| Nirvana – Milk It Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I think of it as a reference to 'the objectification of women' (doll-steak) for sexual purposes; valued for a short-term experience of gratification and discarded afterwards (test meat). - I think this can be interpreted in the song meaningfully. For example: He does give his pet virus the female gender, and the relationship is self destructive. But there are many other ways "use/discard" could be incorporated. |
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| Bill Callahan – Faith/Void Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| dammit, I meant to say above that in the cherry-picked scientific research, those (and their relatives) who DID pray to God had more difficulty recovering, than those who did not. | |
| Bill Callahan – Faith/Void Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I should just add an actual interpretation of this song. It's time to put God away (God is a toy I (or we) no longer need.) Damnin' the children (making the children suffer because they are "sinners" etc.) Makin' the ill just a little more sick ("religion poisons everything"; there was a piece of research, Dawkin's I think, where those people who were very ill who did not pray for God to save em, actually had more difficulty recovering/were more likely to die -- due to complex reasons). This is the end of faith, no more must I strive To find my peace, to find my peace in a lie (Callahan draws a line between "spiritually/religion" and the agnostic sublimity and awe of existence.) A void without a question is just perverse (a void is amazing, doesn't shouldn't it make you wonder? No, hierarchical religions make the void a certainty, they desecrate it -- I'm not confident about this interpretation - since it is not analogous with the following line). Like tear gas misters at my grave (if you only do something because you're forced it doesn't really count (those who do good deeds so they'll go to heaven?)) It's time to put God away (an imperative for us all to ditch our childish fantasy) (I put God away) (Callahan's own resolution) -- Not all the lines here are what I have referred to above as superficial. |
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| Bill Callahan – Faith/Void Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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The remarks Callahan made that this song followed a realisation he had after reading Atheist literature is pretty damn telling. "damning the children, making the ill just a little more sick" I believe there is another interview where he remarks how he realised the effect of religion through history has basically been bad. It seems an inanely wall-eyed account of religion, one which only really makes sense to me by taking into account atheist literature, I think, because its analysis is absolutely negative. The void/question lines are a bit more interesting. Perhaps I am being too literal - or perhaps I am simply wrong; I do find myself doubting my understanding of this song since it just seems so unusually banal for BC. Compare with the subtly in previous Callahan lyrics: "all we need is here on earth, every other day" "God is a word and the argument ends there" Whereas, here, he treats religion like a childish toy, but this is because the account of it hereis childish and superficial. And this is a 9 minute epic which keeps banging on. Awful; in my humble opinion anyway. I'm not arguing that Callahan has to embrace religion (Christianity particularly) but that if he is going to dismiss it he ought to do so with his trade-mark humour, subtlety and finesse. [*hopefully I will not anger anyone; if you think my account of the song is superficial, please critique it*] |
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| Bill Callahan – Baby's Breath Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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"you must reap what you sow, or sing." I understand this as a tongue-in-cheek remark about Bill's career as a musician, a living to be made (I don't mean in a strictly economic sense) from recounting the wrongs you've committed (and whatever else); a loop-hole. ;) It could also be a sort of 'redemption' in the sighing through of guilt - basking in the light of a morbid beauty. -- I actually haven't established a take on the rest of the song yet, though. |
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| Nirvana – Very Ape Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Yea, I think this has Kurt himself written all through it, but it's also a look at himself through the lens of the media (and in this case, sarcastic/sardonic). It's quite clear he had difficulty making his ideals a reality; the popularity explosion and constant media exposure meant he could not escape from the lies, the contradictions - even if some of these were media fabrications; and some of the contradictions, part of the media persona he created himself. "...and very nice. If you ever need anything..." he was a nice, caring guy, and yet selfish and insular - both are true. I think this, and the "too busy acting like I'm not naive" is a pretty good description of the lengths kind people will go to so they do not get used and abused - and hence another contradiction. I also think it's a sarcastic (and self-immolating) remark about the "punk rock ethic". The chorus is chilling. -- I think that kurt was probably aware of other interpretations of these lyrics - as an attack on other people/society - that others have mentioned, and that in a sense he intended these also, but I feel that the real drive behind the lyrics is against himself, though never with total sincerity. |
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| Joanna Newsom – Monkey & Bear Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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This a really great write up. You've given me the inspiration to do some more thinking about this song now - a song which I always rather disliked: I've always found the (overly?) elaborate "Monkey and Bear" metaphor so distracting and weighty. (But loved most of Newsom's other stuff). |
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