| Arcade Fire – We Don't Deserve Love Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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I'm not sure of the author's intent. Here's what I heard... The beginning, to me, is about a broken romantic relationship. Sometimes, when relationships end, we wonder if we'll ever find (or even deserve... because of the mistakes we've made) love. Then, as many good songs do, it transitions to deeper more universal realities. Is 'love' even a thing? The reference to Mary is probably the key to the song. I'd GUESS that he's talking about Mary Magdalene. She is mistakenly (though commonly) combined with an anonymous female character in Scripture who was a prostitute. So the author is using that tradition. Prostitutes, more than anyone probably, have come to the conclusion that they don't 'deserve' real love. They're always used and left alone. This abandonment, for many, goes back to childhood. Jesus seemingly left Mary alone by dying on the cross. So the point of the song hinges on what will happen when she rolls away that stone (blocking entrance to his tomb). Will Jesus be there (unlike all the other guys, but in a meaningless way b/c he's dead) or will he be gone (like the other guys, but in a totally different way b/c it means he's alive and able to offer never-ending love)? I'd say the song purposefully lives in the tension of that moment (her approach to that stone) and is, therefore, as religious or anti-religious as it's listener (depends on what they think she would have found). I find that many modern songs live in tensions like that... purposefully vague, allowing hearers to interpret from their own perspective. |
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| Coldplay – Viva la Vida Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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Viva La Vida is a Spanish phrase that may be translated “live the life” or, more popularly, “Long live life.” The song title is borrowed from a painting by Frida Kahlo (the movie Frida, made in 2002, was based on her life. She was portrayed by Salma Hayek). Interestingly, as far as it concerns this song, Kahlo adjusted her birth-date to coincide with the start of the Mexican Revolution (1910). The album (which shares the song’s title) artwork is taken from Eugène Delacroix's 1830 painting Liberty Leading the People. Revolution is certainly the theme of the album and the song. This particular song seems to be written from the perspective of a ruler who has been overthrown by revolution. The 1st Stanzas are a riches-to-rags story (in contrast from the more typical rags-to-riches story). The author had taken power with the support of the people. For a time, the scope of his power and authority was vast, but very quickly the situation changed. In retrospect, he realizes that his kingdom had been built on faulty foundations (the pillars of salt and sand line seems to refer to the biblical story of Lot’s wife in Genesis 19:26 and to Jesus’ parable in Matthew 7:24-27). He was left with nothing and no one. The Chorus is more difficult to interpret, but I would hypothesize that the Crusades are in mind. They were focused on recovering Jerusalem from the Muslims and were carried out by a totally un-separated church (Roman Catholic) and state (European monarchs) entity. Perhaps the king in question felt manipulated by the church to become involved. And now, after the fact, he realizes that his leadership over such blood-filled episodes from history is his only lasting legacy. He regrets the manipulation and believes he’ll be judged guilty in the afterlife. The 2nd Stanzas reflect on the moments of the revolutionary takeover. The winds of change swept in. The same people, perhaps, who had once rejoiced at his arrival to the throne were now disgusted by what he had become since sitting on it. They want him dead, but in a sense he hasn’t really been living anyways. He’s been a puppet, living only off the lies he’s been fed. Knowing what he now knows, it seems absurd that anyone should even aspire to be king. In sum, the song is about the down-side of being on the top of the power pyramid. When you’re on top, nobody is honest with you. They either tell you what you want to hear or try to manipulate you to access your power. The ‘next’ leader is always emerging through the revolutionary spirit seemingly built into the nature of humanity. It’s an endless and discouraging cycle. The author represents all kings who have come and gone via revolution. “Long live the King” is a song sung for a moment, but “Vive La Revolution” is a never-ending song. |
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| Mumford & Sons – Roll Away Your Stone Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I don't claim to have the 'right' interpretation of the song (if by 'right' you mean what the author had in mind). Anyways, I think many song-writers today WANT those who listen to their music to 'make it their own.' But here's how I take it (and I think it quite possibly is what the author had in mind): I think the rolled away stone is an obvious reference to Jesus and his resurrection. Jesus has rolled away his stone (overcome darkness/death), so he is a person worth relating to when it comes to dealing with our deepest and darkest struggles as human beings. The author is afraid of what's 'buried' in his soul, but is willing to work through it with Jesus. Both Jesus and the author know that the soul has a hole that is God-shaped. Only God fits there, but humans almost always try to fill that void with other things (money, sex, drugs, relationships, etc.). This process of trying to fill the void with everything except God slowly destroys us. So, when we look into the human soul, we see darkness. It's harsh to admit that. But it's undeniable. Sin is a reality. The author burns his bridges, makes a commitment to Jesus as one able to help him overcome this darkness. He's stops trying to fix himself. The thing that changes us isn't our own efforts, but coming to realize that we are loved by the Father. BUT... after making this commitment, he begins to realize it's not easy (salvation is simple, not easy). It hurts to be exposed to such a bright light... to realize how flawed we really are. The author is committed to this new path. He wants to give up his fallen desires and stake his claim. But it's hard. When we let go and let Jesus be in charge, He takes over. And re-volt against this. We start to defend ourselves. Many go a little way in this, but then turn back. The author is struggling with the tension of letting go or holding on. |
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| Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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My thoughts on the song could very easily be wrong! But I think the song is about finding a constant and abiding source of joy, one that doesn't fade away and can be turned to even in the darkest times of life. verse 1 David, the psalmist, found this in that he was able to 'praise the Lord' even when he was baffled by the Lord's behavior. He continued to cry out to God and this relationship was the constant that he was searching for. verse 2 Sometimes we leave this relationship with the Lord to find something more tangible. These tangible things do give us a temporary dose of what we're looking for, but they also strip us of something even more important. verse 3 Whereas verse 1 represents the holy hallelujah, verse 2 represents the broken hallelujah. Verse 3 is, I think the most interesting verse in the song. I think it is the author trying to convince himself that there's no difference between the two types of hallelujah. Because he left type 1 in search of type 2, he feels separation from God and hopes that type 2 is just as significant b/c that's all he has access to any more. verse 4 This reiterates verse 3 and shows that the author continued down the path begun in verse 3. He couldn't feel God any more so he is pursuing tangible sources of pleasure. And he's still trying to convince himself that, when he stands before the Lord, he'll feel content to honestly say he was just pursuing love. Just my thoughts :) |
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| Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Actually, since the song itself makes biblical references, it is perfectly legitimate for posters to comment on the bible in attempting to understand the song. In fact, failure to do so is a failure to take the song/artist seriously. The song mentions David, the Lord, alludes to Bathsheba, and faith. And, of course, the song is titled 'Hallelujah' which means 'Praise the Lord.' More likely that these other posters not understanding the song at all, I'd guess that you probably don't understand the bible very well. Indeed, if you like this song there is a good chance that you'd like the Psalms (at least) since they are heartfelt expressions of the full range of human emotions. But you admitted that you were hung-over when you commented, so I won't hold you too tightly to your comments! |
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