submissions
| Kate Bush – Them Heavy People Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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To be fair, the masturbation ideas probably stem from the feeling most males get when listening to the first Kate Bush album, which is that of sneaking into the women's locker, or, perhaps, sneak-peeking into some kind of pornography intended only for women.
However much I agree with these people (myself being one of them), I think this song is written about those people who radiate that certain allure, the kind of people you'd change yourself for, only to show them how good you are. I think the emotional breakdown she describes comes from the lack of self-respect that comes with such a deification, but at the end of the day, it turns out to be a lovely feeling indeed (doesn't it?). |
submissions
| Nick Drake – Been Smokin' Too Long Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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Apparently, Robin Frederick (who originally wrote the song) simply wanted to make a simple anti-drugs song, mentioning different types of drugs and the physical effect is has on you ("But the water don't feel no good"), as well as a typical (but true!) explanation of the sad reason to why many people "smoke" ("Try not to see myself). Nick, however, having tried marijuana, became fascinated with the song, tabbed it out, and also changed a very essential line to make it his own. "No other life to choose" is penned by Nick, replacing the original "Got the marijuana blues". This, I think, is why this should be considered to be a Nick Drake song, seeing as this line, when examined, sets a much more bleak tone to the song, and changes it from being the sad results of a misspent youth into being a full-time addiction and a hairshirt for the life he wants to spend. |
submissions
| Bright Eyes – Easy/Lucky/Free Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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I think Conor's vocal acting really stands out on this song. The way he's come to peace with his fate, but still expresses fear at the end (much like in Neutral Milk Hotel's Oh Comely (Goldaline)). He stands his ground, however, determined that the conclusion he's come to is the best; he doesn't attempt to cheat death like the protagonist of "No One Would Riot for Less". The fear his voice expresses really adds to make this philosophy of death truly beautiful. |
submissions
| Bright Eyes – No One Would Riot for Less Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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This feels to me like some sort of counterweight to Easy/Lucky/Free, seeing as that song ends with the narrator embracing the collective aspect of apocalypse. He takes a deep breath, says "oh well, if there was more time I'd do things differently, but it's over; dying with the friends I barely see will make the most sense now" and blows away.
This song is different. There is a lot more fear for the actual armageddon, whether it's the end of the world or just him, and he is too scared to face up to it. This person will do anything to escape, and he will try to bring the woman he loves with him. It feels a bit like he's aware of the lack of morality in his escaping the inevitable, seeing as the whole song has the feel of explaining to her why they should pack their bags and run. This person is the direct opposite to the protagonist of Easy/lucky/free in my opinion. |
submissions
| Eels – Going to Your Funeral Part I Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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Slightly off topic: I don't think everything he says is necessarily to be taken as the truth. Autobiographical, oh yes, but he didn't necessarily hang out behind the school with his sister (or mother?), it's just a sentence that is meant to present us with our own reality. Either we have lost friends, and our thoughts will stray back to smoking (or whatever) behind the school, or, if we haven't yet "been there", it will ask us, as listeners, "what if?" he does this a lot on this album, appeals to people in a way that's general for a lot of people, but he in a way makes it his own in a very hauntingly honest way. Just an interesting thought about the album. |
submissions
| Eels – My Descent Into Madness Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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This song sort of gives me an impression of medically induced happiness. She's (I assume this is about Elizabeth, like much of the first half of the album) sitting in a ward, looking out, looking around, talking to herself, and allows herself to be swallowed into the smaller thoughts like locking the window properly and the physical sensation of her jacket, while the bigger questions previously asked in songs like "3 Speed" are numbed away by a sedated "la la la", complimented sublimely by some over-the-top-positive string pieces. To me, this is a shattering critique of medically solving depressions, as everything is merely hidden away. And, as we see later, it of course springs back into the surface, with catastrophic results.
This song is also a very good example of how song structure and arrangement is literally equal to the lyrics in terms of telling the story of the album, and enhances my feeling that there is no single note or word on this album that isn't part of the "big picture". |
submissions
| Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Into My Arms Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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I think he is more speaking to himself than to God. He apparently has a very divine image of this person, which it seems as though he very often does get. He doesn't want that shattered (through seeing her as she could potentially "really be"), but he doesn't want her to be nothing more than what he sees either... He doesn't want to believe she's an angel, he wants her to be forever exciting and "new". But of course, he wants her to be his, to be able to walk down this exciting path of getting to know each other and themselves better together. And, out of the love he feels, he wants her to be watched over; that this divinity he sees in her has also resulted in her being happy with herself, and seeing his true self. In short, he wants this person to be forever exciting, forever a tangible mystery that he can appreciate, as well as he wants the "her" he knows to see his true self, and as a result, love him like he loves her.
In a way, it's a bit of the same as what I think "black hair" is about - this angelically perfect image one gets when falling in love, that he in this song wants to develop further, but which he gets trapped in later, in "black hair". I don't think it's the same person ,but there's definitely a connection. |
submissions
| Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Black Hair Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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I think the emphasis on the black hair is more than it seems to be. It feels as though he's pictured her in a certain way, and is in some way blinded by this."And all her mystery dwelled within her black hair", this is apparently what made him love her, and it might feel as though he doesn't really pay attention to anything else. There are no real descriptions of emotions or associations, all is hiding beneath this curtain of black hair. He never feels much, he just kisses her throat, cries into her hair, puts his head against her neck, it's all very physical. And then, unsurprising but yet surprisingly it seems, she's gone, and all he's left with are the memories he made whilst it lasted, which are all mostly about this black hair, or the image he had of her; he never took the time to get to know this person.
It might be about PJ Harvey, that's as much as can be said. In my opinion, it's not unlikely, seeing as he's left confused and whiplashed, but I sincerely hope their relationship was one of a more profound nature than this. This is a truly fantastic song, and although seemingly light, a very heavy and disturbingly regretful one. One of my favourites off Boatman's Call |
submissions
| Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – The Curse of Millhaven Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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Hmmm.. The sentence "Mama often told me we all got to die" always gives me the feeling that there's more to this song than just a catchy violent tune. Perhaps she's trying to say she feels this as not only natural, but also completely cathartic? As if she is only helping to rush the inevitable death of all God's creatures. Just a thought... |
submissions
| Nick Drake – Day Is Done Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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After closely listening to my two versions, I am almost certain that the line "You sped the ball across the court" should be "Newspaper blown across the court". It makes more sense, as speeding a ball across the court doesn't provide the same dark image as a newspaper blowing through a deserted court... |
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