| The Fratellis – Henrietta Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Well, I really don't credit myself to know exactly what they meant by the lyrics, but I will say from the video it seems to me that this is a woman whose job it is to care, cook and clean for a man she does not love. She meets some young men who appreciate her handiwork and falls in love with them & vice-versa (could be platonic, could be something more...), though the young men in question aren't really well-to-do young men. "Henrietta we got no flowers for you Just these three miserable cunts Sitting on the back seat turning on the off beat We know you love us and you probably do" They can't offer her anything, because in their youth they don't have the wealth to buy her any fancy jewelry or any pretty dresses; they can barely afford flowers! But she loves them regardless. It almost implies a mother-son relation in that they are children who love their mother and in their youth can only express it in spirit. (The "woo-hoo" sounds make me feel like they're a couple of really young blokes: late teens early twenties.) "Although your husband may cut us He's such an animal though everything is possible" This implies that she is in a relationship that even she dislikes, and she can't even leave him because he's so vile. "Dear Henrietta we're just three lonely boys Though the girls love us we're so Into you incredibly we'd love to see you terribly" This implies that the men are handsome and could have whoever they wanted, but they only like to pal around with her. It makes her seem kind of like a 'cougar' (if you'll pardon the expression...). They really like spending time with her. "We'd love to hate you but we don't have no choice Come be our wa ha ha ha Honey, honey three four one time once more" They don't even know why they're so interested in her (probably the experiance that comes with age...), they've come to need her as a part of their group. Finally the repeats of: "Give us a kiss and maybe we can go out It's hard to miss you when you follow us about Buy us some shoes and maybe take us for cola We'll get you there in some filthy big gondola Clean out the bank and bump off your daddy You can come live with us among the has beens and the addicts These are crazy times down at Costello music You can answer the phone and talk nice anyway you choose it Come on Oh come on Oh come on..." Notice how they ask HER to buy/do things for THEM (I consider the secretary job to be something they ask of her). She is the dominant party of this relationship (they depend on her) which is probably what she likes most about it, unlike the way her husband gets to make the rules in her home life, she gets to take care of the boys and be in charge. When they state that she follows them, it amplifies the fact that she likes being their help, and she wants them to need/depend on her. That they're offering her a life amoungst has-beeens and addicts means that while with them she won't be living as secure a life as she would with her husband, with them she will have a wild life ('crazy times down at Costello music'). Remember, this is only what I personally think. |
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| MGMT – Kids Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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When I first heard the song, I'm not too proud to admit that it touched me. My first interpretation is that this song was about another child being born into the family and how the first child thinks they will be forgotten now that their parents are paying such close attention to their new sibling. The child feels insecure about themself and even feels like they're dead in their parents' eyes. The first verse of the song is a reflection on the first-born child's youth, becuase they are not a baby anymore. In the lines: "You were a child Crawling on your knees toward it Making momma so proud But your voice was too loud" The child remembers how their parents' world used to revolve around them, and how everything they did, no matter how meager an acheivement was praised. They were cared for and their crying was addressed, even if it was for nothing. Basically, the child was given more love than it could ever have asked for and it never needed [in the past] to voice the fact that they wanted affection. "We like to watch you laughing Picking insects off of plants No time to think of consequences" Once again, the child's parents' lives revolved around them. And the child was never blamed for anything, they were in essense prefect and any flaws they had onl amplified their perfection. They could do no wrong in their parents' eyes. In the second verse we see a change in pattern: "The water is warm But it's sending me shivers" The child is still loved, but there's something wrong with the love that they're recieveing. It's not the same as before. "A baby is born Crying out for attention" Suddenly there is competition in the household; another child is taking the original child's place, and the firs-born does not like it; the new kid is taking all of the attention that rightfully belongs to the first-born. "The memories fade Like looking through a fogged mirror Decision to decisions are made and not bought" The older child isn't as important, and can take care of themself without much help from the parents, so the parents focus their attention on the new child. The older one is left with distant memories of what it used to be like when it was only them. They are starting to forget how it feels to be loved as piles and piles of toys (who the child can give but will never recieve in return love and care) are bought to pacify them and keep them busy while the love that they crave is spent on the other kid. The saddness is that one cannot buy happiness or love, it has to come from the heart; apparently the parents who this song is written about don't realize this. "But I thought this wouldn't hurt a lot I guess not" At first, the child probably thought it would be fun to have a younger sibling to play with and share love with, but now they're thinking that this entire thing was a mistake and they hate the situation they are in. They're miserable and alone and want the other child to go away. Then there's the chorus: "Control yourself Take only what you need from it" This may be the child's way of saying; "Leave some love for me! Can't you see that this is hurting me? Stop taking away all of their attention from me! I want some too!" "A family of trees wanted to be haunted" The child uses this as a way to further convey their idea of loneliness; they are the old family, in other words "dead" to the parents [note: this is a child's view so it may be a little exaggertated], so they want to somehow stay alve or "haunt" them in memory somehow. Also, a little added observation; there are children screaming at the start of the song and somewhere in the middle; this represents the childs desire to have the old family back, instead of this new one. The child sees other children living in happy families, playing and screaming and wants the same for themself (they also could possibly be envious of the new child's happiness with their family). This doesn't necessarily have to be the meaning of the song! This is merely my interpretation. |
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| The Statler Brothers – Flowers On The Wall Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Huh, well, my idea is a little out of the box compared to all of yours: I think it's about someone who's been done wrong by a group of people (they don't have to be friends, just bullies of the singer's past), and after a long time of not speaking to one another, the people who hurt them are trying to make ammends for it and apologize, but the singer doesn't want to accept their sorries; they want to remain mad at them and have things stay the way they are. Hear me out before you disagree! In the verses: "I keep hearin' you're concerned about my happiness But all that thought you're givin' me is conscience I guess If I was walkin' in your shoes, I wouldn't worry none While you 'n' your friends are worried about me I'm havin' lots of fun" The singer is saying that whatever's done is done and the people who've done them wrong should just move on and stop dweling on their mistakes because the singer doesn't even understand why at this point the people who've done them wrong are even trying to apologize. Then in: "As long as I can dream it's hard to slow this swinger down So please don't give a thought to me, I'm really doin' fine" Here the singer could be asking the people to stop hassling them because they've been "forgiven" and then they're offering an example that they've been okay, even though it's more of a sarcastic dig to get the people to see that they've really messed up and won't be forgiven ever. The singer is saying that they have already done enough and should let sleeping dogs lie. After this, the lines: "It's good to see you, I must go, I know I look a fright Anyway my eyes are not accustomed to this light" The singer is expressing that they're feeling upset and don't want to hear anymore apologies because all it does is open more wounds that aren't going to mend. What's more, they're describing the people as 'ligth that's too bright for comfort'; too many unhappy memories are piling up and now the singer just wants to be alone. Finally we have the chorus: "Countin' flowers on the wall That don't bother me at all Playin' solitaire till dawn with a deck of fifty-one Smokin' cigarettes and watchin' Captain Kangaroo Now don't tell me I've nothin' to do" The singer is telling them about a solitary life in which they have no friends to be with, that they are entirely alone and have grown to like it more than tehy would have if given the chance to have a social life. And basically that's it, I know it's kind of weird and depressing, but it CAN make sense in a way! |
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