submissions

Smog – River Guard Lyrics

21 years ago

This has to be one of the loveliest and saddest songs in Smog's catalogue (which says a great deal taking into account everything Bill Callahan has done). The narrator is the prison guard of the title, who believes that his life is every bit as narrow and circumscribed as the prisoners he is supposed to be guarding- hence the fact he can only "sit in the tall grass and look the other way" when they enjoy themselves in the river. He tries to feel the same sort of peace that the prisoners enjoy in the river by driving around late at night and standing on the edges of cliffs, things the prisoners obviously don't have the freedom to do. He can't escape this sense of imprisonment, however, which is why he includes himself with the prisoners when he says "soon we will all be back in the yard, behind the wall, living hard, dreaming of cool rivers and tall grass" and again repeats that "we are constantly on trial." Very haunting.

submissions

Smog – Nineteen Lyrics	21 years ago
I believe this song is about two people losing their virginity to each other, not out of love or anything as romantic as that, but simply out of a desire to have sex. Whatever relationship they had with each other quickly dissolved after this encounter, which didn't live up to either of their expectations.

submissions

The Rolling Stones – Miss You Lyrics	21 years ago
This song is about Mick Jagger getting out of a long relationship and a friend of his trying to help him get over her by taking him back out on the "scene," so to speak. Over the course of the song he goes from truly missing her to trying to tell himself that he's glad she's gone.

submissions

David Bowie – I'm Afraid of Americans Lyrics	21 years ago
If I was in Iraq right now in an attack helicopter I would be blasting this shit as loudly as possible as I swooped across the desert, mowing down ragheads left and right. Ironic, isn't it?

submissions

Polaris – Hey Sandy Lyrics	21 years ago
The song is indeed about the Kent State shootings, the lyrics are initially from the perspective of the victim and then the National Guard soldier who shot him. It's really odd that such a dark song would sound so upbeat and end up being used by a show like The Adventures of Pete & Pete.

submissions

Soundgarden – Applebite Lyrics

21 years ago

To build on what the previous poster said, I read a great interpretation of this song somewhere that suggested it is actually a sort of parable about the fall from the Garden of Eden and original sin (hence the title, "applebite"). "Grow and decay, grow and decay, it's only forever" refers to the fact that humanity must now suffer from old age, disease, and death. "Loosely or tightly, everything fits, even the wrists on your arm" suggests people being bound in chains, further reinforcing our bondage to mortality. Remember, Chris Cornell was raised in Catholic schools. This is my favorite Soundgarden song.

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