| Rodríguez – Crucify Your Mind Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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The blended images, meaning and multidimensionality is why this song is ingenious. For each of the below interpretations there is duplicity: Rodriguez can be talking to himself about each of the below, and/or Rodriguez can be talking to you, the listener about each of the below. I see three different things/themes the song talks about: 1) Your/Rodriguez' own ego/soul talking to you about your own/his own life and aspirations to you or himself. 2) Rodriguez talking about the "Substance" (alcohol, drugs, etc.) to you or to himself. 3) Rodriguez talking about to you about a woman you or he dated. See other comments. The only thing that does not support this interpretation is the title. |
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| Leonard Cohen – Democracy Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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To me, this song is all about balance and good description of the USA and its people. It's all about hope about American (and in general) democracy and it's about hopelessness and strange things about the world in the USA. But ultimately, hope wins. Leonard wrote it in 1992, right in the middle of the Gulf War, waiting for the mid-term election in 1992 and the presidential election in 1994 - to bring about change in politics via democracy. Here's my (subjective :)) analysis, line-by-line. This song has two meanings throughout: 1) images and happenings at home in the US and in 2) Gulf War in Iraq. Hear the marching drums - they herald how democracy will do away with the senseless war in Iraq (first Gulf War). "It's coming through a hole in the air" <--- on the waves of radio or TV, or a major bomb explosion "From those nights in Tiananmen Square" <--- images of the crushed 1989 uprising, appreciates US democracy, US protecting democracy in Iraq "It's coming from the feel That this ain't exactly real, Or it's real, but it ain't exactly there." <--- Reference to US marketing and optimism. Many things started then half finished or just existing as an idea. Or the alleged WMD in Iraq there were never there. "From the wars against disorder, From the sirens night and day," <--- Big city image of constant fight against any disorder "From the ashes of the gay" <--- refers to the AIDS epidemic and/or homophobia "Democracy is coming to the U.S.A." "It's coming through a crack in the wall" <--- reference of how invisibly it gets into our lives "On a visionary flood of alcohol" <--- people discussing, prognosticating about politics in a pub being a bit drunk "From the staggering account Of the Sermon on the Mount, Which I don't pretend to understand at all."" <--- Reference to Christian cults or the Book of Mormon which are not easily comprehensible to Leonard. "It's coming from the silence On the dock of the bay" <--- Reference to the Ottis Redding song "Sitting on the dock bay", how nothing has changed at all "From the brave, the bold, the battered Heart of Chevrolet". <---America's fixation on cars, especially American made classic cars "Democracy is coming to the USA" "It's coming from the sorrow in the street," <--- reference to riots, or compassion towards homeless "The holy places where the races meet" <--- America's churches (also gospel) playing the role of the family that's often far away "From the homicidal bitchin' That goes down in every kitchen To determine who will serve and who will eat." <--- The equality of women, who no longer just cook in the kitchen. Also, broader meaning of society: who will be rich and who will be poor. "From the wells of disappointment, where women kneel to pray" <--- supermarkets, stores where women shop to forget their agony of waiting for their husbands to return from the first Gulf War OR images of Arab women praying at a water or oil well "From the grace of God in the desert here" <--- Biblical reference to the desert, also hoping for success of military exercises in desert test ranges in Nevada, etc. "And the desert far away" <-- in the Iraqi desert in the first Gulf War, this song is in 1994 after the older Bush's presidency "Sail on, sail on O mighty Ship of State!" <--- reference to the USA (metaphor) and maybe also an aircraft carrier "To the Shores of Need Past the Reefs of Greed To the Squalls of Hate" <--- hopes for unity, compassion for the poor, the ethnic minorities and the people of Iraq "It's coming to America first" <--- the spirit of American innovation "The cradle of the best and of the worst" <-- America is the country of extremes "It's here they got the range And the machinery for change" <--- Refers to the size of the US economy, economies of scale and the machinery of innovation, the nature of people who support change "And it's here they got the spiritual thirst" <-- mockery of American cults, hunger for self-improvement books to the point of stupidity "It's here the family's broken and it's here the lonely say That the heart has got to open In a fundamental way." <--- references to places of worship and religion in the US that attempts to substitute family (everyone moves away from home and lives far away), naivete of beliefs how religion and self improvement, opening yourself up, etc. will change your relationship to the world when it won't "Democracy is coming to the USA." "It's coming from the women and men. O baby, we'll be making love again. We'll be going down so deep The river's going to weep And the mountain's going to shout Amen!". <--- Reference to the overblown interest to sex in the US. Also to the oversexualized media and the importance of raw and loud sex, loud orgasms in porn vs. emotions.with intimacy. "It's coming like the tidal flood Beneath the lunar sway Imperial, mysterious, In amorous array" <-- Democracy is coming slowly, unnoticed, unstoppable like the tide rising but in a majestic way. "Sail on, sail on" <--- Ship of the US sailing on the sea of democracy, keep going with democracy "I'm sentimental if you know what I mean" <-- He loves this ambivalent world to a degree "I love the country but I can't stand the scene" <-- he hates politics and the then current state of affairs of 1992 "And I'm neither left or right" <--- no political stance just fed up with the war "I'm just staying home tonight, Getting lost in that hopeless little screen".<-- watching CNN on TV, just following what's going on "But Im' stubborn as those garbage bags That Time cannot decay" <--- environmental catastrophe, but still optimistic and stubbornly vouching for democracy "I'm junk but I'm still holding up This little wild bouquet" <-- power of nature, optimism, belief in the future "Democracy is coming to the USA." <-- Democracy's cycle will change and do away with all the bad things (Gulf War, racial hatred) in the USA soon. |
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| Dire Straits – Heavy Fuel Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| The best thing about this song is that you can't really tell if it's serious or satirical. | |
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