| Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Southern Cross Lyrics | 17 years ago |
|
I think it’s a love song/breakup song, written from the perspective of a man of the sea. He has left town on a boat, probably for work-related trip. He is on the way to Southern Islands, possibly in Fiji, and sailing a particularly long stretch. He stopped on the way to call his woman, but couldn’t reach her. Later, he is up late during a midnight watch thinking about her, and for the first time he realizes why she has given up on their relationship before. He has made many mistakes along the way, and they have struggled through their relationship. It might even have something to do with him being gone so much (either as a man of the sea or even a touring musician). Now, he realizes that something is pulling him away from her and it’s time for him to move on. He is telling her that they had something special that won’t be forgotten, but he is feeling a higher calling (perhaps god?), pulling him towards a new path and telling him he’s not with the right woman. He has been waiting and looking for the one special woman who will believe in him through the bad times, and he feels like she is close. The Southern Cross is a constellation that can be seen from the southern hemisphere. He is going to look to the stars for the answer, and hopes that he will soon understand why fate has led him on this path. The Southern Cross may even refer to the person that he is hoping to soon see. He has been trying to deny that his previous relationship was not working for him, but now realizes that the future ahead of him will be worth letting go of what were once his dreams. He is either saying that he will always love the woman he is leaving, or he is saying that he feels bound by the connection to this new woman (? some sources say that soul mates are connected by a silver chord of energy). He is leaving for something new, and all he has is his ship and music to lead the way. Or a ship named Music. Or the ship and voyage are simply metaphors for music itself, his favorite escape. He sums up the relationship he is leaving by talking about how they always seemed to fail when things got hard, and seems to conclude that their love just doesn’t have what it takes to make it. He is assuring her that she will get over being dumped, and he will find love again. Somebody new is just around the corner, and he will finally find the love he’s been searching for. |
|
| Alison Krauss – Restless Lyrics | 17 years ago |
|
It’s about a couple who are separated by distance and are admitting that they sometimes get “restless” (ie, horny). It reminds me of the life of a musician who is on the road a lot. "I just can't stand being alone. I'm going to have to change that some day."- She doesn't like to be alone for long, and possibly tends to take lovers along the way to fill up the emptiness. She recognizes this as a fault, but admits that it's the way she is, and maybe one day she will figure out how to change. She is saying that they both occasionally surrender to temptation, but it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other. It’s almost like they have an open relationship, yet they are both discreet about it. They don’t want to know what each other does when they can’t be together. All that matters is what they have between them. |
|
| Matt Nathanson – Come On Get Higher Lyrics | 17 years ago |
|
Matt Nathanson says the album is about intimacy. This song’s about wanting to be with someone and, basically, have lots of sex with them. “Hold me down hard, loosen my lips” – He wants her to literally hold him down hard and kiss him. And he could also mean he wants her to push him to open up to her. It could be a reference to the idea that most men need sexual intimacy to really experience emotional intimacy with a woman. He’ll talk more if she holds him down hard. The swing of her hips is going to get farther than any words she might say. “and I ache to remember all the violent, sweet, perfect words that you said.” – He’s trying to remember a conversation that they had. Maybe she blew him away during their first conversations, and he wishes he remembers all the sweet things that she said. All he remembers is that it was “violent,” in that it had such an extreme impact that she changed life as he knew it. I think he’s making references to tantric sex all through the song: “You breathe out and I breathe in” – Shared breathing is a common exercise in tantric sex. ”Get higher”- Reference to spirituality. “Faith and desire”- Combining the ideas of spirituality and sexuality. “I see angels and devils and god when you come… (on).” This is a reference to the tantric concept of a union between god and man during sexual climax. “…when you come….on…..Hold on….hold on….hold on….ahhhhhhh.” This is a reference to an attempt at simultaneous orgasm, a common goal of practitioners of tantric sex. “Ahhhhhhh….. Sing ‘sha la la la.’” Post-orgasmic bliss. |
|
| Matt Nathanson – Car Crash Lyrics | 17 years ago |
|
I think it’s definitely about a man who is out of touch with his emotions and wants to change. I think most of the interpretations here are good. I’ve read an interview where Matt said this entire album relates to learning about intimacy, so I tend to filter most of the songs that way. He’s in a new relationship where he feels alive again for the first time in a while. He’s hoping that it’s as good as it seems, and he’s playing with the use of the word “falling” from the phrase “falling in love,” suggesting its risk. But he does not want to play it safe this time. He wants to experience everything associated with love. He wants to go all-in this time. If he gets hurt, he wants to feel every minute of it. He’s tired of not feeling the full range of his emotions. He wants to feel a sense that if he just lets go, he is going to be ok. He is inviting the other person to push him to be close. When he pulls away, just keep pushing until he has no choice but to let go and fly. At this point, he can shed all of the chains around his heart. Then he will feel free and finally, open wide. |
|
| Gomez – How We Operate Lyrics | 17 years ago |
|
I agree with everything Missjen said. It’s about unconditional love and intimacy. It’s about loving somebody, warts and all, and asking them to do the same. It’s almost impossible to spend a lot of time with anyone and not hurt each other in a major way at some point. It’s about learning how to let go of the “bad” and focus on the positive. As Missjen said, it’s about CHOOSING to be happy and bask in the joy of a relationship rather than sulking over its failures. I agree with Missjen that they have reached some sort of crossroads in the relationship. It may not be about him being “untrue,” but perhaps she is pointing out some way he has hurt her, and when he says “You’re true. You are,” he is saying, “You’re right. I screwed up. There’s pretty much no apology that will undo it, but if it helps, I will spend all night telling you where I was coming from and listening to you do the same.” Most of us who have been in a long relationship (friendship, romance, or sometimes even family) knows that sometimes a HUGE problem, the kind that almost breaks you up, can sometimes make you stronger than you ever were. It forces you to put everything on the table and finally sort through all the little problems that have been adding up. In the bridge, he says “All these little deals go down, with little consequences we share.” The “little deals” could refer to either compromise or betrayals. Both parties in a relationship share the benefits and burdens of compromise. And both suffer the consequences of betrayals. Either way, they’re in it together. The line he adds to the final chorus says it all: “And I’m going to love you anyway.” It’s also a great motto for getting along with all people. You try to see things my way. I’ll try to see things your way. And I’m going to love you anyway. |
|
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.