| Passion Pit – Love Is Greed Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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In the chorus I hear: Love, love, love, love is just greed It's almost taking me BUT now I can see Love, love, love, love is just greed It's selfish LITTLE ME It follows all you lead IF we really love ourselves, HOW DO you love somebody else? |
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| Passion Pit – I'll Be Alright Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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God, this song BREAKS my heart. This song seems really happy and victorious, but the story in the lyrics is anything but. To understand a lot of Gossamer, you need to recognize that one of the essential truths of Michael Angelakos is that he has bipolar disorder. In this song I hear: a) manic episode b) realizing how awful you are being to your loved ones and c) dangerous self delusion about being able to handle your problems on your own I base this interpretation on this quote: "Everyone was telling her, 'Why are you with this guy?' At a certain point, she realized, 'Wait, Michael hasn't seen his doctors in a while, he's fucking manic.' If she had left me, there is no question that I would have killed myself. I don't remember anything I did-- which is terrifying, because now I have to live with this guilt." (http://pitchfork.com/features/cover-story/8893-rite-of-passion/) So the song may say "I'll be alright if you leave" but the singer WILL NOT BE ALRIGHT. It's amazing and so, so sad. So this song for me is about where you are mentally *just before* you realize how much you need other people, even if you hurt them, and that in the end they get to chose whether you are worth it |
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| Mumford & Sons – The Cave Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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In my mind, this song could be about any focused, arduous pursuit that is about making a fundamental CHANGE in yourself. Maybe it's a spiritual awakening, or breaking free of addiction, or living out the allegory of the Cave. It's so awesome that lot of people find expression of their own struggle in this song and that it brings them inspiration and solace. For me, this song is now my graduate school anthem. I am positive this is NOT how it was written originally but it's how I've fallen in love with it and how I sing it to myself. Being in school and conducting original research is a noose I definitely put around my own neck, and there are so many siren calls of distractions (like the internet, ha!). Some days it is SO HARD to keep focused and remember why the hell I am doing this to myself. Those days it is so hard to block my ears to all the naysayers and the temptations to step off this hard path I've chosen. Some people truly eat themselves alive trying to earn a PhD, I've seen it happen. This song helps remind me that all my difficulties and having to change from my lazy ways are all helping me become a better person and a better scientist. All this pain is in service of a calling I feel in my bones ("I know my call despite my faults/ And despite my growing fears" and "I need to know how/ to live my life as its meant to be"). When I buckle down and focus I can be glorious. This is something I chose and something I CAN and WILL do - and I'll know my name as Doctor when I've earned the right to be called one! Some addition particulars: The line "Now let me at the truth/ Which will refresh my broken mind" makes me think so much about the process of research and how broken you can feel throwing yourself at an intellectual wall until you get at the truth. The verse starting "So come out of your cave walking on your hands" makes me think of scientific breakthroughs that truly turn the world upside down and that each discovery sheds more light on all the connections (dependences) that make up this amazing universe (the maker's land). Anyway, that's my struggle! This song is helping me survive it! |
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| Regina Spektor – One More Time with Feeling Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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This song really moves me, I've been listening to it a lot today. I like a lot of the interpretations everyone has, and completely agree that the genius of Regina's music is that she makes everyone FEEL something about all of her songs. For me, the "you" main character has accepted (maybe even joyfully) that they are dying, but is holding on to life for their loved ones who can't let go. I feel the whole chorus is about them putting on a brave face, and fighting to stay alive for the sake of those who will grieve for you. I know that seems like the "easy" interpretation, but it's what I take from it right now. I think it's a beautiful expression of how so often a person who is dying has to comfort the people who are left behind to go on living. Often the dying come to their peace easier. I even think the dear "woo-eee woos" are sort of a cheery foot-tapping of passing the time until they can finally, finally, be let go. In this interpretation, the stitches are out because there's nothing left to do, the scars are wrong because the physical body won't last much longer, the helium balloon is the soul that is ready to ascend to the afterlife, but can't get beyond the physical world (the ceiling) while other people are still holding on. Their family and friends are completely miserable and are stuck in the denial or anger or depression stages of grief, but the main character is way beyond that now. They actually have to focus to keep breathing and remind themselves WHY they are fighting to stay alive: to help their family move to acceptance too. But it's getting harder and harder, because "You thought by now they'd see that you have come so far." This makes me think the person has been sick a long time. The last stanza of lyrics I think is actually "Would synchronize into a love you've never know/ So much more than you've been shown." I think this also refers to the stages of grief because really loving someone means letting them go. The main character has never known this kind of love, and really wants to hold on until their loved ones aren't angry at them for dying anymore. Oh it's so lovely and sweet and makes my own recent grieving process easier. Thank you Regina. |
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