| Everything Everything – Photoshop Handsome Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Great analysis! The only thing I'd question is "southern hemisphere by Calvin Klein" - I saw that as being about branded clothing like his 'southern hemisphere' (lower half) is by Calvin Klein meaning that he is a living advertisement for the clothing, or something like that | |
| The Decemberists – Down by the Water Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| It's actually a current R.E.M. member - Peter Buck - on guitar, along with Gillian Welch on co-vocals. | |
| The Clash – Somebody Got Murdered Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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To sound cliché, it's about how cheap life is on the streets. The narrator (Mick) can't believe how no-one cares about the death of a person "Somebody got murdered, it left me with a touch" He also can't see the point of killing someone over "spare change" |
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| The Clash – Something About England Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Basically - the leaders and 'respected gentlemen' like to blame the immigrants for the troubles in the country but, as the old man says, it's nothing new and the leaders are essentially the ones to blame. "The world was busy rebuilding itself, the architects could not care" That lyric is probably the best description of post-war Europe in song. |
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| The Smiths – You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| That is a cover by Kirsty Maccoll :) | |
| Los Campesinos! – Too Many Flesh Suppers Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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'They ripped off our collars' 'Take my calloused hands' 'Unwieldy as teenagers...' |
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| Los Campesinos! – Who Fell Asleep In Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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'In a note I read: "If you should go blind and deaf I'll cleanse and I'll bathe you and I'll cook for you daily. I will take a dry ballpoint pen and trace on yr chest All of the same conversations that we have now in bed." I don't mean to be selfish; but I think I'd sooner just be dead ' I this bit is about obsession, but taken less literally I think it means that she wants the relationship to keep on even through he's not interested anymore. '...blind and deaf' - he doesn't even look or speak to her. I think the song could refer to him suffering some sort of existential crisis and deliberately seducing a girl to try and get over it but she (perhaps because she is religious) won't leave him despite his best attempts at sabotaging the relationship. |
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| Drive-By Truckers – Birthday Boy Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Well - it's a song about a prostitute (or maybe a 'dancer'), but told through the eyes of said girl. it's very unusual for a rock song to be sympathetic about such a subject. Basically she hates the job but her bad upbringing has left her with no choice but to do this. | |
| Talking Heads – Heaven Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I didn't fully 'get' this song until I found out that 'Utopia' is (ancient) Greek for 'No place' | |
| Morrissey – Everyday Is Like Sunday Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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This song will be especially meaningful to anyone who has been to a small seaside town in England where every shop is boarded up and the streets are as grey as the sky. Such towns are the bleakest, most depressing areas in the world. fading primary colours and flickering neon arcade signs hint at better times previous, yet only seem to highlight the emptiness. Such towns appear to just be waiting for death (hence the 'come Armageddon' line) |
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| Manic Street Preachers – All Is Vanity Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I know it's quite unrelated to the lyrics, but the title is a quote from Evelyn Waugh's 'Brideshead Revisited' | |
| Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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'Escape from our history...I look to the future it makes me cry' This is definately about the aftermath of Richey's disappearance. It shows the band in a state of flux - they are acknowledging that they are not the same band, but don't really know what to do; in a way it's also a brush off to those who were expecting 'The Holy Bible MkII' |
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| Manic Street Preachers – Australia Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| The 'cheeks are turning yellow' line I think refers to Nicky's liver condition (Gilbert's Syndrome) which can cause a mild jaundice when stressed etc | |
| Manic Street Preachers – Little Baby Nothing Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| In answer to a couple of the above criticisms, this song isn't exactly about abusive males or groupies...It's specifically aimed at the sex industry - it's anti-porn and anti-prostitution. The 'used by men' line, I think, is meant to be wholly literal. | |
| The Clash – Spanish Bombs Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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"But after they died it was Mockingbird Hill" Rather than refering to a place I think that this lyric is a reference to 'To Kill A Mockingbird' The 'trenches full of poets'line I think refers explicitly to the 'International Brigades' brought in by the communists to fight on the republic's side - many Socialist intellectuals from across Europe (and further abroad, such as Mexicans and Americans) fought (and died) defending Spain from the nationalists. George Orwell actually fought, and was injured, fighting in one of the Socialist (but anti-communist) POUM regiments. |
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