| Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I think it's just about a man's changing beliefs about the socioeconomic/sociopolitical schemes in the world. "I was raised up believing I was somehow unique Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes, unique in each way you can see And now after some thinking, I'd say I'd rather be A functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me" In this stanza he reflects on how he was raised with the belief that he was unique, and therefore choose his own independent path. Applied to economics, it reflects the general belief that in a capitalist society he could occupy any place in the market he chose. Later, as he grows up, he contemplates that having a communal role in society (as a unit supporting the whole) may be the more fulfilling form of life. Applied to social structure, one could say this is communist ideology. What's my name, what's my station, oh, just tell me what I should do I don't need to be kind to the armies of night that would do such injustice to you Or bow down and be grateful and say "sure, take all that you see" To the men who move only in dimly-lit halls and determine my future for me This next stanza is his contemplation of the actual realities of a communist manifestation. It represents his departure from thinking about the idealism of communism. He now begins to contemplate the negatives of its implementation (obedience to the state, loss of property, lack of economic mobility). If I know only one thing, it's that everything that I see Of the world outside is so inconceivable often I barely can speak Yeah I'm tongue-tied and dizzy and I can't keep it to myself What good is it to sing helplessness blues, why should I wait for anyone else? He the narrater realizes that the world is not as neat and malleable as he once thought. He realizes there are many variables, which abstract the ideal, which he seeks. He feels helpless in the pursuit of his ideal, arguably a communist one, and he questions the worth of pursuing an ideal without support or a chance of manifesting itself. "And I know, I know you will keep me on the shelf I'll come back to you someday soon myself If I had an orchard, I'd work till I'm raw If I had an orchard, I'd work till I'm sore And you would wait tables and soon run the store Gold hair in the sunlight, my light in the dawn If I had an orchard, I'd work till I'm sore If I had an orchard, I'd work till I'm sore Someday I'll be like the man on the screen" These last stanzas reflect a departure from his past views. He realizes that he realizes that the overarching and complicated conceptions of the world he has been pursuing are not necessary to living a fulfilling life. He realizes that conceiving things simply, him tending to a orchard, and his partner running a small store, brings him true fulfillment. The last line - "Someday I'll be like the man on the screen" he returns to his childhood when he dreamed of being the hero like the man on the screen. I think it's sarcastic, yet hopeful/truthful at the same time. It's sarcastic in the sense that the man on the screen, the grandiose/idealistic figurehead (the hero), is far from the simple man the narrater is at the time. However, in a sense he is like the hero because he has found that inherent, almost artificial happiness that the hero possesses by simplifying his conception of the world. |
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| Radiohead – Videotape Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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More of a personal interpretation, but I always picture the lyrics as the audio for parting videotape after he dies. The visuals for the tape are whatever I am looking at while listening to it. Being a song writer, I always felt video is much to constraining of a medium. Sound can be interpreted differently by the ear and the mind depending on where it is heard. That's my reasoning for constructing my interpretation. Essentially, every time I listen to this song I take it as the audio to Yorke's parting videotape, and my visual setting "the most beautiful perfect day I've ever seen" is either in front of me, or up to my imagination |
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| Kid Cudi – Mr. Rager Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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This is a sick song from Cudi because it represents himself so well. He knows both sides of the Mr. Rager story. He was once an indie outcast on the hip hop scene where he dreamed of livin like jay-z or kanye or any other of the hip hop leaders who you see partying with models and living a fantasy lifestyle. It also could apply to life in high school where he, like most kids, kinda wanted to be one of those kids who ditched school for a sort of mysterious extravagant party lifestyle. Now however Cudi is Mr. Rager, hence the name of his new album. So its pretty cool that he writes this song as a dialogue between him and his former self |
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| The Black Keys – The Lengths Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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First Stanza - Essentially, a brief insight into the final conversation between the wronged man and the woman who must leave him for what she's done. Second Stanza - The narrarter is speaking to the man, telling him life will go on. Though he can't depend on the woman, at least nature is reliable ("see the moonlight shining, on your window pane, see it leave you, as faithful as it came"). The narrater tells the man to either solve the problem or move; he chooses to do the latter. Third Stanza - It is broken up into to parts. In the first section, the narrater is speaking to the woman who broke the man's heart. The narrater questions how she could be so cruel to such a loyal man. Then in the second part of the stanza, with the line, "coals are hot to walk..." the narration shifts towards both parties in my opinion. The narrater says, "coals are hot to walk across without your shoes, but in the end know that you got nothin to lose." I believe this serves as advice to both parties that life alone may be difficult, but its really all there is left. To the woman: she has nothing to lose as clearly she did not care for the man and will not be as bothered that they parted ways. To the man: he did was necessary and disposed of the woman who was his world, he's lost it all. Kind of a boring and systematic way at breaking down such a beautiful song, but I thought I might as well post my opinion. |
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| Jack Johnson – Bubble Toes Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Here's a quick Reference guide from JJ's time at UCSB. DLG = De La Guerra dining commons The "tar balls" refer to the tar stains you get from walking certain beaches at UCSB. In those lines he's saying she likes to spend a lot of time at the beach. |
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| Arctic Monkeys – Secret Door Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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This song is about life as a famous person. However, I believe it is less metaphorical and more of a story, as is common with a lot of Alex's work. Intro::: "Fools on parade Cavort and carry on For waiting eyes That you would rather be beside than in front of But she’s never been the kind to be hollowed by the stares" This sums up a red carpet seen. The fools on parade are all the hallow fans, the media, and the industry. The Carry on "for waiting eyes," the stars. They would all rather be standing next to the eyes, be with the beautiful girl, but instead they can only stare. The second verse is about Alex and the girl mentioned above escaping from the red carpet event, laughing and suggesting, "There's absolutely nothing for us here." The third verse goes back in time and reflects on the period before Alex and the girl escaped through the "secret door." The chorus seems to repeat but there is one change in the lyrics, which holds particular meaning. "Fools on parade Frolic and fuck about to make her gaze Turn to a scribble on a page by a picture That holds her options But you’re daft to think she'd care" These lines seem to be directed and the media and journals who turn "frolic and fuck about" just to see a glimpse of the stars, suggesting the stars have the power. However the tides change when the writers come home and then it is they who have the power, because they control the stars' "options" (future gigs). The last line, "But you’re daft to think she'd care" Maybe a sly dig at the media, Alex and the band using the "girl" as a muse for their true feelings? |
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| Arctic Monkeys – Fake Tales of San Francisco Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| I'm from San Francisco... respect! | |
| Arctic Monkeys – Cornerstone Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I am having a real tough time deciding between the "whore or new girl" options in the interpretation of this song. If I had never listened to an Arctic Monkeys song before I would say it's definitely about asking whores to take the place of a lost love. The whole concept of asking a prostitute to take the name of someone else isn't incredibly farfetched, especially not after watching the "Hung" series on HBO (such a funny show). It's a toss up really... About the taxi vs friend's car debate though, I'll go with taxi. I feel that in a taxi, with the fact that he is losing money, more meaning is given to the fact that he wants to "elongate" his ride home and it makes the scenario more powerful overall. |
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