| Bedouin Soundclash – St. Andrews Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I think that you're both right about this being a confession for drug-abuse, but I think it also preaches to stand by what you've done, in this case drug-abuse, rather than to hide from it or deny it; "Speak the truth and speak it ever Cost [fixed] it what it will, Cause he who hide the wrong he did Did the wrong thing still" Also; "One day my time will end And who I've been, I've been" Don't think he's clean, though. "St. Andrews" sounds as a church on the surface, but it could also be the name of a square or a street, and in the second stanza he sings: "And down on St. Andrew, I'll buy it back from you But you ain't no lover, No, you're just a pusher" "St. Andrews", and other christian references, serve as allusions for the drug-culture, for example; "I've song midnight choires, with baseheads, drunks and liars." Whereas choires would usually bring up the image of purity and innocense, it is used here as a methaphore for getting together and doing a whole lot of drugs. This might be a stretch, but the ending of the last stanza, "and the bells they are ringing, and the band it is marching, marching" may signify that he has just done a hit and is peaking, all the while repeating to himself ("Love come save me soon") that he's going to get out of this somehow, at some point. This reading of the song doesn't match the cheery feeling of the song, though. |
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| Against Me! – Thrash Unreal Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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itsmyisliand> "firstly against me didnt change one bit, they sound the same as their older shit, and tom gabel can sing about anything he wants, because its their band" What the f*ck are you on about? Have you even heard their old stuff? It's raw, introverted and political/emotional. The songs on NW are polished, extroverted and mostly deal with easily-digestable topics in a straightforward manner. Compare the lyrics from "White People for Peace" to the lyrics from "Mutiny on the Electronic Bay." Personally, I think NW is a great album, but that doesn't exclude the possibility that AM! polished up their sound and made it a bit more accesible. The idea that their taste in music miraculously changed the minute they signed to Sire seems more than naive. It simply means that rather than being a poor punk album, it is a great rock album. Honestly, it's a shame people are so closed minded on these issues - I guess you can only call a band sellouts after you stop liking them. Again on the topic of the song, I don't think it's meant to directly praise or citicize her way of life. They are simply trying to take one of those marginalized stereotypes and give people a better understanding of her. They're just telling her story - and they do a damn good job at it. |
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| Against Me! – Thrash Unreal Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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SLC Punk *fucking* sucks and is, as far as I can tell, an extremely poor, inaccurate and Hollywood-ish caricature of punk and anarchism. That having been said, and being a great admirer of their earlier work, I must say that my initial reaction to New Wave was, like many others, that AM! had sold out. However, upon further contemplation and re-listening without prejudice, I can only say that it is a great album. It's not in the same class as Crime, the Accoustic EP or RAR. Not the least. But the important thing to remember is that it never tries to be. Since those albums, AM! has developed strongly, a development which was already noticeable on releases such as The Disco Before the Breakdown. Listen to the title track or "Tonight We're Gonna Give It 35%" and tell me it is fundamentally similar in style to RAR (which was already far more Rock-ish than earlier releases). If you can do that, you're kidding yourself. New Wave is not a folk-punk or accoustic punk album. That isn't its purpose. It is a Rock album, and taking that into consideration, it's a damn good one. The worst thing I can say about the album is that it is on Sire, owned by Warner Group, a member of the RIAA sons-of-bitches. Also, Butch Wig's remix of White People for Peace is horrendously bad. Concerning the song in question, I have to agree that it is probably the best on the album. It proves that despite much has changed for AM!, they are still capable of writing profound and moving songs. |
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| Catch 22 – On & On & On Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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"You're black, I'm white, he's purple" could (as many have said) refer to gang colours, but I'm thinking that it may refer to the guy having been beaten up badly. While the theory seems to be popular, I it should be fairly safe to rule out that any bystander has been killed. It clearly says "Gang wars, no guns, hand to hand", which I think again supports my theory of one guy being beaten to death. It is, after all, fairly hard to kill an innocent bystander in a fist-fight. I don't think the narrator has any personal relationship to the woman he sees crying. It could be the girlfriend or mother of the guy he killed, which would explain his indifference towards her ("Somebody tap her on the shoulder and tell her life goes on" isn't exactly the most compassionate thing you can remark upon seeing any person crying), an indifference he has to put on to keep sane upon realizing he has killed a person she loves. He then tries to find comfort by telling himself that everything will be allright and he's counting down the days until his jailtime is over. While in jail he gets to cool down and contemplates how fragile life is and how easy it can get taken away from him, with no greater consequences for humanities remaining 5 billion people. Really great song. This one is, along with As the Footsteps Die Out Forever and Day In Day Out, a definite C22 favourite of mine. |
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