| Dave Matthews Band – If I Had It All Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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The meaning of the song is very obvious in the lyrics; I think more interesting is the way it resonates with many of us. I think that Paulo Coelho said it best in his introduction to The Alchemist (pick it up if you haven't read it), that there is a certain fear in realizing the dream(s) which we have been working towards for our lives. To quote: "Oscar Wilde said: 'Each man kills the thing he loves.' And it's true. The mere possibility of getting what we want fills the soul of the ordinary person with guilt. We look around at all those who have failed to get what they want and we feel that we do not deserve to get what we want either. We forget about all the obstacles we overcame, all the suffering we endured, all the things we had to give up in order to get this far. I have known a lot of people who, when their personal calling was within their grasp, went on to commit a series of mistakes and never reached their goal - when it was only a step away. [note: a lot of people really love the line.. if I had it all, i'd fuck it up] This is the most dangerous of the obstacles because it has a kind of saintly aura about it: renouncing joy and conquest. But if you believe yourself worth of the thing you fought so hard to get, then you become an instrument of God, you help the Soul of the World, and you understand why you are here." ------- There is a certain kind of fear that surrounds truly "having it all". You think to yourself.. "what now? What is there left to strive for? I don't deserve this." This song is also a commentary on how much easier it is to remain forever a dreamer. Dave mentions that when he thinks of having everything and the awkward guilt and feelings such thoughts bring about, he harkens back to the halycon days of youth when he wasn't troubled with these sorts of thoughts. The truth is that there is nothing wrong with having it all, but first you must overcome the fear of the dreamer and firmly grasp reality. |
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| Chevelle – Letter from a Thief Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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At this point, we know this song is about their gear being stolen, but I have to disagree with some of the people's interpretations of the individual lyrics: "They know what everybody knows Better sit a letter from a thief says" Okay, at this point, given the title, and the line "a letter from a thief says", most of the song after this point is from the perspective of the thief, not of the singer. The singer is simply saying "this is what the thief thinks/says in his letter", which is apparently wrote to them, justifying his crimes/existence. "Why lead if everybody sleeps" Thieves work at night, pretty simple. "So few ways to Cover up the old ruins Lost in a finger forced to lie This sends us medicating Through it all" Not 100% sure about this, but as far as I can tell, the thief is saying that he had a bad life growing up (old ruins, forced to lie, medicating through it all, etc.) "Medicating through it all" could be a reference to either anti depressants, benzos, sedatives, or even illegal drugs. "If you ever enter my mind Stay there You'll live Defend it off or fool them all Stay there You'll live" The refrain is definitely the THIEF speaking, not the singer. The thief is saying, if you (the person I am stealing from), ever could see what I see, you'd learn that I live by defending my actions (self rationalizing) and fooling other people. In other words, stealing for the thief is one of the only ways he can temporarily numb his miserable existence - referring back to the line "so few ways to cover up the old ruins [of his previous life]". "Faceless, so little there to judge" I haven't decided if this is the singer saying, he doesn't know the thief so he can't judge him, or it is the thief saying he doesn't know who's stuff this is, so when he steals, there isn't a "victim" since the crimes are faceless. "Left wing let's Separate the cold out Opposites, we'll never need to tell" Not sure what this one means - I think he is saying he is the opposite of the band - a thief, a criminal, where they are rock stars, rich, famous, and living good lives. "One sting I've found I'm having to, having to" Not sure about this line either - I still haven't deciphered this line of the verse. Maybe he could be talking about drugs and experiencing withdrawal, or possibly he needs to get the rush he feels from stealing just to feel okay. "Solitude, waste of a man This fades as soon as the sun sets" Now this part is clear cut to me. The thief is saying, his lonely existence and lack of accomplishments makes him think of himself as a "waste of a man". This "fades as soon as the sun sets" meaning as he is going out at night to thieve. "I now own this fatal role that lives Imagine here's a better feel Told to dissolve, or choose to fade Or stay here you'll live" The thief is essentially saying, he is now is stuck into this life of crime that one day may kill him (" now own this fatal role that lives"). The thief basically is saying he has two options - 1) to stop thieving and go back to his life of insignificance (dissolve or fade away), or he can stay here and live (in his current life of crime). Additionally, the thief is saying, that stealing is a better lifestyle than his previous life. It makes him a person of power and meaning ("imagine here's a better feel"). Then it goes into the refrain, if only you entered my mind, you would know how I feel. In short, the entire song is about the thief justifying his life of crime. |
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| MGMT – Kids Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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This song is about someone dying to a drug overdose. Some lines are obvious - control yourself, take only what you need from it, no time to think about the consequences, etc. However, it's really the title "Kids" and the line "A family of trees wanted to be haunted" that seal the deal. Haunted suggests ghosts, someone dead or dying. Here's the scene- a bunch of kids go into the woods to do drugs, they find a clearing, they do drugs. The family of trees is basically the circle of trees around the clearing, as if they are gathered together in a family. Someone ODs. Those woods are now haunted. |
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| Kings of Leon – Closer Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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"with the moon I run, far from the carnage of the fiery sun" Vampires can't be in sunlight, so that's more evidence for it being about vampires. Kind of an odd theme if that turns out to be what it's about. This is one of the few songs I can enjoy simply on sound alone without contemplating the lyrics. |
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| Kings of Leon – Use Somebody Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I think a lot of the thought behind this song is the desire to become famous in order to essentially meet and/or impress some girl. For example: Waging war to shake/(shape?) the poet and the beat / I hope it's going to make you notice someone like me The line "someone like me" means that he's not really thinking highly of himself, by become a famous singer though, he is essentially demonstrating his value. Might sound a little odd at first, but it's really part of our nature... the same way male animals often try to demonstrate their value to a mate (a peacock showing its feathers for example). Not the first song to express this; the Counting Crows' "Mr. Jones" was basically written about the same thing- "hey man we'd meet tons of girls if we were like rock stars lol". That said, I like the song, and I can kind of relate. A little bit of my drive towards success is simply that when I meet someone I'm interested in, to use the words of the writer, I hope it'll make them notice someone like me. |
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