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Death Cab for Cutie – Unobstructed Views Lyrics 13 years ago
Woops, meant to put this in the post, not needing to put as a reply.

The second stanza interpretation is kinda shaky, imo. It doesn't feel like it fits so I think I'm missing a metaphor.

The way I see this song is that it's recognizing that religions may make love, they may do good, but in the end, if there's no god, as Gibbard plainly states in the first verse, all we have from that is the love. And he knows love. He's experienced love. He knows that all the verses in there don't describe love. They describe other more vile things, and there's a teensy bit about love. But it's mostly love God, serve God, put God before everyone else.

In the end, we don't need religion if everyone loves everyone.

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Death Cab for Cutie – Unobstructed Views Lyrics 13 years ago
There's no eye in the sky (God)
Just our love
No unobstructed view (Our "limited" understanding of reality that many theists claim)
No perfect truths (No absolute Truth. Things are what you make of it)
Just our love
Just our love
And there's no verse
No monument of words (Bible)
For our love
For they can't hold
All I know about my love, about my love
(Love is a lot more than just following rules and worshiping a god. Love is about acting the best you can to people. Love is about forgiving. Love is not something that can even be captivated in a book for that would ruin the essence of love, for love is an experience. You can learn about love, but learning about love is like learning about skydiving: it just doesn't compare to the experience. The narrator knows that
he's experienced love and he knows that the verses, the monuments of words, can't accurately describe the feeling of love.)

Storm clouds break
Pools remain memories for
Earth embrace
That umbrate up above
They become
New love
New love
(Shit may happen. But eventually the stormclouds break. People may have died that loved people, or perhaps the love is just gone for one reason or another, but through their memories, their pools left behind, they inspire us to love more. As the sun comes out shining upon them, they cast a shadow down below (umbrate) and when we see this shadow, when we reflect upon their love, we make new love in their stead.)

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Mike Doughty – I Just Want the Girl in the Blue Dress to Keep on Dancing Lyrics 15 years ago
A lot of Mike Doughty's songs seem to be about strip clubs...

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The Decemberists – The Mariner's Revenge Song Lyrics 17 years ago
"For me, the song could end there. Not that I think it should (then we wouldn't have the part where he says he'll whisper "the last words you'll hear" and we hear the instruments singing the mother's melody) but I think the tension there is just so outstanding that I have to log on to songmeanings and blog about it."

I have to agree with your point on the tension there. They just kinda leave you hanging. I waited throughout the whole bit of that last instrumental just so I could find out what he heard, and NOTHING! Gah! Bravo on Colin's part for that suspense there.

Also, I'm not getting the pun in the first stanza, I keep looking and looking, but alas, nothing. Anyone care to explain?

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Death Cab for Cutie – Pity and Fear Lyrics 17 years ago
I just listened to this song just now for the first time, and I like it a lot. Nice style, and new direction for them, lyrically.

And God, the ending scared the crap out of me. I was blaring it as loud as possible from my computer while reading some forums, then all of a sudden BLAM! Nearly jumped 3 feet!

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Death Cab for Cutie – I Will Possess Your Heart Lyrics 17 years ago
I have to say that I'm really looking forward to this new album. I never like new (or just discovered old) content from artist. Heck, when I found Transatlanticism, it took me several months of off and on listening to really like it. My first impression of that album was just, "meh". Now, this is something I really like. It's a totally new direction, vocally, from their prior albums, and has caught my attention from the first listen, and as someone said before, it is becoming one of my more favorite songs of theirs already. I hope their new album keeps this style running.

As for the song, it kinda reminds me of Aqualung's "Strange and Beautiful", lyrically. Very creepy, almost stalkeresque. It's readily something to which people can relate on many levels.

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Carbon Leaf – The Sea Lyrics 19 years ago
I think the sea represents the physical aspect of the relationship. The author talks about a white rose meeting the sea in one of his dreams. Traditionally, white roses represent innocence, so in the context, his dream could be telling him that he's not really doing anything with said girl. He finally does something physically with this girl (be it making out, cuddle or whatever), "Will you wade with me? You and me, all alone?". As he's doing this, he realises that he really hasn't been doing this with this girl, "I grab your toes and now I understand / The symbol of the rose."

The chorus goes on saying that he'd like to spend some time with this girl, be it untill the close end or forever. He didn't care. He begins wondering if she WILL stay with him, "Will you always float here with me?"

He's at some sort of social gathering, later, after the chorus, perhaps a party, and he ends up going farther with the girl than he had anticipated, perhaps sex, or other sexual activity. "So we jump back into the party / And we wade out way out past the bar / I had not planned on going out this far".

The devil could represent the bad things, things he doesn't want to do, perhaps going further physically, or maybe just losing the initial lust he had for her. He's fighting it, but it seems so inviting, like the Devil. "'Cause the devil has a smile / And the devil has a smile / And it's thorny and it's wild / And it grows from deep inside / And you try to swim away / But the devil calls this play"

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The Faint – Symptom Finger Lyrics 19 years ago
This is my favorite on their album, and most favorite of what I've heard from all their stuff, right up there with Glass Danse and with How Could I Forget in a distant second.

I agree 100% with all the stuff they say here. Television and marketing. All they want is your money, nothing more. Just money. They feed you lies to 'hook' you so they can 'reel you in' and get their money's worth.

Great song, catchy tune, strong meaning.

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The Faint – Phone Call Lyrics 19 years ago
"And if I could open up to you
Maybe I could open you up"

Am I the only one who thinks that is a double entendre, where it is both mentally opening her up, and physically, as in sex? Just thought I'd add that in.

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Switchfoot – Easier Than Love Lyrics 19 years ago
"Everyone's been scared to death of dying here alone"
One of my most favorite lines in a song.

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Switchfoot – Monday Comes Around Lyrics 19 years ago
I think it's about a girl ( or someone in general ) who's been really stressed out about their life, such as school or family. She's been doing things that aren't exactly... good. Maybe it's drugs, maybe it's sex. She keeps saying to herself that she'll never do it again, but she still does it.

I think that Monday, in this song, could represent Jesus and a new and clean life or heart. Friday could represent her old life, one of sin and lies. "Hey Friday, what'cha gonna do when Monday comes around?" That could signify her accepting Christ and living through Him.

She wants a second start, but it's hard. There are so many unanswered questions about God, which is adding more stress to her. "Can your heart bend this much without breaking? / You know that you know and you can never have it both ways". She needs to just accept without needing to know the details. You can't have both the confidence and 'good things' from Christ if you're always doubting and questioning.

"Who says somebody's giving and taking, giving and taking / Everybody's taking away". The world's going against her preconceived notion that everything 'balances out', be it good and bad or stress and relaxation, by just taking and taking from her in her resources, happiness and willingness to 'go on'.

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Switchfoot – Monday Comes Around Lyrics 19 years ago
I think it's about a girl ( or someone in general ) who's been really stressed out about their life, such as school or family. She's been doing things that aren't exactly... good. Maybe it's drugs, maybe it's sex. She keeps saying to herself that she'll never do it again, but she still does it.

I think that Monday, in this song, could represent Jesus and a new and clean life or heart. Friday could represent her old life, one of sin and lies. "Hey Friday, what'cha gonna do when Monday comes around?" That could signify her accepting Christ and living through Him.

She wants a second start, but it's hard. There are so many unanswered questions about God, which is adding more stress to her. "Can your heart bend this much without breaking? / You know that you know and you can never have it both ways". She needs to just accept without needing to know the details. You can't have both the confidence and 'good things' from Christ if you're always doubting and questioning.

"Who says somebody's giving and taking, giving and taking / Everybody's taking away". The world's going against her preconceived notion that everything 'balances out', be it good and bad or stress and relaxation, by just taking and taking from her in her resources, happiness and willingness to 'go on'.

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Relient K – My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend Lyrics 19 years ago
"Most, if not all guys, want a girlfriend/wife, hoping that'll make them complete. Once they have one they believe they are complete, and that everything will fall into place easily, henceforth the line "He had the world but he thought that he wanted more;" God gives us the world if you accept Jesus Christ into your life (the girlfriend), but people are blinded by all that and want more. He left her and feels bad for it, and thinks that he can't get it back again.

"Her memory is like a ghost" Holy Spirit allusion, perhaps?

I wonder if the Ex-Boyfriend is an allusion to a person in the Bible; perhaps Judas, the guy who betrayed Jesus to his death.

Two years ago...that confuses me. Jesus rose on the third day, so perhaps he believes we're still in his third day, and is portraying the days as years? Undeserving mess; he believes he doesn't deserve the blessings Jesus gave him

"When she and I settle down you can bet
That he is going to have to settle for less"
He's going to heaven, the ex is going to hell"

This deciphering is from an online buddy on a forum, by the alias Kame.

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