| The Middle East – Blood Lyrics | 12 years ago |
|
The first time I heard this song I fell in love with it. I've had to listen to it many times over a long period of time to figure out what exactly I think about it, but finally I think I have a grasp on what it means. It tells the separate stories of three different men: a brother, a father, and a grandfather of the narrator. Older brother, restless soul, lie down Lie for awhile with your ear against the earth And you'll hear your sister sleep-talking Say, "your hair is long but not long enough to reach Home to me," but your beard someday might be And she woke up in a cold sweat on the floor Next to a family portrait drawn when you were four And beside a jar of two-cent coins that are no good no more She'll lay it aside The first story is of a brother, I think, who may be overseas fighting in the army or something of that nature. Perhaps conditions are harsh, perhaps he sleeps on the ground, his ear literally against the earth. And he thinks of his sister, and he thinks he can hear her talking in her sleep. To himself, he tells her that she cannot reach him. Perhaps he had a beard before he left, perhaps he wishes he still had his beard because it reminds him of being home. And his sister, so far away, misses him as much as he misses her. She has a drawing that he did as a child and two-cent coins, which he could have collected. These things remind her of him, and she keeps them close, though she must lay them aside because she must get up for the day. The family portrait may also remind her of better times, and give her a sense of passed togetherness that she no longer has in a dysfunctional family, which can be seen as the song progresses. Older father, weary soul, you'll drive Back to the home you made on the mountainside With that ugly, terrible thing Those papers for divorce and a lonely ring A lonely ring, sit on your porch and pluck your strings Oh and you'll find somebody you can blame And you'll follow the creek That runs out into the sea And you'll find a piece of the lord The second story is of their father, who is in the midst of a divorce, and he retreats into solitude to cope. He leaves his family behind and goes to what maybe was a vacation home in times passed. He goes there and he finds peace in the nature. But he is still held back by what he is going through. The divorce tears him apart and he is faced with the fact that he is to blame. He uses religion and nature, or perhaps the two simultaneously, to feel better. Grandfather, gentle soul, you'll fly Over your life once more before you die But since our grandma passed away You waited for forever and a day Just to die, and someday soon you will die Oh she was the only woman you ever loved Who got burnt by the sun too often when she was young And the cancer spread and it ran into her body and her blood And there's nothing you can do about it now. The third story is of the grandfather, and is perhaps the most self-explanatory. The grandfather, tragically, lost his wife and his one love to skin cancer. He spends the last years of his life simply waiting to die because he feels he cannot live without her. This song is so tragic, but its beauty strikes me every time I hear it. The lyrics are incredibly sad, though I do not think an interpretation, especially of a song like this, lies solely in the words. The tune is uplifting and almost has a sense of euphoria tied to it. It confronts the reader with a very strong message of "there's nothing you can do about it now" and I think it encourages people to feel happy about their lives even in the face of adversity, because you can only make the best of something. Shit happens. People go to war. People get divorced. People die. But life keeps going. There's nothing anyone can do to stop tragedy and that's just how it is. The song highlights nostalgia and how it can tear people apart - how the past may have been better, but how it is past, and how you will never get it back. The future is all there is and so you must make the best of it. |
|
| Phantogram – Mouthful of Diamonds Lyrics | 14 years ago |
|
I can't help but think this song is about someone with OCD. Like her boyfriend or just someone close to her... "The patterns they control your mind, those patterns take away my time", obviously. And the first verse just really makes me think of it: "Wake up, you're getting high on your own supply" is like the compulsions start as soon as you wake up, and then doing rituals or whatever gives you almost a high, but it's self-imposed which would be your "own supply". "You're still alive when you could've died" would be the person feeling like they're going to die (or something really bad will happen) if they don't do their rituals. It's almost like the singer is mocking them, though, saying that they could have died in a satiric way because they weren't in any real danger. The person might feel like anything good that happens is a result of one of their compulsions, but "The world is not round because of you, you know i'm not around because of you" is the singer telling them how ridiculous she thinks that is and basically just telling them that they're wrong. That's just my two-sense. I could totally see how it would be about drugs and relationships and stuff already mentioned. I just can't shake the thought that it's about someone with OCD, and that the singer's sort of fed up with them. |
|
| The Age of Rockets – avada kedavra Lyrics | 14 years ago |
|
"It's mostly about when people say 'it feels like the world is ending' when something bad happens to them. Like a break up or being fired. I was just kind of struck by how common that sentiment is but how crazy it is because sadness is all in your head and to qualify it as feeling like EVERYTHING outside of your head is ending seems really weird. So it's kind of like a 'calm down shits gonna be ok, nerd' song." so yeah, that's directly from andrew's formspring. |
|
| Faded Paper Figures – Speechless Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
This song is about how the government does nothing of benefit. And he's saying that he'd be better off just on is own without what the government tries to pass off as help. He says that 'If they said everything, then they lied'. So basically, they are trying to make it sound like everything is under control, but nothing is. He is pretty much saying that what the government does is show some guy on tv giving speeches. And they're doing that ALL the time. And so much of the time that they are spending talking about how they will fix problems could be spent actually fixing them. He says, 'I still can't see what the things they said have to do with free, if we left everything we'd be fine'. He's just saying that the government does nothing good for the people, really. And that we aren't really free, we're kind of just living a lie. Then he goes on to talk about how he has a vision of a 'gun-less sky' which is essentially and society without war and hate. And so he talks about his dream. The problem is, there's no changing it. The government always stays the same, wars rage on, people aren't happy with it. And all they do it continue to buy time on tv so that they can give speeches about how great things will be in a future that, in reality, will never change. |
|
| Passion Pit – Little Secrets Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
Well this song is obviously about drugs. And even though a ton of people have already said that, here I am to say what I think. Honestly, this song is incredibly obvious and straight forward. Whatever drug they are reffering to is a mystery to me, but it's probably illegal, and marijuana is what I tend to think they're talking about. In the first verse he talks about walls crumbling, salty wounds, things that pring pain or stress. Basically, he's got a lot to deal with. He then goes into the second verse, and this is where the drugs come into play. 'Painting rainbows' on his face, he's covering up things with rainbows. I would think in the next line, he's saying that HE is a discrace to other people, but he might also be saying that the drug is. I don't know. He serves his need... for being high, obvious. In the line 'Within the confines of such chemistry' I'm thinking he's reffering to the chemicals or the chemical makeup in the drug. If he is, I think that line is brilliant. Just saying. "Let this be our little secret, no one needs to know were feeling higher and higher and higher" Okay, I really don't know how much more obvious you can get on that one. It's a secret because it's illegal... and they're high. Exact same goes for the next verse. The higher the better, he believes. When he says his face blew up at such a casual sight, he's probably just saying how everything is sort of exagerated, how casual things can seem really crazy. And same thing through that verse. I think in the next verse, he's saying how he just doesn't understand why some people don't do drugs, becuase he thinks they're amazing, they make you 'feel so goddamn strong'. Next, he's saying how it's killing him (even though he starts using the word 'you', I still think he's talking about himself), and how the drugs are slowly taking his life. His 'life lines wane', which means they're unsure and unstable. Still, though, he can't give up the drug and he doesn't really even know why. His friends aren't happy with him, since it's just killing him. So now he's caused bad times for everyone, but he doesn't mind himself, so he'll do anything, he doesn't care if it ruins his family. The mother doesn't know where things went wrong. She used to have influence over him, but he just stopped listening and now he does whatever. He's gotten used to people dissaproving and trying to interfere, hence 'I cannot help but ignore the people staring at my scars'. So that's what I think of the song. Other people have probably said everything I just said, but I didn't read any other comments, so this is solely my own view of the song. So cheaa. |
|
| Faded Paper Figures – B-Film Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
He's comparing himself to a poorly made film. Basically saying that he is no good compared to what's out there, and that no one would be silly enough to prefer him. A B film is a film made with an extremely low budget. Monogram Pictures Corporation is a Hollywood film studio famous for making B films, hence "A Monogram guy". Poverty Row is a place in Hollywood that is home to most of the studios like that, so it's not a prestigious place to be. It's a place for second best. When he says "If you can say cut and live with the take / It's not much of set; it's all I've got time to make" he means If you can take me as I am and still like me / I don't have much to give; it's all that I have. By "To see something in me is to fall in love with a B film" he's saying that to like him and to prefer him is totally crazy, just as crazy as it is to love and prefer a movie that's nothing compared to the multimillion dollar films that are so easy to love. He is full of flaws, and he does not see how anyone could possibly accept someone like him. |
|
| Owl City – Hello Seattle Lyrics | 16 years ago |
|
This song is a euphemism for hospitals. When people think of hospitals, they think of sickness and bad things. However, when one is faced with a horrible situation such as the death or sickness of a friend, they may try to cover the bad things up by simply thinking of good things. The attempt will fail, though, because the tragedy of a bad situation is not concealable, and will always show through because it will always be there. Adam, or whomever you want to say is the ‘narrator’ likes the city of Seattle. They associate the city with happiness and good memories. In all actuality, Seattle is a hospital. In the song, Adam talks about how he is a mountaineer, but “I fall asleep in hospital parking lots.” A mountaineer is supposed to be someone who is strong and not afraid of anything. Because the person falls asleep in hospital parking lots, they probably know someone in the hospital. It is obviously someone they love, because they don’t want to leave them in the hospital. They sleep in the parking lot so that they are still at the hospital, even outside of visiting hours, because they can’t leave this friend of theirs who is dying. They are only pretending to be a mountaineer. On the outside they act strong and brave, but on the inside they are worried more than anything about this person. In the next few verses, I am not sure what exactly Adam means. In the one starting with “I am the crescent moon,” he talks about being a pill. Pills are associated with sickness and hospitals, so there is probably a connection there. I think that the “moon shining down on your face” could be some kind of a light that the doctor is shining into the patient’s eyes. I’m not sure about that one though. Later, he gets into the verse about the lighthouse, and someone else already said something about the lighthouse that was brilliant, so I'm just going to repeat it. The lighthouse is a building that helps people. However, lighthouses are not red and blue. The lighthouse here is actually an ambulance with its red and blue lights. Others take heed from an ambulance, and, like a lighthouse, it helps people. The two have similar purposes, but the difference is that an ambulance is a symbol of panic and injury, while a lighthouse is a savior. The lighthouse covers up the pain that the ambulance brings, but nevertheless, the ambulance is still there. When he starts singing “Take me above your light…” the point of view has switched. Before, the narrator was the protector, or the one trying to help the patient. Now, the patient is speaking. The patient talks about the things he or she wants. All that the patient wants is to feel safe. They don’t even mind dying, I don’t think, as long as they have that first narrator there to protect them. “Sing me asleep tonight.” Here, they do not actually want to be sung to sleep. Sleeping is a metaphor for dying. Small children like to be sung to sleep because it calms them down and is peaceful. They can fall asleep because they have that sense of security from the singer being there. The patient does not mind dying, but all they want is to be with the person when it happens for that extra comfort. Once they have that friend there to ‘sing to them’, they can ‘fall asleep’ and feel safe. Ah, sorry this is so long. |
|
| Owl City – Designer Skyline Lyrics | 16 years ago |
|
One of my favorite Owl City songs, I think that this song sort of has two meanings. I think on a more general level, the city that this song is describing is a metaphor for life. In the beginning, the "options and possibilities are endless" and you can make your life whatever you want. You work and work to make sure your life will be what you want. Then comes the "reaction". Things start to take shape, and grow into something bigger than your hopes. They are becoming reality. Everything you have worked for comes together. Finally, "A city sparkles in the night". Your ideal life was completed with hard work and persistence. He says, "How can it glow so bright" in the song. You are perplexed by what you have created, because it is more than you could have ever imagined. Although, that, like I said, was on a general level; something that his listeners could relate to. I also think that this song has a more personal meaning that Adam Young relates to. It is similar to what I said above, although I think that for him, the city metaphorically represents his rise to fame. I realize that he wrote this song long before he was well known, but I think he may be referring to his dreams and aspirations, and imagining what it would be like to be famous. The blueprints for his city are his songs, he puts his all into them. Next, the "reaction" - he puts his music online and starts to do something bigger and share his work. And eventually, his city sparkles in the night, and his life and his fame is better than he could have ever hoped. |
|
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.