| Elliott Smith – Christian Brothers Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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It's true, Christian Brothers, is an inexpensive brandy, that Elliot was probably familiar with. But I think in this song, it's just a play on words, and that his real meaning has more to do with him dealing with the aftermath of a fucked up adolescence. It is well documented that his time with his mom and stepfather in Dallas was a traumatic one for him. I think this song is about him trying to cope. For sure, Elliott wasn't your typical Dallas teenager. I can imagine him being bullied about by jocks and other typical "frat boy" types. Many of them probably stood under the banner of Christianity, in the way that many Republicans do (Ahhemm george bush). He uses the word "cross" to mean angry, which I think is a play on words reference to the theme of christianity. Quite possibly, the song is a direct attack on that system, perhaps more specifically, his main antagonist, his stepfather. It appears to me that his stepfather came to represent the things in his life that went wrong and the suffering he faced. These lines: Fake concerns is what's the matter, man And you think I ought to shake your motherfucking hand Make me think that he is pissed off by the fake sympathy that is shown to him, and he is outraged that he should have to make a show of peace by shaking this person's hand. A person he despises. |
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| Elliott Smith – Sweet Adeline Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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This song is about getting drunk to forget a girl The opening stanza, as everyone has alluded to, is filled with imagery of just that, cutting pictures in two, so that the narrator can throw away the half with her in it. The process of forgetting her. In the next verse, the narrator is asked by this kid for a drink, "old man winter's in the air" - what warms you up better than whiskey! The kid offers him the advice of "don't worry" - "she's just a shooting star!" or a love that passes through your life. Nothing permanent. The narrator begins singing in the chorus, lines from the old song "clementine", which if you remember the lyrics is about a man who's only love dies. Here, the narrator is weeping over his lost love. I suppose the narrator's lost love is in fact named "Adeline" which, of course is just a made up name, a play on words reference to his grandmother's singing group. In the last verse, the narrator is watching the sunset, (I've always imagined on top of a roof, though that's not inferred anywhere). While doing so he says that he is "fully loaded", or drunk. The line "waiting for sedation to disconnect my head" - this could mean he's waiting for drugs to kick in, as he has already claimed that he was drunk, or merely just waiting for sleep, which I'd naively prefer. When I read the last lines I am haunted, "Any situation where I am better off than dead." This line, more than any other, makes me think that the narrator was crushed so bad emotionally that he wanted to commit suicide, and is looking for any way to stop the pain. This is such a dour foreshadow to what his life would be like near the end. A soul that felt so much pain, the only remedy in his head was suicide. We all know, and mourn the tragic results of Elliot's life. |
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