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Morcheeba – Gained the World Feat. Manda Lyrics 13 years ago
I heard I lost it
On the grapevine


i believe "it" here refers to innocence, which i'll explain later
whatever she's lost, it's been gossiped about, when losing something important ought to have been a private moment

I must admit
I had a great time


the fact that she's "admit[ting]" she had a great time seems to imply that either she didn't actually have a good time, or she thinks that having a great time is somehow wrong--i believe it's the latter, as the next lyrics will explain

There are words for people like me
But I don't think there's very many


we're not sure at this point what the implications of "los[ing] it" are, but the fact that she's said that there aren't many words for people like her suggests that her reaction is strange or odd

[Chorus] I've gained the world and lost my soul

the faith that she formerly held to is gone, but she's gained knowledge of the world--this is the lyric that leads me to believe she's talking about losing her innocence

Maybe it's 'cause I'm getting old

childlike innocence is gone

All the people that I know
Have gained the world then lost their souls


this is a widespread phenomena
[End Chorus]

There's no persuasion that I'm into

she denies any attempts to manipulate her

I've made some sense of what we've been through

she's had to think about it, but in the end it makes sense

We should form a new foundation
If we could find the right location


the bulwark of innocence or faith is gone, but she believes that it's possible to rebuild, although "find[ing] the right location" may be difficult

Is it prey
On display
I'm feeling well


despite the questioning she thinks others would have ("is it prey / on display") she's "feeling well" about where she ended up

[Chorus x2]

(SORRY FOR THE MULTIPLE COMMENTS. Some of my formatting was off, and this site doesn't allow previews. Ugh.)

submissions
Morcheeba – Gained the World Feat. Manda Lyrics 13 years ago
I heard I lost it
On the grapevine


i believe "it" here refers to innocence, which i'll explain later
whatever she's lost, it's been gossiped about, when losing something important ought to have been a private moment

I must admit
I had a great time


the fact that she's "admit[ting]" she had a great time seems to imply that either she didn't actually have a good time, or she thinks that having a great time is somehow wrong

submissions
Morcheeba – Gained the World Feat. Manda Lyrics 13 years ago
I heard I lost it
On the grapevine


i believe "it" here refers to innocence, which i'll explain later
whatever she's lost, it's been gossiped about, when losing something important ought to have been a private moment

I must admit
I had a great time


the fact that she's "admit[ting]" she had a great time seems to imply that either she didn't actually have a good time, or she thinks that having a great time is somehow wrong

submissions
Josh Ritter – Rumors Lyrics 13 years ago
Serenade me with rocks, love

serenades are typically sweet and soft, but the narrator would rather have rocks-- rocks symbolizing the truth, maybe, or being stoned to death

No lullabies through the locks, love

lullabies are sung sweetly and softly, like a mother crooning to her child, but again, the narrator is shutting 'love' out (could also be a reference to locks of hair, as when holding someone smaller close)

I locked myself in with the band

again, shutting everything else out

But the music's never loud enough

he can't drown out the truth, or/and he can't get the beat to the dance (turning the volume up so people can feel the beat is done for dancing, especially difficult dances)



Decibels in the belfry

reference to 'bats in the belfry' ( http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/bats-in-the-belfry.html ) and of course 'decibels' is a term for how loud something is—being able to hear something from the top of a church tower

Hey what the hell if it helps me

i'd go crazy if it would help

I put a whip to the kick drum

i'd rather destroy the implements of music than have to continue on like this

But the music's never loud enough

see above


Chorus: So you're gonna have to show me

the narrator is admitting he can't do this on his own

How that dance is done

dances are typically performed with partners, but...

The one where somebody leaves someone

this particular 'dance' is supposed to be done alone, and the narrator doesn't understand it or know it well enough to perform it



My orchestra is gigantic

the larger the orchestra, the more difficult it is for them to play together and/or play quietly

This thing could sink the Titanic

iceberg/Titanic reference: Titanic was referred to as unsinkable until something unexpected happened (the iceberg) and then the structure of the Titanic contributed to its own downfall

this line could be referencing the size of the orchestra, and probably is, but it could also have a double-meaning, which seems likely: the impact of the relationship's ending was something unexpected, cold, and quite possibly abetted by the structure of the individuals

in addition, the relationship ending is compared to a large scale tragedy

And the string section's screaming

a la Psycho, where just the soundtrack is enough to explain that something awful has happened

Like horses in a barn burning up

the listeners don't really need this horrific image, but it adds to the tragedy: a horse's scream is gutteral and very, very sad

He plays pianos with fistfuls

at this point in time, the narrator shifts to third person—possibly trying to distance himself, or a sign that the narrator has shifted because the original narrator is incapable of describing these events

Of broken Belvedere crystal

Belvedere is a pattern used in antique dinnerware, generally heirlooms which can be emotionally significant—the narrator's implying that this ending is worse than destroying a precious heirloom, or at least equivalent

the two lines taken together seem to show that 'he' is so distraught that even though the crystal would be cutting his hands, and you can't play piano properly with fists (dissonant chords, not really musical), it doesn't matter because all that 'he' wants is to play loud enough to forget what happened or at least stop thinking about it, which is exactly what the next two lines indicate:

And he's trying to forget you
But the music's never loud enough


[chorus]

He's impaling the front row

the sound is so dramatic that it's traumatic

Fighting fires with arrows

fire—desire? love? or tragedy?
arrows—Cupid's arrow? or murder weapon?

the ambiguity in this line is what's most prominent: you can't fight literal fires with arrows, so what is he trying to destroy?

And he'll act like he forgot you

'he' will act like it, which obviously means it isn't true—people don't have to pretend that they feel something if it's the truth

But the music's never loud enough

'he' can't forget, all of his old coping mechanisms aren't working

[chorus]

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Beautiful Small Machines – Simple Joys Lyrics 14 years ago
it's not With the hands of my key design it's With the hands of Marquis de Sade.

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Dragonette – My Things Lyrics 14 years ago
Thank you!

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Sleigh Bells – Rill Rill Lyrics 14 years ago
Maybe the "see you on the moon then" is about "shoot the moon" in Hearts?

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Dragonette – Volcano Lyrics 15 years ago
Thanks, fixed!

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OK Go – Shooting The Moon Lyrics 15 years ago
It should be "soldier", not "solider."

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Dragonette – Gone Too Far Lyrics 15 years ago
Thanks, fixed!

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The XX – Shelter Lyrics 16 years ago
This is one of my favorite songs from the xx. I think the meanings are pretty obvious.
First verse: I take refuge in my emotions for you.
Chorus: If I did something wrong, can I fix it without being in bed with you?
2nd verse: My memories of you are crystal clear; I don't know how to be without you.
3rd verse: I would do anything for you, and I wish you could see that.

(Side note: My favorite remix is the Death To The Throne remix. I think it really pushes the song to another level.)

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Buck 65 – Bandits Lyrics 17 years ago
I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what this song means and I admit it's eluded me.

But it sounds incredible.

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Kaiser Chiefs – Oh My God Lyrics 17 years ago
I feel like this song is about falling in love with someone new. None of it makes sense and you're totally confused but you can't help falling for 'em.

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Candy Butchers – Hang On Mike Lyrics 17 years ago
I relate this song to my experience with depression, and having a significant other who's depressed. For whatever reason when he's sad I can usually cheer him up, and vice versa.

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The Ark – 2000 Light-Years of Darkness Lyrics 18 years ago
I would've thought it was a song about romantic soulmates, but the "father and son" thing trips me up.

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