| The Replacements – Here Comes A Regular Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I'm a regular, to the point that this might a well be my theme song. We have one bar in our town, and any time I walk in, the bartender has my Jameson ready. Every time, it's all the same folks, with no good jobs, no prospects, and no real hope. So we drink, and it makes life tolerable, until something better comes. Here's to small town America, may you never last. |
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| Leonard Cohen – The Future Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I'm unusually fascinated by this song. It's definitely one of Cohen's best, and one of his most complex, and that's saying something. I don't think that there's just one theme here. The verse that stands out to me, my favorite, is the second: You don't know me from the wind you never will, you never did I'm the little Jew who wrote the Bible I've seen the nations rise and fall I've heard their stories, heard them all but love's the only engine of survival He could, of course, be referring to "the line of Aaron," when he says that he's "the little Jew who wrote the Bible," but I doubt it. What this verse seems to be talking about is the Wandering Jew, who lived forever, lost and outcast. From that perspective, most of the song makes sense, considering that you have this ancient, lonely, mad, and cynical creature taking a look at the world today. It would also explain the contrast between the dark subject matter and the upbeat music and the almost amused, sneering tone in Mr. Cohen's voice, which I can best describe as Mephistopheles as a singer. As for the little Jew who wrote the Bible, he could be referring to the fact that Christianity was pretty much a cult within Judaism when it started of. Plus, he's already mentioned St. Paul, who I've heard "compiled" the Bible, and who started off, of course, as Jewish, both ethnically and religion-wise. Other than that, I think that one of the big criticisms is the modern lifestyle that came out of the Sixties, with drugs, random sex, an almost casual attitude towards abortions, and even the sort-of arrogant posing of artsy kids, trying to sound like Charlie Manson, a decidedly negative figure, but has become a sort of odd icon in the counterculture. And through it all, you have rich, white men running things into the ground, dancing as the world burns. I don't pretend to know what the real meaning of the song is, but that's what it says to me. |
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| Warren Zevon – Splendid Isolation Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I don't think this is at all like the previous poster said, nor is it a "People are pains in the ass, go away." I'd say the song is about being unable to cope with life, so you lock yourself away and bury yourself in fantasy (Michael Jackson), or art, Georgia O'Keeffe. If it was written for a girlfriend, for example, why would you put tinfoil over the windows, or live in the desert? Without some sort of Neuroses, it's very easy to live by yourself in civilization, without completely isolating yourself in the manner of schizoids, avoidants, and addicts. With how troubled Mr. Zevon supposedly was, it's very simple to see how this song could be about addiction, self-loathing, and inability to cope. |
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| Pixies – Tony's Theme Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| My impression is that Tony is a little kid riding around on his bike pretending that he's Ghost Rider or some shit. Didn't you guys ever play superhero when you were kids? Yeah, you have to do your chores, go to school, all that, but that's just your secret identity. After you do that, baddies beware, Tony the Bicycle Riding Crazy Dude is back on the road. | |
| Neutral Milk Hotel – Holland, 1945 Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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What I find most striking about Holland, 1945 is the contrast of incredibly dark lyrics and the upbeat, almost triumphant music. As many people have said, this song's about Anne Frank, but I think it's also a condemnation of anti-semites and holocaust deniers. But then they buried her alive One evening, 1945 With just her sister at her side And only weeks before the guns All came and rained on everyone These is a clear reference to Frank, who died only weeks before the British liberated Belsen. But now we must pick up every piece Of the life we used to love Just to keep ourselves At least enough to carry on This is of course about the post-war healing process. The whole worlds gone up in flames, but we have to survive, despite the terrible tragedy we've endured. And it's so sad to see the world agree That they'd rather see their faces fill with flies All when I'd want to keep white roses in their eyes Right here is the point of the song. Everything up to that point has been a tour, a demonstration of the horrors visited upon the Jews, from their perspective, and this is the conclusion, directed at those who still think they deserved it. I could be biased, as I've known some people who were quite anti-semitic, and I've wanted to emotionally bitch-slap them like this, but that's what I read into the song. |
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| Nine Inch Nails – Hurt Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Now, this is just my opinion. This is a song that could mean different things to people exhibiting any number of self-destructive behaviour. Perhaps that's why it's such a brilliant song, because anyone who's lost hope and hurt themselves (through self-mutilation, drugs, alcohol, etc.) can understand. From my standpoint, that of an ex-cutter who still lapses every now and then, this song is as through someone is plucking thoughts from my head when I'm at my lowest. The extreme hopelessness that I feel, the fact that I know that I'm going to fuck up and hurt someone that I love, the doubt that I can genuinely love and that it's a mere simulacrum of the real thing, these are the themes that I see in the song. My point is, it's not just about self-mutilation, suicide, or drugs. It's about the feelings, the emotions, that lead you to those actions. |
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| David Bowie – Life on Mars? Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I don't think this song has one particular meaning. It strikes me that this is a song that is supposed to have different meanings to each listener. The socialist sees a correlation with the revolution, and I see a world-weary, resigned comment on the state of the world. I think the theatre is representative of our flight into escapism. Our society places extreme emphasis in the workaday, mundane existence of a drone in a colony. Such a boring existence would drive us mad, were it not for television, film, music, and the other ways in which we amuse ourselves, and take our minds off of things. However, for some, this petty distraction bores them, and they seek a greater escape. They long for adventure, or peace, or a better society, and they imagine. In the song, the girl, and the character from the second verse wonder about other worlds, and what it would be like on them. It's escapism of a higher sort. The girl is an everygirl, of a sort. The ambiguity regarding her circumstances, who her friend is, what she's fighting with her parents about, all seem to say that she's meant to represent all those who flee from their problems in film, literature, or music. However, due to her youth and inexperience, she considers her parents' disapproval, and her friend not being around to be Earth-shattering issues, and escapes into the theatre. The chorus is the film that they're watching. The protagonists of the film, the violent sailors and the brutal cop, would be heralded as heroes (I believe that this song was written before the "Anti-Hero" was a popular film character). Yet, these heroes, that would be played as heroes by their actors, still display barbaric, violent behavior. James Bond is cavalier, almost sociopathic, in his murder of countless enemies, as are other action heroes of the day. The fantasy world that they escape into is worse than the regular one, but it's still somewhat exciting, so people go back. The second verse is from an obviously older, more world-weary character than the girl. Unlike the girl, who's concept of the world's problems extends about as far as arms length, he has a much more developed world view. He sees art dying, as corporations squeeze one character, concept, or plot for all it's worth, and denying original artists a chance to succeed. He sees would-be leaders trying to stir up revolution. He likens man to a horde of mice, trying to survive and grab what cheese they can without consideration paid to dignity or human rights. Patriotism is cashed-in and old, and greeted with cynicism (Rule Britannia! is an old British patriotic song). And so he escapes into film, the industry which he loves, and pays his bills as a screenwriter, but the film is the same old crap that he's hired by the studios to put out; formulaic, mindless garbage that appeases the masses but does nothing for him artistically. He knows that his next product will be the same old tripe, and, with resignation, presents the film to the audience, knowing that he'll never create something truly original. These characters are dissatisfied with their lives, but takes no pleasure from the cookie cutter, violent worlds presented to them, so they let their imaginations wander. Is there life on Mars? |
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| David Bowie – Starman Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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My theory: I think this represents Bowie's first experience with rock music. He was quoted once as saying that the first time he heard Little Richard's Tutti Frutti, "he had heard God." I think this is about that experience. It's also about the schism that music causes between two generations. It's a well known fact that the previous generation will never fully accept the latter's music, and the later generation will always rebel against the morals of the previous. Music represents this better than any other medium. The song references this with "Let all the children boogie" and "Don't tell your poppa or he lock us up in fright." |
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