| Sufjan Stevens – Futile Devices Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
I think viewpoint and subject can be ignored in understanding the meaning behind the lyrics of this song. I very much enjoy the first verse, the way the passage of time is set up by declaring that it's been a long time since memorizing the person's face; which I think is talking about how when you're first with someone close to you you start to memorize their face so that when you're apart you can still think of them. Having that been a long time ago means its someone you've spent a good portion of your life around, months or years, a strong relationship. The four hours is just signifying that he's only been back at this person's place for a few hours, probably got a nice little tour of their house/apartment, and is now going to crash on the couch. Combined with the first 2 lines this could mean the subject is someone the narrator has been in a strong/close relationship with (friend, lover, etc.) and is now seeing them again after a little while and staying on their couch. The line about covering up his face when they bring the blankets is interesting, I'm not sure if it just means like an awkward/funny laugh and covering your face like "gah, i'm sorry to put you out, you're sure this is ok, right, me staying here?". But I'm not really confident about that, because that seems a little like a stretch, because it seems so much more likely that covering your face would be a sign of some shame or hiding, like the narrator is embarrassed when the blankets come out, maybe triggering the thought that this was a bad idea because of how in love he is with the subject. And I think it's quite clear that it's not a platonic love but a romantic/soulful love because of words like "mesmerized" and "proud" and "needed". Especially the line "But you are the life I needed all along", that seems to really signify this soulful romantic desire to have this person completely in the narrator's life. I believe the whole song is happening as he's going to bed, sleeping on the couch, and then is remembering things from when they spent time together before or from things in the past few hours, the crocheting and the guitar playing. And as he's realizing all this, he's realizing how strong his love is, but how futile and pointless it would be to say it out loud, because it wouldn't change anything and would probably make things harder. So that's why he "won't stay long", because he's just gonna sleep over and leave, because being around this person is too much because of how much he loves them and he doesn't trust himself to stay quiet about it. I think the line about "I think of you as my brother / although that sounds dumb" is exactly what it is saying. His love, this romantic, soulful, life-partner (no gender distinctions are made) type of love is indescribable to the narrator so he describes it as like having a brother, someone that is gonna be in your life through thick and thin, maybe not always living life with you, like in your life, but always there always trustable always a type of love that never grows or shrinks. It just might sound dumb because he's in love with this person, not actually thinking of them as like brotherly love, but a romantic love. I think any attempts to suggest this is homoerotic or platonic are either stretching it too far or falling short of what is presented. Also I think the comment about the use of the word "buzz" describing the guitar playing to be a signifier of a woman playing because her fingers wouldn't be strong enough to keep the string from buzzing on the fret is just a misogynistically gross misinterpretation of the use of the word buzz. Buzz is just a nice word, and metal strings do buzz when you play them... that's an apt word to describe it. Yes, if you don't press hard enough there'll be buzzing at the fret bars and that's basically a mistake, but I think buzz is just a nice word to describe the motion of the strings and a nice word that fights with the melody and flows poetically. |
|
| Bonnie 'Prince' Billy – My Home Is the Sea Lyrics | 16 years ago |
|
[proper lyrics] I have often said That I would like to be dead In shark's mouth A woman swimming under Her warm breath sending a thunder Onto parts south And love is stripped and frayed Duty is delayed Until next life Someone has my mind Holding it so kind It is my wife And my home is the sea My home is the sea Look not for me And my home is the sea Disaster flies upon me And I scream Now we can see the house lights Colored from a distance For a party as a dream And tumble into me My arms enfold thee sea 'Cause I'm a strong man And good night love, my tummy Is round and firm and funny And that's what I am And my home is the sea My home is the sea And I am under your spell And you will have me I reckon And the drowning this town Is a drowning I welcome I know nothing and I'm overjoyed I know nothing and I'm overjoyed I know nothing and I'm overjoyed God gave you life and thought Now it's ours to waste I have the finest love And the finest taste And with the sea air in my lungs I am home (You are home) |
|
| Bonnie 'Prince' Billy – My Home Is the Sea Lyrics | 16 years ago |
|
[sorry if the use of "stanzas" doesn't line up, i was looking at other lyrics when i wrote this] Main Theme: This song details the feelings of Euphoria, Carnal Pleasure, Bliss, and Transcendence that a man feels while receiving fellatio from his wife. First Stanza: Death in a "shark's mouth" is referring to having an orgasm during fellatio from a woman. The "shark" is the woman, due to the general theme of the deceit and treachery of women throughout the album. And using the shark is just to go along with the "sea" metaphor, choosing the deadliest, most cunning, most sleek creature in the sea. He even gives shark qualities to the woman, "swimming under", to re-enforce the metaphor. The last two lines are the most literal description in the song of the actual act being performed. Thunder is, by common knowledge/explanation, the sonic emittance which occurs after the rapid expansion of air molecules surrounding a lightning strike, due to the intense heat produce by the lightning strike. This idea gives recognition to said line by seeing the warm breath producing almost an explosion, the orgasm. "Parts South" are quite obviously the man's genitals. Second Stanza: Death is another reference to an orgasm, the most obvious link would be in the french idiomatic translation of orgasm: Le Petit Mort. The Little Death. The Second Stanza details the event in how everything about the two people, the love, their life, their duties are put aside as a carnal pleasure is experienced in full. Mind could mean mind or it could be a reference to brain and again another reference to fellatio or the male genitalia. The Sea is again a higher plane where one is taken during such a euphoria so you will not find him, until he is going to come back down and also because it is an unreachable place except on your own. This stanza helps if you take the last three lines and read them as one sentence and then put a comma between 'party' and 'as'. The next stanza is pretty straightforward in this context. Round and Firm and Funny are describing his general feeling after the act has been finished, and he is still round and firm, and feels kind of funny from all the endorphins. The Next 3 Stanzas are the Chorus, already touched upon, and then a straightforward reference to the orgasm, in 'drowning'. And then there is the common saying that Ignorance is Bliss, so in this sense knowing nothing is a feeling of bliss, the orgasm. Life and Thought are possibly a reference to the sperm which carries the genes and potential for life, which are basically wasted in a carnal act meant only for pleasure. The finest love is his wife, and the finest taste is his reciprocation of the act by performing cunnilingus. And the end, they both finished and are happy. All in all, the sweetest, smoothest, most mellow, and dirtiest song ever. All hail bonnie 'prince' billy. |
|
| Serge Gainsbourg – Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus Lyrics | 17 years ago |
|
sorry, nevermind, it's right i go, i go, and i come inside you (inside your loins) and i remember my bad |
|
| Serge Gainsbourg – Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus Lyrics | 17 years ago |
|
i think it's supposed to be "entre mes rêves" i go, i go, and i come inside your dreams and i remember |
|
| Bonnie 'Prince' Billy – So Everyone Lyrics | 17 years ago |
|
it's about a bj or a marriage proposal. but most likely since it's oldham, it's about both. |
|
| TV on the Radio – Bomb Yourself Lyrics | 17 years ago |
|
so very wrong, guy. the whole album is about couples and lovers and unwanted or wanted children and pregnancies. and then the next album, return to cookie mountain, is about confusing sex and love and all the problems that creates. |
|
| The Unicorns – Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| This version is pretty good, I like the Islands version better for its depth and sound. Check out my post on the Islands version for info about this song, almost all of it applies save for some of the differing lyrics. | |
| Islands – Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby Lyrics | 19 years ago |
|
Instead of fighting about milk and sunlight and vitamin d, why don't you shut the fuck up and read some truth, people... 1. The title refers to the idea of "the pot calling the kettle black". In so much that one person is saying the other has an eating disorder and that person responds along the lines of 'well you aren't so perfect either'. And this is clearly in reference to the eating disorders and drug problems of Whitney Houston and the legal, mental, and drug problems of Bobby Brown. 2. The chorus is a friend/lover asking the friend/partner if they have an eating disorder and they are trying to tell them that they are confusing "miracule cures" and easy schemes with true health and healing. The idea being that believing drinking milk would be all you need to have strong healthy bones, when in fact the milk would do very little if you didn't already lead a decently healthy and active life. It's about not believing everything you hear about quick and easy fixes to real problems. 3. The first verse has a few clever things in it: "Total Void..." is obviously a reference to television... TV. Then there is "sugar dumpling muffin baby" which again is an acronym: SDMB standing for the "Straight Dope Message Board". This is a website based off of a popular Q&A news column about wives' tales and myths and things. I don't feel like going through line by line, and what I put is basically the obscure parts. Look at the rest and think of it along this context. Mainly this is a song about not getting sucked into media frenzies and crazy tales and legends, so much so that they take over your life and cause even more problems. Usually these are problems that are easily solved by simple, practical means, but often the media and friends and neighbors and such go crazy with "quick and easy" methods or tricks that almost always are more trouble than they should be and often cause long term problems bigger than those you started with. I think this is a great and clever song, and I think you are voiding the purpose of this website if you come on here just to complain about whether or not milk is good for you. Smarten up people. |
|
| of Montreal – At Night Trees Aren't Sleeping Lyrics | 19 years ago |
|
I think he is sleeping alone and is dreaming of himself being a tree as a direct simile to his own life. The line about "everything is falling apart, yes I am" is about his life and the tree itself continually losing leaves in the fall. His life as he knows it is approaching the winter, when trees die; i.e. the end of his relationship. So as he sleeps alone and knows that his significant other isn't around he is hoping that he could at least be held and loved and treated like another human being before things fall apart and they finally break up. Wearing the bowtie to bed is like preparing for a date that he knows he'll be stood up on, he's holding onto hope and wishing that he won't be sleeping alone again. Even though he knows they aren't really in love (anymore) he wants to still "sing about love" because even though death (breakup) is imminent things don't have to be terrible. There's plenty of time for pain and sadness once it's over, but he is hoping that on the way down they can still try and find some comfort at least before everything crashes. I love this song and the guitar on the chorus line is amazing and I wish this song was 20 minutes long. |
|
| Rogue Wave – Eyes Lyrics | 19 years ago |
|
As everyone said it is the end of a relationship, and I think if you listen to the chorus it is an end against his will, or against what he would have wanted. It starts off with him missing the train, which is a normal thing but as always when you're down you feel like you're being kicked more than anyone else. So as he stands there the birds are singing and so he isn't all alone in life, like it feels because he lost his love. Then he wants to do his best to accept that its over, do his best to deal with the end of it and be strong. He is pretty sure he can deal with all of it, and that he won't die just because they aren't together or anything. He's a strong guy and can live on his own and know that liife will go on. But the fact of the matter is that when he looks into her eyes none of that stuff mattered, and its not about surviving life, its about living it. He can survive life, but the only way for him to live it was with her, and he saw that in her eyes and he thinks that it could have been the same for her, that she could have been happier with him. That's why they say "open your eyes", "don't close your eyes", "it's all in your eyes". He's gonna live, and things still remind him of her and them together, and he's gonna take a big fall and hit the ground hard. But he will survive, though he knows that he won't really live without her, he'll just survive and his only chance at happiness is in her eyes. One of my favorite songs ever, I just discovered it in the movie "Just Friends", awesome movie, and the song goes fairly well when they use it, but I think it is just amazing as a song on its own. Oh, and I think the happy beat is for the girl's benefit because she probably would worry that he's gonna like ruin his life and never try and meet anyone else, but he wants her to know that if he turns out to be wrong he'll be ok, but if he's right then his happiness lies in her eyes. |
|
| Animal Collective – Grass Lyrics | 19 years ago |
|
cathaya is an idiot i'm pretty sure. And i think this song is about a couple of friends. The guy wants to be with her but is pretty sure she just wants to be friends. Then they have sex one night, and they start a relationship. He gives up on dealing with life because if he has her then that's all he needs. That's the line about sleeping patterns, i believe. Then things seem to be progressing, but all of a sudden he thinks it all changed. The apple eating is a reference to adam and eve and so he thought they were made for each other but he's wondering if that all just went away. He asks her to be sure she's happy outside of their sexual relationship [the summer places] because lots of people can be happy during a happy time, but if you're supposed to be together then you can make bad times a happy time as well. Like most people enjoy summer because its sunny and happy, but when that's gone, if you're in the middle of a life you truly enjoy, you won't enjoy it only when the world around you seems good. So now he's wondering if its all about the sex and the hair and touching is apparently on the girl. And so she would be happy about that kind of sexual intimacy, but when he asks if they want to see each other even though they don't need to see each other, it is about being together when they don't have sexual urges. That's what the often means. He wants to have a real relationship, but she is seemingly only happy because of the sexual relationship, and he wants to ask her if she has more feelings for her beyond that, so the song is a question posed to her. And the grass for the title probably is the same euphamism as the hair that she would be happy if he touched her there. My guess. |
|
| Belle & Sebastian – The Stars of Track and Field Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I think that this is a song about a high school girl who is very sexual. She kisses girls and has a following of boys. I think the word "liberated" refers to having sex with the other track team boys and she ended their virginity and they become looser and more relaxed and better atheletes. And even though she was a good track star, her sexual life is what was her obsession [mentioned in the second verse] and that liberated her as well, it is what she fed off of to make her the track star she was. And the line about college says she got the knowledge from being on her back, i.e. having sex, and this is what made her a great enough track star to get into college. I really think its about a very sexually active and sexually centered high school girl on the track team. Her "cults" and "obsessions" are all these sexual encounters that she needs to do well and she inadvertantly or purposefully liberates the boys on the team as well and so they too succeed. As always though, unless we hear from the band this is just my crazy guess. | |
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.