| Crowded House – Fall At Your Feet Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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To me it's a song about being willing to hang around and wait for the person you love to come to love you, even though there's a chance they never will. 'I'm really close tonight And I feel like I'm moving inside her Lying in the dark I think that I'm beginning to know her Let it go I'll be there when you call' He feels that he knows this person more than anyone else does or ever will, and he's lying in the dark thinking about her. 'I feel like I'm moving inside her' could mean that he knows her well enough to see things from her perpective, to live her life alongside her with the insight he has. There's also the obvious sexual connotations, of course. 'Go, I'll be waiting when you call'- she has other relationships, she's away from him, but he's going to stick around anyway, just on the offchance. And I'm more than willing to offer myself Do you want my presence or need my help Who knows where that might lead I think that these are the central lines to this song- the point at which the other images all come together and he establishes his point. They're certainly my favourite lines anyway. I think the song's about him being in love with someone who may or may not return his feelings, but either way I get the feeling they're not together. But anyway, he worships her and falls at her feet every time she calls to him, and pride isn't even an issue. Possibly my favourite song ever. |
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| Dr. Dog – Say Something Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Another of my favourite songs- it's about a long-distance relationship, they're talking on the phone and she's going mental. Familiar situation to most people like, the best bit of the song's where he starts singing 'where are you going crazy? in your mind or in every inch of your body?' It's just brilliant. |
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| Dr. Dog – Dutchman Falls Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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God, this song kills me. Especially the guitar solo and the vicals around that bit- he sounds like he's in agony and the fact that there's no backing to the guitar, for a moment... wow. It's so effective. I love the way he sings this song, because he really acts it- if you know what I mean. It's not just another 'lalala, it ain't not that I don't not love you girl' song. I reckon it's pretty obvious what it's about really, the way I see it his girlfriend or wife was unfaithful to him and he was either coaxed by a friend or some kind of alter-ego to go back to Dutchman Falls and kill her. At the end the deeper voiced alter-ego takes over and tells us that he has 'no need for redemption... no need for him'. I hear 'him' instead of 'you' btw, I thought it was a reference to God/Jesus offering redemption and him refusing it. The image of her raising her hands and him cutting her down 'like cake'... wow. Really powerful stuff, kids. |
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| Dr. Dog – The Pretender Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I hear some of the lyrics different. For example: 'I only want you to be *happier*, I only want you to let go' 'I'll only call *if I get word*' 'We've been soaked *too long to care* or complain' Don't know whether yours or mine are right, but still. Anyway, I reckon the song's about a guy who's dumping his girlfriend, and he can remember the moment he knew it was over but he 'can't recall the day': well, that's how memories like that work. People always ask 'when did this happen?' but, y'know... He's writing her a letter to let her know it's over, but he keeps having to start again 'another lifetime of words will be forgotten and burned by the time you reach this letter'. Lovely song, one of their best I think. |
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| Joanna Newsom – Peach, Plum, Pear Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| Oh, and 'you've changed some' as 'you've changed so'. | |
| Joanna Newsom – Peach, Plum, Pear Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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I hear 'water ruin from the snow' as 'why run from the snow?'. It might not say that on the actual lyrics sheet in the CD or anything, but I prefer the line that way myself. This song is just full of misheard lyrics, isn't it? I think it's great. |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Once Upon a Time Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| hahaha, voltafan, you win. | |
| Smog – Our Anniversary Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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*That should say 'Some form of excess'. This song is beautiful, so full of glorious imagery. Although it is confusing, that this backdrop of such natural beauty (the sound of crickets, bullfrogs, stars, 'swooning' grass, etc) should be contrasted with the feeling that the other person in this relationship has to resort to hiding the man's car keys so he won't just drive off. 'To hotwire and hightail crosses my mind', eh? All is not perfect then. But I think that's good, I much prefer that this song acknowledges that relationships, especially as they age, aren't perfect even if there is still love present (as there is here I think). A very beautiful, humble, truthful song I think. |
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| Smog – Our Anniversary Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Extra verse in between 'Clipping the wings of your morning flight' and the second to last verse: 'The night will end in Some for of excess Pants around ankles Too weak to fully undress' |
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| R.E.M. – Man On The Moon Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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'There is the controversy of whether or not louis armstrong really landed on the moon or was it staged.' Oh it was so staged! I mean he took a few steps out of the shuttle thing and then he whipped off his helmet and started playing all that space jazz, it was totally unbelievable. There's no air in space, people! How did he manage to get so many 'skewapbedoo's and 'bahbahbahdeebop's out if he couldn't inhale?! Mind you I agree with the theory that this song is more about questioning everything that we're told is official truth than a bio of Andy Kaufman, although he and his work were obviously a great inspiration to Michael Stipe. |
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| Electrelane – The Valleys Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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The lyrics: I heard it from the valleys, I heard it ringing in the mountains I heard it from the valleys, I heard him singing in the mountains Robert, when I drowse to-night, Skirting lawns of sleep to chase Shifting dreams in mazy light, Somewhere then I'll see your face Turning back to bid me follow Where I wag my arms and hollo, Over hedges hasting after Crooked smile and baffling laughter, We know such dreams are true! (WOMEN) Running tireless, floating, leaping, Down your web-hung woods and valleys, Where the glowworm stars are peeping, Till I find you, quiet as stone On a hill-top all alone, Staring outward, gravely pondering Jumbled leagues of hillock-wandering. You and I have walked together In the starving winter weather. We've been glad because we knew Time's too short and friends are few. We've been sad because we missed One whose yellow head was kissed By the gods, who thought about him Till they couldn't do without him. (MEN) He's come back, all mirth and glory, Like the prince in a fairy tory. Winter called him far away; Blossoms bring him home with May. (ALL) Now he's here again; Standing in a wood that swings Now he’s here again Standing in a wood that swings To Madrigal he sings And I'm sure, as here I stand, That he shines through every land, That he sings in every place Where we're thinking of his face And we know such dreams are true |
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| Belle & Sebastian – The Stars of Track and Field Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Wahey, the most proud I've ever been to come from Widnes was when I first heard this. *wipes away tear* *sniff* Gosh. |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Hummer Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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'I think it's about a gay relationship (hummer = homo).' Yes, so do I, but I thought 'hummer' was slang for... hmm, codeword time... let's say 'bluejob'. Yeah. I thought the word 'hummer' was a slang word for a bluejob. Wink wink. 'He sings "Life's a bummer / When you're a hummer / Life's a drag" and leaves it hanging ["When you're a fag"]. ' Yes, exactly, that's what I thought of when I heard that. But the 'Yeah I want something new/ But what am I supposed to do about you' bit I see as being about his girlfriend/wife perhaps, as he's been trying to lead a conventional life up to now. 'I love you, it's true', hmm, yes Billy, but in what way? I reckon this song's about a gay man, basically, who has been hiding himself all his life, but (as the actual sound of the song suggests: joyous and energetic, then calm towards the end) he has decided to accept himself and be happy about what and who he is. So, evidence. 'Faith lies in The ways of sin' Homosexuality's a sin according to the bible and many societies. Obvious, that one. 'I chased the charmed But I don't want them anymore' Women, womyn, wimmin. His life would be easy, charmed, if he actually fancied women. But an easy life isn't what he wants any more. 'Shame my tongue Fat with promise all along' He's been talking, promising, trying to convince everyone that he's 'normal' (as cliched as putting the word 'normal' in inverted commas is). 'But when I woke up from that sleep I was happier than I'd ever been' He 'woke up' when he realized what he wanted. The men. 'When you decide That your life is a prize Renew and revive' This bit's about him realizing what a gift life is, and that he's been wasting it in not being true to his gay gay self all this time. 'Ask yourself a question Anyone but me I ain't free... Do you feel Love is real?' Do you think that people are attracted to who they are attracted to because of upbringing, nurture? Or is it unchangeable and intrinsic? Nature? If love is real, true love, the one that people put their hearts and trust in, then it is invariable and unfaltering. Not something that can be changed. If love is real, then he had no choice. |
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| The Sugarcubes – Birthday Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| For some reason when I hear the lyrics 'she scratches his beard' I think of a garden gnome. I always had the image of a five year old girl playing with an imaginary friend, her garden gnome, and all the grownups smoking cigars at her party, to celebrate her birth. But maybe I'm being naive. | |
| Interpol – Obstacle 2 Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| he's basically asking this girl out, not on a date, but into a relationship. I love the way he says 'you can fix me up girl, we'll go a long way'. So honest, heh. he's asking an insecure girl to take a chance on love. n'aaah. | |
| Interpol – NYC Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| 'subway she is a porno' to me is the likening of the train going into the tunnel to sex, and comparing the dirtiness of the subway to the sediness of porn. | |
| Interpol – Obstacle 1 Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I think the first line says something like 'the flow in this faded place' at the end, but every time I listen to it it changes. 'blips' or 'bliss' as the last word, 'glory' in the middle etc... madness. I do think it says 'I wish I could eat the salt off' at the start though... 'I wish I could eat the salt of the flow in this faded bliss'? hmm, doesn't make sense to me but still, it's what i hear. I think this song is about a girl that moved away, a friend I think (mostly because of the 'she packs it away' bit granted). And he's sad about her leaving. 'She puts the weights into my little heart', one of the best lines ever in terms of describing that sinking feeling of knowing that someone you really like is about to leave. 'Her stories are boring and stuff' and yet he still likes her, one of the few songs that acknowledges that there are things about the people you like that you... don't really like. It's genius. 'Her heaven is never enough'- she's always dissatisfied and dissappointed, which is why she's leaving. 'We could cap the old lines/times'- he's trying to make her stay, but it never works. 'You'll go stabbing yourself in the neck'- he knows that she'll just be dissappointed wherever she goes. 'She can read, she's bad'- who knows? I find that the choruses of Interpol songs are the most difficult parts to pin a meaning to, most of the time. |
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| Interpol – PDA Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I agree with bits of what other people have said here, but to me it's about his ex, he's reflecting on a relationship that he never quite got over when he sees her again. The first line reads 'yours is the only version of my desertion that I could ever subscribe to', which makes me think that he left her or caused her to leave him and a while later he's saying this to her as admittion of guilt. The sound of the song and the way Paul sings the chorus leads me to believe that he's still in love with her ('I missed you'), especially when he sings 'You are the only person who's completely certain there's nothing here to be into'. Before I read what everyone else said I thought that this line was simply about the girl in question not being into him and their relationship any more, but perhaps it's him telling her what he think of her. Quite a few of their songs seem to encompass the fact that they dislike the trendy culture in NYC. She isn't swept along with the crowd, and he respects her for that. It could apply to this too, I think. As far as the last bit of the song, the unspecified lyircs that the guitarist sings, I think they say 'something else to say, something (I'd) rather do, but there was nothing else to say, nothing to do'. The change in the feel of this song, from quite angry and aggressive at the start to melodic and sublime, lots of major chords at the end could be seen to represent the emotions that you go through at the end of a good relationship, and Paul says 'I'm resenting a position that's past resentment, now I can consider, now there is this distance'. The end of the song is about realizing that you have to move on, and there's 'nothing else to say, nothing to do'. God, I knew this song was going to be a heartbreaker as soon as I heard it. Interpol are marvellous. |
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| Animal Collective – College Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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'Sometimes I think, since there's an underlying theme of leaving throughout Sung Tongs, "you don't have to go to college" means, "you don't have to leave me." ' That is beautiful. I hope you're right. |
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| Bill Bailey – Leg Of Time Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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Right I think... that there's this guy who's trying to find out who stole the leg of time. Maybe it's Columbo. So Columbo is asking this informant and he finds out that it's this so-called Terry. So he asks Terry to bring the leg of time back, through the medium of the Cockney Middle Eight. But it could just as easily be about drugs I suppose. Or Courtney Love. |
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| The Killers – Jenny Was a Friend of Mine Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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damn double post sorry |
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| The Killers – Jenny Was a Friend of Mine Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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Hmmm. Or Natalie, or Andy. I met the Killers at Leeds the other week, Brandon's a tiny tanned man in real life. Odd. Ronnie said he liked the glitter I had on my cheeks/eyes... I almost cried, I tell thee. |
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| The Killers – Jenny Was a Friend of Mine Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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Hmmm. Or Natalie, or Andy. I met the Killers at Leeds the other week, Brandon's a tiny tanned man in real life. Odd. Ronnie said he liked the glitter I had on my cheeks/eyes... I almost cried, I tell thee. |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Casimir Pulaski Day Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I kinda saw the song as being about being about another guy... not sure why, that's just what I saw when I listened to the lyrics. And I know that he does say 'and I almost touched your blouse', which is an article of female clothing, but still. |
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| The Killers – Jenny Was a Friend of Mine Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I love this song and 'Midnight Show', there's such darkness that goes so well with the glamorous sound of their music- this song *is* pretty self-explanatory, when taken in context with what the Killers have said about the mini-movie. I hope that when it's done it's released so that everyone can see it, not just competition winners. But anyway, I just wondered if anyone had noticed that Brandon has linked 'Jenny' and 'Midnight Show' through the line 'she said she loved me' which is sung in the same vicious way in this song and (quietly, I had to know it was there to hear it) at the end of 'Midnight Show'. Whoever the killer is in the movie, Jenny saying that she loved him seems to be integral to his motive. So I'm going with the 'she was dumping him, he couldn't handle it so he killed her' theory myself. |
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| Stephen Lynch – What If That Guy from Smashing Pumpkins Lost His Car Keys? Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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Yeah, it's 'where the fuck are my car keys They were right here in my hand I had them just a second ago Did I leave them in the kitchen? Or underneath the cushions of the couch? I can't find them anywhere, any- Oh here they are...' |
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| Alanis Morissette – Your House Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I always listened to this as a response to 'You Oughta Know', like the other side of a coin, because it's deliberately put on the end of the second version of 'You Oughta Know' on 'Jagged Little Pill'- if it was only on there once, it wouldn't have stood out amongst all the other songs quite as much. But it was put on there twice, and this song wasn't given a seperate track, so that we couldn't skip right to it- it's like a surprise on the end of the album. They were meant to be listened to in this order, and together. So to me this song's like the quiet part of her mind that is still in love with her ex, that undermines all the fury of the part of her that's singing 'You Oughta Know'. |
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| Jeff Buckley – Grace Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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Ha, dando, you big hypocrite. 'Morning theft', anyone? Anyway, I just wanted to say that it makes me sad that you can't mention Jeff Buckley to anyone these days without them saying 'oooh, how *tragic* he was! blah blah blah...', you know? I think it's about time someone put a ban on mentioning his name and his death in the same sentence. Anyway, it can't really be avoided here I suppose, since this song is really about death. Jeff described it as a 'death prayer', and I think that's the most succinct description I've ever read. To me this song fits in a category with 'Happy Phantom' by Tori Amos- not fearing death, having curiosity about it, longing for it even (but more due to curiosity than anything else), but never being afraid. I was so relieved when I heard these songs- I've often wondered about death, the afterlife etc, and whenever I've said this to anyone they've looked at me as if they wanted to take my shoelaces and all sharp implements away from me pronto. But this song, and 'Happy Phantom' showed me that there are people that understand. And that those people happen to be Jeff Buckley and Tori Amos. Score! |
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| Interpol – Untitled Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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Er... I didn't know this was a Christian recruitment site. Silly me, I thought 'songmeanings.net' would be about, y'know... songs... and their meanings... maybe with a few nets thrown in... mistakenly, I see. Oh, wait. It's not me, it's you. Being a jackass. Leave religion out of it, spacewaster. 'If you do not believe in Christ atleast believe in what he does. Your alternative is hopeless, and week.' ... *sigh* Ah well. But you know what? I will say to you what I say to everyone who tells me that my life, without Jesus as it is, is meaningless: I am definately not a Christian, or indeed particularly religious at all. I think that religion is (or should be) completely internal, and that organized religion is a very dangerous thing indeed. I accept the possibility of there being a God of some kind, and I accept that there is the *possibility* that Jesus was in fact the manifestation of this God. But that is not what I believe to be true, and I don't appreciate people trying to tell me and the people around me that because I don't share their views I am 'weak', and that because I am not a Christian I am going to hell. I'm not a Christian, but I do believe that I am a good person. And if at the end of it all, that isn't good enough for your God then so be it. There isn't anything I'm willing to do to please that kind of God. I'm kind of sorry that I'm carrying on this stupid argument on this page, because it is not the appropriate place. But people like that just rile me beyond belief. So sorry, but myaaah. |
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| Blonde Redhead – In Particular Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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LeadMeOn- *shakes head* It must be some kind of universal thing. And is it just me, or are most Blonde Redhead songs about being unrequited? Or, to be more specific, being completely in the dark about whether you're requited or not? Might just be me and my circumstance, but I could swear that every one of their songs has those kind of connotations... |
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| Deftones – Minerva Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I think that some people were a bit hard on halberd25... I mean, re-reading the lyrics it's perfectly possible to interpret them as being about sex. Why not? Why be so closed-minded and prudish, fascist almost, on a site that's supposed to encourage interpretation and interactivity? Why stick to one opinion rigidly and be so hostile to everyone else? I for agree with the original interpretation, that Chino wrote this song to express his awe for artists (especially female singers it would seem), but part of the reason that I love these lyrics so much is because it's ambiguous, and everyone can relate to it because of that. It has different connotations depending what mood I'm in. So I suppose I agree with everyone who wasn't being a jackass about somebody else daring to express their opinion. |
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| Deftones – Minerva Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I think that some people were a bit hard on halberd25... I mean, re-reading the lyrics it's perfectly possible to interpret them as being about sex. Why not? Why be so closed-minded and prudish, fascist almost, on a site that's supposed to encourage interpretation and interactivity? Why stick to one opinion rigidly and be so hostile to everyone else? I for agree with the original interpretation, that Chino wrote this song to express his awe for artists (especially female singers it would seem), but part of the reason that I love these lyrics so much is because it's ambiguous, and everyone can relate to it because of that. It has different connotations depending what mood I'm in. So I suppose I agree with everyone who wasn't being a jackass about somebody else daring to express their opinion. |
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| Elbow – Any Day Now Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| He could be, but I always heard it as 'some of my youth' as in having some of his youth left over to spend. | |
| Elbow – Powder Blue Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I can't identify them specifically or anything, but the 'harmonica' noises at the end always sounded more like brass instruments to me. But I see where you're coming from with the car horns thing. And of course you have the glass shattering at the end of the song to back up the car crash theory, but I really don't think that that's what it's entirely about. I think that this song is about two drug addicts, but sometimes Garvey uses the image of a car crash to illustrate the nature of their lives. From the 'china white' bit I always got the image of a china doll with perfect white skin, like the narrator of the song saw her as being as beautiful as a doll, with bead eyes 'like black spiders', and her hair and dress 'in ribbons', just like porcelain and china dolls wear. Of course, the fact that her dress is in ribbons could again back up the claim that she has been in some kind of accident and torn her dress, perhaps on the smashed glass of a car. But the whole 'bring that minute back' bit I imagined as more about people who are addicted to drugs chasing the feeling of the hit, and getting more and more addicted, because it can never feel like it felt the first time. The only bit I was ever unsure of was the reason behind Garvey putting 'powder blue' at the end of the chorus. It might be to do with the sound of the words, because the number of syllables etc. go with the pattern of the chorus and all that. So maybe 'powder blue' is just two words meant to be taken seperately- 'powder' having connotations of drugs, and 'blue' describing the sound of the song, and the emotions of the characters within it. Or maybe 'powder blue' is meant to carry on the pattern of describing the girl in question in terms of childishness and naivety- dolls, spiders, pastel colours (powder blue). He seems to worship her, almost: 'I'm proud to be the one you hold/When the shakes begin'. This would account for the overlooking of the 'sallow skin' and the 'shakes' and the focus on the more romantic aspects of the drug culture: the 'starry' eyes, the pale 'china' skin, the feeling of being alive being lingered on, and the mention of the threat of death fleeting. Basically I see this song as an empathetic view of how easy it is to be caught up in the world of drugs, and the romanticised aspects of it especially, and the way that it is comparable to a car crash. That explains the quote in the booklet, the nods to car accidents and the smash at the end of the song when something eneviably goes sour and the narrator's delusion is shattered. It's as if the two people in the song were going along fine with their lives and managing to cheat death or the police or whatever, and the dreamy, rich sound of the song represents this. But then something sudden happens, just like somethign that causes a car crash, and their world is shattered. Sorry that was so long- I just finished an English course and I can get a bit carried away analysing stuff sometimes. *ahem* |
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| Blur – Caravan Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| Sorry- caravan typo there. | |
| Blur – Caravan Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I agree, but doesn't anyone think that the whole caraven thing has connotations of falling off 'the wagon'? Whatever wagon that happened to be. Maybe it was about Graham Coxon and his drink (was it drink?) problem. I don't know- it could be about anything I suppose. Cigarettes, alchohol, even a person? This is my favorite Blur song by far. |
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