| Xiu Xiu – Guantanamo Canto Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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This song is, pretty clearly, a metaphorical explanation of Jamie's feelings after the break up of cLOUDDEAD. The lines "your suicide, his politics" clearly refer to Doseone's increased infatuation with political speech clashing with WHY?'s proclivity for the personal/suicidal. "meow meow meow meow" is the most explicit line in the song; Jamie is counterpointing the cLOUDDEAD motif of dead dogs, imploring them to simply change their perspective and the world will go from dead dogs to live kittens. Jamie uses the overarching allegory of Guantanamo Bay to great effect. His metaphor is almost too perfect, in the level it obscures his true meaning. The final line, however, gives it away; "and we say thanks to ease our shame" is a clear reference to the critical reception of Ten. It is even a slightly altered, direct quote from one of the better-known reviewers. Jamie Stewart has a public professional relationship with post-cLOUDDEAD WHY?, so this interpretation is substantiated by both the lyrical content and personal life of the performer. The death of cLOUDDEAD affected the independent music industry greatly an it is through the poetry of men like Jamie Stewart that we can watch them grappling and, hopefully, eventually coming to terms with this. |
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| Why? – Song of the Sad Assassin Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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@onechad: that is clearly the concrete basis for the song, but what makes it more is the implicit meanings, of which the metaphor of losing cLOUDDEAD is, to my mind, the most important. "the futile attempt at revivification (the bra-tourniquet bit) is Ten" "Oh ya um why is Ten raping Why's bones again?" I think you misunderstood: the "rape your hollow bones" is how he felt, not what the album was doing to him. |
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| Why? – A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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This song is a complex narrative in which Yoni is transported back in time to the days when cLOUDDEAD was passing away (the first line, I think we have all felt the power of rain to inspire memory and the Nosdam reference could hardly be more explicit) and from there he looks forward in time to when he released Oaklandazulasylum. The instrumentation and the initial line set up a mood of forlorn reminiscence which, in conjunction with the heavy use of antiquated Yoni-isms (the combined imagery of photographs, film, and idiosynchratic fashion, for instance) belie a thoroughly disappointed historical reverie. I think the final line of the verse is the most telling; "I only played chess once in my life and I lost" is clearly referring to his sole solo artist outing, and likening Oaklandazulasylum to chess is remarkably adept. The implicit elements of this song are a validation of what he was before and a disappointment with what he has become, starting with Oaklandazulasylum. This song exhibits Yoni's subconscious disgust with the direction he has taken since the disbursment of cLOUDDEAD |
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| Why? – Song of the Sad Assassin Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I know this song is pretty obvious but I'll add my two cents anyway. This is clearly Yoni coming to terms with the death of cLOUDDEAD; the resentment that was evident at the end of their run is the second stanza, the futile attempt at revivification (the bra-tourniquet bit) is Ten, and Billy the Kid is an allegorical representation of the group. "Three coins"? Obviously the three members Yoni, Adam, and David. The solitude is obviously due to the fat that the group is over. This song is about making sense of a personal tragedy, obviously, not the group itself. The reference to Fairmount Street is clearly reminiscent of the last line of Apt. A; "33 E. McMillan St. Apt." An apartment on McMillan St with a laundromat on fairmount. Sound familiar to anyone? |
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| Why? – Good Friday Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| it's "Singing elton on karaoke and forgetting all the verses" isn't it? | |
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