| Kayo Dot – Cartogram Out of Phase Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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A few corrections: "I gazed into the lights reaching you" "Our* world within my room" "And my feet are on her limb**" "I'm out of the room of my mind***" *'Out-world' doesn't make much sense, but it doesn't much sound like Toby's singing 'our', nor does 'outward' seem a better fit. I'm stumped by this one. **If the world were reversed (perhaps turned upside-down), it seems to me that one's feet would more likely be on the 'limb' of a mythical World Tree than on "her 'land'". The lyrics are so esoteric that the world's reversal could mean any number of things, so I won't speculate as to other reasons why 'limb' might be a better choice than 'land'. ***I'm not sure about the last word in the second-to-last verse; it sounds as if it could be either 'life' or 'mind'. |
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| Interpol – Lights Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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A verse-by-verse interpretation: The song's title seems to be a reference to the flashing lights atop a police vehicle. "All that I see– Show me your ways, Teach me to meet my desires With some grace" The narrator, overcome by the gruesome sight before him, wants to know how to manage the situation he has created by fulfilling his desire to commit murder. He wishes to know the "ways" of other killers, that he may act with more skill. "All that I fear– Don't turn away, And leave me to plead in this hole of a place 'Cause what if I never break?" The narrator is fearful of being alone in the world (as he now is, having killed the person he was obsessed with), and of possibly facing the criminal justice system, knowing that he may never leave prison. "Estuary, Won't you take me Far away, Far away" The narrator plans to make his escape via the estuary where he is depositing his victim's body. Where he will go, he neither knows nor cares, so long as it is "far away". "All that I seek– Please, police me, I want you to police me (But keep it clean)" A part of the narrator's personality causes him to want to be pursued by law enforcement, but he hopes his handiwork will be "clean", untraceable. "Now that you've been Mine, Babe Now, let's keep them away" Now that the narrator has consummated his obsession by killing his victim ("possessing" her forever), he wants her body to never be found. "Strong as you seem, Old as you behave You will always obey" Despite the narrator's young victim's affected maturity and strength of will, she has been overpowered, forced to obey her murderer's whims. "All that I feel– Capital ways, Teach me to grieve and conspire With my age" The narrator hopes his actions– his 'capital ways'— may eventually cause him to feel remorse, but also may teach him to more handily commit crime as he grows older. "All that I can see– A domestic spree, A seething routine I could never navigate (Maybe I like to stray)" The narrator foresees himself committing further acts of violence, but concedes that he could not possibly do so without making errors, and offers that perhaps he intends to make errors, to leave clues for the authorities. "No hardened scene Will be left so clean, Not today (It's like you want it that way)" The narrator has meticulously cleaned up the ghastly crime scene, and fantasizes that his victim "agrees" he should not be caught. "All that I see Is peaceful eyes drawn away from me, Drawn away from me" The narrator, holding his victim's body, notices her unseeing eyes peering off into the distance, away from him. "(We like to take the sights And read silence in the skies Yeah, we like to meet the wire That is on your life)" The narrator is either psychotically referring to himself in the the first person plural, or else speaking from an attitude of solidarity with other killers. In any case, he states that he enjoys aiming weapons, possibly his own murderous intent ("taking the sights"), foretelling (as if by astrology, "reading the skies") the doom of his victim(s), and metaphorically (or actually) bringing a deadly, electrified wire into contact with the body of the person he intends to kill. |
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| Interpol – Lights Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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After several listens, this is what I hear: All that I see– Show me your ways, Teach me to meet my desires With some grace All that I fear– Don't turn away, And leave me to plead in this hole of a place 'Cause what if I never break? Estuary, Won't you take me Far away, Far away All that I seek– Please, police me, I want you to police me (But keep it clean) Now that you've been Mine, Babe Now, let's keep them away (That's why I hold you) Strong as you seem, Old as you behave (That's why I hold you) You will always obey (That's why I hold you) All that I feel– Capital ways, Teach me to grieve and conspire With my age All that I can see– A domestic spree, A seething routine I could never navigate (Maybe I like to stray) No hardened scene Will be left so clean, Not today (It's like you want it that way) All that I see Is peaceful eyes drawn away from me, Drawn away from me (We like to take the sights) That's why I hold you; (And read silence in the skies) That's why I hold you; (Yeah, we like to meet the wire) That's why I hold you; (That is on your life) That's why I hold you; That's why I hold you; That is why I hold you That's why I hold you; That is why I hold you near, That's why I hold you; That's why I hold you dear, That's why I hold you; That is why I hold you near, That's why I hold you; That is why I hold you dear, That's why I hold you; That is why I hold you dear, That's why I hold you; That is why I hold you near, That's why I hold you; That is why I hold you dear That's why I hold you; That is why I hold you near That's why I hold you. |
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| Swans – The Sound Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Though not represented by the lyrics provided above, Gira distinguishes the following line with three slightly different variations in the studio recording. One variation is repeated twice: You despise, but I love You despise what I love You despise; I love You despise; I love Similarly, the lyrics provided above omit another important distinction, and indeed several words: Mother, I... Mother, I... I was wrong, I am wrong, You were wrong; I am wrong. |
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| Swans – Blood Promise Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Corrected lyrics: When silence falls, And light remains, And time is born Beneath the sun, I'll hide your name Inside a word, And paint your eyes With false perception; And I feel your mind In everything, And every breath Destroys a sound; And I never will follow A false sensation; And I'll always believe Your blood promise; And every breath I stole from you... But I never will see Your broken body; And you never have spoken An unclear word, And I'll never betray Your blood promise. |
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| Grizzly Bear – Foreground Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Before I offer the incomplete interpretation below, I would like to note that I hear "chuckle", not "juggle", in the fourth line. (A muffled chuckle would seem to make more sense than a muffled juggle.) While the song lends itself to any number of wildly differing interpretations, I view it in this way: "Take on another shift Palms in the middle, hands in the middle" -The narrator accepts more work; the 'hands in the middle' suggest the end of a huddle in a team-based competitive sport, the players demonstrating 'team spirit' by laying their hands on each other's hands in the middle of a circle, in an affirmation of solidarity and resolve. The narrator may be acting as a "team player", but not necessarily in accordance with personal desires. "Work out another rift Something is muffled, another chuckle" -The narrator tries in earnest to mend a broken relationship, but is met with incredulity. "A cross country miss Take direction, can’t connect it" -The narrator misses a cross-country flight and is forced to drive, relying on directions. The other lyrics' meaning is anyone's guess, as far as I'm concerned. I believe the "foreground" the song refers to is the narrator's mundane and often frustrating daily life. A more far-fetched interpretation might contrast 'foreground' with 'background'–what officials attempt to piece together and understand as it relates to a death or suicide. Perhaps, the song is the narrator's explanation of the very real situations that might be considered, but not truly appreciated emotionally or viscerally, by investigators into the circumstances of a death or suicide. A person's 'background' connotes something prosaic and dead, while a person's 'foreground' connotes something immediate and alive, the real experience of a real human being. |
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