| Bright Eyes – Bowl of Oranges Lyrics | 5 months ago |
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@[Fadingreflection:54159] It's been 23 years, so I doubt you'll see this reply, but I wonder if anything about this song has changed for you. I like your take on it, although I see it a little differently. I think we have a narrator who is bipolar and the beginning of the song marks coming down from one extreme and heading into another — mania. So he awakes in a fit of optimism, and as the song progresses, it intersects with realism, and those combine to become hope. When someone willingly acknowledges that they'll keep working on an unsolvable problem with a partner, that represents the hope of discovering a microcosm of beautiful balance within a macrocosm of disarray. I think the overall message, within that moment, is "life isn't so bad, especially when we can face it together." |
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| No Use For A Name – The Feel Good Song of the Year Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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I agree with Robolitious that the song is probably about a divorce, especially because of the first line of the song. However, I have an alternate interpretation -- just something that hit me while I was listening to it -- a lot of the song could apply to the experience of losing a wife to a disease, like cancer. Again, I don't think that's what the song was written for, but it's interesting to explore other meanings. The first verse could represent bitterness of receiving potentially life-altering news. The second verse: paranoia that comes from worrying that she could be dying, and selfishly worrying about being left alone Third verse: This one is more of a stretch, but the first two lines basically mean "I fell hopelessly in love with you," then the third line, "part of you was me, neglectful maybe cold it seemed" could be interpreted as the part of her that was sick became the part of him that started withdrawing from the relationship because of fear and pain. "Despite having the wounds we both imbibe, the scars are somewhere we can't hide" - this could point to an alcohol problem for him, and cancer treatment for her... either the combination was damaging to the relationship, or this is the part of the song where she died. The next verse would be him grieving his loss for two years, using alcohol as a way to deal with his pain. "So now I entertain the thought of going on all alone But you are all the life I've ever known" - pretty self-explanatory "I swear one day I'll get it back something that is already dead and gone" - he could be talking about his happiness and zest for life "Again i see the trumpet player looking for his song" - this could represent depression... it's generally a trumpet that plays "taps" at a funeral "Don't worry I won't follow you, that part of me is learning to let go" - basically saying he isn't going to kill himself, because he's made a lot of progress dealing with the loss "What was a space is like a cancer in my soul" - she left an empty space when she died, and the space is compared to cancer of the soul - a clue that maybe cancer is what took her away. Anyway, I might be reaching with that interpretation, and it's clearly me hearing what I want to hear, because it does sound more like a bad divorce... but I guess it's also possible that it could be a strained relationship that might have been moving toward divorce, but the wife got sick and died. |
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| Lagwagon – Alison's Disease Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Users tngbnhd and NoControl08 basically hit it on the head; however, while people were talking about drug abuse, everyone seems to have missed the key word here: ADDICTION. The song is about addiction: "Demons can return" - vices, particularly addiction are frequently referred to as demons. "Fluorescent the store lights describe the End, and I can't forget it" - this line might be about liquor store lights, like NoControl08 mentioned, indicating alcohol addiction, but I think maybe it's about him visiting a Alison, going to the store with her, and him seeing her under fluorescent light, which is unflattering to begin with, but for someone who is basically strung out, that lighting might portray them as very sickly- and near-death-looking. To me, "hail defeat" indicates that maybe she'd been to rehab and it didn't take. This is supported by the words "Demons can return - he caught up with her." "Stories of a monster swallowed" - I think this refers to her getting back into her drug of choice, and not being able to kick the habit since then, which is where "Alison resides on that frozen mountainside" comes from. One thing is for sure - this song isn't about a dead girl. He sings "when I look in her eyes" multiple times throughout the song, and the words "Alison resides" indicate someone living. But he sees her as the living dead, which is where "Alison is gone" comes from. It's not literal death, but the figurative death of who she was before she was caught in the clutches of an addiction that profoundly changed her for the worse. ============================= Okay, before I submit my comment, I want to put forth another theory about the end of the song that I think might be more correct. I am preserving what I already wrote (even if it's wrong) because I think it could still resonate with someone. Anyway... Regarding the lyrics "Maybe I can piece together five cold days in late December, stories of a monster swallowed in a snow-covered Lake Tahoe. Shining in a desperate despair, Alison was there..." There are several drug/alcohol addiction rehab facilities in Lake Tahoe. Swallowing a monster could definitely indicate overcoming a demon while keeping it within you. He says Alison was "shining," even if she was "in a desperate despair." Shining is a positive description. That's what makes me thing Alison spent five days in rehab trying to overcome addiction. The most powerful part of that, for me, are the words "Alison was there," which contrasts sharply with "Alison is gone" in other parts of the song. Mixed with "Alison resides on that frozen mountainside," the words "Alison was there" shows that, in his memory, that's the last place the real Alison existed. She was in rehab, learning to hold her demons inside, and that made her shine - she, the real her, was there. She left, let her addiction overcome her again, and now she's gone. When he looks into her eyes, he sees the desperation of a girl who goes through life with her eyes and mind crippled - a girl who, as far as he knows, lives on the frozen mountainside - the last place he knew her to be whole, which is why he freezes that moment in his mind. |
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| Sublime – Be A Man Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| This song is absolutely, positively not Sublime. I logged on here hoping, by now, someone would have taken credit for it. I'm really curious about who does this song. I don't think it's anyone related to Sublime either. It was everywhere back in the Napster days, when unknown bands (or fans of unknown bands) would label a song with a popular artist in order to get downloads. Unfortunately, the song never seemed to be labeled with the real artist's band name. If anyone finds the answer, I'd love to know. | |
| Weezer – Butterfly Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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The song is definitely, absolutely based on Madame Butterfly, whether or not there's a parallel personal story. The album name itself is a reference to Madame Butterfly. It looks to me like the first verse is foreshadowing for the rest of his life, where he's doomed to fail at relationships by not properly nurturing them, because he's too involved in chasing and conquering a dream (a fantasy' girl). Being sorry for what he did, and doing what his body told him does relate to sex - he gets with a girl (his goal) but then the goal slips away, because he feels bad that he only wanted sex, because he himself thought he really liked the girl. He feels tremendously guilty, thus the "smell you on my hands for days." In Madame Butterfly, Pinkerton really does promise to return when the Robin makes his nest. Maybe this is ONLY a reference to the opera, or maybe Rivers did something similar, and this song was written because Pinkerton, of Madame Butterfly, reminded him so much of himself. Very possible, considering Pinkerton is the album name, and Rivers talked about how super personal it is. |
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| The Vandals – Dachau Cabana Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| I meant "throwing everyone in ovens" - not "putting" | |
| The Vandals – Dachau Cabana Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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She lived in Hamburg Next to the Steinburg (or Steinbergs) Steinburg is a county in Germany. Steinberg would be someone's last name. Also, the ovens part... I thought it was "They were putting everyone in ovens" but they just say it really fast. I could be wrong. It's pretty obvious what this song's about. Pretty horrible imagery, but I can't help liking the song. And I guess the final message, "All Nazis die!" makes it not so bad. Leave it the Vandals to tell it like it is! |
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