| Iron & Wine – Caught in the Briars Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Pretty sure this is about a relationship with a prostitute, and how the man feels shame, but also confides in her, in an attempt so escape life's problems (briars). "The back alley's full of rain And everything's shining As holy as she can be The trick’s in the timing" Introduces the woman. However, I hear "The Tricks AND the Timing", which reinforces the idea that she's a prostitute - she knows where and when to turn a trick. "Free as the morning birds Fragile as china She’s stuck in the weakest heart Of South Carolina" 'Free' in that she probably doesn't have a 9-5 type job, but 'stuck' in that she has fallen into the routine of supporting herself solely by turning tricks in SC. "Where all of the naked boys who lay down beside her Sing her the saddest song All caught in the briars" The sad gentlemen that pay for her services also confide in her the hardships of their daily lives. "I never meant to fall So hard in her doorway And all the sinners here Have crosses for Sunday" The only verse that's in the first person, this is one of the guys that visits our prostitue. Things are bad for him. His life is hard, and he NEEDS to see this woman. This verse also suggest that the other men "sinners" who go to her are not necessarily lowlife street urchins, but perhaps like him, churchgoers with lives in which they feel trapped. "Kissed at the county fair Frisked in the city Where proof is an answered prayer But ain't it a pity That all of the naked boys Who lay down beside her Sing her the saddest song All caught in the briars" This last passage seems to indicate that perhaps our prostitute ALSO has a 'normal' life outside of her prostitution -- one in which she goes to the county fair with her husband. Maybe she's trying to escape, just as her clients are? My 2 cents, anyway. |
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| John Vanderslice – Lunar Landscapes Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I've always thought this song was about letting go of someone that's terminally ill. Possibly making the decision to 'pull the plug' on them. "No more shots or medicine". |
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| R.E.M. – Blue Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I think it's "Patti, Lee proud" (as in, both Patti and Lee), referring to guest vocalist Patti Smith and Jackknife Lee, who produced the LP. | |
| John Vanderslice – Nikki Oh Nikki Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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The lyrics up above are wrong. One tiny word makes a HUGE, HUGE difference. This is in NO way a breakuup song. I thought it was upon initial listen, but it's about letting go of grudges, and about seeing life's bigger picture. "That guy who stole your girlfriend in the summer of '95 -- he's going to die". Oh, ha ha! I get it -- it's a quirky revenge song. You're going to kill that guy who took my lady? Awesome. And the girl's going to get killed, too? "She's going to die". YEAH! Great! Kill them both! That'll teach 'em!!! "well you can carry that grudge or you can let it go but as sure as i'm singing this song, you know WE'RE going to die, WE'RE going to die" Doesn't matter if you hold on to that resentment or move on. We're ALL dying. |
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| John Vanderslice – Forest Knolls Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I think this song is all about the generational gap that technology has created. Hunting and gathering has pretty much taken a back seat. "my father's father would've known how to pull that wire and steady the bow send that arrow into her beating heart how to cut her and use every part" There's no way the narrator could do the things that his grandfather did to survive. He's got all of the store-bought canned goods he needs in his little hut in the woods. Is he less of a man for letting the deer go? |
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| The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned) Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Well, given that William and Margaret are about to give themselves to the river, they take comfort in the knowledge that all three (William, Margaret, and Child) will be together. 'ghost' or 'ghosts' -- either way, it works for me. |
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| The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned) Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I said this in a reply upthread, but it bears repeating: I don't think there IS a boat. The hole (around which Margaret is arraying the rocks) is the grave of their stillborn child, who most likely died in utero, due to the punishment Margaret received at the hands of The Rake. I think that William and Margaret have resigned themselves to the fact that they'll soon be giving themselves to the river, and this is their last act before entering its cold embrace. "Tell me now, tell me this, a forest's son, a river's daughter?" = William asking the Margaret the sex of their child. |
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| The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned) Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I just had a revelation with this passage. Here's how I see it: As this song starts out, I think that Margaret has just had the child, but due to the Rake's abuse, the child is stillborn. She's just finished burying her dead child by the water's edge ("array the rocks around the hole (grave)"), and the line, "Tell me now, tell me this, a forest's son, a river's daughter" is William asking the sex of the child. |
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| Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Cold Son Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Some corrections: [slake] that thirst a daunting [pulse] rate blistered [toes] (as previously mentioned) to my [wheel well] you're getting close the tension [grows] a [reverie] so silver quick 2nd verse - [accept] the rose The first verse makes me think about mallwalkers. 60-somethings powerwalking through the mall in their sweatsuits, checking their pulses. |
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| Ween – Buenas Tardes Amigo Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| And then he blew him up with an atom BOMB!!! | |
| Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Jenny and the Ess-Dog Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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Great tune -- pretty straight forward, obviously. About two people in a relationship that's going nowhere because of the age gap. Sean reminds me of a friend of mine from high school, who at age 27, started dating an 18 year old -- they ended up parting ways because she went to school, much like Jenny. Jenny obviously changed, and is happy to have done so "off came those AWFUL toe rings" |
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| Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Church on White Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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I've always LOVED this song. Seems like the first verse is all about success (when you're hot you're hot), and undergound/cult cred. (promise me you'll always be too awake to be famous, too wired to be safe) -- I know that there are a lot of bands that fit these lyrics -- I used to love them, but, for whatever reason, they "jumped the shark", and lost whatever it was that made them great in the first place. The "carry on / carrion" lines are wonderful. Perhaps any modicum of success is a grind (marathon) of some sort, but in the end, who cares? (carrion -- it's what we all become). GO JYX. |
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| Beck – Loser Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| "Beefcake pantyhose" always makes me think of Brutus the Barber Beefcake, with his leopard skin tights... :D | |
| R.E.M. – Beat A Drum Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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"Halfway from coal, halfway to diamond" is all about being in the middle of some kind of journey or transformation. The next line, "My fall knocked a mean chip out of me", indicates that the narrator has 'seen the light' in some way. Something happened that knocked them off of their pedestal. However, the process of going from 'jerk' to 'nice guy' (or whatever the transformation is) takes a long time, sort of like the amount of time it would take a lump of coal (with sufficient heat and pressure) to become a diamond... unless you're superman. |
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| Elliott Smith – Miss Misery Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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I've always enjoyed that it could be: "Do you miss me? (Do you) miss Misery like you say you do" or "Do you miss me, Miss Misery, like you say you do" |
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