| Anberlin – Depraved Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I agree that the impact of this song comes from its having so few words. I noticed that on this album, the songs are less wordy and rely more on repetition and minor variations to make their points. In a way, this makes them more difficult to interpret, but it also means that there are more possible interpretations. My take: this song is a confrontation. The person being confronted is, I think, entirely up to the listener to decide. It could be a friend who has harmed the speaker in some way, or who has created some kind of distance between himself and the speaker. The speaker clearly has been hearing of or witnessing the other person's downward spiral. The other person has obviously been influenced by some corrupting force, having been "depraved" and "deceived" by that force, and is feeling like a "slave" to that force. Whether that force is a vice, or another person, is up to the listener to decide. I also think the person being confronted could be a lover. The word "please" in this context helps me to imagine the type of pleading... "Please take me back..." "Please, try to understand..." Then there's a part of me that wonders if this is self-reflexive, particularly after hearing "Down," the song preceding this one on the album. It's easy to imagine the speaker singing this to himself on some level, telling himself "You're not a slave," willing himself to change. Whatever the case, the last stanza shows that the speaker is extremely reluctant to pass judgment on this person. As upset and disappointed that he is, he hopes that someone will prove him wrong. |
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| The Spill Canvas – The Dutch Courage Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I don't know about all of you, but I often log on facebook and see all these people gossiping and acting like they're the shit, posting those decidedly trashy pictures where everyone is smirking and holding up a red solo cup... so concerned about what everyone else thinks about them... It disgusts me, quite frankly, and heavily impacts my already dwindling faith in our generation. It's all about woeful pretentiousness ("at least I don't care what these goddamn mindless people think of me"), about excessive self-indulgence ("as inebriated as you can get off your latest paycheck"/"you will live alone with your chemicals and gin"), and about shameful fear of conflict ("you exist behind your keyboard"/"being a coward is not a legitimate career"). I don't think it's melodramatic at all; of course, that's just my opinion. I think puts a straightforward, strong voice to the cynical thoughts of many of us who consider ourselves to be above such stupidity. |
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