| Coldplay – Cemeteries of London Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I think that earthenvessel and LittleSkyLark are probably both right. LittleSkyLark offers some historical information that I think probably inspired the song. I think Earthenvessel is spot on with the actual deeper meaning of the song though. I think the knowledge of the history of the Thames serves to connect the universal spiritual struggling Coldplay is describing not only across geographical boundaries (ghost towns in the ocean), but also through time (to when the Thames was a place of death and suicide). | |
| Conor Oberst – Cabbage Town Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Hmm.. I'm a little hesitant to post my opinion, because it seems like there are some real jerks posting on this song... Anywho... My interpretation is that two old friends have kind of divergent life paths... one of them is into (dealing, I think) LSD, the other seems to be a cop? (Flash that badge)... The cop has a history with the dealer/still has romantic feelings for her, and would like to get together with her, both because he likes her, and because he wants to help her out (I think the "love you like the New South" is also a reference to this... given the reformative connotation of "New South"). I really like the part that starts with "Oh, on the day that I flash that badge..." and ending with "someone's got to steer this ship." |
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| The Killers – This River Is Wild Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I didn't actually read through all 90 something comments, so I apologize if my analysis is redundant (heh, but hey! if I'm number 91 no one will probably read mine either! :-P) Anywho, I think this, like other Killers songs, could be about growing up in a small town (Sam's Town, even?)... There is definitely the circu motif thrown in there, and I think that whoever said the man in red is the ringleader could be right. I think the circus might represent more worldly folk, entertainers... I think this kid is struggling growing up in a small town when he has more potential. Having grown up in a small town myself, I know what it feels like to feel like you just don't fit in with anyone... like you wouldn't be satisfied staying in this small town like everyone else seems to be. I think the worldly man in red is telling the kid to hurry up and get out of this town and see the world/make something of himself, before he wrecks it with the destructive habits of bored suburban/rural kids (lots of drugs, drinking, stupid things...) But I think he's also saying, watch out because once you get into the big world it's not as sheltered ("It's a long way down"), and that he needs to be careful, hold his head up high to not be swallowed up by the big river (real world). This kind of goes along with the chorus: Run for the hills before they burn. Listen to the sound of the world, don't watch it turn. But shake a little... etc. Also, "I could stay here all night and watch the clouds fall from the sky. Well this river is wild. This river is wild." He could stay in the small town and watch life pass him by, or he could take the chance in the wild river... he's not sure. The little segment about Adam? Well, it could be an example of someone who stuck around the small town. He's still living with his mom, doing drugs, and his mom is trying to reform him. He hangs out with another dead-end character - the hippie in the park - and tries to hit on the young girls "little girl play." You all know that creepy guy who's like in his late 20s but still hangs around his old high school hitting on the girls? Yeah.... |
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| Gemma Hayes – This Is What You Do Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| This song seems pretty straightforward... she's all out of sorts over a guy... but then the last part ("Come on smile") really throws me off... any ideas? | |
| Death Cab for Cutie – Talking Bird Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I agree that this is a relationship where the singer wants his girlfriend to know that she is free to stay or go... but that doesn't really explain the first stanza. I think there might be a little more to it... I almost feel like this girl falls into a pattern of bad relationships: "though you know so few words" - all you know is these bad choices/relationships, "they're on infinite repeat" - she keeps up with the same pattern, "like your brain can't keep up with your beak" - the decisions she's making aren't very smart... This also kind of makes sense with the second to last stanza, where he talks about her "feathers are tattered and furled"... kind of makes her sound a bit broken, but that he loves her anyway, and he would like to offer her a relationship where she would be loved and protected, treated right... but that she needs to choose that herself. |
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| Leonard Cohen – Stories of the Street Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Definitely seems to be about the Cuban revolution, and Leonad's disillusionment...(I'm not a history buff, here, so forgive me if I don't have the details of the Cuban revolution 100% accurate...). "The Cadillacs go creeping now through the night and the poison gas" -- basically the "haves" driving in nice cars through the neighborhoods of the "have-nots" that are filled with poison gas, in ruins etc. The disillusionment part is I think best expressed by "All these hunters who are shrieking now oh do they speak for us?" The revolutionary side of the war made a lot of claims about bettering the lives of the common man... whether or not they succeeded I suppose depends on your political philosophies... but Leonard seems to be questioning if the revolutionaries are truly advocates of the people, or if they are using public sentiment to gain political/military power. The next stanza to the end(starting "And where do all these highways go...") seems to be in the aftermath of the war... kind of a where do we go now? Are we really better off? Both sides want to hear fairy tales of how things are going to get better now, but are they really? |
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| Conor Oberst – Slowly (Oh So Slowly) Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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The first couple of stanzas seem to be about the pressure of having a lot of potential... when you're a genius like Conor, there is a lot of pressure to create something amazing..."potential is a horrible thing to waste and all that." Well he responds by wasting it, and trying not to think of all the things that he needs to live up to. He is passing is life this way and he feels it slowly ending. I think the dementia stanza might be about the relief of losing touch with reality (kind of a twist on the way the disease is usually looked at)... for now he tries to find a place to go where he doesn't have to think or do anything, just "let his shadow grow." He's thinking back on the time he's wasted and hopes "someday he can get it back." In the last stanza about the train, he is departing (by train, apparently) into the afterlife and he is trying to wave at the people he's leaving behind (in this analogy on the train station platform)... but no one knows who he is. He hasn't left any imprint on the world... ::shrugs:: just my thoughts |
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| Dream Theater – Goodnight Kiss Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I actually don't think a "birth" persay is involved in this song at all...I assumed that at first, but now that I look at the lyrics, the only thing that suggests that a birth is involved is that the mother calls her "baby," which could just kind of be an affectionate name. How I see it is that the mom was taken away because she has some sort of mental illness (maybe locked up in a mental health facility). She's been away from her daughter for 5 years and is thinking about the last time she saw her (when she was tucking her into bed), wondering how she's doing, and generally missing her. The only part that doesn't fit in is the "tainted blood"... if she was physically ill (with cancer or AIDs), why would she not be able to see her daughter? Perhaps "tainted blood" is more of a feeling that she is "tainted" as a whole, either because of her mental illness or because of the things she's done as a result of said mental illness. |
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| Bright Eyes – Coat Check Dream Song Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Miki-Kiwa - Regarding the line "I slept with that dealer all summer..." I don't think the woman he slept with was actually a dealer of ecstasy or simply referencing the good sex -- rather, I think that the play on words implies that the relationship they had was like an addiction...it could either mean that their relationship was really intense like an addiction...or...that she really meant nothing to him but a dispenser of sex... As for the rest of the song, I really have no idea what to make of it...it seems like a lot of disjointed thoughts. I think it's a stretch to say that it's really super focused on anything but maybe more of a rumination on different things (personal, societal, spiritual/mystical...)...a dream song, if you will :-P |
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| The Academy Is... – Chop Chop Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I agree that "Chop chop" means hurry up -- but I would argue that it more refers to the girl who, as was mentioned before is selfish and demanding. Chop chop! She's got him on his toes, trying to meet her demands. PS. Any insight on the second half of the first verse ("You felt the sun...")??? |
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| Doves – Caught By The River Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I agree that this song is an encouragement to someone struggling... I kind of envision someone young who is becoming frustrated with all of his efforts failing and is starting to give up hope in general... The first verse, (1st couple of stanzas...) kind of sets the stage...the subject of the song is "coming undone" because life has been rough for him of late, and he's been struggling. The last line "Cause you're not in control no more" leads into the first chorus which is essentially saying: you need to let go of all the things in your past/present that are haunting you and that you're trying to control. No matter how hard you try, you can't control life. Sometimes the best thing you can do is "give it all away," take things from what they are, and let them go -- lessening their control over you. The second verse talks about kind of similar things, I suppose. The subject learned a hard lesson -- something bad happened to him that is causing him to lose his innocent "love and hope." The narrator is saying: don't give up that innocent love and hope! Don't let the things in life force you to give up your dreams and pure love/heart. The second chorus is saying in this context: by becoming jaded you "give it all away" - this time "it" means your hopeful and loving heart...turning you into a cold and calloused person. I think the last verse is the narrator inviting the subject to look at the world from a more removed and relaxed perspective...seeing how "so many people" have their hardships and their struggles, but that the beauty in life still remains and can be bigger than a specific struggle if you take a step back. Haha sorry for such a long interpretation...I guess I got into this one! Good song :) PS. I think the river represents the world or life or however you want to phrase it. It just keeps going, unaware and uncaring of you jumping in it. |
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| Damien Rice – Animals Were Gone Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I could be totally off-base on this, but I was listening to this song today on the bus and wondering...is it possible that the girl he's singing about in this song is the "other woman" he's singing to in Accidental Babies? There is the reference to Accidental Babies in there, and he also says, "but I'm glad we broke the rules"...which could mean that he doesn't regret the relationships he had to give up/ people he had to hurt to be with this woman, even though it seems it didn't turn out well? I don't know. Also, ktsx, the end of the song super-reminds me of a Frank Sinatra song (actually, it probably sounds like a lot of songs from that era). I'm not sure which one it is, though I can hum it hahaha. Maybe that will help? I know how annoying it is to know a tune from somewhere and not be able to figure it out :-P |
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| Jon Mclaughlin – Amelia's Missing Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Amelia (Earheart), CrazyHorse, and (Jimmy) Hoffa are all historical figures who disappeared. Amelia Earheart was a famous female pilot who, in an attempt to fly around the world, disappeared somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. Crazy Horse was a Native American chief, and although I don't think he disappeared, there's a lot of controversy over how he died. Jimmy Hoffa was a teamster's union leader who disappeared. I don't think knowledge of the historical figures adds too much meaning to the song though -- he's trying to find someone to who love/loves him (and is frustrated/overwhelmed at the idea of doing so) |
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