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Cake – Shadow Stabbing Lyrics 18 years ago
I'm liking the writer in an oppressive regime theory, but in reading the lyrics over again, I came up with another idea. Zombies.

"Adjectives on the typewriter
He moves his words like a prize fighter
The frenzied pace of the mind inside the cell"

Could be someone writing to inform others about the zombies, having to write quickly.


"The man on the street might just as well be"

How anyone could become a zombie.


"Outside, outside the world
Out there you don't hear the echoes and calls
But the steel eye/white paint,
Tight jaw/plastic saints
Say it all
Say it all"

The zombies might be quiet, and how outside of cites you don't hear anything (calls for help, etc). The "steel eye" (dead stare) and the "tight jaw" (not talking) could mean that those things are dead giveaways (say it all) that they are zombies. The white paint could be calls for help painted on buildings, and the "plastic" saints could be how people are praying for help, but it doesn't help.



"I'm so nervous
I'm so tense
My heart can't forget about this self defense
The air is so hot
and my breath comes fast
I thumb the cool blade but I know this can't last"

They know they can't keep up their defense forever.

I don't actually think this is what the song is about, just a funny interpretation. Goes to show how many ways you can interpret a song.

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Bear vs. Shark – Bloodgiver Lyrics 18 years ago
That's weird - it says something about "The four point stance" on one of their other songs. Not sure which one, but he says "The four point stance is stable now".
Could this be a concept album?

No, probably not.

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Cake – Satan Is My Motor Lyrics 18 years ago
My first thought was the "Good guy" with "bad intentions" (aka Sex), but now I think it might be about pollution. Reasons:
1. John is into that kind of thing, and is opinionated on issues such as pollution
2. The second verse could be talking about how everyone thinks they're in control, and can stop using fossil fuels at any time, but they don't stop
3. When it says that he has good intentions, it could be talking about the "I'm not trying to pollute" thing.

Note: I'm not the kind of person who complains about pollution, but McCrea is. Also, I am not McCrea, and my interpretation could be (and probably is) way off.

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Death from Above 1979 – Black History Month Lyrics 18 years ago
You do realize that Brain Stew is about insomnia, right?

I agree with the white flight/inner city decay theory. It's the only one that fits all the lyrics.

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Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution – It's A Wonderful Life Lyrics 18 years ago
Without over analyzing it, it seems to be about a guy who had to leave his love at home for war. He goes despite not fully understanding the reasons for the war, but goes anyway. This is why he wakes up alone, and he is thinking of her (apparently dancing nakedly). He thinks about when he first met her in the summer, and how pretty she was/is, and even though everyone else is incredibly dedicated to the cause, he finds he's not, so ends up ditching and heading home. Either that, or he just finds his own reason for fighting, which is his wife.

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Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution – They Provide The Paint... Lyrics 18 years ago
I think the song has several meanings. You mentioned some of them, but I figured I'd sum them up / put in my thoughts.
The first verse is, as you said, most likely a reference to Thoreau. When he says not to laugh out loud, Tom could mean that you should be careful of expressing your ideas openly, as society is quick to reject them.
The second verse starts with the title of the song, and is probably what you guys said. You can't see anything you want to see (AKA have you own beliefs about the world) because of society's criticism. The war thing is pretty simple - the less you know, the less you can object to. The last line is saying that there's nothing we can do about it, because that is just the way people are.
In the third verse, I'm almost positive the lyrics here are wrong. I think it should be "and tomorrow it'll end", where the man is society/the media/the man keeping us down. He's saying that the world will end, etc, and he bought into it but he's fine and he'll always be fine despite what others say. Watch your mouth, etc., just meaning "be careful with words". "Don't die for anything less than the best of life", possibly the most provocative lyric of the song (or music today?), is pretty self-explanatory but hard to pin down at the same time.
The next line seems to be saying that "you" bought into what everyone said just because they said it. "What they took" could be any number of things, but the line it precedes seems to indicate that they stripped of you the ability to question things ("you never ask why"). The next line, which like the rest of the song seems to be applicable to the holocaust, is saying that people will believe things just because the people who say it seem confidant and informed. The rest of this verse is sarcasm, saying most everyone is too codependent and gullible.
The last verse seems to be saying that everyone has given up hope that they can make a difference in the world, and would rather make up reasons why they shouldn't even try. Also, the way Tom wrote "Hear 'him' whispering" has that same whole "big brother" vibe to it. He then says that he often "goes back to the shed" and thinks of Thoreau, and what he said.

Only my opinion. Lemme know what you think, etc.

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The Matches – Dog-Eared Page Lyrics 18 years ago
I agree with the collage/someplace idea. It seems like he's in love with a girl that went off to collage (etc.) and he suspects that she's dating a guy there behind his back (and that her roommate is lying to him), but wants to keep him as an option back home if this relationship falls through. Now, he's back at home without her, and he's seeing himself in the same routine, going to lame parties.
The line "I've got these "friends" in quotes / and girls* with asterisks" is him saying he doesn't have any real/good friends, and he's got girls that he's close to, but none that he's dating (becasue he's with the girl at collage).
The line "You said the distance / Would make a difference / But it didn't" could be that him and her were having problems before she left, and she told him that going away could help this.

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The Matches – Eryn Smith Lyrics 18 years ago
Yeah - They/Shawn said that "It's about falling in love with a punk chick". I can see where's you're getting the "break-up" thing, though - the line "It's over" would suggest this, plus "though I know we'll leave here lonely,
'cause in the end, it's meant to be that way anyway." seems more about the fact that he knows it won't last.

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The Matches – Eryn Smith Lyrics 18 years ago
Yeah - They/Shawn said that "It's about falling in love with a punk chick". I can see where's you're getting the "break-up" thing, though - the line "It's over" would suggest this, plus "though I know we'll leave here lonely,
'cause in the end, it's meant to be that way anyway." seems more about the fact that he knows it won't last.

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Squirrel Nut Zippers – Hell Lyrics 18 years ago
Well, I think the lyrics are pretty damn straitforward.
In any case, the I partially agree with ABC in that you are totally overanalyzing the grammar of the lyrics. Even if they are so "horribly" written, it could just be that the lyricist speaks/writes this way.

Also, I wanted to add that I discovered this song while reading Dante's Inferno. Made it that much better.

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Cake – Comfort Eagle Lyrics 19 years ago
There seems to be four distict takes on this:
Religion, the music industry, capitolism, and weed.
Things that support each of them:
Religion -
-Saying religion several times -
-"Doesn't matter if you're skinny / Doesn't matter if you're fat / You can dress up like a sultan in your onion-head hat" could be talking about how religions want as many people as they can get, and don't discriminate
-"You can meet at his location but you better come with cash" could be talking about how you can go to church, but your ass better cough up some money or god will hate you
-"His cigarette is burning but he never seems to ash" is most likely a reference to Moses and the burning bush
-"We're the only ones to turn to when your castles turn to sand" could be saying that religions tell people that they are the only option when you are down on your luck
The music industry -
-Comparing the music industry to a religion
-"To resist it is useless it is useless to resist it" could be saying that it is nearly impossible to become successful and stay indy, or that it is hard not to sell out and not change your sound
-"He is in the music buisiness"
-"He is handling the money / He's serving the food / He knows about your party / He is calling you 'DUDE!'" possibly talking about how record labels control most of what bands do
-"We're behind you / And let us please remind you we can send a car to find you if you ever lose your way" how record labels continually promise that they have everything covered and that the band should leave everything to them
Unready covered capitolism.
Helixx covered weed.

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Cake – End of the Movie Lyrics 19 years ago
A pretty damn emo take on a simple and upbeat song, but I thought it was about contemplating but deciding against suicide due to hatred of people around you. People you like dissapoint you ("People you love / Will turn their backs on you) and people you don't like will end up driving you crazy ("People you hate / Will get their hooks into you / They'll pull you down / You'll frown / They'll tar you and drag you through town")
I was wrong, thank Odar.

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Cake – World Of Two Lyrics 19 years ago
It's funny to think of it as dating a person with multiple personalities.

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The Matches – Scratched Out (Track 11) Lyrics 19 years ago
Great song, especially the lyrics. I loved the Billy Joel reference, and I'm thinking that might have been why they changed it. The orange juice part is also really cool.
Also, it seems (even if you say that "He said this" in an interview) that it's about him waiting for a girl because she fell asleep and (possibly) she forgot that the alarm was because she had a date.
Also, the part about
"her heart is a machine
art is meant to be seen
not felt
not heard
it's just paint
they're just words"
Seems to be about not overanalyzing things, like art or , ironically, lyrics.

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The Matches – Superman Lyrics 19 years ago
The Matches/Shawn Harris are amazing songwriters, first of all.
It's about a guy who has a crush/is in love with a long time friend, and apperently she leaves/moves ("You left the scene before my crime").
Also, "All I know is that I don't know nothin'" could be a reference to "Knowledge" by Operation Ivy.

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Streetlight Manifesto – Everything Went Numb Lyrics 19 years ago
I figure I'll put eveything everyone's said into my view.

As others have stated, it doesn't directly state that the song is concerning a "bank" robbery, or any robbery for that matter. However, it strongly suggests it is a robbery, most likely a bank robbery or something simelar.

Second of all, it doesn't clearly specify whether he succeeded or not, though it would seem to suggest that he was caught ("Silence/Sierens/It all went down like his nightmare the night before"). The underdog is clearly speaking about the man attemptin to rob the bank, and he is saying that most likely he will get caught.

The reason for his robbing the bank is desparation. He is down on his luck/poor, etc. In any case, he is going against his morals to do so. It would seem that someone, possibly a friend, comes and suggests to him the "bank robbery" idea. He decides that he will do it, though has regrets about doing so later on.

My friend suggested that the "Doing what you gotta do just to keep your nose clean" could be a play on words/reference to the alternative of turning to drugs. I'm not sure, but it certainly is possible.

The liner notes also seem to clear this up.

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