhere
Light a candle, curse the glare
Draw the curtains, I don't care
'Cause it's alright
I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive
I see you got your list out
Say your piece and get out
Yes, I get the gist of it
But it's alright
Sorry that you feel that way
The only thing there is to say
Every silver lining's got a
Touch of grey
I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive
It's a lesson to me
The Ables and the Bakers and the C's
The ABC's
We all must face
And try to keep a little grace
It's a lesson to me
The Deltas and the East and the Freeze
The ABC's
We all think of
And try to keep a little love
I know the rent is in arrears
The dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears
But it's alright
Cows are giving kerosene
The kid can't read at seventeen
The words he knows are all obscene
But it's alright
I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive
The shoe is on the hand, it fits
There's really nothing much to it
Whistle through your teeth and spit
'Cause it's alright
Oh, well, a touch of grey
Kind of suits you anyway
That was all I had to say, and
It's alright
I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive
We will get by
We will get by
We will get by
We will survive
We will get by
We will get by
We will get by
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
The other day I was happily surprised at hearing "Touch of Grey" playing on a local (New York) radio station. The disc jockey Ken Dashow commented that Jerry wrote this song fifteen years ago, yet it could have been written yesterday. In these crazy, mixed-up, depressing times, it is important to persevere and keep your head up. With all of the confusion and chaos, the song is Jerry's call to just chill out and ride the shit wave onto shore. With all we are told to worry about, the song reveals that life owes itself to the contradictory nature of the human condition. There's no way to break life down to a science; it attests to the duality of life. But who knows? The song is amazing and even before thinking about its meaning, I loved it. "Touch of Grey" is the song which introduced me to the Dead when I was six years old but only started listening intently a few years ago. Dead music certainly matures as you age.
Great explanation of the "ride it out" vibe this song has going on. I definitely agree it's about taking things in stride, and not thinking too hard in the process. However, Jerry didn't write this song. Robert Hunter wrote the lyrics and Jerry wrote the music. I recently caught the video for this track on VH1's Pop Up Video where it stated this song was written about Garcia's "will to survive" after he went into a diabetic coma in 1986. I'm not sure that's ever been proven. I tend to agree that it's about aging gracefully and riding out the rough patches in life we will all inevitably face at some point. Also, if you haven't seen it, do check out the music video for 'Touch Of Grey'. Growing up it was one of the coolest things I had ever seen, and really, it still is. Love it. Great, great song.
Agreed josher. It is incredible how the sentiment of this song transcends time. Here, at the end of June 2012, when things look very bleak for this country, we need a reminder to press on.