In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
All of that thick time without you
Has made me so thick and drunk
And it's ok to laugh about it
I said, "it's ok to laugh about it
Runnin' twice as fast to stay in the same place
Don't catch my breath until the end of the day
And I'd rather be sot in the face
Than hear what you're going to say
One day the wind will come up
And you'll come up empty again
And who'll be laughing then
You'll come up empty again
No reason no explanation so play the violins
It's always funny until someone gets hurt
And then it's just hilarious
You beat me every time you blink
If only I did not have to think
Think about you crackin' a smile
Think about you all the while
On the ricochet it's going to hit you
It's always funny until someone gets hurt
You can laugh at me when it misses you
Has made me so thick and drunk
And it's ok to laugh about it
I said, "it's ok to laugh about it
Runnin' twice as fast to stay in the same place
Don't catch my breath until the end of the day
And I'd rather be sot in the face
Than hear what you're going to say
One day the wind will come up
And you'll come up empty again
And who'll be laughing then
You'll come up empty again
No reason no explanation so play the violins
It's always funny until someone gets hurt
And then it's just hilarious
You beat me every time you blink
If only I did not have to think
Think about you crackin' a smile
Think about you all the while
On the ricochet it's going to hit you
It's always funny until someone gets hurt
You can laugh at me when it misses you
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More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
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.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
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.
If the song was written the day Cobain died, then it can't have anything to do with Nirvana because Cobain was found dead three days later, so obviously they didn't know Cobain was dead the day they wrote the song.
I was married to a sociopath.
He kept hurting me and everyone around me. Nothing seemed to ever come back around. Karma never happened. I finally left him... He remarried and started abusing his next wife.
"You can laugh at me when it misses you "
The few times I tried to defend myself, it would ricochet back on to me. I take this quite literally. The sociopath won and he haunts me forever.
@MelanieRose I know that feel.<br /> <br /> Just know if you're still alive and breathing, you still won that war. Maybe not that one particular battle, but the war.
@MelanieRose I am married to a narcissist. Ricochet hits me in exactly the same way. Even when I am provably right, the accusation is always turned around on me. <br /> 'Running twice as fast to stay in the same place' - Trying to stay one step ahead and second guess my every move, for fear of offending/angering her.<br /> 'Can't catch my Breath 'til the end of the day' - My only peace is when she is asleep and I can relax.<br /> <br /> 'It's always funny until someone get's hurt - and then it's just hilarious!' - great Bill Hicks quote, but this is the narcs mantra...abuse for their amusement, and if they can really destroy you, job done.<br /> <br /> Every line in this speaks to me of my relationship - I know songs can have many meanings,but i've never heard a more accurate account of an abusive (narc/sociopathic) partner,<br /> <br /> TL:DR I agree with you completely.
wow the 1st and last guy are complete fuckwads....have you even heard anything prior to KFAD? learn to swim
To me, the basic message seems to be "I know you're better than me, but you don't need to be a douchebag about it."
It's always funny until someone gets hurt... And then it's just hilarious! Bill Hicks quote, nice. :) If u dunno who is he u should find out ^^
Interesting on the Cobain suicide theory. I don't buy it (but I don't buy any "coincidences" at all usually), but that's at least a unique interpretation.
Personally, I think it's about Karma or what have you in general without reference to a specific situation. The beauty of FNM songs is that they leave a lot up to individual interpretation and become very personal for that very reason.
The thing that struck me was the possibility that this song is about the aftermath of a woman who left a man for someone else, obviously leaving him bitter and making him think she's a heartless bitch, which she very well may have been. But everything's going right in the life of the heartless bitch, and the guy, whose only wrong was loving her, is falling to pieces.
Just my thoughts.
Could be just me inferring my own feelings and dramas into the song but kind of comes across as dealing with a narcissistic, emotionally manipulative person. No matter how you speak to them it's a fucking shit fight and they are always right in their eyes, never seeing any wrong doing. It gets to the point where you rather get shot in the face than having to talk to them because no matter what you say you're an asshole. "no reason, no explanation so play the violins" when you say something that makes them upset when it wasn't even something upsetting in the first place, so they do the "woe is me you hurt my feelings" thing. "One day the will come up and you'll come up empty again" Things are going good and they have no reason to cause drama, they'll find something to cause drama about. And who'll be laughing then? People seeing through the shit the person is causing and they have become the joke, instead of the people manipulated, because joke was on them to start with for feeding into the narcissist's crap.
@WEyesOwl almost 7 years late but: Yep, I concur! Narc all day long - every damn line of it. <3<br /> .
I though this song was about pogo
Although I thought there was more to it, imrightyourewrong. The way I was thinking about it, not only is he impotent, but she's infertile. She goes somewhere else to get knocked up, trying to hurt him, only to find out that there's a problem on her end too, and her plan blows up in her face. Might not even be that specific. Could just be about karma in general, and how trying to hurt people just leaves you worse off.