| Rush – Nobody's Hero Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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This song emphasizes that our standards of heroism are simultaneously too high and too low. The verses bring to mind ordinary people who don't receive enough credit from society. When people think of heroes, they think of extraordinary things that most people just can't do. Living through hard times isn't "heroic" enough for that standard. On the other hand, our society pays a lot of attention to actors, pop stars, and the like, many of whom don't meet the high standard of heroism either. There's a kind of double-standard where being famous makes people role models even though other, less public figures are more deserving of praise. Everyone talks about how great actors were in their roles, but few of us take time out of our day to consider people who were "just" survivors or good influences. |
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| Ted Wesley – Big River Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| This is a song about how the Mackenzie River, a massive river that winds its way through a large portion of Canada's Northwest Territories, is central to the lives of the people that live there. The area is fairly isolated and much of it is only readily accessible by small planes for most of the year. The river is an important supply line for the communities near it. The final verse also points out the river would be just a lot of water if there weren't people there to use and appreciate it. | |
| Celtic Thunder – Turning Away Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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The core message of this song seems to be that people have given up their traditional way of living. The first couplet of the first verse invokes images of discovery and exploration. We have gone places and learned things far beyond our humble beginnings, revealing both new frontiers and a possible brighter tomorrow (the "wondrous wild"). However, the third line implies that we're trying to advance too quickly, and that the path we're on is mistaken. The fourth line reinforces this: we are "without burden" in the sense of being innocent and driven only by our "uncontrolled desire." The second verse leads with a well on a hill, which is a symbol of wisdom. The well is from "our ancient past," so it represents the knowledge and traditions of the old ways. The second line indicates that the knowledge has not been lost, it is simply waiting to be rediscovered. The final couplet of the second verse claims the old ways cannot be simply defined, nor can they be destroyed by logic and labels. I'm not familiar with the areas mentioned in the third verse, but the intent is clear. Searching for the acceptance of modern society, people have given up the old ways, and the enormity of the loss will not be clear for generations. The chorus echos the third line of the third verse: people are doing what they can for the old ways in private (in darkness), but ignoring or disdaining them publicly (in daylight). The second half of the chorus further laments that people are turning their back on tradition. |
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| Sting – It's Probably Me Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| The biggest clue to the presence of two people is the use of both "you" and "me" in the song. While it's certainly possible for someone to alternate between the first and second person while addressing himself, it's less likely. How often to you call yourself "you" in your own thoughts? | |
| Aqua – Lollipop (Candyman) Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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At my middle school, every Thursday was lollipop day. The organizers thought this song was literally about candy, so it got played over the PA system during breaks. It was the only decent song they played. It didn't take too long for me to figure out the song was really about something else, but I couldn't decide the Candy Man's exact relation to the woman. It was obvious that she had an unhealthy obsession with him, but I couldn't be sure why that was or how much he took advantage of it (if it was just sex and he was taking advantage of her, why would she have to beg?). If he's her dealer, that would really fit the sinister undercurrent in the Candy Man's vocals. He acts nice, tempting her until she's completely addicted. After she's "bitten" and she'll literally do anything for her next fix, that's the end of the "sweet, sugar Candyman" that actually pretends to care. |
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| Sting – Russians Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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The first time I heard this song, I was lying in bed listening to Dream of the Blue Turtles on headphones. I was starting to fall asleep when the cymbals or gong or whatever started up at the end. As soon as I heard that, I sprang wide awake. I don't know if I actually said it out loud, but I definitely thought, "My God! It's ringing!" Throughout the song, the ticking time bomb remained. Even while the message of acceptance was spread, the clock continued to count down. Years after the Cold War, having never known the terror of a looming nuclear war, I was still given the impression that the Doomsday Clock had finally struck midnight. This song is highly effective, and that's all I have to say. |
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| Sting – Shape Of My Heart Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Between the use of cards for divination and the reference to spades being swords (the suit whence they came), the connection to tarot is obvious. Substituting the tarot equivalents of the cards in the second verse also reveals a possible story of what brought the narrator to his current position. The Jack of Diamonds is equivalent to the Knight of Pentacles, which can represent a impassive person who doesn't always appreciate others' feelings. The Queen of Spades is the Queen of Swords, an intelligent woman who may have suffered hardship and/or overcome adversity at the hands of men. We still don't know which king the singer is or was, but past events have driven him to hide his true nature and potential; he may have lost confidence in himself and his ability to be that person. The use of the verb "lay" in the second line of verse two has an obvious meaning, but the meaning of "[playing] the Jack of Diamonds" remains ambiguous. He could be emulating the qualities that card represents, hiding his true self, which would explain why the qualities of the king are concealed if not why he conceals them. The Jack of Diamonds could also represent another man, likely another person who vies for or previously had the affections of the woman represented by the Queen of Spades. In this case, "play" is either used in the sense of "to compete with," implying an open confrontation, or "to play for a fool," which would indicate an attempt to defeat him through cons and subtle trickery. On another tangent, there were two words I always misheard in the third verse. I thought he said, "Baby, think there's something wrong" and "I am a man of too many faces" instead of "You'd maybe think..." and "I'm not a man...", respectively. In my misheard version, these lines were a warning: don't trust me, I'm not who you think I am. Seeing the correct version, however, makes it clear that the singer laments the false face he projects. He wishes she would trust him _because_ he isn't who she thinks he is; he's a far better person than his mask would suggest. |
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| Great Big Sea – When I Am King Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Lyrics Corrections: Insert "No one suffers anymore" between "Nothings hurting, nothing's sore" and "The doctor found a simple cure" Repeat the chorus after "That she's ever had" and twice at the end of the song, with an extra repetition of "The world will sing when I am King" after the last chorus. Now that that's out of the way, this is a really catchy, upbeat song. It also describes what most people make make the world like if they ran the place. If you had ultimate power, wouldn't you make it so that good things really do happen to good people all the time? |
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| Great Big Sea – The Night Pat Murphy Died Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I was never quite sure how much they were celebrating Patty's life and how much they were celebrating his death. In the end, I think they really were friends with the guy, and while it is indeed a sinnin' shame he died, it's also a wonderful excuse for a party. | |
| Great Big Sea – Old Brown's Daughter Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I do believe the chorus should say "I wish I was a Lord Mayor, ..." instead of "I wish I was a Lord, Mayer,..." I also think the second line of the last verse ends with "Earl" instead of "Lord," but it's tough to make out. Lord would probably be a better rhyme, but I don't think it's in the list of people she can marry. I wonder what the singer's election platform would be. "Uh, I should be mayor of this town because... um..." Somehow I don't think "I'd like to marry Miss Brown" will cut it. |
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| Great Big Sea – General Taylor Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I've read elsewhere that this version of the lyrics was written as a sort of "Take That!" to the Americans. Sure, General Taylor gets an awesome funeral, but that doesn't change the fact that he's _dead_. Originally, this was the British shoving the death of a respected President in the Americans' faces, and since Canada was a British colony at the time, this is the version that became traditional. | |
| Great Big Sea – French Perfume Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Very nice modern day ghost story. The smuggler is running heavily-taxed goods from the French islands of St. Pierre into Newfoundland when he crashes attempting to evade an RCMP patrol boat. My favourite line is probably "and he never saw the jail" specifically because of the context of its repetition. When it appears in the first verse, it's a testament to his skill as a smuggler. It's repeated rather wistfully in the last verse, lamenting his death rather than praising his ability to evade capture. |
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| Great Big Sea – England Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| One thing I noticed that a written copy of the lyrics cannot convey is how the singer's accent changes over the course of the song. It's most pronounced in the word "Newfoundland" in the chorus. The first couple of times, it's pronounced New-found-land, but later repetitions change to the modern pronunciation. At the same time, the narrator is becoming more at home in the land he's found himself stranded in. Still, he never gives up on the dream of returning to the land of his birth. | |
| Great Big Sea – Recruiting Sargeant Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Lyrics Corrections: The second stanza also ends with "Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me" The first two choruses begin "And it's over the mountains..." not "So it's over the mountains..." Third line of the chorus is "You'll fight the Hun in Flanders," not "You'll fight in Flanders." The chorus is only repeated twice at the end of the song, not three times. There's an extra repetition "Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me" at the end. |
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| Great Big Sea – A Boat Like Gideon Brown Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I had to listen to this song several times before I could get through it without crying. This song is probably the most powerful example of how the world isn't fair I've ever heard. Tales of disasters, low standards of living, horrific massacres, and the like are simply too far removed from my everyday life for me to process, but this song hits the mark perfectly. This isn't a tale of injustice in some far-off land, it's the story of one man who gave his all for a simple request and failed to obtain what he'd worked so hard for. If such simple dreams can die, what hope can there be? |
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| Rush – Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I've only heard this song a couple of times, but I've been known to mumble the prologue to myself for no apparent reason on occasion. I love the entirety of the vocals, but I can't remember the rest of the song well enough to comment. However, the end of the first canto brings up an interesting point: sometimes there's no way of knowing what will happen until you try. It turned out pretty well for the narrator, but it doesn't always. | |
| Rush – Carve Away the Stone Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I always thought this song was about hard work, perseverance, and a little lateral thinking. After all, Sisyphus was sentenced to bring the stone to the top of the hill, but nobody said it had to be in one piece when it got there. If you're willing to put some effort and creativity into your endeavors, there is always a way. Of course, the last chorus kind of makes the singer sound a little hypocritical, not being able to follow his own advice until someone else tries it for him. Maybe that part's about how a good example can inspire others to follow? |
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| Rush – Armor and Sword Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Gormo pretty much summed up my view of this song. In moderation, religion can be a potent ward against the terrible things that happen in the world. Believing that a higher power really is out there and that everything really will work out in the end can help people through difficult times. In this way, religion acts as armour, protecting us from the general misfortunes of life. Unfortunately, there often comes a point when religion stops being about loving God (or the higher power(s) of your choice) and turns into a reason or excuse to hate and persecute others. Fanatics stop using religion as a defense against life's hardships and instead use it as a justification to destroy those they hate, fear, or oppose. This kind of thinking breeds discrimination and even outright assault, as evidenced by countless past bombings and policies. Christians bombing mosques, Muslims bombing churches - it's all the same: religion gone wrong, trading armour for swords. "No one gets to their heaven without a fight." There's far too much of this sentiment in the world. Violent and virtuous are not synonyms, and if one must fight for religion, it should be to defend oneself from the attacks of others. When set upon by another religion, trust your armour to protect you. Do not reach for a sword of your own. |
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| Rush – A Farewell To Kings Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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The core of the message is in the first verse: it's all our fault. Despite all the terrible things found in the modern age - corrupt elite, impersonal cities, and unruly extremists - nobody lifts a finger to change the world. We don't look forward to a bright future devoid of hatred, fear, and lies, we look down to the path at our feet, the simple march of the status quo. While I was typing this, I noticed a meaning of the first four lines that hadn't occurred to me before. My first thought was that it was a call to action, a rhetorical question meant to prompt people into making changes so that future generations don't have to lament our mistakes. A more pessimistic interpretation would be that there is serious doubt that a) the pages of history will record our mistakes and b) future generations will be any better than we are right now. |
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| Sting – Fields of Gold Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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From the first time I listened to this song, I've always thought it was about an arranged marriage. The point of view switches around a lot, but the narrator seems to be the man she actually loves. She longs to stay with him, and he with her, but their happiness together cannot last. In the end, he acknowledges that though they were forced to walk different paths, she still found happiness; however, their short days together still hold a place in his heart and he hopes they hold a place in hers as well. Reading others' comments on this song has also brought several other meanings to my attention. The "narrator as WWII soldier" idea is pretty interesting, especially because the sun can be a symbol of Japan. It's definitely given me something to think about. |
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