| Bad Books – Petit Mort Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| For what it's worth, Petite Mort literally means "little death," but it's used as a French term for orgasm. | |
| Yacht – Shangri-La Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I love this song, it's so catchy and the meaning is simple but good. Heaven is dandy but there are so many amazing places on Earth, I'd rather just stay here. And there's the idea that all the interesting/exciting people are in Hell anyway. | |
| Bright Eyes – Approximate Sunlight Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Yeah, yeah, got the "follow you/hollow you" wrong, there is no "hollow you"... | |
| Bright Eyes – Firewall Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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From Rolling Stone Magazine, an interview in the March issue: "Q: In one song you seem you be singing about the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Are you a big fan? A: I like Disneyland - I actually went there one time with Jenny Lewis and [The Postal Service's] Jimmy Tamborello. That remains one of my fondest memories. Q: Were you guys superhigh or something? A: Yeah [laughs]. There were definitely some moments of freaking out." So, yeah, part of it is indeed about Disneyland. Also, from another interview (don't remember which one) he mentions that he thinks the idea of having just a bird for company is sad because it can only say what you've already taught it to say, nothing new. |
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| Bright Eyes – Ladder Song Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I feel like he's comparing religion to science fiction, with the "I wanna fly in your silver ship/ let Jesus hang and Buddha sit" and I think it might not just be comparing the two but also saying that science fiction may very well be more interesting than religion. | |
| Bright Eyes – Firewall Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I remember learning in elementary school that some cultures burn incense in houses to rid the houses of evil spirits, I think that's what he's talking about with the "burnt sage..." lines. I also feel like this song, as well as a lot of the rest of the album, is talking about heaven or what else there might be after life. And here, when he talks about the hologram woman melting, he says he'd follow her if he was sure of where she was going. That's a reason many people choose to follow religion as it is, a sense of knowing what happens when we die. So I think it's partially about a fear of dying, or just the general uncertainty about death. |
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| Bright Eyes – Approximate Sunlight Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| This is my favorite song off the new album, musically, but I'm really not sure what the lyrics mean. I mean, there is the sad story of the quinceanera ruined by violence. I like the juxtaposition between the opulence and the misery, like money can't buy happiness, or perhaps that extravagance can lead only to misery. The comparison between the "hollow you" and the "real you" is very interesting. Maybe that you were just a hollow shell until the incident, and then you had either your emotions again or your ability to think critically. I really don't know, I can't wait to see what others think about this song. | |
| Bright Eyes – I Must Belong Somewhere Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I don't think this song is satirical, or saying "let's just accept everything as it is, including the poor black kid in his crumbling school." I think it's more saying that this is what things are, and they can certainly be changed, but it doesn't mean we should try to tackle everything right now by ourselves. It's not in our control to make the worried look on our lover's face go away; some of these things are arguably good things, some are bad things, and some are neutral. But right now, that's what they are. Also, I love the "genius" line. |
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| Bright Eyes – Poison Oak Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I didn't read through all the comments, but I did read many of them, and I think it's upsetting that most of you automatically say "gay/coming out" because of the cross-dressing. As another poster said, this could have been an allusion to the boy dressing in girl clothes as a child and later being ashamed. It could also just be plain old cross-dressing. Many cross-dressers are not gay, they just like cross dressing. They get some sort of kick out of it. That doesn't mean they're gay, and I think it's upsetting that so many of you are ignorant about that. Anyway, I love the "yellow bird" line. I think it's either a reference to sending canaries into mines to signal it was/wasn't safe to try to pass through, suggesting that they brother/cousin/childhood friend's running away was a suggestion that freedom is attainable, it's safe to do, and not everyone will hate you for it. I also think it very well could be going along with the idea of the yellow bird that dies every time you say you want to die, or whatever exactly that story was. In "No Lies..." it seems like Conor suggests his brother would be so upset if Conor committed suicide that his brother would follow, which would definitely go along with the yellow bird. Whether the yellow bird in this song is his brother or cousin or whomever, I think it means that the person this song is about is someone who really mattered to Conor (kind of a "duh") and Conor really mattered to him. |
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| Bright Eyes – One for You, One for Me Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I think this song is brilliantly written. Each line, of course, is a comparison between the "good" and the "bad," the victim as well as the violent, the rich and the poor, etc. I think it's about all being equals. In Hinduism, there is the idea that all people are part of the same "soul," for lack of a better word, Atman. They are all connected together, and connected to Brahman, the "god" as well. The idea is that you should always be kind to your neighbor even when they do wrong because, being of the same being or the same matter, we are all capable of doing the bad deeds that others do. And that's really a touching way to look at equality, I think, and not looking down upon even the "bad" people. I think this song is about not looking down on others because they are more weak or poor than you, but also not to look down on the criminals, the wrong-doers. And, I also can't help but wonder what is being divvied up, with the "one for you, one for me." |
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| Conor Oberst – Lenders in the Temple Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I think the first verse, talking about being mimicked, is talking about how easily his depressing lyrics are sometimes "mimicked" by little 13 year olds thinking their lives are miserable for stupid, trivial reasons. It's not hard to look down on your life and point out all the bad things. And I think he might feel remorse for setting that example for others, which is why he wants to disguise himself like Joan of Arc. And, really, I wouldn't be too surprised, as this album is much brighter and happier than most of his Bright Eyes albums. | |
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