| The Decemberists – On the Bus Mall Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Oh man, I spent most of today listening to this sing and letting it sink in. My initial thought was of a young runaway couple in Portland, trying to get along. I caught the Portland reference early on, seeing as it's my home. My thoughts were that it was a boy and a girl, one or both turning to prostitution in order to make ends meet, but still in love with each other anyway. After reading these comments and thinking about the lyrics more, I think of it as a gay couple in the same situation. Regardless, I think this is a beautiful, beautiful song. Tells a strong story, and has gorgeous lyrics and instrumentals. |
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| The Decemberists – I Was Meant for the Stage Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Being an actor who is absolutely in love with the entire theatre, this song has special meaning for me. Everything about it seems to fit me, if I can be so bold as to say that. I feel so at home onstage, and this song captures that feeling perfectly, I think. Colin Meloy may have written it about himself, or about an acquaintance, or as a story song. But to me, it's my song, and I think that's one of the amazing things about music. |
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| Green Day – Give Me Novacaine Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I've got to agree with jesus of suburbia on this one-- I don't think this song is about Jesus's drug use, but falling in love with Whatserface. The whole song refers to novacaine, a drug that's commonly used in dentistry to make the patient numb so that they don't feel any pain. As if that hasn't been said countless times before. While drugs could logically do this, so could falling in love, especially if it was something you'd never experienced before, and your life had been a painful mess up until then. The first verse is Jesus of Suburbia (now St. Jimmy) coming to realize his feelings for Whatserface. The concept of loving someone is such a radical contrast from the rest of his life, where he's been hated and hating back. He rejects it at first, or acknowledges it as more of the pain he's known, but then realizes it's more than that. At any rate, he's tired of the feelings he's got being pent up inside of him, and wants to act, to do something, hence "I can't take this feeling anymore". "Drain the pressure from the swelling" seems to be a plea of sorts with Whatserface to help him cope, or to do something to help these built-up emotions flow freely. He's overwhelmed by this completely new sensation, and he needs something from her, something as simple as a goodnight kiss to aid him. Jimmy wants to believe that this amazing new feeling, love, will erase all the pain he's felt before, or perhaps will keep him from being hurt again. The second verse seems to take place a little bit later, after he's confessed to Whatserface. He heard what he wanted from her, and he's in a euphoric state, disbelieving that this could be real. Jimmy is convinced now that love (tired of that word yet?) will help him, and will chase away all the dark parts of his life. He's igddy and disoriented but he gets "the funny feeling that's alright," and feels that this sensation is "better than air"-- it's so great, it tops the most vital necessities. This is where things get a little confusing, with the use of the name "Jimmy" in the lyrics. My take on that is that the alter ego/alias/mask of St. Jimmy was Jesus's way of dealing with all the pain he'd felt. He simply ignored it, and started a new, different life. Jesus was the weak, constantly battered person. Jimmy was stronger, he thought, more outgoing, a person who would find all the (false) happiness he could, and had never been unhappy. In this intimate ordeal with Whatserface, Jimmy stopped lying to himself, and became Jesus once more, telling her all his secrets and his hurt. Jesus was his real self, but in constant pain, and Jimmy was an elaborate mask, but a person who seemed to know so much more. It's shabby, but oh well. Anyway, the rest of it goes back to the chorus, essentially, so no need to rewrite anything. |
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