| The Smiths – Sheila Take a Bow Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[nightandday:9146] -- YES the on gender switching especially. I've always thought Morrissey is implying this too. | |
| The Chambers Brothers – Time Has Come Today Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| I've always thought of this as a typical '60s era song; i.e. "now is the time for change", etc. There may be some deeper, more specific meaning, as well. | |
| Strawberry Alarm Clock – Incense and Peppermints Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[TheWutt:8971] --this could be. If so, this would be a clever pun. | |
| Buffalo Springfield – Rock & Roll Woman Lyrics | 9 years ago |
|
@[twarn85:8860] -- Yeah, I also heard somewhere it's about Janis, who was pretty much unknown in the San Fran scene up until Monterrey. That's why it seems like he is introducing her in the opening line of the song. The final lines also "she's a friend of mine, she's no longer blind, she's just hard to find." Now that she is famous, her eyes are opened to a whole different world, and even though she's still a friend, good luck tracking her down, for she's busy all the time. I have no idea how the middle stanza fits in. It does indeed seem like a drug taking influence. Who the F knows? |
|
| Buffalo Springfield – Mr. Soul Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[drew4355:8859] -- My gosh, I think you've deciphered this one! Pretty close, anyways. | |
| Buffalo Springfield – Mr. Soul Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[scottjefferies:8858] -- Exactly. I have no idea what this song is about, but the way all its words are put together are like a weird puzzle. | |
| The Guess Who – No Time Lyrics | 9 years ago |
|
@[OpinionHead:8857] -- Me too. I love the way they write their songs, and how different instruments play different roles. The guitars are rather sparse in a lot of their songs (except American Woman). I also did not know until recently that their background vocals are just as real when they play live as in the studio. All of them sang, all 5 of them (I think there were 5) so they could replicate their rich vocals live, unlike some other bands which would merely layer their vocals in the studio, but not have this fuller sound when they sang them live. |
|
| The Guess Who – Share The Land Lyrics | 9 years ago |
|
@[drlingus:8856] -- At first I was skeptical about this one (my opinion has always been it's about the Vietnam War), but now I am agreeing. Especially when he starts to say THEY will be giving away all this land. First of all, who is "they?" The government? Yeah, right. It does sound very idealistic and fanciful, something some hippies thought they'd wind up getting for free after hitting the pipe a few times too many. Maybe this sort of thing happened in Canada? ... If it ever happened in America, these hippies would be getting the crappiest land imaginable, where nothing could be grown without sufficient irrigation, or whatever. :) Part of me still thinks "Vietnam War" though, especially the first stanza, in which he's saying something's gonna "happen to you" a year from now, presumably because the guy he's speaking about is American (rather than Canadian) and is about to turn 18 a year from now, and therefore could get drafted. There's also "did you know their names?" ... a question which could be addressed toward somebody else who gets a newspaper with local Vietnam War casualties in its obituary section. |
|
| Devo – Shrivel-Up Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[Meatbomb:8581] -- Yeah I agree. I've always thought all of this too. | |
| Devo – Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Gettin') Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| Yes I also have always assumed this song has some sort of sexual reference. Devo was such a fun band back in the '80s, just because they were associated as part of the punk / new wave movement, but were so very unique. | |
| Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| @[NeverXMind:8394] -- a lot of metal bands don't know how (or don't want to) slow down their music down to such a slothful pace, very true. | |
| Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| @[ebannaw:8393] -- I get this too. Black Sabbath is a very medieval-sounding song, it draws up all kinds of imagery. | |
| Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath Lyrics | 10 years ago |
|
One thing I've noticed ever since I was a teen, learning to play bass, is that the main tri-note riff Tony and Geezer are playing during those verses is (musically) a root, the root's octave, and a flat 5th note. The flat fifth was once a big no-no, the Church used to say these were the Devil's signature notes, supposedly, although the article linked below seems to dance around the factual basis of this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritone Whatever. Black Sabbath definitely chose these particular musical notes for their flagship song for obvious reasons. They sound very evil and devilish! |
|
| The Beatles – Nowhere Man Lyrics | 10 years ago |
|
@[beatles4ever:8392] -- naw, not God. I think he's talking about the fact that most people exist in sort of a vacuum. 100 years from now, nobody'll remember who they are, because they never made any sort of difference in their lives. When John asks "Nowhere man can you see me at all?" he is prodding the guy to see if he actually notices John's message. |
|
| The Beatles – Nowhere Man Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| @[Billie_Joe:8391] -- Yeah, George's solo is great. You can tell he was trying to think "away" from his previous solos too, in which he would merely copy the same notes John & Paul sang during verses. He's about halfway there. | |
| The Beatles – Nowhere Man Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| @[sqrt144:8390] =-= Yeah, I was thinking this too. :) Rubber Soul came first. | |
| Ludacris – Number One Spot Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Damn. Just 2 comments? This song always brings me back to the mid 2,000s. That was such a great period in rap and R&B. | |
| R.E.M. – Welcome To The Occupation Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| How could it apply to Iraq in 2004 when the song was written in the early '80s? Lol. | |
| R.E.M. – Finest Worksong Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Off-topic from the previous posts (which seem to have the meaning well-covered) but this is one of the few R.E.M. songs that I knew all the lyrics to before I looked at this page! So many of them, I'm like: "what the hell is he saying?" | |
| R.E.M. – Feeling Gravity's Pull Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
Also wanted to add: those who have experienced lucid dreams (as I have) might know that it's possible to play around with time and space...walk thru walls, fly, whatever you want to do. So several others in this thread have certainly touched upon this. DerUbanesque's in-depth post seems a bit far-fetched to me. I doubt the meaning of this song goes as far as he's implying. Good insights, though. |
|
| R.E.M. – Feeling Gravity's Pull Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I'm with most of the others. Seems the protagonist is almost about to become a completely spiritual form perhaps. But gravity keeps returning him to his physical body. The Man Ray bit only lends to the surreality of what he experiences as he nears the lighter, spiritual form. | |
| Bob Marley and the Wailers – Crazy Baldheads Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Hmmmm...I dunno about this. | |
| Bob Marley and the Wailers – Crazy Baldheads Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Crazy Baldheads is not about hate or love so much that it's about building up a revolt against a system that isn't (or wasn't) working. | |
| Bob Marley and the Wailers – Crazy Baldheads Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Yea, this is what they called "scatting". | |
| Bob Marley and the Wailers – Roots, Rock, Reggae Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
The part where Bob says "we're bubbling on the Top 100" is his recognition of making the R&B musical charts outside of Jamaica. I think BMW also made some Rock charts, too, with Rastaman Vibration. A lot of people didn't think any band from the Third World would ever make such fame and money, etc. Bubbling is the term used for that rhythmic sound reggae keyboard players make. |
|
| Bob Marley and the Wailers – Positive Vibration Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| So does anyone know what this song is about? Ha ha just kidding... | |
| Tears for Fears – Pale Shelter Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Dude, I always love it when I'm in some car in Vice City with the Pop station on (or whatever station plays TFF) or Pale Shelter comes on. It's amazing Pale Shelter is in Vice City instead of Shout! or one of TFF's more popular songs. | |
| Tears for Fears – Pale Shelter Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Lol, yes it does sound very eighties. Early eighties to be more exact! | |
| Ozzy Osbourne – Over The Mountain Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| This seems most true, after all, Ozzy does say something about traveling thru the astral plane. Could also be about hallucinagenic drugs, which is arguably another way of making it to the astral plane, although this depends who you ask. | |
| Grateful Dead – Box Of Rain Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Me too. | |
| Grateful Dead – Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| No comments? Dang. I have no idea what this song's about. | |
| The Cure – Play for Today Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| She ain't phony, if indeed we are talking about a "she" here. She's just demanding something the narrator is unwilling to give. Robert's response to him or her is painfully honest, which is certainly respectable. At least HE's not being phony. | |
| The Beatles – Day Tripper Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I've heard it many times. That ain't the Beatles though. It was merely Jimi's backup band (Mitch and Noel) playing along. They did Day Tripper for the BBC's Radio program I believe. | |
| Elton John – Levon Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
TOTALLY agree with PencilNeckGeek about the garbled lyrics. For years I've wondered what the hell Elton is singing about (especially during the chorus where he gets way over-the-top excited). The production of the song is crystal clear...the vocals are crystal clear, yet I find myself getting frustrated whenever I hear Levon because I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE HELL HE'S GETTING SO EXCITED ABOUT... ...I geshi better Levon... ...geshi better cut my hair.. ...I geshi better Levon... ...and besh I bah habah hahh WOO!... ...MISH I BE LEVON!!1.... That's what it sounds like to me! So it's cool to finally see what the lyrics really are. |
|
| The Police – Invisible Sun Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
I'm with the North Ireland crowd, especially because it's proven the Armalite is a gun often used by the I.R.A. during conflicts around that difficult time. Also, there's a Wiki page which goes into detail about this song: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_Sun Ghost in the Machine is my favorite Police album. It's got some dark, dark songs on there...very unlike the crap Sting started putting out when he went solo. |
|
| Iron Butterfly – The Time Of Our Lives Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| LOl. No comments on this song? It's kinda funny cuz this album (Ball) is just as good as IB's first album, however Ball doesn't have an In a Gadda Da Vida-type song on it. And from what I understand, Iron Butterfly's fans didn't like this album as much as the first album because there wasn't this huge 20-minute song on it. | |
| The Police – Spirits In The Material World Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Yea I agree with the "out of tempo" statement. Very much so. | |
| The Doors – The Crystal Ship Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
I know we're supposed to look for deeper meanings, but this is one of those Doors songs that IS about drugs, straight up, particularly since all drugs have transitory effects. Before you slip into unconsciousness I'd like to have another kiss Another flashing chance at bliss Another kiss, another kiss He's saying "before the drug's effect wears off", he'd like to have "another kiss", meaning another taste of the drug's effect. Possibly this is a very short-lasting drug. Since the original song was supposed to say "a thousand pills", it's possible it could have been valium? Or some sort of sedative. I say this because the effect is "a gentle rain" rather than something which rushes the user. The days are bright and filled with pain Enclose me in your gentle rain The time you ran was too insane We'll meet again, we'll meet again Days are bright and filled with pain. To those who haven't used hard drugs, the after-effects are particularly harsh when the effect wears off. He'd like to 'be enclosed' back into the drug's effect..although this means the drug can't possibly be cocaine or speed....neither of these have gentle effects. Hmmm. But 'the time you ran was too insane' (when the drug wore off) but he knows "we'll meet again", which obviously means he'll score again. Oh tell me where your freedom lies The streets are fields that never die Deliver me from reasons why You'd rather cry, I'd rather fly It seems the first line is a question. "Oh tell me where your freedom lies?" And the second line is an answer: "The streets are fields that never die". I have no idea what this could possibly means, but (as others have stated) it's such a perfect, poetic, beautiful sentence. I can't begin to fathom what it means, though. Seems (if it is in fact a question/answer scenario) that the streets are where freedom lies, for whatever reason. "Deliver me from reasons why you'd rather cry, I'd rather fly"... The crystal ship is being filled A thousand girls, a thousand thrills A million ways to spend your time When we get back, I'll drop a line The Crystal Ship here is a metaphor of Jim's life as stardom rose. It's being filled in all sorts of interesting ways. Since the original line was supposed to be "a thousand pills", it strengthens my argument that the song has a druggy connotation. But no matter how high he gets, he's going to eventually need to "get back" somewhere, at which time he'll "drop a line", in effect contact contact someone or something. That's where I get lost...have no idea what the heck this could mean. |
|
| The Doors – The Crystal Ship Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| ^ agreed. | |
| The Doors – The Crystal Ship Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| It's a piano solo in the middle. Organ accompanies underneath, however. | |
| The Doors – The Crystal Ship Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| A lot of interpretation here, I don't think it's on the right track, though. | |
| The Doors – You're Lost Little Girl Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Confirmed that Robby wrote it. Not sure why Jim wouldn't want to sing it, other than the fact that the lyrics seems a little weaker than something Jim would have written. | |
| The Doors – Crossroads Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| ^Close. They go to a crossroads out in the country somewhere and THEN sell their soul. That's usually how the folklore goes, anyways... | |
| The Doors – Who Scared You Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| You asshole, Jim Morrison wasn't into needles! He had a fear of them actually. His main squeeze Pam was the heroin addict. | |
| The Doors – Who Scared You Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Yea I always thought he was saying "warm it up right". It makes more sense. | |
| The Doors – Strange Days Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
This one was driving my crazy, so I Wiki'd it... "Strange Days" is a song by The Doors. It was released in 1967 and is the first track on the album of the same name. According to a review at Allmusic by Tom Maginnis, the song seems to find lead singer Jim Morrison "pondering the state of the then emerging hippie youth culture and how they are perceived by mainstream or 'straight' society." Again, the Wiki page says it "seems to be" about these things, so who knows... |
|
| The Doors – Strange Days Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
I have no idea what the heck this song was about, but I remember listening to it over and over again in high school, stoned out of my mind. Just love the voice synthesizer, and the way Ray and Robbie have layered the music is awesome, too. I read in John Densmore's book awhile back that Jim was depressed when he wrote it, but I forget why. To me, it seems the first stanza is about the band itself, especially since he says "we shall go on playing or find a new town". I know the Doors/Jim got alot of hassling from the law, banned from certain venues, etc. But then, the following verses seem to have nothing to do with any of this. *throws up hands in frustration* so I don't know... |
|
| The Doors – Strange Days Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I read in John Densmore's book that Jim was depressed when he wrote this song, partially about the lack of contentment after fame struck. I have no idea if this is what the song is about, though. | |
| The Doors – Break on Through (To the Other Side) Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
Adding to my above comment (sorry). We also have to consider the fact that during the time this song was written, drugs were fast becoming popular, especially pot and all the psychadelics. Most young people didn't really know (or care) so much about any negative consequences caused by drugs; in fact it was common to think such drugs would be the answer to many of society's problems, assuming everybody from this generation turned-on. Another thought. Break on Through was supposed to be The Doors first hit single (turns out, it wouldn't even chart within the Top 100 I believe!) so think about that. Jim's written a song that's just about as anti-establishment as can be in an effort to piss off the squares while enlightening those who were curious, and it's the first song The Doors were aiming towards the radio. I'll disagree in advance with anyone who says this ain't true...The Doors were initially very interested in being famous; they wanted their songs to be heard just as much as any bubblegum pop band from the time. Light My Fire of course, would wind up being the song that finally got them moving towards stardom, but I find it interesting that Break on Through was supposed to be the song which finally did so. LMF is a lighter song, of course. |
|
| The Doors – Break on Through (To the Other Side) Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
^Anal sex? Troll. :( It's about simply expanding consciousness, getting past the "here and now" Since psychadelic drugs were such a new fad at the time in American culture (mid '60s), and Jim was one of the most outspoken pioneers on the subject, Break on Through can be interpreted as expanding consciousness mostly thru drug use. We chased our pleasures here Dug our treasures there But can you still recall The time we cried Break on through to the other side Break on through to the other side See...he's saying "we've been there/done that", let's try something new. |
|
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.