| Buffalo Springfield – Broken Arrow Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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That's it!?!?! I know that this is an amazing song, but I've always wondered what it means. When you do an internet search, you generally get the following: BROKEN ARROW - The accidental or unauthorized detonation, or possible detonation of a nuclear weapon (other than war risk); Non-nuclear detonation or burning of a nuclear weapon; Radioactive contamination Seizure, theft, or loss of a nuclear weapon or component (including jettisoning); Public hazard, actual or implied. It also appears that the first "Broken Arrow" occured in 1950, about 18 years before this song was released. It seems to me that the song relates to possible negative impact on the environment from this type of disaster (and would be very consistent with Neil Young songs, as suggested by Pleo). This if from Wikipedia: ""Broken Arrow" was confessional folk rock. It consists of three verses interspersed with snippets of sound from carnival music featuring organ, drum and clarinet. The song begins with applause and the opening of "Mr. Soul" (which opens the album) recorded live in the studio, and ends with the sound of a beating heart. Each of the three verses uses surreal imagery to deal with emotions (emptiness of fame, teenage angst, hopelessness), and contains self-references to Buffalo Springfield and Young. They all end with the same lines: Did you see them, did you see them? Did you see them in the river? They were there to wave to you. Could you tell that the empty quiver, Brown skinned Indian on the banks That were crowded and narrow, Held a broken arrow? The Blackfoot Indians would use a broken arrow to signal that they would cease fighting." (Glassmoon was correct here). btw, I don't think that the correct lyrics are empty "quiver" and not "quivered". A quiver is a container for arrows, crossbow bolts or darts, such as those shot from a bow, crossbow or blowgun. The picture of an indian on the side of the bank holding a broken arrow (i.e. cease fighting) would be consistent with his quiver being empty of arrows. I still can't piece together the rest of the song though - particularly the first 5 lines of each of the 3 verses - can anyone help with this? |
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| Buffalo Springfield – Broken Arrow Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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That's it!?!?! I know that this is an amazing song, but I've always wondered what it means. When you do an internet search, you generally get the following: BROKEN ARROW - The accidental or unauthorized detonation, or possible detonation of a nuclear weapon (other than war risk); Non-nuclear detonation or burning of a nuclear weapon; Radioactive contamination Seizure, theft, or loss of a nuclear weapon or component (including jettisoning); Public hazard, actual or implied. It also appears that the first "Broken Arrow" occured in 1950, about 18 years before this song was released. It seems to me that the song relates to possible negative impact on the environment from this type of disaster (and would be very consistent with Neil Young songs, as suggested by Pleo). This if from Wikipedia: ""Broken Arrow" was confessional folk rock. It consists of three verses interspersed with snippets of sound from carnival music featuring organ, drum and clarinet. The song begins with applause and the opening of "Mr. Soul" (which opens the album) recorded live in the studio, and ends with the sound of a beating heart. Each of the three verses uses surreal imagery to deal with emotions (emptiness of fame, teenage angst, hopelessness), and contains self-references to Buffalo Springfield and Young. They all end with the same lines: Did you see them, did you see them? Did you see them in the river? They were there to wave to you. Could you tell that the empty quiver, Brown skinned Indian on the banks That were crowded and narrow, Held a broken arrow? The Blackfoot Indians would use a broken arrow to signal that they would cease fighting." (Glassmoon was correct here). btw, I don't think that the correct lyrics are empty "quiver" and not "quivered". A quiver is a container for arrows, crossbow bolts or darts, such as those shot from a bow, crossbow or blowgun. The picture of an indian on the side of the bank holding a broken arrow (i.e. cease fighting) would be consistent with his quiver being empty of arrows. I still can't piece together the rest of the song though - particularly the first 5 lines of each of the 3 verses - can anyone help with this? |
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| Bruce Springsteen – Candy's Room Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| Agreed - prostitute (to get to Candy's room...) - the driving beat of the drums is fantastic and works so well in the song. It wouldn't be right if the song were longer since the lust is short, powerful, concentrated, but ultimately short lived (she's not called "Candy" by coincidence). The ending is perfect - "All that I want all that I live to make Candy mine...(wait for it)...Tonight". | |
| Bruce Springsteen – Candy's Room Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| Agreed - prostitute (to get to Candy's room...) - the driving beat of the drums is fantastic and works so well in the song. It wouldn't be right if the song were longer since the lust is short, powerful, concentrated, but ultimately short lived (she's not called "Candy" by coincidence). The ending is perfect - "All that I want all that I live to make Candy mine...(wait for it)...Tonight". | |
| Arcade Fire – Une Annee Sans Lumiere Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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I'm not totally satisfied with the above explanations, although there are some good insights. I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the most striking thing to me about this song which is that it's right in the middle of the neigborhoods, between #2 and #3! It's becoming obvious to me that little that this great band does is by chance. I think this is meant to be a lead in to #3, where the power's gone out. I think that xx sunshine's great post in #3 sheds some "light" on this, in that there's a much higher meaning to this song - "hey, your old man should know" is arguably referring to something much more than a father being blind to a young couple on the sly but something more ominous, such as global warming, etc which could result in more "funerals", the ultimate one being the "funeral" of mankind, unless one takes charge and has "a plan" (reference #3) to actively deal with this (I think that the narrator is speaking to us - note the line "la nuit, mes yeux t'eclairent" - in french, the verb is third person plural, so he's not just talking to one person but to many). This song is saying SOMETHING IS WRONG - we should see that "there's something there" if you see a shadow. I hope I'm explaining this right, but I think that if you look at the exerpt from xx sunshine's post from #3, you'll see what I mean (to make my point, listen again to the song and to the wonderful, melancholy mood): "It’s like the perspective of a teen in their generation noticing ...that the older people in the world are overpowered by the new found attitudes that exist in the world… ‘don’t have any dreams, don’t have any plans’… from the perspective of the teen… admitting to not really having any ambition and aren’t worrying about it either, whatever happens will happen… just cruising through life hoping that the atmosphere around them will mould what they become… but the power is out for everyone, everyone is waking up in more ways than one. It’s a wake up call that life isn’t meant to be lived like this." |
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| The Flaming Lips – The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power) Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I disagree. "Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" disarms you and lets you think that it's a simple bubble gum type song - the meaning hits you that much harder when you then realize the deeper meaning of the song. Awesome video - classic Lips, with the underlying humour (in that respect, this reminds me of what I think is there best song "Do you Realize") | |
| The Flaming Lips – The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power) Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I disagree. "Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" disarms you and lets you think that it's a simple bubble gum type song - the meaning hits you that much harder when you then realize the deeper meaning of the song. Awesome video - classic Lips, with the underlying humour (in that respect, this reminds me of what I think is there best song "Do you Realize") | |
| Genesis – The Carpet Crawlers Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I was looking forward to some insight into this song and was somewhat disappointed by the lack of entries on this wonderful song. I suppose if this was the late 70s, this song would have tons of entries... in any event, I googled it and found this entry which should be credited to Joseph Dixon: "The view I take on the song is that it's a metaphor for birth, and in the grander scheme of things, survival. Let me give you some quick references on why I think that. I always like starting with the title of pieces to find some sort of inkling as to what something's about. The Carpet Crawlers could suggest babies, and they grow up and start the birth process all over again (and that's where "we've got to get in to get out" refers to I believe. It's a metaphor about having to get into the womb, through intercourse, to have a baby come out. "We" referring to humankind in a general sense.) Parts of the song describes the process in which sperm gets to the egg in the beginning of the birth process. "The fleas cling to the golden fleece hoping they'll find peace" This could refer to how each individual sperm tries to cling onto and penetrate into the egg in order to survive and live on. "The crawlers cover the floor, in the red ochre corridor" The red ochre corridor could refer to the vaginal canal. "Where the needle's eye is winking, closing on the poor" This could be referring to how not every sperm even makes it that far along in the process. The poor not making it. Interesting reference to old Jerusalem there as well. "There's only one direction in the faces that I see, and it's upward to the ceiling, where the chamber's said to be" Again, this is where every sperm is on its way to, the egg to complete fertilization. And toward the end of the song, "The liquid has congealed, which has seeped out through the crack, and the tickler takes his stickleback" Well, not to be too graphic... But this is basically after the act of intercourse. A stickleback is a scaleless bony fish, which could refer to a penis. The crack could be referring to the vagina and the liquid seeping out could be semen. Another possible interpretation of those lines is that at the onset of labor, there is a jelly like discharge from the vagina which happens right before a woman's water breaks." I see this song as having a "second" level. The clue is in the words: "Where the needle's eye is winking, closing in on the poor". The reference would be to the biblical saying that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get enter the kingdom of God. The "carpet crawlers" are humans "crawling" through life while trying to get upward to the stairwell that spirals out of sight - to a heavy wooden door (i.e. the door to heaven). And of course, to go through life to hopefully get to heaven, "you've got to get in to get out". In any event, this is an amazing song... |
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| Cheech and Chong – Earache My Eye Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| I recently bought this song on impulse when I was messing around with my ipod. I was amazed how it still made me laugh after all these years (and you know, it's a pretty decent guitar lick!). I played it for my kids and they loved it! | |
| Cheech and Chong – Earache My Eye Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| I recently bought this song on impulse when I was messing around with my ipod. I was amazed how it still made me laugh after all these years (and you know, it's a pretty decent guitar lick!). I played it for my kids and they loved it! | |
| The Stranglers – Goodbye Toulouse Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| This is just a great song - classic Stranglers sound witht the driving beat and the swirling organ | |
| The Waterboys – The Whole Of The Moon Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| too high...too far...too soon....what a killer song! It's almost impssible not to feell moved and uplifted when you hear this song. | |
| U2 – Miss Sarajevo Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| Definitely one of my favourite U2 songs. One of the best collaberations between artists ever...with one of the others being Bono with Sinatra doing "I've got you under my skin" - how "cool" can you get? And both music videos are outstanding. | |
| The Beatles – Piggies Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| One of the things that make the Beatles so fucking great - even on the whole better than all the wonderful music that's come out since - is the consistency of their songwriting (this brilliant ditty is a "trowaway" extra on the white album - I suggest that if another artist had released this as a single in 1968 that it would have charted top 10) and the incredibly creative "bridges" to their songs (for you non-musicians - the non-verse, non-chorus part - here, "in their styes...". My 12 year old daughter loves this song. Many of their songs are like a musical version of the Simpsona. One lever for the kids, and one lever for the adults. Brilliant! | |
| Pixies – No. 13 Baby Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| This song is an acquired taste, but it really stands out from other Pixies song in that it has a wonderful instrumental part which is quite melodic and incongrous with the harsh singning of the verses. Great song, but I can't help much with the meaning, except that I agree with the brown skinned/hawaian thing. btw, Viva la loma rica = the rich hill lives, whatever than means? | |
| Pixies – Planet Of Sound Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| I thought this was just OK by Pixie standards until I saw it live tonight (Toronto) - seeing it live just brought it to life...it just rocked! Superabound's analysis is bang on...btw, one of the best concerts I've ever seen! | |
| Pixies – Something Against You Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| This song is just a great rocker. Great rhythms. Too me, the sounds are almost violent...argumentative. Kind of fits in with some of the words, and certainly the song title. | |
| Pixies – Here Comes Your Man Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| This has one of best "surfer riffs" I've ever heard in a song. Add the meaning and the "upbeat" tempo is all the more ironic. Finally, the nod in the title to Velvet Underground. The result is likely the best Pixies song, and that's saying a lot! | |
| The Clash – Death Is a Star Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| This is one of my favourite Clash songs. It has such a great mood to us...just a wonderful nostalgic feel to it. "Make a grown man cry like a girl To see the guns dying at sunset"...all mixed in with wonderful piano runs. A lot more than a punk band! | |
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