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.
Ice
Your only rivers run cold
These city lights
They shine as silver and gold
Dug from the night
Your eyes as black as coal
Walk on by
Walk on through
Walk 'til you run
And don't look back
For here I am
Carnival
The wheels fly and the colors spin
Through alcohol
Red wine that punctures the skin
Face to face
In a dry and water less place
Walk on by
Walk on through
So sad to besiege your love so head on
Stay this time
Stay tonight in a lie
I'm only asking but I
I think you know
Come on take me away
Come on take me away
Come on take me home
Home again
And if the mountain should crumble
Or disappear into the sea
Not a tear, no not I
Stay in this time
Stay tonight in
Ever after, this love in time
And if you save your love
Save it all
Don't push me too far
Don't push me too far
Tonight
Tonight
Tonight
Your only rivers run cold
These city lights
They shine as silver and gold
Dug from the night
Your eyes as black as coal
Walk on by
Walk on through
Walk 'til you run
And don't look back
For here I am
Carnival
The wheels fly and the colors spin
Through alcohol
Red wine that punctures the skin
Face to face
In a dry and water less place
Walk on by
Walk on through
So sad to besiege your love so head on
Stay this time
Stay tonight in a lie
I'm only asking but I
I think you know
Come on take me away
Come on take me away
Come on take me home
Home again
And if the mountain should crumble
Or disappear into the sea
Not a tear, no not I
Stay in this time
Stay tonight in
Ever after, this love in time
And if you save your love
Save it all
Don't push me too far
Don't push me too far
Tonight
Tonight
Tonight
Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira
The Unforgettable Fire Lyrics as written by David Evans Adam Clayton
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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."
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
wow..... I thought I was the only person on this planet moved by this song. I'm grateful to stumble across such eloquent commentary expressed by kindred spirits.
I was bowled over by this song the first time I heard it. I was living in Eugene Oregon at the time, and prone to blissful feverish 2am bicycle rides winding along the endless miles of serpentine bicycle trails that snaked their way through parks, along rivers, down deserted alleyways...... my walk-man crazy-glued to my ears, howling full volume along with Bono, not giving a shit about who might be overhearing my feeble attempts to momentarily become the 5th member of U2.
Funny thing is, for as much emotion as this song invokes in me, I've never understood what it was about. I was aware of the hiroshima reference, but wasn't able to reconcile that concept with the lyrics I was hearing. I promised myself that if I ever got the chance to ask Bono ONE question, it would relate to the meaning behind this song.
I believe that Bono's lyrics, while possibly inspired by specific events, gravitate towards a larger somewhat universal scope and tend to operate on several levels of consciousness simultaneously. It makes sense to me to take into account the kind of lifestyle Bono and his bandmates experience. Life on the road ends up blurring into a repeating decimal of random fleeting experiences that eventually distill down into broader symbolic beliefs and overviews. So, rather than speaking about one specific experience (a one night stand), my best guess is that he's talking about larger picture issues here, the universal sub-text that underlies the reality of rotating faces on a daily basis, short term hook ups, one night stands, fleeting connections that blur into one another, inspiration, passion, letting go..... etc. For my money, both Seda and EatingPie came the closest to expressing my beliefs regarding these lyrics: temptation, inspiration, desire, passion, immediacy, letting go....... etc..... but I don't believe it's about a specific "someone" as cold as ice...... but rather the redundant reality of connecting with, then leaving behind a rotating turnstyle of people places, experiences, revelations, passions, sexual or otherwise.
Bono is a brilliant lyricist. It makes sense that he would consider bigger, broader universal concepts when he writes. In his book (Conversations with Bono, a great read if you haven't yet) he mentions that the most important lesson he learned regarding the writing of worthwhile lyrics was that the writer needed to be willing to eviscerate themselves to find the truths buried beneath. And that sounds pretty damn BIG to me.............
Thanks to T D Phoenix for mentioning that specific spot in the song....... one of my top 3 favorite Bono moments. Melts my sprockets every damn time. Another is in Don't Have to Go it Alone, where he tells his father "You're the reason I sing......" Imagine one of the greatest voices in rock and roll history singing those words to you........