| Third Eye Blind – Water Landing Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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The water landing reference immediately struck me as an example of survival in the face of impending destruction. The relationship was headed for disaster, and he thought they were going down for sure. The line about "the sky outside, so spacious" reminds me of those surreal moments when there is chaos all around you, but if you take a step back and look at the big picture, you realize how small and insignificant you are. I think the contrast of "some people scream, some people are gracious" is about how differently people might react to the inevitable end to their relationship. Some will fight, some will draw away from arguments... but the reason's the same. The water landing is still a landing. They made it... they survived... but it's not over yet, the water's coming inside and they still have a long way to go if they want to make it out. What do you think? -C |
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| Third Eye Blind – Sharp Knife Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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It's pretty clear that this song is about breaking out of one's shell so to speak. It kind of reminds me of the movie American Beauty, where Lester Burnham suddenly wakes up one day to realize that inside the dull middle-aged suburbanite there was once a care-free, rebellious, fun-loving teenager with hopes and dreams. Sharp knife seems to talk about a similar scenario, but he's too scared to cut loose... "Trades his dreams for security..." He wants to break free, but he's stuck. A sharp knife will metaphorically separate him from himself, so he can be free again... I also hear a lot of the Red Star/Don't Believe a Word type of message, where this is a wake-up call. "It seems like the ending is a lot like the start" and "All that we call chaos, I will say is by design" - These seem to be references to the government (or whatever powers that be) that are pulling the strings behind the chaos/war/economic crisis/etc etc etc) It's all (freedom, democracy, The America we knew and loved, etc) disappearing and falling apart, and we are too stuck in our day to day lives to do anything about it. We just say "let it be" (but that's not me). I think "Careful you could hurt someone" just means it's not going to be easy... you will have to rock the boat a little or upset the herd. He's telling you to get yourself a sharp knife, swing it through your life and start fresh... take action... get involved. Does anyone else think this is accurate? |
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| Third Eye Blind – Red Star Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I find this song to be absolutely amazing, moving, depressing, and tragic. It's absolutely political in nature, but doesn't make any specific connection to the U.S. The themes are universal, and while we think of Soviets and Germans when we hear politbureau and Checkpoint Charlie, the point is that the government, whichever government it happens to be, has got things locked down. The war effort isn't going well... the regime won't be undermined... when the will of the people starts to turn against the will of those in control, certain measures must be taken by the latter to control the former. Fear becomes the great motivator, and "she", who was once the voice of the people is effectively silenced by the government. He saw her as "so pretty in the days when she spoke her mind", alive, free, emotional, embracing, active, and with all that she believed was right and true adding fuel to the fire. The fear has reduced her to a Red Star... her spirit has been drained, she accepts the government's absolute power, and hope for the resistance is lost. What's the most moving about this song is the overwhelming feeling of loss and hopelessness it conveys. There's no happy ending, or even a warning telling us to not let this happen. It's already happened, she's a Red Star Now, and he just can't believe what it's all come to... how did you let them win? You've come so far to back down now... but it's too late. The government has won, the people live in fear, and freedom is lost. Now, take this tragic story and place it in context where you'll see our politicians fearful of dissent for fear that they will be called unpatriotic, or people who publish dissenting viewpoints being put on "watchlists". No, we don't have soldiers enforcing curfews or microchips in our brains, but reckless wiretapping, torture, and unwarranted search and seizure are excellent starting points for this story to become a reality in this country. If you have a chance, take a look at "The End of America" by Naomi Wolf, which makes very specific correlations to the gradual removal of rights during the rise of Nazi Germany, and then explains how all of the SAME STEPS are have been happening here in America over the last few decades. You'll learn exactly what 3eb is worried about in "Red Star". I hope it got you thinking, which is the idea with anything political in nature. We've come too far to back down now. |
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