| U2 – Moment Of Surrender Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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The brilliance of this song is in its balance between a clear theme and intentional vagueness. What we can all agree here is that this song is about "surrender". However, what we seem to have the most disagreement about (from what I have read from the posts here so far) is the moment or moments of surrender that Bono is singing about. As an artist, it disappoints me to see so many people readily dismiss this song as being about one thing, whether it be God or heroin/meth/drugs. Has it occurred to many of you that the reason why this song is able to affect so many people in the many ways that it does is because it is left intentionally vague? This song is fun for me to listen to because my interpretation of it changes every time I listen to it; it stays "fresh" for me. Hence, I don't really have a specific interpretation to share at the moment, but I can share a few possible interpretations that still keep me guessing. 1.) "I tied myself with wire to let the horses run free" is too vague to be a Jesus reference in particular. Rather, it is probably more important to point out the contradiction that the narrator needed to bind himself in order to experience freedom. Perhaps Bono is singing about the binding sacrifice of marriage: surrendering one's self to his/her spouse. The mention of a "semi-precious stone" and "wedding" in this same stanza make this seem more plausible. Then again, it could be Jesus on the cross, or about a tweaker tying his arm to ride the "white pony" (common slang for narcotics). 2.) "Black holes" and "Dark stars" have been extensively studied in cosmology, but there are still many unanswered questions about them that might be impossible to answer. From this physics interpretation, the narrator might be surrendering to the fact that these questions might never have answers. Black holes also absorb everything everything (nothing can escape them other than Hawking radiation), so another interpretation could simply be that the reference to black holes is supposed to conjure feelings of surrender to an inescapable process. On the other hand, "being in black holes" and "at alters of dark stars" could be interpreted more figuratively in the sense that the narrator has had "dark" moments of even larger "dark" deeds. In this case, the imagery would be used to only provide texture to the lyrics. Who knows? 3.) "At the moment of surrender, of vision over visibility. I did not notice the passers-by, and they did not notice me." Could "vision over visibility" mean "to see is better than being seen"? Here, the narrator would be surrendering to humility and virtue. He is so comfortable with himself that he doesn't care what anyone else thinks of him (hence not noticing the passers-by), and so humble that he doesn't need anyone to think of him or acknowledge him for validation. All of his value is gotten internally. However, these lines can also mean the opposite in the sense that the narrator is so disillusioned, perhaps hallucinating, that he literally is having trouble seeing reality. Thus, he would have such a distant sense of self that he would be a bum and no one would notice him. A combined interpretation also exists where the narrator becomes so humble that he doesn't need anything more from life other than life itself... I call this the Taoist interpretation. In this case, the narrator has surrendered everything, even possessions, to live a life of poverty and thus be ignore by passers-by. 4.) (best for last here, I'm so excited). Lastly, I want to talk about the stations of the cross reference. Sure, the first time I heard this stanza I thought it was the narrator describing a moment in life that might have been analogous to the passion of the Christ. But then I imagined the narrator in church going through the stations of the cross like many good Christians do during Lent. I imagined the narrator being at church looking for help and spiritual strength to make it through his personal crisis: depressed and defeated. It is common for people in hard times to look to God for strength and courage, but the challenging thought here is that maybe the narrator went to church and didn't find God (ie, God, the all seeing "eye", "looking every other way"). The narrator would be so devastated after looking for God and not finding Him that all he has left is to surrender to his suffering and "count down 'til the pain stops". ...Then again, it's too vague to say for certain. |
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| Porcupine Tree – Trains Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| the nostalgic memory of anticipating the arrival of his girl via train... an elevated memory that sadly only exists as a part of the past now. | |
| Tears for Fears – Famous Last Words Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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yay first post! story about two lovers enjoying their last moment together before the end of the world. if the world were to suddenly end in an apocalyptic blaze of glory, why not just accept it and enjoy the moment with your special someone. |
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| Red House Painters – Revelation Big Sur Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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this song is really heartfelt on a mature level. if someone were to ask me what true love is, i would probably just tell them to listen to this song. it amazes me how few people have ever heard this song. |
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| Red House Painters – All Mixed Up Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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has any one thought that maybe the girl in this song doesn't exist and that she is possibly a figment of his imagination? The girl of his dreams seems so real, it's confusing and getting him all mixed up. Also, if my memory serves me correctly, I do believe i remember the girl in the music video for this song. She strongly resembles what i would call a fairy. good song. better cover. |
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| The Fray – Trust Me Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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So far, I've read a lot of good interpretations on the meaning of this song, but I think everyone is looking into it too much. This song is about growth and being exposed to the real world, and let me explain why. In the first stanza, the the narrator-(1) describes a desire to be somewhere new and also describes his setting in a new city with all of the independence that the new experience entails. One day narrator-(1) comes into contact with a person who apparently has life experience and is willing to offer some advice. However, this advice is a little callous and pessimistic, which is why the narrator-(1) isn't sure if this other person is a "friend" for offering advice or a "foe" for being somewhat negative in the advice. The narration quickly changes to this other person for the rest of the song, whom I will now refer to as narrator-(2). From this point on, the narrator-(2) describes how the whole life experience will turn out to be anonymous and stagnant. People come and go taking turns holding this world, and you can't get out... the "traffic" is still. In my opinion, the coolest part of this story is that the narrator-(2) needs narrator-(1) more than the other way around. I take this to mean that the older guy wants to validate his existence in his meaningless life by giving the younger guy a head start so that the younger guy doesn't fall into the traps of life. By offering valuable advice to the younger guy, the older guy can leave knowing he did something meaningful. But alas, the older guy (narrator-2) realizes that the younger guy (narrator-1) may not understand the pitfalls in life until he has experience them, by which time it is too late. When you are older you might understand. If any of you remember the Dr. Seuss tale titled "The Lorax," then you might better understand the narration of this song. |
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| Tool – Eulogy Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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My favorite part of the song has always been: "You've claimed all this time that you would die for me. Why then are you so surprised when you hear your own eulogy?" For the longest time I thought this song was about someone that Maynard was criticizing for criticizing hypocrits, especially those who try to lead others but are too afraid to follow their own advice. However, the lyrics are a little more direct. Now whenever I listen to the part I quoted above, I realize that Maynard is referring directly to the listener. When the Aenema album first came out, the people who listened to Tool were also the same people who listened to Marylin Manson, NIN, and such. I strongly recall that these people were the "goths" who pretended to be dark and suicidal for attention because it was trendy at the time. I think that in Eulgy, Maynard was criticizing Tool's hypocritical fan base. For those of you who also listen to Pink Floyd, the Animals album is a quintessential example of this motif. |
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| Bush – Glycerine Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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First off, I stopped being a fan of Bush a while ago because Gavin's lyrics tend to be incoherent and vague. I respect the openness to interpretation, but the ambiguity in many Bush lyrics is a bit much and causes me to question if there really was any intended meaning behind the lyrics. With that said.... I think that this song is about a schizophrenic person with multiple personalities, kind of like a Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde situation. When he consumes this glycerin (alcohol), it transforms him into this bad person he doesn't know, and it is damaging the realtionship he has with the woman he loves. Similarly, he could be experiencing these transformations at random, and it is causing that glycerin flavored (bittersweet) relationship with his woman to go sour. Food for thought. |
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| John Mayer – Covered In Rain Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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The any given thursday version of this tune is amazing! It is the epitome of modern blues. Given that it is clearly a blues song, i believe we can all agree that he is singing about a painful experience and the strength to get through it. I really like the duality of rain in this song because it represents the gloominess of the situation, while also representing a cleansing of the soul. The lyrics are good, but the true meaning can easily be understood by listening to the guitar. The greatest blues musicians always tell it best through their finger tips. |
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| New Radicals – Jehovah Made This Whole Joint For You Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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"So original in her black lipstick Listening to some obscure band But isn't she pissed at all the other non-conformists Listen to that same obscure band" Ain't it the truth. It's funny how indie is the new pop culture, but it's also a little sad at the same time that there are people out there who waive their individuality to feel like an individual. This song calls out all of these types of people. I love it. |
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| Colin Hay – I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| though this song may be really good, I believe that ALL of you should listen to colin hay's "going somehwere" album and comment on those lyrics. it is a shame that most people who listen to this song don't go much further. | |
| Colin Hay – Waiting For My Real Life To Begin Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| this song is about ambition, and looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead in life. i am a year away from finishing college, so i really relate to this song. | |
| Colin Hay – Don't Wait Up Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| this song is like a rolled up news paper that whacks me on the head every night i listen to it. colin hay is basically saying that the girl was right there in front of you, and you missed your chance to keep her. so don't bother counting on her conveniently coming into your life anymore because you were too passive in your showing interest in her. | |
| Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Personally, I think this song is about psychosis and depression. The lyrics of this song seem to be a dialogue between two people: a psychotically depressed person (lighter voice), and a firend or doctor (deeper voice) who sees the depressed person and wants to help. The first stanza: the doctor/friend sees this emotionally drained man, and he offers to help. So he asks a few questions to figure out what exactly is wrong. Second stanza: The psychotically depressed man besically tells the doctor that he has lost touch with reality. He physically feels no pain, but he is so detatched from tangible reality that he cannot clarly communicate with the person trying to help him. The childhood thing is a happy memory that he is dwelling on in his altered state of mind, most likely because it makes him feel emotionally comfortable in his physically numb state. Third Stanza: The doctor tries to medicate the insane/depressed man by injecting him with medicine. Fourth Stanza: Lyrically, this is the most interesting part of the song in my opinion. It starts off similar to the second stanza, where the insane man describes his feelings of detachment, however, it differs in the second half of the stanza. In the second half of the fourth stanza, the insane man essentially describes how he is coming out of his altered state of mind and losing touch with that good childhood memory. At the end of the song, the insane man is out of the dream, but is still left with that feeling of complacency. Hense, though he is still numb to his real surroundings, his lingering memories have givin him a sense of comfort. With respect to The Wall, opression is a motif throughout both the album and the movie, and the opression of this man's environment is enough to cause him to feel a lot of anxiety which would lead to the state of insane depression. I think syd barret was an inspiration to this song, as with most pink floyd songs out there. Specifically, i think the insane man in this song is syd, and it is generally based on the other band member's observations of syd. No doubt about it, syd tripped his mind off on LSD. The detachment from reality, seeing people's words coming in "waves," feeling childish... these are all things that people have described while tripping on LSD. Bottom Line: This song is about detatchment from reality. It is a great song, and like with most Pink Floyd songs, the song is best understood not by interpreting literal meanings of the lyrics or rock musicals (The Wall movie), but rather by listening to the instruments and the notes that are played in the "music." |
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| Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| pure genious! i never quite understood the water thing until now. | |
| Tears for Fears – Year Of The Knife Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| i honestly don't care what this song is about because it is so climatic. but if i had to guess, i would say it is about a two faced back stabber. u will never get ahead if u make everyone your enemy in one way or another. | |
| New Radicals – Mother We Just Can't Get Enough Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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its metaphor that compares a few things. First, if you just read the lyrics for what they are, he is describing a drug experience "Speeding thru my veins until we hit the ground." seriously, what does this mean? However, a common motif of this album is love. Specifically, how love can be as much of an uncontrollable rush as drug use. If you don't believe me, then listen to the song "we gotta stay high." Lastly, the new radicals are just as Xim says: against the american consumer whore culture. This song comments on the american lust for success and money. It's just as shallow as a drug addiction. |
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