| R.E.M. – Beat A Drum Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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More thinking on this coal/diamond thing.... Once the narrator realises he (or she ;)!) is imperfect (i.e. not diamond) he/she says: "My fall knocked a mean chip out of me" So we have a fall (off the pedestal of perfection) and the fact that a chip is knocked out clearly means he/she is not diamond - as a diamond would not chip. The feeling of one with nature, that results from this "fall", ignites the narrator's spirituality hence "This is all I want, it's all I need This is all I am, it's everything" etc etc Such a cool song (but strangely, one that I don't actually listen to that often :s) |
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| R.E.M. – Beat A Drum Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Glad to be of help haxorchick... It was the "Don't forget, we're just halfway from coal" that clinched it for me. Happy listening Prin |
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| R.E.M. – Falls To Climb Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Sadly barely a handful of comments on what is, in my opinion, REM's finest track. The lyrics helped me come to terms with my mortality during a recent debilitating illness... it helped me face the fight with great dignity and not to fall down the "why me?" spiral. Aside from this personal refelection, I understand that the lyrics are based upon the short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. In this story a lottery is held in a small village and the "winner" is ritually stoned to death! |
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| R.E.M. – Beat A Drum Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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My take on the coal and diamond reference is that it's an attempt to position human life as just another part of nature... coal is a "dirty" form of carbon and diamond a "beautiful" form of the same element. We humans are a carbon-based lifeform somewhere between the dirtiness of coal and the beauty of diamond, hence: "Halfway from coal, halfway to diamond" - we're far from the pedestal of perfection we like to think we are. We are reminded of our position later on in the song: "Don't forget, we're just halfway from coal". It's a beautiful song that celebrates nature - it just has that edge of bringing us down to earth. |
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| Keane – Perfect Symmetry Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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An awesome song - probably the most Keane-like on the album, so no wonder it's so popular. As for the meaning, I definitely read an anti religious extremism context... the contradiction of fighting for a religious cause. "Who are you? What are you fighting for? Holy truth? Brother I choose this mortal life" ... if discovering the “holy truth” involves violence, then the singer clearly opts out for a mortal life. The only piece that I can't really make much sense of is the internet / email connection. I guess the singer despairs at reading about the countless news stories that are linked to religious cause – 7/7; 9/11 etc ? The verse: “Oh boy you ought to leave this town Get out while you can the meter's running down The voices in the streets you love Everything is better when you hear that sound” … is amazing – sends shivers down my spine. |
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