| Modest Mouse – Black Cadillacs Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I feel that this song is about politicians. The opening line about "naming our children after towns that we'd never been to" is referring to cities like New York and New Orleans. "The clouds just hung around like black cadillacs outside a funeral" is quite possibly referring to the high pollution and mortality rate in the addressed city. "We were done with all the fucking around" is the population of the city voicing their disappointment in their mayor/the politicians in the area. "You were true to yourself, you were true to no one else" is addressing the politician's hunger for wealth and personal success while making false promises to the city. "Well I should put you in the ground" is about the people looking to have him/her removed from office. "I got the time, I got the hours, I got the days, I got the weeks" is suggesting that the city has a high level of unemployment. "I've got the words but I can't speak" means that the kids in the school have a poor education. "I ain't complainin, I ain't blamin' you" most likely is about councils and the Congress making most real decisions, rather than smaller politicians. "I didn't know that the words you said to me meant more to me than they ever could you" is again about false promises- empty speeches rising hopes of the city's people that they may have hope on the horizon by electing this politician. "I didn't lie and I ain't sayin' I told the whole truth" referring to politicians who constantly bounce between viewpoints on subjects. "I didn't know that this game we were playin' even had a set of rules" meaning that behind the scenes, there's a lot of dirty attacks and psychological advertising going on to help the politician win his campaign. "And we were laughing at the stars while our feet clung tight to the ground" refers to the city's fear of change and its conservative ways. "So pleased with ourselves for using so many verbs and nouns But we were all still just dumb, dumb, dumber than the dirt, dirt, dirt on the ground" These couple of lines refer to politicians who have speeches prepared and are great public speakers, but truly have no knowledge of what they talk about. The last of the song is basically a summary of everything that the rest of the song covers. There are certainly other ways to interpret it, but this feels like the most thorough in my opinion. |
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| Modest Mouse – Dark Center of the Universe Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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The simplest message of this song that I can come up with is that people don't really fixate on what they think of you, and believing that they do will only screw with your head. "Well I might Disintegrate into the thin air if you like And I'm not The dark center of the universe like you thought Well it took a lot of work to be the ass that I am And I'm pretty damn sure that anyone can Easily, equally fuck ya over" If you have a heated argument with someone else, it's easy and not uncommon to judge them unfairly from that point onward and dwell on your dispute like it's the most important thing in the world. The truth is, people just don't get along sometimes and it's important to just accept that. It's hard to not worry about what other people think of you, but easy to exaggerate someone as the Devil incarnate just because you don't get along/hate one another. |
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| Modest Mouse – Fire It Up Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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"When we finally turn it over Make a beeline towards the boat or Have a drink, you've had enough" To me, it feels like this is just describing how both young and old contribute to communities, companies, things such as that, to create something good for everyone, and afterwards the young inherit it and the old or tired retire. "When we find the perfect water We'll hang out on the shore Just long enough to leave our clothes there" These people building the community find a nice, quiet spot with a pretty landscape and nearby rivers, etc. They build houses and such, and become accustomed to their small-town life. "Oh, we ate all of the oranges Off the navels of our lovers Grabbed a book and read the cover" These people, now no longer having to put in a serious effort to survive, spoil themselves with materialism and things that come easy to them rather than concern themselves with learning or understanding conflicts outside of their own lives. The rest of the song makes me think of the next generation beginning their own legacy, becoming adjusted to that, and then spawning their own kids who will create yet another legacy. Essentially about making achievements when young, settling down when old, and accepting what the new youth has in store. |
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