| Why? – January Twenty Something Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| Even though it's just a generic answering machine / voice mail greeting, I always thought the first couple lines were lifted/re-imagined from the Silver Jews song 'Advice to the Graduate'. | |
| Superchunk – Hyper Enough Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| There's a great 42 minute breakdown of this song by some Chapel Hill DJs on 'The Laughter Guns EP'. | |
| Superchunk – Martinis On The Roof Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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I tried to transcribe this about 10 years and gave up because of the fool I would make of myself with the chorus. I always went back and forth between: Chivas at a hundred proof or Cheetos and a hundred proof Chivas makes sense with the 'single malt recruit' line, but it really sounds like Mac is saying Cheetos. And I don't think they make a Chivas that's 100 proof. |
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| Why? – Strawberries Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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The first verse sounds like a recollection of someone old you know, and something you always think about when you think about that person. Like what flavor Jell-o they like, or what they always had at their birthday 'party'. The 'shit I said...' line seems to be some form of embarrassment of saying something that you know that the above person would not approve of. Whether it be your tone, your language or what you're actually asking for. The rest of the first verse seems to be coming to grips with the death of someone you vaguely know but feel close to. I've done the whole 'waiting in the upstairs hallway at church to carry someone out to the hearse' thing, and it can leave you distraught, but you have to do it. Like, that casket is not making it down the church steps if you don't do it. Second verse seems to be about being (or not) comfortable in your own skin. The 'intern' part seems to imply that either it's just a temporary feeling or that you're not paid to deal with how you feel, you just cope. Third verse, I got nothing. It's funny though. The last little part just seems to be an earlier, younger incarnation of the hotel managers line. |
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| Why? – Paper Hearts Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I think Yoni has invented two new kinds of prose in this song: 1) The whole 'melon' and 'lemon' line. While they don't rhyme, they're anagrams. 2) The first time I heard (it was during the Yoni / Josiah solo tour before the album came out) the 'must have patience / accept no imitations / take no paper hearts and fucking hate carnations' I swore the line was 'must have inpatients....', which would work perfectly with the carnations line, but that would be too easy. Genius. |
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| Why? – Sod in the Seed Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| refurbished Mac G4 | |
| Smog – Back In School Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| by far my favorite smog song. | |
| Modest Mouse – Crazy Gnome Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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i was at the crazy gnome show (cleveland, late 1998) and actually recorded the show. i have no idea about the reason for the song but there are a few things i vividly remember about the show: - a lot of people at the show (not limited to the audience) were quite possibly on mind-altering substances. - there was this really short guy (gnome-esque in stature) walking around wearing a 4 foot artificial xmas tree on top of his head. isaac was staring at him quite a bit. - this was a very 'loose' show. they played another very long song (with the chorus of 'grandma told my mom that she's a whore') that never made it on to moon & antarctica. i don't think it was ever played again, but it was pretty awesome. |
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| Dinosaur Jr. – Water Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I've always assumed that 'water' is a metaphor to the drugs. The lines: By the shoreline, will you be fine? Or will it cover you? And when you taste it, will you embrace it? What will you let it do to you? especially hammer this point home. If you're in a situation where you're very close to the 'water', will you be ok? Will you become an addict? |
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| Modest Mouse – Karma's Payment Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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this is a bit of paraphrasing but i remember reading this from an interview (or possibly the lonesome crowded west press kit), but isaac mentioned a story regarding karma: - meeting some guy when isaac's car broke down and going back to this guy's house. they fixed his car and then this guy started talking about they were buds and isaac should really 'hang out' with him and his girlfriend since they're all good friends now. apparently, isaac got freaked out and left in a hurry. then he got punched (broken jaw?) in the face next the day out of the blue. - the 'car' verse seems to be pretty spot-on from the story he mentioned. |
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| Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Tom Justice, the Choir Boy Robber, Apprehended at Ace Hardware in Libertyville, IL Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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nearly factual telling of a bank robber being caught: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/05/10/MN181100.DTL |
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| Why? – This Blackest Purse Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| the last stanza of the first verse sounds a whole lot like 'pick fights'. | |
| Why? – Gemini (Birthday Song) Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| I always thought that the 'swallow a coal' line was in reference to being poisoned (suicide attempt or otherwise) and being administered activated charcoal to absorb all the toxins in your system. This is pretty standard procedure in hospitals. | |
| Barr – Context Ender Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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i think the ??? is 'you could take the child to an easier zone' |
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| Why? – Early Whitney Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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> and i face the punching bag, and do what i'm told lifted directly from another ohioan, guided by voices' 'do the earth'. |
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| Pavement – Passat Dream Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| it's about haggling over the price of a passat from a shady volkswagen dealership in NoCal, right? | |
| Pavement – Transport Is Arranged Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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for the longest time, i thought sm was singing 'the boys coach taught me to sing, he couldn't teach me to love'. for live shows, sm used to always changed the 'baltimore' line to be more regional. whether it be 'wooster', 'scranton' or 'champaign'. |
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