| Julian Casablancas – Glass Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| I mean the protection is of limited benefit because it only offers protectio from weapons, not from eyes, which presumably are the cause of the loved one's tears. | |
| Julian Casablancas – Glass Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I think this is (partly, anyway) about the desire to protect a loved one, possibly at the expense of their happiness. He says: Dominance is loyalty Romance is security Dominance, in particular, is not usually associated with loving relationships, and is unlikely to lead to happiness. This kind of misguided love is encapsulated with the line: 'Pretty baby, please just get out of the way, where it's safe' It's so sad. Also he suggests that the protection offered is of limited benefit, as: 'Eyes will follow you. Weapons can't break through. Tears will swallow you. You all can see right through' I can't see how a lot of the words link in with that theme though, so I might just be talking nonsense. |
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| Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – The Hook Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| I wondered if it might be about someone who grows up and eventually falls in line with the status quo after starting being a bit rebellious/idealistic, with the buoyant nature of the song being typically (for Malkmus) at odds with this rather sad reading. You never can tell with this chap though, it could just be a cool story. Incidentally, there's an ace live version of this which was a B-Side to Discretion Grove (I think). | |
| The Flaming Lips – Lightning Strikes the Postman Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| Apparently this song is about their now departed guitarist, Ronald. During the recording of this album he would be adding guitar parts, and they would discuss a part for him to record, and then he would do a take that didn't bear any relation to what they had just discussed. A lot of the lyrics don't seem to really relate to that theme though, so Wayne probably had something else in mind as well. | |
| Mercury Rev – Holes Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Not sure if I quite agree about there being no meaning, although some of it does seem fairly abstract. I think it's interesting to put this song in context, that they'd just come off the back of the reportedly intense, drug-fuelled tour for the previous, onimously titled 'See You On The Other Side' album, and indeed the drummer Jimmy Chambers (think that's his name) had just left. Add to that the overall more reflective, contemplative tone (lyrically and musically) of this album, in particular to the first two albums, and it seems that Mr Donohue was coming to something of a crossroads in his life. As has already been mentioned, he talks alot about plans and dreams that he made as a younger man, which haven't quite worked out how he thought they would. And then in the middle he talks about 'angry, jealous spies', which again could refer to the difficulties which the band had been having, and the bitching and conniving that goes with the music bizniz. Or it could refer to the break-up of a relationship, which seems to hang over much of the album. |
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| Joanna Newsom – Sawdust and Diamonds Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| Also, there is a very beautiful piano piece by Debussy, which is written about the city of Ys, entitled La Cathedrale Engloutie (the sunken cathedral), complete with mournful bell sounds, which I would say is well worth checking out if you like the imagery in this song. | |
| Joanna Newsom – Sawdust and Diamonds Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Someone was asking about For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemmingway. I've read her in an interview saying that Hemmingway is one of her favourite writers, but I'm not sure if there's any real connection here. The book is about bandits fighting the fascists at the tail end of the Spanish Civil War, and seemingly about the terrible destruction war causes, although it also encompasses a beautiful and tragic love story, with the man dying after fighting heroically and selflessly. So, not if there's any direct influence from the book. The title of the book is a quote from John Dunne, in a passage about death, and how someone dying should be a sadness to everyone, not just the people closest to the deceased (or summat). 'No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a premonitory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.' Again, not sure if this relates to the song, as JN seems to recount a very personal love song, so I guess she's just using similar imagery, the mournful sound of the bell. |
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| The Flaming Lips – Evil Will Prevail Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| I've just read Jim DeRagotis' book about the Lips, and person10101's comment more or less sums up how Wayne describes the meaning. Apparently this song was a key factor in Ronald Jones, who played guitar with the band at the time, leaving the band, as he perceived the message as a negative one, conflicting with his happy-clappy spiritual views. I think, although he was a wonderful guitarist and probably a lovely guy, that he missed the point. God only knows where the magic bullet and glowing mothership fit into all though... | |
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