| Calibretto 13 – Christian Hate Mail Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| Calibretto are singing about the extremist Christians out there, the kind that upon meeting a person, ask what kind of music they listen to and then tell them they're going to Hell if it's not X-ian (an actual exchange between an exfriend of mine and my cousin). They're not singing about christians in general, but about the few exclusionist, self-righteous ones who give christians a bad name. | |
| Sleater-Kinney – #1 Must Have Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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shwayday, I agree, but It's also about a dissatisfaction with where riot grrl has gone and what has (or hasn't) been accomplished. It sounds like they're upset that the whole riot grrl scene (read "girl power!") has been adopted by the mainstream but reduced to a mere pink and sparkly shell of what it really was (is?). Because of this some riot grrls have become jaded with the cause, accusing the veteran figureheads of selling out while at the same time looking for another saviour (Everywhere you go they say "Hello, weren't you the one that sold your soul?" Every time you leave the say "Oh no, why did you ever let us go?") Most of all, I think this song is about the feeling that feminism is stuck in a rut, or worse, that in some ways maybe we've even taken a few steps back because of corporate manipulation of our heartfelt causes ("I wish I could write more than the next marketing bid"). So where do we go from here? |
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| Sleater-Kinney – Youth Decay Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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I think it has a little to do with both bulimia AND speaking her mind. A friend of mine who was a counselor for years told me that girls with eating disorders developed them as a way to feel in control of their lives. "Close my mouth Was I born to accommodate I'm so good at playing dead Words just don't seem to come out" It seems like she is expected to behave and mind her tongue by her father, but she wants to speak her mind. Instead she eats sweet things and spits them back up ("stomachache... food just doesn't seem to work out") to deal with her problems. I also think "how many doctors will it take before I disintegrate" is being critical of how the medical establishment treats cases of eating disorders instead of addressing the ways that societal expectations placed on girls (and boys) lead to the disorders in the first place. |
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| Sleater-Kinney – Get Up Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| My favorite SK song. It seems to me to be about being our true selves, transcending the box society builds for us, and not being ashamed of that, whether we are whores or stars or both. I love the part where she talks about "the body finally starting to let go" and just going with it and dumping it into the universe "like a whole bucket of stars". Makes aging (something many of us come to fear) sound so beautiful and natural. | |
| Bratmobile – Cherry Bomb Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| There are quite a few versions of this song out there, and this ones is my favorite too, of course shonen knife comes in a close second. Riot Grrl Stand up! | |
| Rage Against the Machine – Down Rodeo Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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I do think it's about racism, but I don't agree that it's JUST about white vs. black. I think "these people ain't seen a brown-skinned man since their grandparents bought one" is referring to Zach himself as a Chicano. "the clockers born starin at an empty plate mommas torn hands cover her sunken face we hungry but they belly full the structure is set ya never change it with a ballot pull" IMO this talks about class oppression. Clockers refers to people who are born into the working class (clock in and out of work) but no matter how much they work they never get their fill ("sunken face"). And the lower classes accomplish nothing by voting because the ones with their "belly's full" have rigged the government system to work in their favor. "In tha ruins there's a network for tha toxic rock School yard ta precinct, suburb ta project block Bosses broke south for new flesh and a factory floor The remains left chained to the powder war" Here, I think Zach talks about the destruction of capitalism, and the havoc industries wreak in their wake when they move their factories to the poorer southern hemisphere. When these industries leave town, the effects are felt everywhere "from schoolyard to precinct, suburb to project block". That's what I loved about rage, the lyrics are so specific and politically charged that they are no longer lyrics, but manuscripts and manifesto's. |
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| Julie Ruin – I Wanna Know What Love Is Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| I love her message in here, that we women need to stop allowing our fears to prevent us from doing what we want, and to face our fears alone, instead of being completely dependent on men. To me, she's singing about finding our inner strength and courage. | |
| Le Tigre – Bang! Bang! Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| DutchOven, I think that it is more about the police forces in general, not just in NYC. It's not just minorities that use drugs and commit crimes, but police (and public) perception believes otherwise. I think this song is critical of the violent racism inherent in (and furthered by) racial profiling. | |
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