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.
Fat man sitting on a little stool
Takes the money from my hand while his eyes take a walk all over you
Hands me the ticket, smiles and whispers good luck
Cuddle up angel, cuddle up my little dove
We'll ride down, baby, into this tunnel of love
Well, I can feel the soft silk of your blouse
And them soft thrills in our little fun house
Then the lights go out and it's just the three of us, yeah
You, me and all that stuff we're so scared of
Gotta ride down baby into this tunnel of love
Well, there's a crazy mirror showing us both in five D
I'm laughing at you you're laughing at me
There's a room of shadows that gets so dark brother
It's easy for two people to lose each other in this tunnel of love
Well, it ought to be easy ought to be simple enough, yeah
Man meets woman and they fall in love
But the house is haunted and the ride gets rough
And you've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above
If you want to ride on down, down in through this tunnel of love
Tunnel of love
This tunnel of love
This tunnel of love
Takes the money from my hand while his eyes take a walk all over you
Hands me the ticket, smiles and whispers good luck
Cuddle up angel, cuddle up my little dove
We'll ride down, baby, into this tunnel of love
Well, I can feel the soft silk of your blouse
And them soft thrills in our little fun house
Then the lights go out and it's just the three of us, yeah
You, me and all that stuff we're so scared of
Gotta ride down baby into this tunnel of love
Well, there's a crazy mirror showing us both in five D
I'm laughing at you you're laughing at me
There's a room of shadows that gets so dark brother
It's easy for two people to lose each other in this tunnel of love
Well, it ought to be easy ought to be simple enough, yeah
Man meets woman and they fall in love
But the house is haunted and the ride gets rough
And you've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above
If you want to ride on down, down in through this tunnel of love
Tunnel of love
This tunnel of love
This tunnel of love
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
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.
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.
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
The Tunnel of Love is a metaphor for the journey a man takes when following the path of marriage with his new bride. The Tunnel of Love is an old amusement ride, usually found in the lower-budget "carnivals" and smalltime fairs. In the ride, two lovers would sit closely together in a small "boat" and ride through an indoor cavern that was plunged in darkness. The boat would twist and turn through the dark, following the current of a narrow river, while dimly lit mannequins and models would occassionally appear. In a sense, you were largely helpess on the ride...you were at the mercy of the darkness, you had no control over the controls of the boat, and you never knew what lay around the next sharp turn - "Then the lights go out and it's just the three of us, yeah you me and all that stuff we're so scared of".
Springsteen uses this ride as a metaphor for a new marriage. The feelings of fear, helplessness, nervousness, the unpredictability that come with the vows and new obligations. Two people are embarking on a journey that neither one has even been on before - "Cuddle up angel cuddle up my little dove and we'll ride down baby into this tunnel of love".
The final third of the song is where the true "meat" lies - "It's easy for two people to lose each other in this tunnel of love". In the darkness, with the rocky waters and sharp turns in the river, it is easy to fall apart, to let fear and mistrust come between you, and quite easily make you lose your way.
The song ends with two offerings from Springsteen - he gives us warning, followed by sage wisdom. His warning to his audience is that "...it ought to be easy, ought to be simple enough - Man meets woman and they fall in love...But the house is haunted and the ride gets rough". Perhaps riding down the "Tunnel of Love" isn't the sweet, innocent and fun-filled ride that we all hope and dream it is.
Finally, Springsteen offers some wisdom, and it is the final line that provides the home run in this song: "You've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above if you want to ride on down in through this tunnel of love".
Amazing song. Great solos and breaks that are just dripping with pain and emotion. The music is accented with fairground side effects, and in a chilling twist, the song fades to the sound of screams. Screams of helplessness, fear, anticipation and nervous energy. Do we take them literally as the sounds of a group of customers enjoying the thrills and scares of of a rollercoaster? Or are these screams indicating the fear and discomfort of serious commitment?
Excellent analysis. Thank you.