| Young the Giant – Islands Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I just relistened to the song, and found that my interpretation is even more apt, considering the first stanza's lines are wrongly written, The first stanza, actually says, "Oh, out in the glow I'll find you waiting, Oh, has it been so long now, aa-aah (I?)" There I believe is the green light from the book, in the "glow." | |
| Young the Giant – Islands Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Call me crazy, but when I first heard this song, I thought it was about The Great Gatsby. Gatsby is standing on his side of the island, staring out at the green light across the way, pining after Daisy who is on her separate island. There's no mention of the iconic green light, granted, but the opening lines do say that the singer is "near your [his love's] island" and "off the coast," and explicitly states that they were former lovers. I know Gatsby waited for Daisy for 5 years, but the song opens with 5 days… But I wonder how long Gatsby and Daisy were together after being reunited. If it was 5 days or so, then this opening could be really morbid (SPOILER ALERT), as it could be Gatsby in his last moments "underwater" in the pool thinking about his love affair with Daisy. The second stanza of the song, the singer talks about how his love is waiting (or at least he imagines, perhaps too naively, that she has been waiting). The tone sounds sad and apologetic; he is sorry that his love has been waiting so long and likely has been very lonely, so lonely and miserable that the whole world has known for "so long now." If this is from Gatsby's point of view, then he assumes right, that Daisy is unhappy and waiting for /something/ more, however, I think he assumes wrong that she's waiting for him. It's been a while since I read the book, but I'm pretty sure Daisy wasn't thinking much of Gatsby or her promise to wait for him until he suddenly reappeared on her doorstep. To add to my interpretation is the line "Oh, I thought you knew that I'd be coming." Gatsby has never stopped thinking of his beloved, so he assumed that Daisy was the same and had been waiting forlornly for five years for him to swoop in and carry her away. So the line expresses mild surprise that she should be surprised he came for her. The last stanza is the one that hits home the most for me, and really makes me feel that the Gatsby interpretation has some believability. The pearls given to Daisy by Tom in the book are symbolic of her character, and how empty and superficial the Buchanan's life is. So it is interesting that "Islands" should talk about "pearl" and "those stones you wear." Obviously the woman the singer is pining for is a woman of wealth, although she doesn't seem to care, or she's just disillusioned, because she's casting them into the low tide. I really feel the whole last stanza is a projection of the singer's imagination. He imagines she casts her pearl and stones into the water, he wonders about whether she feels hollow, and that her finery lacks warmth and meaning when she realizes her marriage is a sham and her husband is always leaving her (to be with Myrtle?). I especially like that the song ends on a somber, inconclusive note. He's missed her warmth--but has she missed his? This is where, in my interpretation, Gatsby would be skimming the reality of the situation and losing that idealistic image from the first stanza and beginning of the second. Perhaps, he thinks, Daisy was not as desperate for him as he was for her. |
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| Andrew Bird – Three White Horses Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I'm not entirely sure about the song's meaning, particularly because I'm not sure the significance of "three" white horses, and there must be a reason considering it's the title. However, I'll do my best. The one thing I'm sure of is that the song is about death, ending a relationship, and the human drive for companionship. The singer and his (former?) partner are both present in the song, and they are discussing breaking up. The one being broken up with is confused and upset. I don't believe they're breaking up because of lack of love; it seems like the one is leaving the other because of a personal issue, or feeling like he doesn't deserve companionship, or perhaps he is emotionally wounded and runs away from relationships, thinking they don't last or he doesn't need them. I'm more inclined toward the last possibility because the lyrics say, "It's not desperation that we're breeding, it's just a need we're feeding." This is the line about the human drive for companionship. Humans desire partners because they don't want to feel alone, and they most definitely don't want to die alone. The singer's partner wants the other person to understand it isn't weakness to want love, it's a natural part of life. It seems the singer himself knows this as well, deep down, as he is the one saying, "You're gonna miss her in the evening." Like I said before, I'm not sure of the significance of "three" white horses, but white horses have loads of mythological and symbolic importance. For this song, I think the most fitting interpretation would be that white horses often appear at the end of days, their riders passing judgements and offering redemption to the souls they come across. I think the singer's partner is calling for him to reevaluate his life, think about whether he might regret pushing everyone that loves him away when he reaches the end. I think what the singer's love wants most is to offer the person she loves redemption, and, beneath his insecurities, I think the singer himself desires this as well. |
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| Sea Wolf – Middle Distance Runner Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Well I'm so sad tonight And the words won't come out right It's been a long day on the track And it's stamina that I lack - I think it's about a man who is in love with a free-spirited woman. Being with her is exhilarating, but exhausting; it feels like he's constantly chasing after her. He's trying to match her pace, but it's just not in him. So won't you run to me tonight? Tonight we could pretend that we're just lovers But I'll only ever be a middle distance runner - Here he's asking her to meet him half-way. Instead of him always following her, would she be willing to stop and come to him for once? He's laying it out plainly for her: "I'll only ever be a middle distance runner", which is to say, I'm a 'take things slowly as they come' kind of guy, and I may not be as quick to sprint ahead as you are, but if you're okay with that, I want to be with you. Well my heart is beating hard And I'm off with a shot at the start And my legs tremble from strain But by the finish line I am drained - Another stanza describing the constant game of catch up that characterizes their relationship. So won't you run to me tonight? Tonight let's not talk about next summer Cause I'll only ever be a middle distance runner - Perhaps the girl is always talking about the future, thinking about the consequences of her actions, and the things that are yet to come, but not inevitable. The man is saying, let's take care of the things that are now, and not worry about things we can't control or that may not happen. Let's get our relationship sorted out before we consider the future. Well I'm so proud tonight Of the woman you've become And I'm just too tired to fight So my darling, I'll succumb - He's completely in love with her and he's entrusting himself to her. Perhaps falling into her pace? But you'll have to run to me tonight Tonight I will love you forever But I'll only ever be a middle distance runner - If you want us to be together, you're going to have to keep in mind my limitations and personality, and we're each going to have to adjust our paces. Essentially it's a sweet love song about learning to adapt yourself to another person. |
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| Sea Wolf – You're A Wolf Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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There are a lot of good interpretations already, so I'll just give one that I haven't seen much of: I think this is about a guy who was with a girl, and he either didn't respect/value her enough or cheated on her, and he lost her. Afterward, he realized what a fool he was for not holding on to her, so he's chasing after her to get her back. However, his past actions have given him a bad reputation ("you're a wolf"), and there are those, perhaps the slighted girl's friends (represented by the gypsy woman), who are telling him to back off because he's not welcome, and he certainly isn't going to get near the girl again. |
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| Lianne La Havas – No Room For Doubt Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I think this song is about a relationship that is falling apart. I would say that the guy walked out on her (literally, it seems, from verse two), however, the final refrain: Please sleep softly Leave me no Please sleep softly Leave me no room for doubt Please sleep softly Leave me no Please sleep softly Leave me no room for doubt leaves me to think that she is suspecting him of cheating on her, and she is pleading with him to not give her any reason to believe that this is true. The first verse is her thinking about the relationship; she stays with him because she either feels comfortable with him because they've been together a long time, or she just views him as a 'safe choice', but she doesn't want to put up with his actions and considers breaking up with him. The mistake they refer to could either be the relationship they're in, or the man's affair. |
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