| Wild Beasts – His Grinning Skull Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Such a great song. I never thought of it as a song about a death in the literal sense, that's interesting, as if the man were dead and his wife/lover who stood by him through all was finally leaving him. Obviously there's a lot of death imagery, but I imagined it as "digging the grave" for the lover you scorned, as in ridding yourself of him completely, particularly because of the lines "and now perched on his skull/ are these cuckold's horns." I see the song as the story of a man who was his wife/lover's protector ("he who was your bull/ and made the shadows run"), and has now been cheated on and left by said lover; hence, the reason that even after he is cuckolded, he is humiliated ("I'll eat this young whelp's heart..."; "with fists for spades..."). I agree with regulus, in that maybe the song is narrated by the wife's new lover. He could be sympathetic toward the cuckolded man, but it's a condescending and hypocritical sympathy. |
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| LCD Soundsystem – Someone Great Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I've always wondered who precisely this song was about, assuming it was a death. I do like the possibility that this is about Kamen, if Murphy was as close with him as he says. I think this is a song that conveys different sentiments to different people, and given the subject matter (death, loss, etc.) it's easy to relate to. This album came out months after the death of a loved one very close to me, and some of the lyrics hit so close to home that three years later, I still find it difficult to listen to it at times. |
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| Junior Boys – Bits & Pieces Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Such a great dance song. It sounds to me like he might be saying "I see you better when the lights are out." | |
| Vashti Bunyan – Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| this song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards? now I like it even more. | |
| Cut Copy – Strangers In The Wind Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| Fleetwood Mac + 80s synth-pop = this. Perfect! | |
| Jens Lekman – The Wrong Hands Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| This song is a hidden gem on Oh You're So Silent, and quite possibly one of his best tunes. He's just addictive, in the most trite-yet-adorable way possible. | |
| Bon Iver – RE: Stacks Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| This song is a perfect closer for his album. It leaves you on a very hopeful note, and the last verse sums it up beautifully. | |
| Jens Lekman – I'm Leaving You Because I Don't Love You Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| The piano sample is from a song by Laura Nyro, called "Wedding Bell Blues". Gotta love Jens's sample choices. | |
| LCD Soundsystem – Someone Great Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I too would say this song is about the death of a loved one. notthedestroyer said it beautifully. This song is absolutely phenomenal; I'm moved to tears just reading the lyrics... |
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| The Knife – Heartbeats Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| SUCH a sexy song. wow. | |
| General Public – Tenderness Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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"So many threes after my less than sign for General Public and this song" Amen! |
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| Feist – 1234 Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I think this song says something about one's first love when you're young and the fleeting passion that comes along with that. There is an excitement while it lasts, and that excitement turns to grief when it ends. Kind of reminds me of what Neko Case says in her song "That Teenage Feeling". "One, two, three, four, five, six, nine, and ten / Money can't buy you back the love that you had then" Such a great line. |
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| Jon Brion – Her Ghost Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| The meaning of this song is pretty clear I think. He's in a relationship with a girl who is not over her last flame, and he knows he'll never truly get close to her as long as she's keeping the memory of her ex nearby. | |
| Badly Drawn Boy – Disillusion Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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I would imagine this song is about a relationship he feels need to end. She's created some disillusioned idea of their relationship, probably thinking about the future too soon, "a picture that I just don't see"; the relationship was going well, so why is she expecting even more ("Why do you have to make it so complicated / Can't it just be beautiful"? He was in love, but now, it's just not the same. He can't remain with her knowing that she's expecting something he can't give her. He'd rather end it now so as to preserve the goodness of what they had. Describes my last relationship to a T... |
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| Wilco – Either Way Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| This album is so heartbreaking. What an amazing opening track. | |
| Peter Bjorn and John – Paris 2004 Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I always wonder why this song is called "Paris 2004". Maybe he's writing about how he felt at that time in a particular relationship. Other songs on the album like "Up Against The Wall" and "Let's Call It Off" are about a romantic relationship coming to an end. This song could be a reflection on how that relationship began and how good it once was. | |
| Keane – She Has No Time Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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I always saw this song as a relationship ending, and the stages experienced by both parties in the aftermath of a break-up that was not well thought-out. Each verse is a different stage, showing the changing emotions of these two people and eventually leading up to the moment where she simply "has no time" for him. In the first verse, it seems that he was the one to end the relationship. She's still hurting, and "can hardly breathe without" him. He had given up on the relationship and has likely moved on. The line "but we're all the same" could be a foreshadowing of what is to come, that when you get down to it, everyone shares the same thoughts, and in time he will come to feel the same pain that she is currently dealing with. The second verse is a turning point. The narrator (perhaps a friend or he himself saying it after the fact) warns him to take a look around and remember why he loved her, or "lie to yourself" and let his feelings for her "dissolve" into nothing, because he will come to regret leaving her and when he realizes it's going to be too late. This is his last chance to realize his mistake. Finally, in the last verse, he has realized what he's lost and wants her back, but he has missed his chance to reconcile with her. She tells him "she has no time" for him anymore. She has moved on and it's too late now. It strikes me as a classic break-up scenario, where the dumper comes to regret his/her actions and comes crawling back, only to find the other person is no longer waiting for them to return. Who knows if this is anywhere near the real meaning of the song, but I think this interpretation could make some sense. |
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| Jon Brion – Ruin My Day Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Why hasn't commented on this? What an amazing song! Jon Brion is brilliant. and the line is: I'm not moved by your artful display |
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| Phoenix – On Fire Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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"Baby, left me for another Don't you know it's going to be alright" Well alright, alright, alright. |
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| Fiona Apple – Oh Well Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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"What wasted unconditional love On somebody who doesn't believe in the stuff" No one could have said it better. This song is anthemic. |
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| Fiona Apple – Not About Love Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I miss that stupid ache. | |
| Sondre Lerche – Days That Are Over Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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"I leave the heat on to leave a trace of all the things the air was filled with" What an amazing verse. He's holding onto the past, even after he tells us that he realizes, "Days that are over will not continue to last". A very true statement. It also reminds me of the title of a song by The Stills, "Yesterday Never Tomorrows". |
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| Frou Frou – It's Good to Be in Love Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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To me, this song is the perfect anthem for anyone whose significant other has left them for someone else. At least that's what it means to me. "These cucumber eyes are lying the more that I smile about it." Perhaps she remained close to him even after the relationship ended, and she chooses to grin and bear it because she'd rather have him as a friend than not have him in her life at all, even if he hurt her. So she chooses to smile, even though she's lying to herself. I agree with Quailman, "I'm happy you're in love" would really mean... "I'm not happy at all." and "How's it happening that he feels it without me?" She can't understand how he could ever love someone else after he's loved her. She feels like she can't go on without him, so why should he be able to go on without her? The song sounds so uplifting, but it's really quite upsetting. |
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| Neko Case – Favorite Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| This song is even more amazing live than as a studio recording. Worth going to see her live just for this song and "Set Out Running". She has the voice of an angel. | |
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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So bittersweet. I just love her subtle plea to stay... "Pack up / but don't stray" Setting aside the simple but perfect chorus, that line alone says it all. |
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| XTC – Harvest Festival Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I can't believe no one has commented on this song. The orchestration, the pronunciation of words, it's so heartbreaking, but so magical. "That longing look / Across the hymn books and the canvas chairs" Just amazing. | |
| Phoenix – Honeymoon Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| This song is so sensual. Every time I hear it I just want to make love. | |
| Junior Boys – Count Souvenirs Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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"'Cause all the paint And the stains All the papers and the fumes They're all of you They stay alive And inside the things we knew" What a verse. It's an amazing song, catchy but complex. |
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| Okkervil River – A King and a Queen Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| I just listened to this for the first time yesterday, and I'm already convinced it's one of, if not the most beautiful song I've ever heard. | |
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