| System of a Down – Question! Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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To everyone: This is a very long description of my thoughts on Question! and although you probably have better things to do in your life than read every one of my sentences, I ask that you stick with me on this one because I've spent quite some time on it, and I'm sure you will find it enlightening if not at least amusing. In my opinion, Question! is easily the best track that System of a Down has produced thus far, as it carries with it an extremely powerful emotional connotation. I have to give credit to sossi. He really hit the nail on the head in terms of a unique, lateral interpretation. However, there are so many things about this song that have to be considered before anyone makes their own interpretations, which must be respected no matter how radical. Food for thought: 1) We must eliminate all bias before beginning an objective interpretation on any song, especially this one. 2) The song may or may not take on a whole different meaning to the interpreter once they watch the video. 3) The structure of the lyrics plays such a huge role in how an audience establishes their viewpoint. __________________________________________________ Parts of the lyrics were setup as this website shows us, and they are partially incorrect: "Sweet berries ready for two ghosts are no different than you. Ghosts are now waiting for you all. " However, according to the official website: "Sweet berries ready for two Ghosts are no different than you. Ghosts are now waiting for you Are you..." Assuming the second set of lyrics (official website) is correct, I took a moment to realize how powerful a difference the structure/arrangement of the words make. Had I stuck with my original interpretation of... Sweet berries ready for two ghosts are no different than you. ...I would have retained the idea that these "sweet berries" are simply a reference to a tangible object which might as well not exist, because metaphorically speaking, ghosts cannot physically associate with these earthly treasures. If these berries are no different than "you," then perhaps the 'you' is a reference to an object/ideal that is now lost. I originally had the idea that the lyrics were in this structure because of the speed in which Serj sings, and therefore my interpretation matched up as such. But, since this lyrical structure does not match up with the official website, this interpretation really has no credibility as far as author intent is concerned. Moving on. If... Sweet berries ready for two (end sentence) Ghosts are no different than you ...are the real lyrics from the band's website, then my interpretation immediately changed to this: The concept of sweet berries may perhaps be some entity/ideal which awaits the arrival of its seekers. If "ghosts are no different than you," then that immediately speaks to me: you are already/might as well be dead. These supposed ghosts may seek out these berries, and there are two of these seekers as seen in the number of berries. Now just based of the lyrics, this obviously summed up to me - The sweet berries represent love or death, which patiently awaits the arrival of these two lost and forgotten individuals. Now this is where it gets tricky. Had I not seen the video, I would have simply been left with an abstract thought on the meaning of this song, with my only evidence of the berries being love or death traced to the following portion... Do we, do we know When we fly When we, when we go Do we die ...which may or may not take on a whole different meaning in itself. Now since I carefully watched and analyzed the video several times, my initial interpretation after reading the correctly structured lyrics (see how important structure is!) was solidified by the visuals it presented. The video simply had Romeo and Juliet written all over it, as far as I was concerned. In the end, my view is simply this: Sweet berries is an oxymoron for a poisonous and deadly love. Of course they taste good, but they come with a price. The question is what lies beyond accepting the death price. And so our Romeo and Juliet from the video confront each other, screaming out the "question" - Do we, do we know When we fly When we, when we go Do we die? Of course, neither of them knows the answer to that question, and so they have dreams that everything might just be 'alright', regardless of death: Dreaming the night Dreaming alright Eventually, our Juliet ends up taking the poison as told in the classic Shakespearean tale, and you immediately see her age before your eyes, while the band plays by the proscenium of the stage, all the while speeding up the music and throwing in climatic and speedy alternating photoshots between them playing their instruments, possibly signifying the arrival of death as represented by the horsemen racing through the midnight forest. Finally she dies and Romeo screams to the sky in extreme anguish. Although she dies, the video finishes with an image of a baby, perhaps to symbolize the fact that hope lives on, or that their tragic situation is immortalized within the birth and similar fate of another. This part still has me guessing. But what about the image of the boy and the bird in the beginning of the video? If you remember correctly, the little boy shoots the red bird with a slingshot and it is immediately killed. This is where my interpretation takes its most drastic step forward... In Romeo and Juliet, there are symbols throughout the entire play, each with a distinct and vital meaning. I did a search for the symbols of the play on the internet, and came across a rather useful source: http://www.rsc.org.uk/romeo/learning/aboutp.html In the first portion of this site's description of the play's symbols, we read a little bit about the significance of birds... "At the core are Romeo and Juliet, two human beings who want to be amongst the stars but who are bound to earth by the gravity of death. At the centre of that universe, Shakespeare places the human heart. Something else that runs through the play is image after image after image of birds -swans, crows, doves, falcons, ravens, nightingales, larks and so on. The Nurse talks about Romeo fetching a ladder to climb 'a bird's nest' (i.e. climb up to Juliet's room). In Act 2 scene 2, Romeo says to Juliet, 'I would I were thy bird'. The lovers are creatures of the earth who yearn to be free, who want their souls to fly free. " For those of you who have been patient enough to read all of this through, I'm sure you know what's coming next... "Two human beings who want to be among the stars but are bound to earth by the gravity of death" AND Do we, do we know When we fly When we, when we go Do we die? Does anyone see the correlation here? Our ill-fated couple asks each other as to when they will be set free of their bonds to live in love amongst the stars. When will they fly? But they know that by making an attempt at this forbidden love, they may be killed in the process - When we, when we go, do we die? Continuing on the description from the website, we see that birds played a significant role in the play. "The Nurse talks about Romeo fetching a ladder to climb 'a bird's nest' (i.e. climb up to Juliet's room)." After reading this, immediately the image of the red bird at the beginning of the video pops into my head, and I think of our Juliet. The scarlet color of the animal may serve a dual meaning - love and death (because this shade of scarlet is pretty much the color of blood, the very blood that drips from Juliet's cheek at her death in the video). The bird itself is innocent and fragile, as is our Juliet, and it is killed immediately by a slingshot from a boy - They chose flight, and in the process Juliet was killed. Well, this is simply my interpretation of the song after quite a bit of time analyzing it, but in the end, everyone is entitled to their opinions. I usually try to avoid the idea that this song is about the "War in Iraq" because it has been quite a popular bandwagon for musical interpretation lately, and I just don't think that every song is going to reflect this political incident. However, pushing the video aside, I once again look closely at the official lyrics, and can't help but notice how fitting they seem for a description of what the band may consider to be a tragedy in Iraq. The fact of the matter is that the video is still there, and the lyrics can be interpreted politically just as much as they can be interpreted romantically. I still stick with my Romeo and Juliet theory, but to each their own. In the end, the only thing that really matters about a song to a person depends on what they see in it, and I think that we can all agree that Question! has -Masterpiece- written all over it... I tip my hat to System of a Down. |
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| Chevelle – Skeptic Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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The most powerful words in the piece: "And even if I was all-knowing, Wouldnt it mean that I loved you? I see you move against ignorance, Why not try and get in?" If he is referring to God, I believe it means that no matter what he does to accept or deny him, no matter how much information he gathers, in the end, he would love him all the same because nothing can explain "the incomplete" or "the why" When he sees God move against ignorance, he is basically asking him to come inside of him and reveal all, hence the "why not try and get in?" That is my personal interpretation. |
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| Chevelle – Get Some Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| Lets put it this way. The boys of Chevelle have come a ONG way in trying to be successful and live up their dream of spreading their music. What pisses Pete and his brothers off is that these people can audition and sing songs that THEY DID NOT WRITE and become millionaires instantly. He specifically stated that he feels American Idol is terrible, and that these people dont deserve anything because they dont even come in to audition with their own written music. I must say i agree with the fact that all of the American Idols, although good singers, royally suck because of their lack of determination and creativity. And White Out, i swear to the Devil if you make one more ignorant reference about George W Bush being in Chevelle's focus of creativity i will straight up slap you. It has NOTHING to do with politics, and there are NO references to prove so. | |
| Chevelle – Send The Pain Below Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| Im not being sarcastic in any way when i say this, but many of you talk about this song as a metaphor for a bad relationship, but i didnt see anything like that in the music video. Im still trying to figure it out myself... | |
| Chevelle – Wonder What's Next Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| ^Well said. | |
| Chevelle – Dos Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| Like stated before, they went to play gigs in local areas around town, and never could get very much money or attention to go up in the ranks, hence the "you two youre whats left" being the only two people still in the room listening to them. "you sir give up the gig you havent been repaid" is saying that the owner should just ditch them because they are not making enough money for a real profit for either the owner or the band. This song really lets you take a look at the point in which Chevelle was on the verge of giving up. | |
| Chevelle – Point #1 Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| The beauty of this song is that its meaning can be interpreted so many ways.It could be about trying to achieve a status as a successful rock band, but its damn near impossible, hence the "dont choke on this twisted dream." When Pete says "then he'll say pay for it, the whole sum, to magnify pain is point #1" he could honestly be talking about anything. I cant get a clear definition for myself, even after years of watching the video and listening to the song. Check the video out and see what you think its all about. | |
| Chevelle – Vitamin R (Leading Us Along) Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| Irate said it correctly. Pete Loeffler stated that one of his friends was suffering from the drug Ritalin, and this inspired him to write the song. If you've seen the video, its kinda like a visual of what people who take ritalin have to deal with, because many of them sit and daydream all day, and ritalin is supposed to help them concentrate. The images of the Angel, the shark, the mini golf set, the green button, and the scenery where Sam plays the drums are all objects within the cubicle of the victim. And he also sees a picture of two doctors on a magazine, which causes him to remember them constantly forcing and offering him to take more drugs, and they look like peppermints because they are supposed to be good for you. Towards the end, the phone begins to ring, and you can see the green light of the button flash, which draws his mind's attention, and causes his conscience to kinda "levitate" over to the light. Of course, sometimes ritalin does not work, which is exactly why pete picks up the phone call, and then hangs up, and begins to stare around again | |
| Chevelle – Panic Prone Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| Each of the brothers is a Christian, but dont spoonfeed me some crap about the word bastard. They could say F*ck for all i care, that doesnt change faith in the least bit. I don't see any war references at all. And besides that, Chevelle is a musical group. Sure they may kick major ass, but they are a musical group and that is all. You shouldnt let their political views form the basis of yours because they lead a completely different lifestyle. GWB is an honorable man, and Maynard keenan can go to hell for all i care, because Manson and him are both perfect examples of why politics should not mix with music. | |
| Chevelle – Mia Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| Pete said he named this song after a girl he knew. I dont know exactly how it relates, but its a mysterious and interesting piece anyways. When he says "Im made of peanuts, not of shells" hes basically saying that its what on the inside that counts, or maybe it means that he is rather vulnerable and sensitive...interesting song, i love it... | |
| Chevelle – Grab Thy Hand Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| ^Couldnt have said it better myself. Pete wants to walk with God, and dont we all??? What does interest me is on the Live from the Norva DVD, before he sang this song, he said "Here's one for the ladies in the house" | |
| Chevelle – Comfortable Liar Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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The repetition serves as emphasis in this masterfully created song. I can relate it to my one and only relationship which turned out sour. This was what popped in my head, but of course it might be different for you Broad is the sea: Too many lies The salt enters the wounds: It hurts more and more My take on you is simple: I can see right through u Heal your fear: Dont worry, i already know Time spend waiting offshore: swimming in your lies Calm before the storm: Lies about to be exposed Take from you is simple: I see right through you Such a comfortable liar: Not even ashamed of lying I said WRONG: (I really did say that to her) What a depressingly beautiful poem |
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| Chevelle – An Evening with El Diablo Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| The title says it all - Its a dream about Lucifer. punkrockchick made her interpretations clear and well placed, and i agree with her. Whoever said some crap about religion serving a purpose only for life on earth is a total idiot. The members of Chevelle are good Christians who are venting off some much needed spiritual steam in this song of temptation, false beauty, and wonder | |
| Chevelle – Emotional Drought Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| What the HELL are you people talking about?? You guys are absolute disgraces to the Chevelle community. It has nothing to do with government, and why does everything have to be compared with that shitbag Maynard Keenan??? The beauty of Chevelle's music is that it's meaning is not distinct. The ONLY thing that can be judged from this beautiful piece of art is the need for our souls to search and free our minds. You guys just want to always compare everything to government and crap. Chevelle wouldn't write about government, its politics, and its BORING. The only thing i will agree with is that this song is a masterpiece. | |
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