| The Kingsmen – Louie, Louie Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Away we go? Where did that come from? It's "we gotta go." Other than that, it looks alright. Good tune, and pretty straightforward lyrics once you figure out what they are. |
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| The Beatles – Maxwell's Silver Hammer Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I like a lot of what I've read. Now, I'll offer my twenty-two cents worth. First, nobody has mentioned that the first verse is clearly referring to an asylum, not a school. OK, maybe it's not that clear, but it seems that way to me. Joan was quizzical, which means either perplexed or mocking. I tend to think it means mocking. She has a very high opinion of her own self and her intellect, but what she is studying, in the "home" (a school would not be called a home), is contradictory. Pataphysics is a branch of metaphysics. This is a branch of philosophy, not science. Pataphysical science is an oxymoron. If you believe philosophy to be science, you will likely be considered crazy (look up Robert Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and read about what happened before he had electroshock therapy). So Joan was driving herself crazy, chasing after something that was contradictory and nonexistent. Meanwhile, she mocked those who didn't understand. As such, Maxwell considered her to be oppressive. Really, this song, as has been mentioned, is about Maxwell "taking out" (get it? can I "take you out"), those things which are controlling or oppressive. But it is a metaphor. It is likely that there is a relationship between the pope legend and this song. The hammer is not just to kill, but also to make sure it is not just sleeping. So Joan represents ultra-academics who basically tilt a windmills and consider those within pop art to be inferior. Maxwell joyfully takes out the oppression. This is not murder, because it is a metaphor, so Joan is not a person, but an institution. Oh, and this taking-out of oppression is a way to heal society. This is why Maxwell is "majoring in medicine." He considers himself a doctor, a healer. The hammer is both medicine to take out the oppression, and a tool to confirm that the oppression is gone. Next verse. I'm a teacher. When students "play the fool," it is usually for one of two reasons. 1) They are starved for attention. 2) They want to slow the pace down because they are not getting it. It is a teacher's job to make sure the student "gets it." This teacher, a metaphor for education in general (or perhaps social programs in general), instead of slowing down for Maxwell, punishes him, thus turning her back on him. Again, this keeps him down, or oppresses him. Last verse. Same idea, but instead of being the part of government that provides services, this is the part that enforces. It is also an area, in some minds, of conservative fuddy-duddies who are unwilling to accept the change that Maxwell is trying to bring about. They represent a sick man who refuses to admit he needs a doctor. Rose and Valerie? They are those who are supportive of Maxwell's cause. This may be a stretch, but Rose is a flower -- flower-children and other hippies would have supported the removal of oppression. Valerie (related to valor) means bravery and courage. Those who are brave often try to help those who are not. They may well also support Maxwell's efforts to remove oppression. So again, this song is not about murder at all. It is a cheerful metaphor about a man who tries to heal society by removing that which is oppressive. And naturally, he meets opposition from the more conservative elements of society, but he endures, ensuring that the job is completed. |
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