Elliott Smith – A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity to Be Free Lyrics | 18 years ago |
i don't think it's as simple as one thing or the other. some people say the distorted reality is referring to a drug-filled life. others say it's all about human hypocrisy or government corruption. my take on the distorted reality leans towards the corrupt government theme. it's like he's saying the only way to live in this world's most free country (or any democratic nation i guess) is to accept all the duplicity coming from our representative leaders by ignoring it or saying there's nothing we can do about it. thus, if you want to be free you have to play by their rules, which means giving up certain civil liberties. this perspective could also include the drug aspect. maybe he meant the only way he was able to manage living in such a fucked up world was to be fucked up on drugs all the time in order to help him forget that he didn't want to live in this kind of place. i could go on and on... the true brilliance of smith's music is the way he uses very few words to convey his thoughts and feelings elegantly. then he manages to give nearly every verse or line a double meaning, sometimes three or four meanings. almost everytime i listen to a song i get a new message from it. i'd try to decypher the other verses, but i'd probably be here all day. besides, i think the best part about lyrics is that we each get to interpret them in our own way. not only will smith live on through his music and our memories, but his music is alive and evolving _because_ we don't know exactly what meaning he intended to communicate. as badge said, 'fucking brilliant.' |
Incubus – Agoraphobia Lyrics | 19 years ago |
"I read the news today And everything they say Just makes me want to stay inside [and wait] And a better part of me knows That waiting in the throes Is all on par with reading with my eyes closed" i'm almost certain he says "and wait" at the end of that line...just look at the next verse. he knows (or the better part of him knows) that just staying inside and being depressed will get him nowhere (fast?)...just as if you try to read with your eyes closed you won't learn anything. so, to me it's about learning how to deal with depression, which makes a lot of people sleep all day and never leave home. based on the first verse, that depression was probably triggered by the end of a relationship. by the end of the song he concludes that he has to go back out into the world (and possibly find a new lover) to spread his love. after all, if we let depression get the better of us then we let that which depresses us win. in the end it will consume us and "end us" because we let all the sad, corrupt, and evil things in the world control us with fear of what's out there. ...or maybe i'm just depressed. |
Incubus – When It Comes Lyrics | 19 years ago |
it seems to be about what a few people already said -- anti-conformity. to me it has a more specific meaning in that it's talking about all the advertisement thrown in our faces by marketing 'geniuses.' in particular the lyrics: "in comes mental piracy..." and "i wish they all would stop trying." advertisements make use of various psychological 'tricks' in order to get people to think they really need a product. this practice definitely touches the line of business ethics if not jumping clear over it...kinda like propaganda, it's "mental piracy." |
Modest Mouse – Baby Blue Sedan Lyrics | 20 years ago |
an incredibly depressing song. if nothing else the tone of the song conveys this completely. he seems to be in agony over the inability to communicate feelings even with his significant other ("i'm lonesome when you're around ... i miss you when you're around") despite the fact that he knows exactly how he feels - or at least comfortable thinking he knows - when he is alone ("i'm never lonesome when i'm by myself"). i think a friend of mine felt the same way when she said it scares her to feel very small, insignificant, and totally alone even though the world is so full of people. |
Modest Mouse – The World at Large Lyrics | 20 years ago |
i think meesahunt made a really good point. the last quote, "but my thoughts were so loud I couldn't hear my mouth," for example could mean that when he is performing he is either deafened by the speakers or he has ear plugs and he can't hear what is coming out of his mouth, which are his thoughts expressed through his songs. also, he mentions how he's barely in one place long enough to go "to the porch to have a thought" before he's off to the next town. however, "you still got your words [songs] and you got your friends [band members]." then "moths beat themselves to death against the lights / Adding their breeze to the summer nights" much like his band repeatedly plays the same songs over and over in order to share their art with the everyone, even if it's only a little 'breeze' in the world of music. |
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.