| Wolfmother – Vagabond Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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“This is a song about innocence lost.” That is what Wolfmother mumbles at the beginning of the song. Sounds like a real mystery-killer doesn’t it? Alas, Wolfmother never fails to deliver a magical, tasty jam sending us on our very own journey. This song for me signifies a type of care-free living that I could only hope to one day achieve. From its galloping tune, to its rolling lyrics it gives the listener a sense of roaming a countryside, searching for the answer to “living free”. The speaker in the song promises this, but the answer is already evident within the structure of the song. A little analysis gives us a very simple equation with which to understand the concept of this song: (1)If one knows the answer to living free, then (2)One must live free, so (3)One’s actions must manifest a degree of unsurpassed freedom. The speaker roams about, doing as he pleases, and he thinks it noone else’s business other than himself. Therefore, the speaker is saying the path to freedom could be these actions. But what to make of the beginning line? Remember the speaker (the free one) claims to have seen something in a particular girl’s eye, and to her is who he promises freedom. I believe, his intent is to set this girl free, but unwittingly in the process cause her to lose her innocence. Simple, really. |
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| Modest Mouse – Grey Ice Water Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Grey Ice Water by Modest Mouse This song might be my favorite song ever. Period. It is a short story of a man alienated from society, and especially love. The man was most probably driven to this by the following line: “You had yourself/A crazy lover/Becoming unfrozen/Trying hard to forget her.” The most pivotal line of the song has to be “You took the path of least resistance, on the phone cutting out, talking short to long distance.” The man has put himself in a place where he can’t be reached. Instead of directly facing his problems he instead chooses “the path of least resistance.” Now, almost all of my friends know this is my quintessential song. Few, however, know why. I am that man. I am “standing by the grey ice water, out in the wind above the ground, out in the weather.” Too often I feel as if I am on a barren, polar wasteland cold and distant. I feel an uneasy peace in my solitude, and I, indeed, often take the path of least resistance when it comes to the matter of love. My heart is probably frozen so thick, it may never be coming unfrozen, and all I can try and do is try hard to forget it. So let me paint a mental picture for you. Imagine an almost unending block of ice. Off in the distance you can spy water lapping up against the ice, and icebergs lazily floating by. There is no form of life as we know it to be seen. There is also a biting wind driving flakes of ice up off the glacial landscape into the air, swirling them about in the process. Imagine that you decide to squint a little harder, and at last discern the shape of man near where the water meets ice. The man has his back turned to you, and is completely silent. That man, in a spiritual and emotional sense, is me. |
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| Kings of Leon – The Bucket Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Kings of Leon bring a thumping tale of brotherly love to the forefront of this song. It is one of those songs that sounds uplifting, but when you dig deep, you may find it a little sad. Literally, the song was written about the youngest of the brothers in the band, from the oldest brother. It shows how fame can be overwhelming, but how brotherly love will ultimately always be there. Now for my twist on this song’s meaning. I immediately reminisce about my brother. Its like this song was meant to be played to a montage of memorable moments we had together. The driving rhythm just puts me in that mood of aggrandized remembrance. In the first verse, I am always reminded of my brother’s tougher times and how I tried to help him through it. I always knew he had unending potential and it bothered me to no end that he would seemingly never pursue it. The first line encapsulates this, “I’ll be the one to show you the way, you’ll be the one to always complain.” Then, in my mind, the speaker shifts to my brother with the lines, “Cancel the thing that I said I’d do, I don’t feel comfortable talking to you, lest you got the zipper fixed on my shoe, then I’ll be in the lobby drinking for two.” To me it just seemed like he was always reneging on obligations (Cancel...). Also, whenever we would try and have an honest, non-humorous conversation he would always become uncomfortable (I don’t feel...). Then it seemed like he would always spin it around to make me feel guilty (lest you got...) and then just revert to his old ways (I’ll be in the lobby...). Alas, things have changed for the better. The second verse, to me, describes this. The beginning of it, I envision my brother as the speaker, freshly arrived from his military leave, “What’s with the blush? Fresh off the plane in my fuzzy rush, everyone’s gathered to idolize me.” These lines not only describe his return, but his relative insecurity with the newfound respect people give him that they never did before. The lines that follow, however, hit home the hardest. “It’s been to long since I’ve left the shed, You kick the bucket I’ll swing my legs, Always remember the pact that we made, Too young to die but old is the grave.” These are extremely potent lyrics to me because: 1) It HAS been too long since we left the shed. Symbolically meaning it’s been too long since we left our comfort confines and entered into the separated, real world. 2) The symbolic act of kicking the bucket belies the meaning that whenever you die, a piece of me will die with you (I’ll swing my legs) 3) We will always remember the nonverbal pact we made. One of brotherly love. 4) Both of us are “too young to die, but old is the grave.” |
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| Kings of Leon – McFearless Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| I can't believe no one has picked up on this ideal yet. I think KOL is telling a tale of a man that is courageuous enough to live his life, against all odds, the way he sees fit. In this way it makes him "McFearless" enough to live. The chorus strongly supports this saying that he can't be judged by his "hand/where I stand" but instead where he goes with his "soul" and he must fill his "role" because its his "show". Show being a metaphor for life. | |
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