| Sufjan Stevens – Christmas in the Room Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| This is an amazing song, it really is. It sounds to me like a couple staying home for Christmas. I know Sufjan wrote all these songs because he didn't care much for the season, so maybe what he's saying is that it doesn't really feel like Christmas until they make it feel that way...by singing, laughing, dancing. Gonna try this Christmas approach out this year. | |
| Owl City – The Saltwater Room Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Hmm I definitely agree that this song is about love between long term friends, but you're also ignoring the obvious drug references. For example, "Looking up at the stars that aren't there anymore" talks about a trip where you can't see stars anymore. It's pretty crazy. Also "Before you happened to look/And see the tunnels all around me" is about what a lot of people see on LSD. The line "I guess we'll never know/why sparrows love the snow" is about cocaine. When you're on cocaine your body goes through constipation and fevers, which is why rehabilitation clinics prefer to position themselves in cold climates -- i.e. sparrows (drug addicts) loving the snow. "Can you believe that the crew/Has gone and they wouldn't let me sign on" is STILL about drugs. There are a lot of references here, but I won't list them all. Adam is an amazing singer. He really captures what it's like to be stuck in addiction and unable to watch anything other than My Little Pony. It's like a dream world...only it's always a nightmare. And Owl City makes me feel less addicted. |
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| Owl City – Meteor Shower Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| I agree that it's about God, but don't ignore the obvious drug references. Now, Adam never DIRECTLY talks about drugs, but I think this song is also about when he went to rehab. | |
| Sufjan Stevens – Impossible Soul Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I think people have come close. This is all opinion now. It's too easy to look at a song and say, "It's about love," or "it's about a breakup" or anything like that--especially a song like this. I think this song is about a lot of things, and I'll break it down into these parts: He sings about a woman who he views as 'perfect'. She's just right for him, but she doesn't want him. Then he chases long enough and they're together, but their tastes are different. All she wants is "all the world to herself" whereas he wants "Perfect love" and love for everyone. These are two vastly different views. One is selfish, the other is more like a goal for the world, but it is laced with his own selfish want. Then the song gets dark; because in the moments where we doubt ourselves, things aren't really bright. He introspects on the topics of fear, loneliness, his flaws. The lyrics and the melody at this part give the impression of a dark, lonely place, and I assume that this part means that he desperately does not want to be in the relationship, but it's not as easy as that. Then he starts to hate himself a bit. "Stupid man," "couldn't be at rest," etc. The song goes on to a more upbeat sort of approach, and he's thinking that it's possible that it's a good thing. But inevitably, his desire has turned from wanting "love for us all" to "nothing less than pleasure". It's not much more than a sexual journey for him, but at the same time, it's a little uplifting. The part about "we made such a mess together" seems kind of humorous. Like "Yeah, we fucked things up together." His final admission seems contradictory. That he just wants pleasure. But prior in the song his reason seems to be that they are too different, and he's too afraid, but he wants to stay with her because he's scared of being alone. It shows a dark place relationships go to; and then he pulls it back to saying a hurtful lie as the easy way out. I don't think that the part of wanting nothing less than pleasure is true; if it is it contradicts the rest of the song. Just my interpretation of it. |
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| Death Cab for Cutie – Grapevine Fires Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I always had a question on what this song meant and I think I finally have it figured out. Most people jump to the idea that it's about a relationship falling apart, or about literal grapevine fires. However, I think the metaphor stretches a little farther than just an impending break up, I think the important thing is that it describes HOW they're going to break up. People pointed out the affair reference. "Near your daughter's school when we picked her up..." "Grapevine" is also a term used to describe how rumor spreads, especially in an urban sort of setting. In my opinion, the song is about an affair, but they know that people are going to find out, and the "grapevine" is going to catch fire with the rumor sooner or later, and it's just a matter of time before they burn. The references in the song also extend to the idea that everyone has something that'll 'burn' them eventually. |
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| Counting Crows – Four White Stallions (Tender Mercies cover) Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I don't quite think it's abuse, nor an affair, though both possibilities have crossed my mind. Personally, I think it's more...like when you love a girl who is so beautiful that she could leave you and still have men lined up waiting to take her. Like the four white stallions or four strong angels. And they've broken up and he knows she won't have a problem moving on but he does, he keeps thinking about how beautiful she is, and hates himself for it. And then he starts to find that there's nothing left of him in her except her heart might still be a little broken. Just my take. |
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| Iron & Wine – He Lays in the Reins Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I'm trying to not read anyone else's interpretation and to just say what it means to me and I'll look later. To me the song's about a feeling. An end to a road, and you're just so, so tired from it all that you finally get to sit down, but it's knowing that you can't keep going. You're just too exhausted. You're too tame. You've spent so much time fighting, shouting, that now all you can do is stable your horse and sit down. Your road is at an end and it's time for you to relax. It's got that sort of feeling to it, like you've spent the whole day walking in the sun and you finally sit down in your cabin when it rains, and you've finally got water and food and you're just so content. |
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| Iron & Wine – Naked as We Came Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I think a lot of people have misinterpreted this song. Not to rag on them, I could be totally wrong, but it seems quite simple to me; a couple, worried about which will die first. It sounds like they're either settled and secure or right about to die and know that it's only a matter of time before one goes first. His wife says that if she dies before him, she doesn't want to be buried (wasted) in the ground. |
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| Bon Iver – Lump Sum Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Okay, I might be reading into this too much and maybe he didn't mean half of this but here it is: // Sold my cold knot A heavy stone // I am pretty sure this refers to a wedding ring. "Knot" means making the promise, and his commitment's gone cold. "Heavy stone" further affirms this; a diamond stone. // Sold my red horse for a venture home // A red horse I believe refers to car. Venture home = he's moving, trying something new. // To vanish on the bow -- // Vanishing off the main scene, away from people's sight. // Settling slow // Settling in, calming down. // Fit it all, fit it in the doldrums // Fitting everything, all his emotions, into the time he has alone, the time where he's inactive and everything is still. Quite a symbolic line if you think about it. // (Or so the story goes) // This sounds like, he's been told what to believe, and what his trip to his cabin would do for him, and he's deciding that he'll try get all his emotions out and fit them in the doldrums, and it's still apparent and he's not quite sure of it yet. // Color the era // Beautiful, just beautiful. He realizes how great his time is, and he's going to put color and life back into it. // Film it, it's historical // More to the last, he's making his own little write of history. // My mile could not Pump the plumb // This is a bit cryptic and hard to decipher. I believe he's saying he couldn't get everything out where he was. He couldn't "pump the plumb" (often means to unclog, clean out, and that further adds to his description of how bad things were for him). He can't do it where he is and moves. // In my arbor 'till my ardor Trumped every inner inertia // I believe he's saying he enjoyed his little arbor, his place of relaxation, and this is where things weren't going well for him. So he moved away until his excitement won over all the inertia that was holding him back. // Lump sum // I feel like he's talking about money and nothing but money, that it was holding him back so much and caused him so much grief. // All at once Rushing from the sub-pump // Everything all at once comes out, rushing from underneath him. The idea of a sub pump also compliments the prior metaphor/analogy of "pump the plumb" // (Or so the story goes) // Again, his idea of what SHOULD happen, what he's been believing will happen. // Balance we won't know We will see when it gets warm // He doesn't know how or who he'll be when all is finished, but he'll see once summer comes. |
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| Bon Iver – Lump Sum Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Okay, I think I've got all the metaphors down. And there's a lot but the song means so much more when you know them (posting in reply) | |
| Bon Iver – Lump Sum Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I think "cold knot" and "heavy stone" refers to an engagement ring. Thoughts? | |
| The Decemberists – Down by the Water Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I think this song actually refers to a sort of crime syndicate, though I could be wrong. He describes where it all started, with him as a "toehead teen," "feeling round for fingers to get in between" -- trying to get into a gang? Then the chorus refers to him being willing to do anything to "fill his cup". The second part goes on to clarify this with lines like "Sweet to send this revel round" (I think it's revel, by the way) refers to causing trouble around the town, and finally, the leader who's just nineteen. My take at least. |
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| The Lonely Forest – Turn Off This Song And Go Outside Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| This is an amazing song. I think this band has the potential to be huge. | |
| Counting Crows – Mr. Jones Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| So many of their songs are amazing. It comes off as a self-hating song about finding love. He seems to joke about himself a bit, and girls he's met. | |
| The Decemberists – Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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There's a lot of ways to look at the song. I see it being about relationships. The first verse is about a man who is in love but can't stop fighting. It's a common relationship problem, the man is jealous or can't stop himself from defending his girlfriend. In the second I see it as being a relationship where they try to put up too many rules and limits. He tries to keep his girlfriend/wife safe by keeping her away from everything, and seeing it never work, their love crumbles and they go their separate ways. The third is how he is currently. He stops dreaming. He's a womanizer, his relationships mean very little and he has a pregnant teenage girlfriend. The line "And we are vagabonds/we travel without seat belts on/we live this close to death" means, to me, that their relationship is on the edge. Then again, it's such a mysterious song which is what I really love about it. This is just how I like to look at it. |
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| The Postal Service – Grow Old with Me (John Lennon cover) Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT0CJ0DDdLA | |
| The Postal Service – The District Sleeps Alone Tonight Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I see the obvious side of the song being a break up and the odd feeling when you meet someone who used to be close to you and having to see all their new friends and you don't recognize anyone, your close friend included. Further than that I see it describing a life style...partying and drinking with friends. This song always reminds me of that. At the end of the day you're all alone...the lights turn out at the bar and the cars swerve to their own loneliness. |
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| Death Cab for Cutie – The Face That Launched 1000 Shits (Revolutionary Hydra cover) Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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The official title of the song is "The Face That Launched 1000 Shits," a humorous reference to the saying regarding Helen of Troy. This info is on Wikipedia or even Amazon. It is written by Jay Chilcote, who, as previously stated, is a member of Revolutionary Hydra. "The debut release from JAY CHILCOTE (REVOLUTIONARY HYDRA, writer of DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE's "The Face That Launched A Thousand Shits")..." As far as I can tell, this song is relating a girl he knows to Helen of Troy in terms of how much trouble she causes, something like that :P It's a pretty unique and interesting song. |
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| The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned) Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Probably one of the most touching songs I've heard in a good while. To me it shows their strife, all culminating in their dying vow. He's rescued her, risked everything to make it there, including agreeing to perish upon his return. He seems to blame himself for getting her killed as well. Really a beautiful song. "With this long last rush of air, we'll speak our vows of starry whisper And when the waves came crashing down, he closed his eyes and softly kissed her" |
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