| The Raconteurs – Call It a Day Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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i don't see a way this song could possibly be interpreted as referring to drugs. save alcohol and cigarettes, jack white is notoriously sober. the character in the song is facing a difficult break-up (or seperation) from either a very good friend or romantic interest. "call(ing) it a day" is his way of throwing in the towel, so to speak. he's tired of bickering and doesn't feel that the relationship is going anywhere ("enough has been said / i break down and cry"). could this be a veiled reference to the (possible) end of meg and jack white's career together? |
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| The Raconteurs – Yellow Sun Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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i agree with Big_Nothing. i don't think the constant sunny/sun/yellow sun references are literal, just repeated imagery. the character in the song is shy around the person (girl, perhaps, if romantically involved) and when he finally gets the courage up to reveal what he's hidden all along, it's not taken seriously ("now you're laughing 'cause i thought i was the only one") which only makes him less courageous next time. |
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| The Raconteurs – Together Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| self-explanatory. the character that's speaking from a first-person standpoint is in-love with a girl who has obtained unrealistic expectations from the media's portrayl of modern romance ("the stories you read but never write"), he's gently urging her to let their relationship take its own course and to not be disapointed by its imperfection ("you've gotta learn to give and wait your turn"). he believes the relationship will last if the girl can learn to take it for what it is (the sidewalk chalk metaphor). | |
| The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldier Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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jack white seems to be exorcising his demons, from the beginning of his career/his rise to fame, etc. "i'm done ripping myself off" a reaction, perhaps, to the criticism he's faced from alienated fans and those who have claimed he's "sold out". "the boy never gets older" a theme similar to the stripes' "same boy you've always known". |
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| Bright Eyes – Take It Easy (Love Nothing) Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| the character in the song is good friends with a charming older woman who he is infatuated with. they have sex, and all the while he believes that she feels the same way, but she leaves him and he builds a shell around himself, never loving anyone again and doing to other girls what was done to him. he becomes completely numb to feeling, doesn't want to be "bothered" and "takes it easy" by "loving nothing". | |
| Bright Eyes – Take It Easy (Love Nothing) Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| the character in the song is good friends with a charming older woman who he is infatuated with. they have sex, and all the while he believes that she feels the same way, but she leaves him and he builds a shell around himself, never loving anyone again and doing to other girls what was done to him. he becomes completely numb to feeling, doesn't want to be "bothered" and "takes it easy" by "loving nothing". | |
| Modest Mouse – Truckers Atlas Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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i agree with this song being a drug reference, but i pull more towards it referring to methamphetamine than cocaine, because there are many references to speed on other modest mouse songs, and speed is a cheaper, more small-town drug, while cocaine is more expensive and decidedly more "glamorous". "i did lines" is a clear reference to snorting some sort of powdered drug. |
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| Modest Mouse – Out of Gas Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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like so many other modest mouse songs, i think this is about methamphetamine use. this drug is very prominent in small towns, and trailer parks, which are the settings of many modest mouse songs. the refrain, "you will come down soon" is a clear reference to speed. when a person is high on speed, they reach a point after a day or so (depending on how much speed they used, and in what way) where they "come down". they feel tired and extremely irritable. "out of gas, out of car, out of road" could refer to the helplessness of the drug addict lifestyle, how redundant and pointless it is, how many people want to leave it and can't because they are addicted. |
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| Modest Mouse – Trailer Trash Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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the "snowflakes" could possibly refer to methamphetamine, which is clearly referenced in later works of isaac's, such as "the view" and "the good times are killing me." speed is a small-town, very trailer park-esque drug that is often referred to as "ice". the plastic forks and paper plates refer to the poverty of the family. the line about the children, "they don't mean anything" could refer either to the parents' neglect of them, or the children not meaning anything to society because of their social class. "i hope i can pass highschool means nothing" obviously has two meanings, "i hope i can pass highschool" meaning the character wants to get an education and get out of this 'trailer trash' lifestyle, and "highschool means nothing" signifies the character not caring, giving up to apathy, deciding to be like his parents and as Anodyne said, be an underachiever. |
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| Modest Mouse – Convenient Parking Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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all of your theories on this song are interesting, and obviously well thought-out, but before reading any of your responses, i had the same idea as mcscumbag. to me, "made to store and sell these rocks" was indeed about crack cocaine. "aren't you feeling real dirty, sitting in your car with nothing" could relate to this drug dealing character, who has lost everything, intentionally or not, and repeats this process or traveling and selling cocaine. aside from the lyrics, the chorus is absolutely beautiful. isaac's delivery of the lyrics is breathtaking. |
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| Modest Mouse – Heart Cooks Brain Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| also, i interpret "i push things out through my mouth and get refilled through my ears" as isaac brock sings, and therefore releases his thoughts into the world through his music. it is a continual, nonstop process because he is always listening to other's opinions and interested in theories other than his own, explained in "i get refilled through my ears," and the process continues, he learns more about the world, and writes more music. | |
| Modest Mouse – Heart Cooks Brain Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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i agree immensely with PirMOnk, and the theory of the lines about the "bitter buffalo" relating to native american legends is very interesting. i disagree with Dragon1629 theory of this song being about a romantic relationship. i don't think isaac brock would write a song with that simple and typical of a meaning. i believe that the metaphor of "(my) brain's the burger and my heart's the coal" relates to the timeless theme of the conflict within a person when they are faced with a decision and their heart, their "gut feeling", what something deep within them is pushing them towards, is different from what their brain, in all its rationalizing and realizing, thinks is right. if my theory is correct, it can relate to what i believe is the theme of "the lonesome crowded west" - the human species and its greed, falseness and rejection of itself. perhaps isaac brock, or the character in the song, is facing decisions in his life and what his heart is telling him to do is the opposite of what he has been brainwashed to do by society. in turn, the buffalo charging off a cliff could represent the character giving up altogether, or society/the people around him forcing him off that metaphorical cliff, as the native americans forced the buffalos. |
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| Modest Mouse – Teeth Like God's Shoeshine Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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a recoccuring theme of "the lonesome crowded west" is isaac brock's opinion on the human condition (which can be described as the theme of many, if not all, of the modest mouse releases), more specifically the greed and falseness of humans as a species and how we have devolved as time has progressed. a great friend of mine once said "we weren't supposed to evolve this much," and i think mr. brock harbors a similiar opinion. we, as a species, have progressed in leaps and bounds in many ways, but none of this compensates for the void that we all feel inside, "take them all for the sight of their happiness from that hurt deep down inside." ignorance is bliss, correct? i think mr. brock is constantly commenting on how he has realized/learned quite a bit (expressed in the lyrics of his music) and may be happier if he could be one of the crowd, one of the bland trendy everybodies "drinking orange julius". the question is, what is better or what leads to a more fufilled life? having all this knowledge and only having it depress you and make you a cynical misanthrope, or being ignorant and caught up in everyday pointless endeavors? i interpret the lyrics "you should be ashamed to be proud of what you've done" as isaac brock's disgust towards a great portion of the human race. how so many of us are striving towards rewardless success, how so many are focused on the here-and-now, and do not value knowledge or connections among humans. |
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