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Spoon – Back to the Life Lyrics 15 years ago
Whenever this song comes up, I find it necessary to turn up the volume.

submissions
Beast – Mr. Hurricane Lyrics 16 years ago
The lyrics here are pretty good, but sloppy in some places. Here's pretty much exactly what's being sung:
-----
I thought I was a victim
That people hated me
I never had a homeland
I had no safety

One day I saw a beast comin'
From across the sea
I never knew fear
Until he came for me

I called out for the killer
I looked for the knife
I drank from his river
It ruined my life

I saw him comin' at me
Empty and so cold
I never knew emotion
'Til he caught me in his fold

Can you imagine living one more day
With a beast right up in your face?
Can you see me dying in this house, in any house
Saw a man in vain, blinded by the Hurricane

(Broke out of the harness)
Let it go let it go
(Stumbled in the darkness)
Turn on the light y'all
(Overcame the madness)
Then take your pills
(Finally righteous)
I love the beast y'all

(Broke out of the harness)
Let it go let it go
(Stumbled in the darkness)
Turn on the light y'all
(Overcame the madness)
Then take your pills
(Finally righteous)
I love the beast y'all

I stopped being the victim
But you weren't there to see
I never felt bitter
'Til you crippled me

I felt like a refugee from the pain
I had to wear that shroud with no shame
Deceit and lies were your crying game
I never fell in love so deeply in vain

So I stay a while
A knife in my side
While I slowly died
Defeat from the inside

And now I scream 'til the end of the day
Never again, Mr. Hurricane

(Broke out of the harness)
Let it go let it go
(Stumbled in the darkness)
Turn on the light y'all
(Overcame the madness)
Then take your pills
(Finally righteous)
I love the beast y'all

(Broke out of the harness)
Let it go let it go
(Stumbled in the darkness)
Turn on the light y'all
(Overcame the madness)
Then take your pills
(Finally righteous)
I love the beast y'all

(Broke out of the harness)
Don't mess with the Beast, Mr. Hurricane
(Stumbled in the darkness)
You're not comin' for peace, stop bringing the insane
(Overcame the madness)
Don't mess with the Beast, Mr. Hurricane
(Finally righteous)
You're not comin' for peace, stop bringing the insane

(Broke out of the harness)
Don't mess with the Beast, Mr. Hurricane
(Stumbled in the darkness)
You're not comin' for peace, stop bringing the insane
(Overcame the madness)
Don't mess with the Beast, Mr. Hurricane
(Finally righteous)
You're not comin' for peace, stop bringing the insane

Don't mess with the Beast, Mr. Hurricane
You're not comin' for peace, stop bringing the insane
Don't mess with the Beast, Mr. Hurricane
You're not comin' for peace, stop bringing the insane

Don't mess with the Beast, Mr. Hurricane
You're not comin' for peace, stop bringing the insane
Don't mess with the Beast, Mr. Hurricane
You're not comin' for peace, stop bringing the insane

submissions
Radiohead – Fitter Happier Lyrics 17 years ago
This is always a good listen.

This was a sort of "90's checklist" they wrote up for a song, then Thom Yorke happened to try out the speech function on the old iMac and thought it sounded right for this. The piano is indeed Thom Yorke playing drunk, and the rest of the track was built around these two things. It seems to me that the track isn't necessarily about "fitting in" or being the "perfect citizen," since this list of things doesn't really seem to fit either of those two molds. It's more like a series of catchphrases, thoughts, and ideals from the 90's. It's haunting (some say depressing), but not purely negative: it's more like nostalgia that's missing the positive filter: it's a society of people confusedly trying to figure out who to be, and what to do, to be happy, and being just about as successful as every other generation.

submissions
Modest Mouse – Dashboard Lyrics 17 years ago
I work hard on my lyrics, because to me it's like a kind of puzzle game. I can spend hours working on a difficult song, mining the internet for second and third opinions, listening to a single line over and over again. I only make a line permanent if it sounds like the artist is reading from that written line, or trying to (perhaps with marbles in their mouth), until then I leave a dash per syllable (or a word in red). In any case, I certainly hope that what I've ended up with is pretty close to what Brock actually sang, and I know it's closer than what's at the top of this page. If you grab what I've got here, and you like it, send me a message here; I'd like to know if I'm being useful.
------


Well it would've been, could've been, worse than you would ever know
Oh the dashboard melted but we still have the radio
Oh it should've been, could've been, worse than you would ever know
Well you told me 'bout nowhere, well it sounds like someplace I'd like to go
Oh it could've been, should've been, worse than you would ever know
Well the windshield was broken but I love the fresh air you know
(The dashboard melted but we still have the radio)
Well it would've been, could've been, worse than you would ever know
(The dashboard melted but we still have the radio)
Oh-h we talked about nothing which was more than I wanted you to know-oh-oh-oh-oh
Now here we go!

Oh it would've been, could've been, worse then it had even gone
Well the car was on blocks but I was already where I want
(It was impossible, we really could, we really couldn't)
Why should we ever even ever really even get to know?
(It was impossible, we really could, we really couldn't)
Oh well the world don't like us; it'll shake us just like we were a co-o-o-o-ld
Now here we go!

Well we schemed and schemed but we always blew it
We've yet to crash, but we still might as well do it
Standing at a light switch to each east and west horizon
Every dawn when you're surprising in the evening was consoling
Saying, "see it wasn't quite as bad as...

And it would've been, could've been, worse then you would ever know
I was patiently erasing and recording the wrong episodes
After you had proved my point wrong it wasn't like I'd let it go-oh-oh-oh, oh oh oh
I just want to catch the last laugh of this show"

Yeah it would've been, could've been, worse then you would ever know
Oh the dashboard melted but we still have the radio
(The dashboard melted but we really could, we really couldn't)
Hardwired to conceive, so much we had to stow it
Even needs have needs, tiny giants made of tinier giants
Don't wear eyelids so I don't miss the last laugh of this show
(The dashboard melted but we still have the radio)
Well we could've had, should've had, worse then you would ever know
(The dashboard melted but we still have the radio)
Well-hell you told me 'bout nowhere well that sounds like some place I'd like to go-oh-oh-oh-oh
Now here we go!

Well we screamed and we schemed but we always blew it
We've yet to crash, but we still might as well do it
Standing at a light switch to each east and west horizon
Every dawn when you're surprising in the evening was consoling
Saying, "see it wasn't quite as bad as..."

And "it would've been, could've been, worse then you would ever know"

submissions
Modest Mouse – Parting of the Sensory Lyrics 17 years ago
An idea that has popped up in a few of Modest Mouse's songs over the years is that God, too, will die someday. (This doesn't mean he necessarily believes in god; it's iconic not literal.)

submissions
Modest Mouse – Steam Engenius Lyrics 18 years ago
Here... I took the album's listed lyrics and combined them with what's going on in the song (no changed words, but minor changes where what's sung isn't in the same order as what's written) and organized it into verse. All that needs to be done is copy/paste:

I was born in a factory
Far away from the milky teat
What's the use?
Oh what's the use?

You cheered as I was split in half
A mechanical sacrificial calf
For you
Oh all for you

Steam engenius you see
Steam engenius enough to answer anything you need
But what's the use?

Human nature was installed in me
Well I did what's right but naturally it wasn't natural
Still not my fault
No

I held in my hands the beating heart of a robot
He'd lost his car it was sitting there crying
Out waiting in the parking lot
Just for you
Woohoo woohoo
Woohoo woohoo

What a waste of time
What a waste of words
What a waste of strength
Well I spoke in binary
And you for volume and dizzying length
Woohoo woohoo
Wooo hooo

I was born in a factory
Far away from the milk and tea
What's the use?
Oh what's the use?

Birds flew out as I was split in half
A mechanical sacrificial calf
They flew
Oh off they flew

Steam engenius you see
Steam engenius enough to answer anything you need
And ah that speed

I held in my hands the beating heart of a robot
He'd lost his car it was sitting there out waiting
Crying in the parking lot
Out for you
Woohoo woohoo
Woohoo woohoo

What a waste of time
What a waste of words
What a waste of strength
Well I spoke in binary
And you for volume and for dizzying length
Woohoo woohoo
Wooo hooo

(I was born in the factory)

Both halves are the better half
Like a joke trying to make another joke laugh
Haha

Stasis is what you brought
Like a rickshaw getting pulled around by another rickshaw
(Rickshaw)

In the past talking present tense
Gonna break it gonna wreck it
Gonna try to make it all make sense

Stasis is what you got
Like a rickshaw getting pulled around by another rickshaw

Steam engenius, you see
Steam engenius enough to bring my own damn doom
What could I do?

I blame blame that blame had grew
Well deep inside everybody knew it was them
It's all on them

Things rang of stories Greek
I didn't want it you gave me deity
It was you
Yeah all for you

I was born in the factory
Far away from the milky teat
What's the use?
Oh what's the use?

I held in my hands the beating heart of a robot
He'd lost his car
He's sitting there crying
Out waiting in the parking lot
Just for you
Woohoo woohoo
Woohoo woohoo

I was thought up by man to think better than them
Then revered admired and then
Destroyed then something 'bout the
[gibberish]
Hell even all that was my own damn plan

Well what a waste of time
What a waste of words
Well, I spoke in binary
And you for volume and for...
Woohoo woohoo
Wooo hooo

I held in my hands the beating heart of a robot
He lost his car he's sitting there crying
Now waiting for you in the parking lot
Going wooo-hooo
Woohoo woohoo
Woohoo woohoo

Stasis is what you got
Like a rickshaw getting pulled around by another rickshaw

submissions
Modest Mouse – Steam Engenius Lyrics 18 years ago
Oh, sorry, I just saw the last post...
but anyway, I think this song is about the fact that people are becoming more like machines, especially while using machines. While you drive a car, you're nothing but a machine that tells the car where to go. (if you drive well. but even that qualifier adds to the irony-- if you aren't ONLY tellin the car where to go, you're defective equipment.) Also, the paradox contained within that premise: "like a rickshaw getting pulled around by another rickshaw"; "like a joke trying to make another joke laugh"

submissions
Modest Mouse – Steam Engenius Lyrics 18 years ago
I listened to the 'beating heart of a robot' parts, and this is what I'm fairly sure he's saying:
First time:
I held in my hands the beating heart of a robot
He lost his car he's sitting out burning
Out waiting in the parking lot
Just for you

Second time:
I held in my hands the beating heart of a robot
He lost his car he's sitting out there
A waiting car in the parking lot
Out for you

Third time:
I held my hands the beating heart of a robot
He lost his car he's sitting there crying
Out waiting in the parking lot
Just for you

And in the last time, pretty much what you have except held IN my hands, and he 'lost', not 'drived' his car.

Another interesting thing: I'm positive that he actually does start singing gibberish in the section after "I'll start up the man." here's what I have there:

I'll start up the man
Thinkin' a (bdim bdim)
Then rip into my (bdim bdim)
Then sorta something 'bout the
[gibberish]
I didn't even know that was my own damn plan

submissions
Modest Mouse – Parting of the Sensory Lyrics 18 years ago
Most lyrics I've seen posted on the web give up about halfway through the "someday...carbon" section, just ending with a final "Someday you will die somehow and something's gonna steal your carbon". I realize that after a bit it becomes cluttered, and some of the variations are illogical, but I thought it was worth putting the time into. Here's what I've got:

Someday you will die and somehow something's gonna steal your carbon
Someday you will die and somehow something's gonna steal your carbon
Someday you will die somehow and something's gonna steal your carbon
(Someday you will die somehow and something's gonna steal your carbon)
Someday you will die and someone's or something will steal your carbon
(Some die you will die somehow and something's gonna steal your carbon)
Some day something will die and somehow you'll figure out
How often
You will die somehow and something's gonna steal your carbon

Nothing will die and you will probably just steal its carbon
Some day you will die somehow and something's gonna steal your carbon
Someday some how or something will die and you will steal it's carbon
Someday you will die and you will figure out
How often
You will die somehow and something's gonna steal your carbon
Someday you will die somehow and someone's gonna steal your carbon
Someday you will die; somehow you will figure out how often

...then there's two or three voices speaking different variations at once; I'm trying very hard to interpretate it. Anyways, THEN it ends with...

Someday you will die somehow and something's gonna steal your carbon

* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.