This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Have you ever wondered why those days exist
When life just seems to be the conspiracy against you
I don't know where the answers lie
But I try not to get hung up on the questions
I burn like a good bonfire
In whatever I do
I burn like a good bonfire
And I know I'll come through
The time is long overdue for us
As cleaving all of our souls
We all get so complicated in our lives
When walking just walk, when sitting just sit when being just be
Above all don't stray from your chosen path
Burn like a good bonfire
In whatever you do
Burn like a good bonfire
And I know you'll come through
Burn like a good bonfire
In whatever you do
Burn like a good bonfire
And may peace come to you
The time is long overdue for us cleaving all of our souls
We all get so complicated in our lives
Burn like a good bonfire
In whatever you do
Just burn like a good bonfire
And I know you'll come through
Burn like a good bonfire
In whatever you do
Burn like a good bonfire
And may strength flow through you
When life just seems to be the conspiracy against you
I don't know where the answers lie
But I try not to get hung up on the questions
I burn like a good bonfire
In whatever I do
I burn like a good bonfire
And I know I'll come through
The time is long overdue for us
As cleaving all of our souls
We all get so complicated in our lives
When walking just walk, when sitting just sit when being just be
Above all don't stray from your chosen path
Burn like a good bonfire
In whatever you do
Burn like a good bonfire
And I know you'll come through
Burn like a good bonfire
In whatever you do
Burn like a good bonfire
And may peace come to you
The time is long overdue for us cleaving all of our souls
We all get so complicated in our lives
Burn like a good bonfire
In whatever you do
Just burn like a good bonfire
And I know you'll come through
Burn like a good bonfire
In whatever you do
Burn like a good bonfire
And may strength flow through you
Lyrics submitted by Pet_Virus, edited by k110287348
Bonfire Lyrics as written by Louise Ann Rhodes Andrew John Barlow
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
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Plastic Bag
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“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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
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“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.
This song is that little flicker of hope at the end of the tunnel.
This is my favourite Lamb song the whole wide world. I love the instrumentation on it. It's unfortunate more people haven't heard it.
"Have you ever wondered why those days exist When life just seems to be the conspiracy against you "
OH YES!
The chorus seems to encourage people to act with flair/enthusiasm/energy in everything that they do. I really like it.
A great motivator, a word of advice. Battling your thoughts, being unsure, making life more complicated than it is. It's nice.
Several lyrics are actually Zen Buddhist quotations and paraphrases:
"When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself." —Shunryu Suzuki
"When walking, just walk. When sitting, just sit. But above all don’t wobble!" —Lin-Chi
For those who don't know, Zen Buddhism emphasizes present-mindedness, simplicity and not intellectualizing things. The interesting "bonfire" quote by Suzuki, taken in context, is about burning away one's ego so as to become selfless in one's actions.
@Meadowbloom Great insight. The band are very much into Zen Buddist philosophy from what I've seen, so this rings very true.<br /> <br /> On that note, I believe a lyric misquoted above is 'the time is long overdue for a house clearing of the soul', which also lends itself to this.