| Leonard Cohen – Joan of Arc Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| This is a dialog between Joan of Arc, the virgin warrior of Orléans, and her only "lover", which was the fire that consumed her as she was burned at the stake for heresy in 1431. Joan tells us that she would rather have an ordinary job (she was part of a relief army) and wear a white wedding dress (one of the charges against her was that she dressed as a man, and she never married before she died at age 19). When she finally becomes the fire's bride, she accepts her role as a martyr, which underlines her commitment to the cause for which she died. In the final verse, Cohen ("I") states that he longs for love and light, but is scared of the all-consuming flames of love. | |
| Leonard Cohen – First We Take Manhattan Lyrics | 8 years ago |
| @[Peter_Helby:23292] Thank you, Denmark! And thanks for the thorough explanation of Manhattan/Berlin, which is indeed very interesting! | |
| John Prine – Illegal Smile Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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La vida es sueño..... Well, this song can be interpreted any way you like, but JP never wrote it as a drug song. I know because I share his ideas about "escapism." I often drift into one of many other worlds where I find peace of mind, action, love, or whatever it is I need at the moment - and you can see me with an illegal smile. My gf goes like, "What are you smiling at." And it's an illegal smile because the world is a prett sh*tty place sometimes and I guess you shouldn't smile when the six o'clock news (see, I made a JP reference...) tells of disasters and murders across the globe. But, by any means, smoke your socks and sing this song if it makes you happy. |
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| John Prine – All The Best Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| Been there, been done that to. ;) | |
| John Prine – Six O'Clock News Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I love this tragic story of a boy who finds out the secret of who his father is and winds up killing himself. And then you have his lonely, love-seeking mother.... pure hurt. Now, imagine that the person telling this story (narrator, if you wish) is Wanda - speaking of herself in the third person. Spine-chilling.... |
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| Leonard Cohen – First We Take Manhattan Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Well, I thought a lot about the meaning of this song, and my conclusion is it has very little to do with terrorism, unless you call the music of Britney Spears and her kind terrorism (and I must admit I'm inclined to). To me this is a song about a guy who's realized he can't run from his destiny, and his true calling is music and poetry: "They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom For trying to change the system from within" Singer/songwriter ignored by the know-it-alls. Could even be he's talking about Bob Dylan or probably himself. "I'm coming now I'm coming to reward them First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin" He's back, he's better, and he's ready now (which he also states later on in the song). "I'm guided by a signal in the heavens I'm guided by this birthmark on my skin" It's his destiny. He was born into this world to change it through his art. "I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin" Music is his weapon. Today his country, tomorrow the world! "I'd really like to live beside you, baby I love your body and your spirit and your clothes But you see that line there moving through the station? I told you I told you I told you I was one of those" He'd like to settle down, but life on the road is his way. He doesn't have the mind of a settler, husband, whatever. "You loved me as a loser But now you're worried that I just might win You know the way to stop me But you don't have the discipline" He's starting to get recognized. She knows that this means he'll be on the road even more often, and it's easy to stop him by giving him an ultimatum, but she feels it's not right. "How many nights I prayed for this: to let my work begin First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin" He's practiced, he knows what people want, he knows what he wants, and so it all begins. Finally the masses will hear his message. "I don't like your fashion business, mister And I don't like these drugs that keep you thin I don't like what happened to your system First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin" He doesn't care much for the pop industry where image is everything. "And thank you for those items that you sent me The monkey and the plywood violin" From "mere" poetry to song lyrics/music. He has certainly developed a lot. "I practiced every night and now I'm ready First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin" As said before, he's ready to spread the word. "Remember me, I used to live for music Remember me, I brought your groceries in" He tried to be a regular man in the street, but it's not his way. He used to live in his own little musical world, and now he's come out into the real one. "It's Father's Day and everybody's wounded First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin" He'd like to stay at home, but it's really not his way. He has to follow his calling. Well, there you have it - my interpretation of this excellent song. I apologize if my thoughts are hard to follow sometimes, but after all I am Norwegian. ;) |
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