| Manic Street Preachers – Archives of Pain Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Like ntwjones, i've found this song fascinating for the past five or so years. In the Holy Bible tourbook ('clues' to the meaning of the songs from Richey i believe), Richey says 'Bentham's 'Panopticon' - visibility is a trap'. The Panoticon is a prison designed by Bentham that somehow made it possible to invoke some sort of omniscient presence in the minds of the prisoners by not letting the watchers be seen (didn't quite understand it, any clarification would be greatly appreciated!). I think this might be applied to society as a whole, in that the fact that we are so determined to find justice, to make sure that retribution is had, that we inevitably publicise killers and as such we can actually make the problem worse. Visibility is a trap. Another thought i've had is that perhaps all the talk of extinction may not necessarily mean literal execution, but instead a destruction of the reasons for murder. It is obvious that the impulse is vile, and should not be tolerated or respected at all, but perhaps if we didn't make such a big fuss, the problem would extinguish itself without the oxygen that sustains it. Visibility of the problem gives the killers the attention they crave. I think the respect they deserve is to be ignored, which fits with the line about focussing on victims. This might all be wishful thinking though :S |
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| Anberlin – There Is No Mathematics To Love And Loss Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| these lyrics are now correct too. Not sure who updated them, but thanks! | |
| Manic Street Preachers – Judge Yr'self Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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I like what voodoovole said about the whole Neitzsche thing, but i'm not sure i believe it, as i think the song is trying to get more at the arguments used by Neitzsche rather than the fact that Neitzsche used them. "Dionysus against the crucified" I think that this line might refer to one of the stories about Dionysus in Greek mythology (according to http://dionysia.org/greek/dionysos/thompson/dionysos.html) in it, Dionysus was kidnapped by the Titans and while staring at his reflection, he was murdered and subsequently cannibalised (nice, eh?) - the cooking of which produced a smell that alerted Zeus to what was going on. Zeus then obliterated the titans with thunderbolts, leaving only ashes. From these ashes, Dionysus -and Man - were brought to life. Another interesting point is that Dionysus was born of a mortal mother (Semele) and a immortal father (Zeus). Sound familiar? I think the line could refer to the similarities in Christian and Greek mythologies, highlighting the fact that, though they are apparently contradictory in factual reality, the stories themselves are essentially similar. However, since the approaches are different, it can often be easy to lose grip of the truth in the stories, and so every story must be examined and judged using one's own reason (the blade and the scythe, possibly?). One of the main differences between the stories of Dionysus and Jesus is that Dionysus' story has a far greater emphasis on pleasures of the flesh (e.g. wine). That they are both essentially true (though probably not fact) but both have different takes on it, belies the fact that it is down to the individual to derive their own versions of the truth. I think the rest of the song follows from this idea. I think that the line 'the brightest sun is the purest gun' refers to the essential importance (and ultimate power) of being honest with yourself. So, in summary i think this songs about the need for being honest with yourself. "Clean your flesh and mock your fears The brightest sun is the purest gun" |
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| Train – I'm About to Come Alive Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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i thought it was quite funny soccer gurl. anyways, love the song, sad but kind of glorious in it's sentiment. |
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| Idlewild – (I Am) What I Am Not Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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I'm not sure about the 'I' and 'You' in the above lines, though i think it might have something to do with knowledge (where it comes from and where it leads us) - for example, "If all this wisdom is true, then i doubt it could have come from you" - what people have taken to be known in the past has been challenged in the present, so should *I* accept that *your* wisdom is true? If it is derived from a person, then how can one know that it is true? Here i think the "You" is somebody in the past that has passed down knowledge to him. "you learn from the mistakes that I taught you" - i think this is kind of the opposite of the above line, with the *you* here refers to the listener/reader. It's makng the same point that any truth that is supposedly put forward by *I* should be questionned, just as he has had to question the wisdom that has been passed down to him. I think this song questions the concept of absolute truth, or at least whether we'll ever know it. "That the alphabet made up words that you could never resist to quote" - might be completely wrong about this, but he might be saying that because we think in words, and because these words are made up for us already, it's impossible for us to know anything objectively, because we're always working with the same filter - what if our language was flawed at eh basic level? Some languages have words that have no direct translation for us, so we always will miss something. I think the whole "I am what I am not" thing states the contradiction that comes from believing that we are purely thinking beings (I think therefore i am etc). It's not possible to be what you are not, so there must be some kind of absolute truth, but how can i find it when i think in something i have created (i.e. language) and am working from other flawed views? that's my $0.02 at least... |
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| Manic Street Preachers – Intravenous Agnostic Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| not the clearest lyric ever! | |
| Leonard Cohen – Bird on the Wire Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Beautiful song. Here's my take on it: Being free is being you. By being so, you risk hurting people, but you also stnd to become who you act like - see the beggar and the pretty woman. The hurt that results from attempting to follow your heart, is not intended to cause pain to others, it's only doing what you believe to be right at the time. The bird on the wire is like the person above said, it's connected but at the same time apart - a necessity in any life, which limits but also affirms - the wire soon becomes something you are dependent upon. |
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| Pulp – This Is Hardcore Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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this was played as the beginning of Pulp's encore a few years back at Glastonbury festival - they had the crowd wait for about 20 or 30 minutes in the cold until they came back out and said "this is for the fan's that are hardcore".... assholes. everyone knew they were going to come back out 'cos the hadn't played 'Common People'. ok. rant over song = meh |
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| Sex Pistols – Bodies Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| I'd agree with the people that have said they believe that this song was written to piss people off, and thereby to sell records. Looking at the song out of context, I'd have to say that it's pretty obvious that it's anti-abortion - no where in it does it hint at irony (aside, possibly, from the fact that you wouldn't expect a band with an image like that of The 'Pistols to be so strongly anti-abortion), and if it's true that Johnny Rotten says that it's neither pro or anti, i think that speaks more about his motives for writing the song than it does about the song's literal meaning - it appears to me that he doesn't have a real message, he's merely using the subject as a means to get publicity. For me, that is what is so punk about the band - that they were entirely a product of the record industry, it shows so clearly quite how much of a farce the industry was (and is). | |
| The Flaming Lips – Race for the Prize Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I love this song, but i'm a bit of a cynic - for me this song says something about the frivolity of progress, it's something to work towards but that there are more important things; however much you want something there's always something else there. Think there's something about academic competition, that although they may be racing towards something that may be for the good of all mankind, there's still a sizable amount of selfish motive in what they are doing. Also the competition aspect says something unfair about the world of science in that although people may put the same effort into something, the prize is still won and lost and losers are often forgotten |
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| Monty Python – Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| this was played at a family friend's funeral as people were leaving the church they were whistling and weeping at the same time, such an awesome song! | |
| Ralph McTell – Streets Of London Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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beautiful. makes me want to live a better life. |
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| The Cure – Lovesong Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| i agree with TheNewJamesDean, no matter what i say or do and wherever i go, i will love you. Wonderful song. doesn't try to define love, just kind of states the simple facts. love it. | |
| Skunk Anansie – Pickin' On Me Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| *loves* | |
| Fall Out Boy – Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division cover) Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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the original is awesome, so much real emotion, so much longing. perfect. It's not a fast song, but the way the riff hits is awesome. I like this version a lot, but it's pretty hard to improve on perfection ;) The two versions are pretty different, so might not ruin it! The original is frequently voted as one of the best songs of all time, it's something you need to hear! |
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| Feeder – Pilgrim Soul Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I love this song, seems to be about living life because of all the things that can happen, it might be bad temporarily but with so many possibilities it is worth perservering. I love the hopefulness of this song, it's kind of sad though, how it's kind of said a little too late with respect to Jon. Love this album! |
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| Belle & Sebastian – I Don't Love Anyone Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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This song is wonderful, it makes me smile whenever i think of it. I especially like the lines "I don't love anyone, maybe my sister, maybe my baby brother too, yeah". I find it a rather confusing song, is the author proud of not loving anyone or lamenting the fact? "The kids are playing, having fun, but I'm not a kid no, I don't love anyone" Is the fun empty or is it something that's missing? I think i prefer to think of it being missed, but that's just me, the wonder of this song for me is that it's such a versatile song. Belle and Sebastian are lovely |
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| The Killers – Mr. Brightside Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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Apologies if this has already been said, but i kind of skipped to the last comments. Great song, love it to bits. I think it's about optimism in the face of obvious problems. He can't be with this girl he likes, she's not as devoted to him as he is to her and yet he doesn't want to acknowledge that they're not to be with each other ("destiny is calling me") "open up my eager eyes" - feigns obliviousness to possible infidelities and keeps opening his eyes, offering clean starts to her, because he's Mr Brightside - he really wants it to work. He still hurts ("choking on her alibis") but he's prepared to suffer ("hat's just the price I pay") because she's worth it, and he really believes it'll happen. And I’ve been doing just fine Gotta gotta gotta be down Because I want it all -acceptance of feeling like crap, because he knows he loves her. anyway, that's what i reckon. I do like the love triangle theories too, definelty plausible! |
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| OutKast – Hey Ya! Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I'm not sure i completely get this song, it's kind of a mix of happy and sad. It's such a good song. I always thought it was a happy happy song, but after being forced to listen to the lyrices, it became so much better, and complex. To me, it's about the bittersweet side of love, it's great to be in love and you always want it to be like that and force it to be like it is in the movies, but sometimes it just doesn't/won't work ("you think you've got it, but got it just don't get it when there's nothing at all to get"). It's about accepting the inevitability of change ("People say that nothig lasts forever, what makes love an exception?") and acting upon it. I think he knows that the relationship is doomed, and it must be ended before it hurts them both ("separate's always better when there's feelings involved"). He is after all, just being honest. I don't really understand the bit about ("thank God for Mum and Dad for keeping two together"), but maybe it's like he's taking comfort in the fact that relationships sometimes do progress past the tough periods (if they're made to) and that kind of long term love does exist and is possible. I love the line "y'all don't want to hear me, y'all just want to dance" because to me it's what the song's about, having fun without thinking about the end, you don't want to hear, just dance, live for the moment. um, yeah.... I love this song (but probably not forever...) |
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| Joy Division – She's Lost Control Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| i adore this song, it makes me tingle. To me, this is about losing control (duuude) and although it evidently relates to epilepsy and the effects of an attacks (i assume, never having had an attack myself) i agree with gwynblaidd when s/he says that it's not just about epilepsy, a few lines seem to me to be hard to attribute to epilepsy only, like 'she gave away secrets of her past and said I've lost control again' to me that's as applicable to life running away from you as to epilepsy. | |
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