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.
Them scumbags
Them faghags
Short eyes
Dope dealers
Drive-bys
Faith healers
I'll be there
Far away
I'm floating above it all
Be there
I'll be there far away
I'll be there for you
I'll prove the holy road leads to
The snake charmers
The shoe hangers
I'll show you Sunday strollers too
The gangbangers
Spirit channelers
I want to be the one for you
I'll be the one
I bought a gun
I want to be the crowning jewel
To bad they won't believe me son
I'll be there floating above it all
I'll be there flaming
Waiting for you
Them faghags
Short eyes
Dope dealers
Drive-bys
Faith healers
I'll be there
Far away
I'm floating above it all
Be there
I'll be there far away
I'll be there for you
I'll prove the holy road leads to
The snake charmers
The shoe hangers
I'll show you Sunday strollers too
The gangbangers
Spirit channelers
I want to be the one for you
I'll be the one
I bought a gun
I want to be the crowning jewel
To bad they won't believe me son
I'll be there floating above it all
I'll be there flaming
Waiting for you
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I Can't Go To Sleep
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No Surprises
Radiohead
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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.
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.
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.
This whole "I'll be waiting, son" quasi-theme is touched upon again in one of their new songs, "I.O.U.".
I swear that when I saw them Patton shrieked the "I bought a gun" part...I have lots of Tomahawk bootlegs and he doesn't seem to do it in any of the others.
I think it's about the obsessive feeling that you're the only person for someone and that you'll just wait for them to realize it as they wade through all the other shit until it takes them to figure it out.
I was just thinking about this song the other day and I thought that perhaps it's about a father that tries to show his son the whole world, wants him to know it and overprotect him, stating that even after his death "he'll be there for him floating above it all".
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this song is written from the perspective of a De Niro in Taxi Driver/John Hinckley (sp?) type character - a wacko who will do just about anything to get the attention of the girl he's obsessed about...even get a gun and shoot someone (famous?)
agreed with the Taxi Driver-type situation. However I think it's about a killer spying on his future victims.
I think 'I'll prove the Holy Roller's true' is actually -
"I'll prove the holy road leads to"
The best song that he is associated with outside of Angel Dust I agree with the taxi driver scenario, cause Patton is really big into his movies - I saw this live and it is so sinister and eerie! This song makes the album
Some of his best lyrics are character driven - RV (white trash guy) Crack Hitler (shark) Everythings Ruined (Broker) Quote Unquote (Travolta) Midlife Crisis (Madonna) Point and Click (Travis Bickle)
I think he's speaking from the perspective of, perhaps Satan himself, who is trying to become the omnipotent entity or God if that's what you like to call it.
This song is based on the 1976 film "Taxi Driver"