| Non-Prophets – The Cure Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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"Don't deny that sick feeling in your stomach, you can't run from it. Let it guide you into high view and move beyond the summit. From peeks to valleys, speed through alleys. If it's done quick, you'll have time to find the caves where days were never sunlit" I think that this refers to depression, but specifically the type which can be caused simply by learning so much about the world and how it really works. Discover scriptures made by a society of blind men who suggest the best directions where you most likely will find them. Dead set on checkmates, embracing a chess set. When bedspreads get wet, they're left with the scent of death threats Talking about scriptures such as the Bible and how a lot of things that you would have been able to figure out on your own were written in it and thus given their origin from there. He then goes on to criticise how everything is so black and white and how fundamentalists must prove that their opinion is indefinitely right. When they are proven wrong, they are frightened (bedspreads get wet) and often will give death threats to the ones opposed (I think that's more of a reference to radical Muslims) In seven seconds I'll become undone; I'm breaking through. If you're around by the time I reach number one, I'm taking you. You're not the travelling type? Then hide your baggage better before you die a normal death and write the average letter about your internal furnace and how life's a sexually transmitted disease that you contracted through her kiss. When a boy writes off the world it's done with sloppy misspelled words if a girl writes off the world it's done in cursive. The first two lines are beautiful. In live performances, Sage sometimes says "In 7 seconds, I'll become a gun..." so in that regard, I think that he's saying that he'll kill himself in seven seconds, and that if there is a girl who doesn't run and sticks with him right to the final second, then he'll "take her". The travelling refers again to depression and when she's says she's not that type of person, he points out her "baggage" which is basically her sadness (very clever line) and advises her to deal with this sadness. If not, she will end up committing suicide and writing the same suicide letter that most people write when they die (I think the "normal death" refers not to the actual death itself [suicide not being a normal death, of course] but to the way that she'll die unceremoniously just like everyone else), talking about the burning depression (internal furnace) and how life fucked them over (life's a sexually transmitted disease that you contracted through her kiss). "When a boy writes off the world, it's done with sloppy misspelled words. If a girl writes off the world it's done in cursive" I agree with a previous commenter that it's a metaphor relating to how a suicidal woman captivates people's imaginations and emotions whereas the same can't be said for a man. Thus, the speaker in the song is searching for a girl just like that. I'm searching for the cure this is a sickness can you hear me, love? The refrain reiterates what I previously stated. I kick the dirt for what it's worth, listening to the birds chirp. The same cryptic speech the breeze speaks and the sea repeats. Recognising the cycles with every passing day. Writing full demands in the sand 'till the crashing waves wash it away. I think that this is the speaker's replacement for faith: nature. The way in which he uses the word "cryptic" harkens back to the scriptures from before. This is the spiritual parlance of nature and that's what he observes and finds solace in. He writes his demands in the sand and the way in which the sea washes his demands away are a sign of acceptance (before reading on properly, I had thought of that as being a symbol of rejection). This is how he worships; the latter is his equivalent to prayer. I watch what I say now but I hate it Trying to make my mark. Afraid of the dark nature of vague statements that plague the vacant parking lots where shopping carts go uncollected. That sick feeling in my stomach starts to leave my heart and soul infected. Speaks for itself really. He has to watch what he says and be careful of offending anyone. The metaphor of the shopping carts going uncollected is a bit hazy for me. I think that "vacant parking lots" refers to people's minds and that they are filled by vague statements, while the "shopping carts", which I'm guessing refer to reason, truth, the bigger picture etc., are ignored. I won't accept it. Do my best to reject patterns 'till it hurts. Every second making bad turns for the worse. She's getting further away. I can feel it in the way my bones ache. The ocean sealed its lips. Now, the waves won't break. He realises that he must keep changing in order to remain content, yet is constantly growing more and more weary as his love, his goal is becoming evermore distant. The solace which he found in the ocean can't be repeated now as the waves will no longer break. This may in essence refer to a break up and how he became dependent upon a woman who subsequently left him; however, I tend to look at it more metaphorically. The secrets it won't say has got us trying to break codes in churches and lately I've been hating its sole purpose (soul purpose). When a boy writes off the world it's done with sloppy misspelled words if a girl writes off the world it's done in cursive The mysteries set by life, the mystery of our sadness (in terms of this song, sickness) - people are trying to decode them in churches and the speaker cannot stand this. I'm searching for the cure this is a sickness can you hear me, love? "Now I look for air pockets to pick. Walk with a stick. Start picking locks with it. Opening up heart-shaped lockets with little arguments. The tawdry trinkets start to split and contradict. Those who say one thing but think the opposite." This is great. He challenges those who have a fervent belief in their faith with simple arguments. The imagery of the heart-shaped locket refers to how people's faith is something close to and guarded by their hearts, and it's what he's violating. Something in a heart-shape also has an aura of positivity about it and thus could refer to the aura of wholesomeness and purity that some believers attempt to give off. When he raises these arguments, they panic and begin to contradict themselves. The use of "tawdry" again refers to their façade of purity. They will then, exactly, tell you one thing when in reality they think the opposite of what they're saying. "I bit the dust. Tongue kissing documents in a smokestack. Faith is harder to swallow than pride, turning our throats black. I want my home back. I know that's not an available option." The first line is difficult for me and I end up thinking of a range of interpretations for it. I think he's saying he tried to "settled for less" and ended up making love to someone who was comprised (mentally) of a bunch of religious bibliography. The smokestack refers to the person's mind. In US English, the smokestack is the chimney on a train which helps keep smoke clear from the sight of the driver, thus the "documents" (religious scriptures) are the things that this person uses to keep themselves from becoming depressed (sick, again in reference to the song). However, accepting this person's faith was not worth the sacrifice of his pride. He wishes to go back to how he was before but cannot. "It's the way that I'm walking in between a cradle and coffin that just makes me pace myself. If half the battle's done right, the other half won't take my health while jacking my shadow's sunlight to crack it open and find the space between my breaths are desolate. Life is just a lie with an 'f' in it and death is definite." I took the first line from the other stanza and put it here as I think it fits into it better. I find that there are a few interpretations that you could make from this stanza and mine certainly wouldn't be full proof. First line is very intelligently written, probably signifying that he is in the middle of his life now and has to take things slower. If you live well during the first half of your life then in the other half, your health won't fail you and you won't need to look to the memories of the past (I interpret the shadow's sunlight as being like nostalgia) to retain some form of happiness, only to find that that time period had nothing going for it either, thus discovering that life is just a lie... "But after I scratched the surface, I never saw the calm before the storm act so nervous. When a boy writes off the world, it's done with sloppy misspelled words if a girl writes off the world, it's done in cursive." Upon looking at the world for what it really was, he found that what was supposed to be the calm period in his life (maybe childhood) even became a nervous time. I'm searching for her. Can you hear me, love? So, the speaker is trying to come to grips with his depression, and trying to find a significant other who feels the same way that he does. Much to his chagrin, many people find their cure in religion and he cannot do the same. This tragic woman is his cure and he's searching for her. To quote Climb Trees: "Baby don't you know that I love women who hate mankind? Talk about it all the damn time!" P.S. I didn't want to narrow this down to being an anti-theistic piece but I think it is, essentially. Yet, it's all conjecture, of course. |
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| Atmosphere – A Song About A Friend Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Fuck you technixflow. Slug said in an interview that the majority of songs on God Loves Ugly were metaphors and that he was using the relationship struggle as a way of expressing how he felt about something completely different. Hence, it is perfectly fair to say that this is an allegory. | |
| Sage Francis – Broken Wings Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I instantly thought that this was about Hip-Hop when I listened to it and still feel that way now. It just fits perfectly. Though I could understand why someone would see this as being about a starving artist (who is a woman) or about women's rights in general. | |
| Sage Francis – Agony in Her Body Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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lol...remember what Sage said in Diamonds and Pearls: "Surprising the world, with diamonds and pearls but song about a girl, ain't really about a girl" "The world map is our bedsheet We share geography now I explore virgin territory Squeeky seats acting as a mating call Nothing on me but her And didn't feel naked at all" I see that as being a metaphor for touring and travelling across the US. "I undress They run tests I leave the dirt to the experts" He reveals his inner thoughts in his writings, and leaves the "dirt" to the "experts" (the producers) "Ever feel the need To keep it so real you feed Yourself into her hunger and don't care if she bleeds Askin' all these questions Ain't highly recommended They'll eventually get answered If you put time in the friendship That is if what you're doin' is helping And it's not like you'll know until you ah- Reach the ending" He's talking about how he is so candid in his songs because of his desire to be real and to tell the truth and is hence feeding the desire of this "woman" (probably a symbol of listeners who want Sage to be real and emotional in his songs or of Hip-Hop in general). No doubt this is a song full of sexual imagery but it isn't so cut and dry in my opinion. In fact, I don't think anything by Sage Francis is cut and dry. If you think that this song is simply about an abusive relationship then you're going to have a hard time explaining some of the lines which I mentioned previously. |
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| Atmosphere – Don't Ever Fucking Question That Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I agree with snaggly snakeyes. This song is linked to The River, so if you like, you should all check out my interpretation on The River because I talk a little bit about this song as well. | |
| Atmosphere – The River Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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@jcopacetic - Unlike what Nothing but Sunshine says, Slug's parents are not actually dead, nor did he ever live with his uncle. That song is purely fictional. I still look at this song metaphorically. The whole Sad Clown Bad Dub II record deals with two things: women and a striving for success. Slug says, before the verse, "This one gave her one of those funny feelings. Almost had to stop. Every time I hear a river I think the mother is crying". In fact, the song is almost like a self-parody of the manner in which he tells these sad stories (hence, "sad clown"). Look at the lyrics in Hell's Playground: "And then the sea turned blue and the sky turned blue and *when I sing the blues, all the lies come true*" See? When he talks about depressive subjects, it creates the truth out of his "lies" (whatever they may be). We see it again in The Wind: "The Taming of the Shrew; the high hopes fell The shaming of the true, made your own private Hell" I begin to think that he's talking about the mother to his son, or his own mother. Taming of the Shrew is a Shakespearian reference. Sometimes, I feel as though it's actually Brian himself who is speaking on the other songs in the record. The River may also be a symbol for sex/women, if you take into account the song Lost and Found "As good as it gets, it's as evil as they made it But ain't nothing like bathing in a freezing river naked" Hence, "every time I hear a river I think the mother is crying" could symbolise a guilt to disgracing his own mother, or the mother of his son (note, it's "the mother"). Now, where does the subject matter of this song fit in? I don't know. Other than the possibility of this song being in response to the protagonist in other songs on the album, I'm not sure. It may indeed be a literal story of a friend of Slug's whom he lost. These lyrics speak to me: "Wishin' that Brian would turn me on to the secrets he sought while we keep burnin' the dawn just to keep the day hot" In other words: as they make the most of their childhood/teenhood in order to be happy in adulthood. It almost makes it seem as though Brian is a symbol of Slug's childhood. "Don't Ever Fucking Question That" is clearly linked to this song (on SCBD II, when "Inside Outsider" finishes, an instrumental of "Don't Ever Fucking Question That" is played; on SCBD III, DEFQT is followed by The River). This song in particular is probably about Slug's own mother, and in it, he goes into detail about his own infidelity and then immediately afterwards speaks of how his father ("the player") met his mother ("the virgin") and hence compares himself to his father, and the guilt of how he has emulated his womanising behaviour, especially in the knowledge that it was the same type of behaviour which created him in the first place. In conclusion, I'd say that the "mother" whom Slug is speaking of, is indeed his own mother, and how he feels he has disgraced her with his behaviour. Brian is probably a literal friend whom Slug lost, though could also be a symbol of the childhood innocence which Slug lost as well. This is a very messy interpretation but the idea is to just stream ideas out here so yeah. Great song; great writer. |
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| Marina and the Diamonds – Obsessions Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| You've got to be a special kind of stupid if you barge in so confidently when someone JUST posted what the song actually means (from the artist themselves) right above you. Sheesh. | |
| Atmosphere – The Waitress Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Actually Slug, on the Strange Famous forums, said himself that there is no "swerve" at the end of the song and that the waitress and the bum are not related. http://strangefamousrecords.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=49917 Direct Quote: "not that it matters, but in this song, he's not her father. the last line isn't revealing anything other than he wishes he'd been a better dad to his own kid." |
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| Aesop Rock – Daylight Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I'm planning on making an interpretation of the whole song but here's what I've gotten so far. I'm also going to insert commas and semi-colons into the lyrics to make them clearer. "Put one up for shackle-me-not clean logic procreation" - "Put one up for Shackle Me Not; clean, logic procreation" "Shackle Me Not" is a famous skateboarding video that was made in 1988, famed for its innovation and showcasing of new tricks. "Clean logic procreation" can be put as "Clean, logical procreation" which is enforcing this idea of individualism - being raised whilst not having your opinions and your mind tainted by media or any outside influence. "I did not invent the wheel I was the crooked spoke adjacent" Aesop states that he didn't "invent the wheel" which means that he did not make things this way - he did not make the "cycle". Instead, he was the "crooked spoke" adjacent to the wheel. This could mean either that he was disrupting the wheel (raging against "the man"), or he was discarded from the wheel (made an outcast), depending on your interpretation of "adjacent". "While the Triple-Sixers' lassos keep Angels roped in the basement" Speaks for itself really. In its plainest form: "whilst the bad keeps the good pinned down". "I walk the block with a halo on a stick poking your patience" This is interesting because normally you would associate the Devil with poking people with a pitchfork. However, Aesop uses that symbol as a sign of his good intentions and of how people misinterpret his intentions as being evil. Aesop is trying to open people's minds with his music, but many do not want this. "Y'all catch a thirty second flash visual" Simply, "you watch a thirty second advertisement" "Dirty cooperative med platoon bloom head trip split ridiculous" - "Dirty, cooperative medical platoon bloom; head-trip, split, ridiculous" He's referring to the tainting of the mind that the media causes, yet is using a symbol of war (a medical platoon). Medical platoons are supposed to be a form of utmost help, so this is possibly a reference to how some advertisements target a certain audience and promise to "better their lives" with whatever they are trying to sell. "Fathom the splicing a first generation fuck up will trickle down to any hero smack; crackin' " The "first generation fuck up" - or in other words, "American fuck up" - seems to be a reference to the person who is behind these advertisements and/or media that is destroying the minds of potential heroines and heroes. It could also be an allusion to what is being advertised. Aes is saying "think of the tainting that a media mogul will place upon a potential hero" (a "smack" means a slight trace of something, i.e. a "slight trace" of a hero.) "Cracking" is, by definition: "The thermal decomposition of a substance, especially that of crude petroleum in order to produce petrol / gasoline." You can make up your own minds on that one. |
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