submissions
| Robyn Hitchcock – Linctus House Lyrics
| 1 month ago
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This whole disc is amazing.
When it was released I had just had an abrupt and painful breakup with someone I’d been close to for a very long while, and we were attempting to be casual friends. It didn’t work.
This song describes that feeling with excruciating accuracy. |
submissions
| Elvis Presley – Are You Lonesome Tonight? Lyrics
| 1 month ago
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Trivia: I heard (where?) that Elvis recorded this with the lights off because he wanted that atmosphere in the studio. If you listen carefully you can hear one of the singers bump into the mic stand. |
submissions
| Jan & Dean – The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena_ Lyrics
| 2 months ago
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I once was on a flight from Chicago to LA and the flight attendants had a little trivia contest. The question was, what kind of car did the Little Old Lady from Pasadena drive? I won a bottle of wine on that one. |
submissions
| Graham Parker – Temporary Beauty Lyrics
| 2 months ago
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Given the current obsession with plastic surgery, this song is even more poignant than when it was first written. Well done, Graham. |
submissions
| Paul Simon – He Was My Brother Lyrics
| 2 months ago
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This is about Andrew Goodman, who was murdered in Mississippi in 1964, along with James Chaney and Michael Schwerner. They were part of the Freedom Riders who worked in Mississippi to encourage voter registration amongst the Black community that summer. I believe Paul Simon knew him from school, so the raw emotion in his singing is very powerful. |
submissions
| Nick Drake – Time Has Told Me Lyrics
| 5 months ago
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A number of Nick Drake's beautiful songs--this one included--seem to be about a person he hopes will save him from himself and his depression. ("A troubled cure for a troubled mind.") |
submissions
| The Clash – Version City Lyrics
| 10 months ago
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Pay attention to the words that are capitalized—these are all references to musical gear; guitars, amps, etc.
I think this song is about the transformative power of music, especially R&B. Jump on and it takes you there. |
submissions
| Leonard Cohen – Chelsea Hotel #2 Lyrics
| 1 year ago
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@[Ricco:46094] could be. Could also be clenching a fist in anger, and fixing yourself ie tidying up after sex. This is the beauty of Cohen’s writing. |
submissions
| Chuck Berry – Memphis, Tennessee Lyrics
| 1 year ago
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What’s so clever about it is, you don’t know until the last line that it’s his daughter. Up to that point it sounds like an ex-wife. |
submissions
| Neil Young – Four Strong Winds Lyrics
| 1 year ago
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@[corvelay:45412] Yes. He's trying to talk her out of joining him because he's ambivalent about the commitment, is how it reads to me. |
submissions
| Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama Lyrics
| 1 year ago
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@[Jmu:45121] Correct. He's saying "in Birmingham THEY love the Governor," not WE love the Governor, and "We all did what we could do" is saying that many people in Alabama opposed him. I think the line about Watergate is saying, "If you opposed Nixon, do you still hold yourself responsible for Watergate? Of course not!" |
submissions
| Gordon Lightfoot – On Susan's Floor Lyrics
| 1 year ago
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There's always someone who takes in struggling musicians and gives them a place to stay and a hot meal, especially when they're touring. I think this describes such a person. |
submissions
| James Mcmurtry – Choctaw Bingo Lyrics
| 1 year ago
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James McMurtry is the son of Larry McMurtry, who wrote Lonesome Dove (among other classics). No wonder he's such a wonderful storyteller. |
submissions
| Cream – Those Were The Days Lyrics
| 1 year ago
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Absolutely love this song. It was the B side of…Sunshine of your Love (maybe?)
But I confess, until I saw the lyrics in print here, I misheard the line “noiseless eagle” as “noisy seagull.” I’m going to be laughing over that for awhile. |
submissions
| Neil Young – Sugar Mountain Lyrics
| 1 year ago
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This song uses a carnival as a metaphor for childhood and inevitably leaving childhood whether you’re ready or not. |
submissions
| The Andrews Sisters – Rum And Coca-Cola Lyrics
| 1 year ago
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@[sharkycharming:44151] I don't know how the Andrews Siaters could have missed the meaning; it's not exactly subtle! It may have been convenient for them to claim this when the song was banned in some markets due to its racy lyrics. |
submissions
| Robyn Hitchcock – Executioner Lyrics
| 1 year ago
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This is an excruciatingly beautiful song. I believe it's about ending a doomed relationship because, well, someone has to do it. |
submissions
| Bobbie Gentry – Ode To Billie Joe Lyrics
| 1 year ago
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@[Sir_Larrikin:42133] I also thought they had thrown a baby from the bridge (miscarried very premature or aborted), then Billie Joe couldn't live with it and committed suicide. I thought the flowers were her version of bringing flowers to the grave of Billie Joe and the baby. |
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