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Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody Lyrics 15 years ago
speaking of overanalyzed takes...
I just thought I'd give you mine :)

There's something very fantasy-like in this song, be it the music, the lyrics or the ups and downs.
Maybe it's the training on drug prevention I just took, but I have a feeling it's about a battle with drugs.

"Mama, life has just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away"
He may be talking about how he's thrown his life away by using drugs.
He says: "I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves, from a poor family" as if it's his reason for using (ie: a bad, unloved boy from a bad family)

"Sends shivers down my spine
Body's aching all the time"
which are real important side effects from drug use

"Mama, oooooooh (Anyway the wind blows)
I don't want to die
Sometimes wish I'd never been born at all"
notice how he keeps calling out to his mother, as if he desperately needs her attention/love/forgiveness. He goes through phases in the song where he regrets his life, then phases where he regrets the ups and downs and withdrawal times.

"I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango
Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening me"
Hallucinations? Bad trips?
it seems real plausible, to me at least.
Then from the high pitched melody to real slow and down :
"I'm just a poor boy nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity"


Then comes the part with all the prayers and such:
"Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go
Let him go"
Notice how "Bismillah! we will not let you go" with the deep, "manly" voices are very devil-like and the other side saying "let him go". As if drugs (=bad) want him to keep using and prayer (=good (because of the calm, angelic voices)) want him to be free from drugs.

And now comes the part where he takes everything back into his own control:
"So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye
So you think you can love me and leave me to die
Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here"

"stone me" speaks for itself
"love me and leave me to die" as in make me feel good but at the same time be killing me

And finally he goes into the numbness stage saying "nothing really matters to me"

I don't know if it's plausible or makes sense at all but the highs and downs and melody changes and voice changes and all just make me think of the different states of mind drug users go through when using and after the highs or lows of different drugs.
And the presence of the mother is a cry for help or attention he may not have gotten from his "poor family" and which was the primary reason for his substance use.

Let me know what you think, though.

Cheers




submissions
Damien Rice – Coconut Skins Lyrics 15 years ago
This is how I see it...

you can hold her hand
and show her how you cry
explain to her your weakness so she understands
and then roll over and die
-> you can be with her, tell her everything about you, your weakness and all but then there won't be anything left for her to learn about you so you might as well die.

or you can brave decisions
before you crumble up inside
-> or you could make your own decisions because if you don't you'll "crumble up inside"
spend your time asking everyone else's permission
then run away and hide
-> but all you do is ask people their permission and opinion even if it doesn't do you any good and you don't listen to them (hence the "run away and hide")

you can sit on chimneys
put some fire up your ass
-> you could rush to do things

no need to know what you're doing or waiting for
but if anyone should ask..
tell them i've been lickin' coconut skins
and we've been hanging out
-> people don't need to know what you're doing or why you're doing and if they ask, basically tell them to mind their own business (the licking coconut skins means we're doing something and you have no idea what it is. it's quite sarcastic actually)

tell them god just dropped by to forgive our sins
and relieve us our doubt
-> tell them that God is on your side and he agrees with how you're living your life so everyone should just be fine with it too and not judge.

You can hold her eggs
-> you can wait to have sex with her (the "eggs" being her eggs ie: ovule)
But your basket has a hole
-> but you know you want to have sex with her

You can lie between her legs and go looking for
Tell her you're searching for her soul
-> you could tell her you're waiting to have sex with her because you're "searching for her soul"

You can wait for ages
Watch your compost turn to coal
Time is contagious
Everybody's getting old
-> but "time is contagious" (ie: you can't wait forever), and you're going to have to do it eventually so stop waiting because it's wasting your time

To me this song is about living your life the way YOU want to, not waiting for people to give you "permission" to do the things you want to do. People are going to judge you and ask you what it is that you're doing or waiting for (maybe to get married, i don't know) and when they do basically tell them to go f*** themselves because it's none of their business and you're happy with just "hanging out" and living your life with this person.

Great song. It's actually not pessimistic at all.
Hope my view isn't a load of bull :$:)
Peace

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