submissions
| Elliott Smith – 2:45 AM Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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to alaska lover;
i don't think it's a religious song either, but a lot of his songs do have religious symbolism. in division day he references running 'round on feet of clay, which is a religious reference from the book of job and so is the part in condor avenue when he says no one cares when a moth gets crushed. elliott had a church background, which i think is pretty cool because it differs from the popular "fuck you god" kind of thing that a lot of people write about. not that he was a saint (ides heaven!), but you know, makes for some nifty art. |
submissions
| Elliott Smith – The Biggest Lie Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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elliott smith songs are like my bible, and one of the reasons is that his songs are so rife with both literal meanings and allegorical connotations that any number of these interpretations could've been intended (it's one of the ways that fans like us relate so well to the songs, and smith himself even said that his songs were multi-layered with intended meanings). anyhow, i just wanted to offer one that hasn't been said yet. the opening of the song to me sounds like it's about dying. smith was a philosophy major in university, so he'd be familiar with the idea of a ferry shipping people to the land of the dead, so he's "waiting for the train, the subway that only goes one way" in a sense that is a modernized version of crossing the river styx. again, "the stupid thing that'll come to pull us apart, and make everybody late" make everybody late? the late(dead) so-and-so? also, the part about spending everything you have seems to be an allsion to blowing all your money on substances to feel better "wanted everything to stop that bad." this doesn't seem to be about himself because he says "you spent" and then later refers to himself in a different context. knowing how generous smith was to his friends, he might be describing how his dependant lover has sapped both of their resources, which could also be a literal and allegorical idea, both money and patience/hope/love/whatever. this is before smith had problems with substance so it's unlikely it's about him, but some of the company he kept at this time was pretty shady. "you turned white like a saint" he loves them even though what they've done to themselves has made them pale. smith again laments about dying "tired of dancing on this pot of gold flake paint" tired of performing and being put on a pedestal he felt he didn't belong on, flake paint = shoddy, low quality. and then to me the last part is him leaving us in doubt, is the biggest lie saying he and his love are precious or that he wants to die? i also really liked dorareever's interpretation, and i feel this fits with that. but man. elliott smith, the poet/songwriter? fucking intense. |
submissions
| The Organ – Steven Smith Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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when i first picked up the cd, i thought this was gonna be an elliott smith ref. because his real name was steven |
submissions
| Elliott Smith – 2:45 AM Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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i like how comaspeed says we're all wrong and then doesn't offer an interpretation, especially on a site that's about discussing the meanings of songs. gotta love double standards! anyway, enjoying the music is what the cd is for, this site is more about understanding the strict lyrical content and exchanging ideas.
anyhow, it's true that a lot of singer/songwriters write songs that aren't about themselves and whatnot, but a lot of the songs are anyway. the way this matches up with reports of elliott's real life is a bit too close to ignore.
besides, speaking as someone who writes songs, it's easy to understand why someone who puts a lot of themselves into a work so personal would find it more comfortable to write it off as a story about someone else. but if i go out and buy a cat and it tears up the couch and then i write a story about someone going out and buying a dog that tears up the rug, it's not hard to see where the inspiration comes from.
he was a person too and had insecurities to deal with. actually, smith might not have been comfortable with so many people mulling over his works in such detail, but that's what happens when you write something that touches people so much.
ps, there's a really great video of this song live on junkbondtrader.net where elliott is the only one lit up on stage until the last verse when his band kicks in and the whole stage lights up. it's great! |
submissions
| Pixies – Levitate Me Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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the religion angle is what struck me when i first heard this song, it reminded me a lot of the divine comedy. "elevator lady" could be beatrice, the pilgrim's (dante) kinda guardian angel who is responsible for his salvation and his trip through hell. "give me help, give me hell, you can levitate me." "come on pilgrim you know he loves you" the big man in the sky, supposedly. and we all know this is seriously taking the shit out of religion too, but it's still just a kickass song regardless of the depth of theological thought in it, but that also makes it kick a little more ass because black francis is a smart fella.
"nobody listens to the lyrics in rock songs anyway, right?"
the first pixies album i bought was this EP and then the next day i found a come on pilgrim/surfer rosa split in the same record store i had bought this from in the first place, for 5 friggin dollars more. that's a whole album! so yeah. that sucked. |
submissions
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor – BBF3 Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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anyone else notice that the exclamation point in godspeed you! balck emperor is in the wrong place on this site? it's not supposta be at the end! |
submissions
| Elliott Smith – Coming Up Roses Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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About half of Elliott's songs are relaly easy to play and the other half are really damn technical and hard. This is one of the latter. |
submissions
| Elliott Smith – 2:45 AM Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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Yeah, tonight we win basically nailed it but I'd just like to point out that "the pretty thing he made desert you" is Elliott's mother and not some girlfriend. |
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