I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Boys and girls wanna hear a true story?
Saturday night was at this real wild party
They had the liquor overflowin' the cup
About five or six strippers tryin' to work for a buck
Then I took one girl outside with me
Her name was Loni, she went to Junior High with me
I said, "Why you up in there dancin' for cash?
I guess a whole lots changed since I seen you last"
She said
What would you do if your son was at home
Cryin' all alone on the bedroom floor, 'cause he's hungry?
And the only way to feed him is to sleep with a man
For a little bit of money, and his daddy's gone
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lock down
I ain't gotta job now, so for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life, mm
Girl, you ain't the only one with a baby
That's no excuse to be livin' all crazy
Then she looked me right square in the eye
And said, "Every day I wake up hopin' to die"
She said, "Nigga, I know about pain 'cause
Me and my sister ran away, so my daddy
Couldn't rape us, before I was a teenager
I done been through more shit, you can't even relate to"
What would you do if your son was at home (oh)
Cryin' all alone on the bedroom floor, 'cause he's hungry? (Woah-woah)
And the only way to feed him is to sleep with a man
For a little bit of money, and his daddy's gone (yeah, woah, yeah)
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lock down
I ain't gotta job now, so for you this is just a good time (oh-oh, oh-woah)
But for me this is what I call life, mm (yeah)
Yo, wait, hold up, hold up
Hold up, hold up, stop the record
Yo, stop the record
Yo shorty, you ain't gonna be goin' out like this man
Hold up
(What would you do?)
Get up on my feet and let go of every excuse
(What would you do?)
'Cause I wouldn't want my baby, to go through what I went through
(Come on, what would you do?)
Get up on my feet, stop makin' tired excuses
(What would you do?)
Girl, I know if my mother can do it, baby, you can do it
What would you do if your son was at home
Cryin' all alone on the bedroom floor, 'cause he's hungry? (Cryin' all alone, yeah)
And the only way to feed him is to sleep with a man (only way to feed him)
For a little bit of money, and his daddy's gone (no)
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lock down (yeah)
I ain't gotta job now, so for you this is just a good time (yeah)
But for me this is what I call life, mm (oh, no no no)
What would you do if your son was at home (no, no, no, no, no)
Cryin' all alone on the bedroom floor, 'cause he's hungry?
And the only way to feed him is to sleep with a man
For a little bit of money, and his daddy's gone
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lock down
I ain't gotta job now, so for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life (come on)
What would you do if your son was at home
Cryin' all alone on the bedroom floor, 'cause he's hungry?
And the only way to feed him is to sleep with a man
For a little bit of money, and his daddy's gone
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lock down
I ain't gotta job now, so for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life, mm
Saturday night was at this real wild party
They had the liquor overflowin' the cup
About five or six strippers tryin' to work for a buck
Then I took one girl outside with me
Her name was Loni, she went to Junior High with me
I said, "Why you up in there dancin' for cash?
I guess a whole lots changed since I seen you last"
She said
What would you do if your son was at home
Cryin' all alone on the bedroom floor, 'cause he's hungry?
And the only way to feed him is to sleep with a man
For a little bit of money, and his daddy's gone
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lock down
I ain't gotta job now, so for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life, mm
Girl, you ain't the only one with a baby
That's no excuse to be livin' all crazy
Then she looked me right square in the eye
And said, "Every day I wake up hopin' to die"
She said, "Nigga, I know about pain 'cause
Me and my sister ran away, so my daddy
Couldn't rape us, before I was a teenager
I done been through more shit, you can't even relate to"
What would you do if your son was at home (oh)
Cryin' all alone on the bedroom floor, 'cause he's hungry? (Woah-woah)
And the only way to feed him is to sleep with a man
For a little bit of money, and his daddy's gone (yeah, woah, yeah)
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lock down
I ain't gotta job now, so for you this is just a good time (oh-oh, oh-woah)
But for me this is what I call life, mm (yeah)
Yo, wait, hold up, hold up
Hold up, hold up, stop the record
Yo, stop the record
Yo shorty, you ain't gonna be goin' out like this man
Hold up
(What would you do?)
Get up on my feet and let go of every excuse
(What would you do?)
'Cause I wouldn't want my baby, to go through what I went through
(Come on, what would you do?)
Get up on my feet, stop makin' tired excuses
(What would you do?)
Girl, I know if my mother can do it, baby, you can do it
What would you do if your son was at home
Cryin' all alone on the bedroom floor, 'cause he's hungry? (Cryin' all alone, yeah)
And the only way to feed him is to sleep with a man (only way to feed him)
For a little bit of money, and his daddy's gone (no)
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lock down (yeah)
I ain't gotta job now, so for you this is just a good time (yeah)
But for me this is what I call life, mm (oh, no no no)
What would you do if your son was at home (no, no, no, no, no)
Cryin' all alone on the bedroom floor, 'cause he's hungry?
And the only way to feed him is to sleep with a man
For a little bit of money, and his daddy's gone
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lock down
I ain't gotta job now, so for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life (come on)
What would you do if your son was at home
Cryin' all alone on the bedroom floor, 'cause he's hungry?
And the only way to feed him is to sleep with a man
For a little bit of money, and his daddy's gone
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lock down
I ain't gotta job now, so for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life, mm
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Yo La Tengo
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
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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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
I think it's a good song. It shows the double standards that the men are seeing strippers, and they don't think it is bad, but the girl, they think is bad and shouldn't be stripping. I think it's a good song.
I don't really like the part where the guy is like, "get up on my feet and stop making tired excuses" because I don't think she is making excuses. She has to get the money to feed her kid. Presumably, she is looking for a regular job, and she used to have one in the past.
I think it is a good song for drawing attention to this problem.
really, it's not even that. a lot of women in these positions haven't graduated from high school so they really can't even get very basic jobs. so there isn't much left for them to do. they know how to have sex and that is always something that men are going to pay for, so unfortunately, it comes to be the easiest solution.
@xcats She's not a stripper, she's a hooker. and that's what welfare and WIC are for, she's just stupid.