| Sunny Day Real Estate – Snibe Lyrics | 1 year ago |
|
I can't find a definition for the word "snibe" outside of Urban Dictionary, so...I have no idea how to interpret the band's use of the word as the title. But I definitely don't think it's a song that's derogatory towards poor people. I've always gotten the exact opposite vibes from it. "we stand in the marketplace with cold september eyes on the hungry people we passed the interrogation signed our names at the bottom of the government paper" The singer has the POV of someone who's part of a group that looks down on the impoverished masses. The POV of someone who has joined "the system" and is indifferent to the struggles of the hungry and unfortunate in society. "you reign you die you wait you cry this time in the light small flame in the night you come you bend you burn sick enough to infect me but too far gone to protect me" This part sounds more like it's an outside narrator describing the previous person, or perhaps one of the people on the impoverished side of the fence. The person who's looking down on the masses is themself not all-powerful: they're probably a small-time politician or government official who has sold out and stepped on other people to try to gain power, and has had a tumultuous experience doing so. They ended up being only a "small flame in the night." They're a poisonous part of the system, making people "sick," but not strong enough to actually make any significant changes to society, to "protect" anyone. anyway I feel like it's a hugely political song, painting images of disenfranchised masses protesting the indifferent privileged people in power who don't help them. |
|
| The Wallflowers – One Headlight Lyrics | 1 year ago |
|
This song has a very specific personal meaning to me that has aged along with me over the past 20+ years, but the general meaning I think is perseverance through repeated disillusionment by the world around you. Jakob has said in interviews that if a song of his can be explained too easily, he didn't do it right, so I think picking apart specific lines is probably not going to lead to some definitive answer. However, that being said, I do have to respectfully disagree with some ideas I've seen that the "Independence Day" parade reference has some deep meaning re: traditional American values, specifically, being changed over time/ "not what they used to be," even some people (on various websites) running with it as a statement on "liberals ruining the country" or something... Jakob and the Wallflowers as a whole have not spoken much (if at all) about politics in their interviews or music, but Jakob and his family are Jewish, and I think it's important to keep in mind that "traditional American values" have not always necessarily been kind to Jewish people. So while he might be lamenting commercialism corrupting the original meanings of festive holidays in general, I would be cautious about trying to insert specific political leanings into their music like that. That particular lyric could also simply be a play on words- "feels like Independence Day, but I can't break away from this parade" - the person cannot become "independent" from whatever the "parade" is. |
|
| Our Lady Peace – All My Friends Lyrics | 2 years ago |
| These lyrics are for "All You Did Was Save My Life," not "All My Friends." | |
| Guster – Hard Times Lyrics | 4 years ago |
|
This song is one of my go-tos when I get caught in the media storm that exists today, everything just becomes too overwhelming and I turn all that off and I sink into this song. There are a lot of different topics this song covers, I think too many to list here. As a "sister" I particularly appreciate the emotions of this song. One really powerful mental connection I make, perhaps because it was going on around the same time this song came out I think, was Christine Blasey Ford standing up in front of the whole world to describe her traumatic experiences. "We send our sisters to the sacrifice" - my god, that's exactly what happened to her, a woman who survived assault, is brave enough to speak publicly about it on live tv and in front of a wall of cold faces, and then a bunch of people don't even believe her or give her any credibility. That's definitely being sent to the sacrifice if you ask me. Guster - amazing, as always! |
|
| Sting – Saint Augustine In Hell Lyrics | 4 years ago |
| The title caught my eye because St. Augustine was one of the founders of the Just War Theory, and thus IMO he belongs in hell. I guess it's not about that though. | |
| The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Chocolate Pudding Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| I'm guessing there's a place called Molly's Kitchen they like that has delicious and inexpensive chocolate pudding? | |
| Tori Amos – Curtain Call Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| I really like the idea of the ebony beauty reflection referring to her seeing herself in the reflection of her piano. That's really cool imagery if that's what her intention was there. | |
| Vienna Teng – Augustine Lyrics | 5 years ago |
|
As much as I absolutely love her to pieces, I can't listen to this song. St. Augustine was one of the first Christian proponents of the "Just War Theory," which is basically what it sounds like - religious justification of killing other people in wars. A lot of religions have had prominent figures who theorized this, but St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas were the notable ones in Christianity's history. Based on how sensitive and thoughtful Vienna is about so many different issues in her songs, I certainly don't think she had any ill intention with this one - Augustine's role just seems to be something that's not really talked about much or well-known. I only found out completely by accident. |
|
| Silversun Pickups – The Royal We Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| LOL, I thought his voice is pretty clear on the track, but apparently not - lots of differently heard lyrics and different interpretations, it's interesting! I think the biggest thing that I get from this song is the idea of punishment by a higher power. I can't find it now, but I read somewhere that the "royal we" was sometimes used by a monarch who believed he/she had God's approval to rule, and so when he/she said something, it was on behalf of both him/her and God. In the context of this song it doesn't have to be a deity, it could also just be like, "the man," "the system," etc. punishing you, and "Royal We" because it feels like the world is ganging up on you. "Signed, The Royal We." Signed, Life. | |
| Our Lady Peace – All For You Lyrics | 6 years ago |
|
I have no trouble believing it's about the narrator's father. I was lucky enough to grow up with a great father though, so to me this song means something very different. For me, the "Suburban Man" (even though I'm female) is my inner self, which is constantly abusing and battering me, passing harsh judgement, and demeaning every aspect of my being. I went through a seemingly endless period of years living under its thumb, until I finally got the help that I needed - nowadays, he'll make a snarky comment now and then, but I can usually shrug it off and move on with my life. There's something "cold" about the sound effects in the quiet parts of this song that creates the image in my mind of being defeated and desperate, on all fours, on a cold floor. It's really appropriate because I spent that horrible period in a house that had a cold tile floor. I listened to this song from there plenty of times- I got this album around the time I was dumped out of a short-lived relationship, and moreso than being upset about losing the specific person, my "Suburban Man" had me convinced that I was a complete and total failure at life and I would never be happy, with this being the final-straw symptom. I think "Suburban" fits perfectly because a lot of us who grow up in the suburbs live surrounded by media that shove a constant stream of unreachable ideals down our throats. We're not rich, so we can't buy our way out of imperfection; but we're also not poor and destitute living on the streets, so we feel guilty complaining about our woes when that's going on in the world. The Suburban Man has you pinned down- "got me where you want." The Jack Kerouac reference - I've always thought this casts an extra layer of dark to the song, because he was an example of a free thinker who died young. It's like, "hey, there are some people who go off and do that, maybe I could escape that way?" but then you realize that it often doesn't end well for them. So again, the Suburban Man's got you pinned in place, "got me where you want." I've often wondered if maybe there is some sinister external force at work that messes with our fate and "comes to our door" selling these ideas that send us spiraling into self-hatred. It's easy to personify that as a shady Suburban Man, suit and tie and a smile trying to tell you to trust him. I can understand where some people interpret this as God, but for me personally I feel it's not, that there is a distinct difference. OLP came to my town for a concert festival during one of the lowest points I was having, and I got to see them. They were at an autograph booth after they played, and I got to meet them briefly (there was a HUGE line and I wasn't about to hold everybody up). When I got to Raine I shook his hand and just said "Thank you." He asked me for what? and I just said "For coming out here" or something like that. I wish I could have told him how much this album as a whole was helping me heal and get through, but I didn't say anything, because I figured a band with their talent for understanding life and human emotion must get that kind of thing all the time. |
|
| Tori Amos – Taxi Ride Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| @[toxicwasteforbrains:18417] I think it means both. I've always pictured it as watching the light from a cigarette go out in the window of the taxi next to you while you're sitting in a taxi yourself, and thinking of how the person ("dead fag") disappeared just as quickly and nonchalantly. Maybe the person whose "last cigarette" you are down to is your lover, who doesn't care about the passing of gay people, and you disagree with that, so when you look at this cigarette you think, when this lover says "we are one," it's just a bunch of crap, because you and he/she are really not of the same mind. Maybe the "last cigarette" is like "the last straw" - if this person shows one more inhumane trait about themselves, you're done with them. | |
| The Dresden Dolls – Me and the Minibar Lyrics | 8 years ago |
| @[Poop_Face:10555] I think it's something along these lines too - I finally caught the line "Put your insides all on ice" the other day and I was like "Wait, what??" | |
| Anberlin – Paperthin Hymn Lyrics | 8 years ago |
|
Wow, I was way off. I had always thought this was just a breakup song (without people dying), and then the other day I was thinking about how it would be interesting to look at it as a song about someone questioning their faith: "These roads never seemed so long Since your paperheart stopped beating, leaving me suddenly alone" -The paper heart would kind of represent the fragility of faith - believing in something you can't see and that no one can technically prove. Something bad may have suddenly happened to the singer to take away his faith, and he would feel very alone after a long period of having felt like God was there with him through thick and thin. "Who's gonna call on Sunday morning?" -Sunday is well known as a sacred day for Christians, and even for people who don't really go to church, Sunday can still make you think of God and your faith, kind of like it's "calling out" to you from somewhere. If the singer has lost his faith, who's going to "call out" to him every Sunday morning to remind him to ruminate on religion/spirituality? "Who's gonna drive you home?" -Who's going to watch over him while he's driving home (or driving in general)? There's that saying that "God is my co-pilot" and the thought that he's watching over people while they're doing things like driving that are dangerous. "I just want one more chance to put my arms in fragile hands" -With all the popular social ideals that bash Christianity for various reasons, it can seem sometimes like it gets backed into a corner and is almost "fragile" in the sense that people can be peer pressured into not being Christian anymore, not having faith anymore. The corruption within churches throughout history, the radical nut jobs that use God as an excuse for violence, and the progress of science are all things that work against the image of Christianity being a good faith to have. The singer doesn't want to give up his faith, so he's asking for one more chance, one more sign, that he should keep believing. "I thought you said forever over and over The sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion These thoughts run through my head over and over" -The singer's thoughts are in turmoil because something he thought he'd always have as a safety net of hope, his faith, is starting to wane and not give him the support he needs. "I thought you said forever, over and over" - he thought God was supposed to be taking care of him forever, through this life and the next etc. and through all of his existence, but it already seems like things may not be working out that way between them. "August evenings bring solemn warnings to remember to kiss the ones you love goodnight" -This could refer to the bad thing that happened to the singer, and how he feels betrayed by his faith because of that thing, and how he feels now like he needs to watch his own back because God may not always be looking out for him after all. "You never know what temporal days may bring So laugh, love, live free and sing When life is in discord, praise ye the lord" -With the juxtaposition of the second line and the third line, it almost feels like the third line is sarcastic and bitter towards his faith, and he's really starting to feel like abandoning it. "When life is in discord, praise ye the Lord" - it's like he's saying 'hey, all this crazy/bad stuff is being dished out by the Lord, he's the one we have to thank for it.' And then the repeating of the chorus just reinforces his questioning, like "What's going on, God? Why? I thought you said forever over and over..." Anyway I thought this was an interesting interpretation. But apparently Anberlin actually do have a lot of faith from what I've read, and the singer isn't talking about God but about the person he's losing/lost. I'm sorry there was a tragedy behind this song, and I hope the loved ones have been able to heal at least somewhat. I also have mad respect for Stephen Christian for writing that awesome letter to Knights of the New Crusade, telling them how fucked up the Crusades actually were and giving all kinds of statistical references about how many people died during that horrible period, and how their attitude was way too hateful to be considered Christian. That's how I feel too, I'm Christian and I hate the Crusades and all that violent bullshit, it wasn't right. |
|
| Ellie Goulding – Mirror Lyrics | 8 years ago |
|
I haven't found it written out on any lyric sites yet, but I could swear that in the last chorus, it goes: "I was the girl who was on fire (A hero) I was the girl who was on fire (A hero)..." and then the rest like it's written. It may be just a background vocal effect, but I feel that it's really powerful and extremely important to the song. |
|
| Placebo – Special Needs Lyrics | 8 years ago |
| @[monoplexster:7154] I think the same thing about the "chair that has four wheels" - it's a really indirect way of referring to a wheelchair and that makes me think of the office desk job meaning being very feasible. | |
| Depeche Mode – Policy Of Truth Lyrics | 8 years ago |
| Man this is a great working person's song - you tell the whole truth about a mistake you've made, or extra work you noticed needs to be done, and you get punished through the nose for trying to do the right thing. | |
| The Dresden Dolls – Mrs. O. Lyrics | 8 years ago |
| I love this song, I think it's one of my favorites of theirs and that it's not only speaking to Virginia O'Hanlon's lofty childhood question, but to current cultural trends of being narrow-minded if you life in a safe, first-world country. The WWII Hiroshima references are especially good because there are still many people who weren't even alive then and yet blindly defend it as having been a good idea, it's mind-boggling. | |
| Phil Collins – Take Me Home Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| I always get this song in my head after a longer-than-normal day or week of work. I have social anxiety issues coupled with OCD, and so I'm uncomfortable there in the first place, but then sometimes I'm trying and trying to get out of the office but my mental state won't let me leave things unfinished for tomorrow, and so I get out so late, and I'm so aggravated at that point, I just want to run to my car and get home as fast as I can, it's like just take me home already so I can sleep and hide and not think about it and be myself. I just had a day like that today actually. | |
| Jewel – Adrian Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| I've always thought it's the second one, that he went to live with his family, I think you're spot on with that. | |
| Ani DiFranco – Hello Birmingham Lyrics | 9 years ago |
|
One of the best songs ever written. Ever. I only wish the sad truths in the songs were not real, this song makes me so angry. "a bullet ensuring the right to life whizzed past his kid and his wife and knocked his glasses right off of his face And the blood poured off the pulpit, Yeah, and the blood poured down the picket lines, And the hatred was immediate, Yeah, and the vengeance was divine, And they went and stuffed God down the barrel of a gun, and after him they stuffed his only son" -my blood boils whenever it gets to this part, for so many reasons, the crescendo makes it feel like a Crusade is being unleashed again and all of us non-violent Christians have to bury our faces in our hands in embarrassment because we would never do that shit. also the sort of juxtaposition of ineffective voting and MLK is pretty powerful, given that he called out the government for promoting violence and ended up dying for advocating peace. Seriously, what can men do against such reckless hate. |
|
| Ani DiFranco – Swan Dive Lyrics | 9 years ago |
|
"Right up until you hit the sidewalk, shivering and stunned" I can't even put into words why I like this line, it's just gripping, one of my favorites. "gonna do my best swan dive into shark infested waters, I'm gonna pull out my tampon and start splashing around" amazing, down-to-earth, bold, it feels like lines like this come to her effortlessly and I love it. |
|
| Filter – The Only Way (Is The Wrong Way) Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| It definitely sounds like "omens" now that you mention it, thanks. | |
| Filter – Where Do We Go From Here Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| I found this song not that long ago, somehow I was looking up some info about some 20th century conflicts/wars and I randomly found this song and put it on, and it really resonated because I realized a sense of being lost about what to do with the legacy people my age and younger have inherited from previous generations. The saying goes "respect your elders," but a lot of our elders were racist, sexist, out of touch with reality, and dominated by a government which loved every bit of that and reinforced many biased ideals. So since we often can't look to "our elders" for answers about how to deal with life today, where DO we go for answers? Where CAN we go? Is there anything we can do to fix previous generations' mistakes that they've left us with? Did they really give a crap about us at all? It's incredibly frustrating to try to figure out what to do once you realize authoritative figures are imperfect, confused humans just like you, me, or anyone else. | |
| Dido – Day Before We Went To War Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| Has she ever discussed in an interview what this song was written about, was it a specific war or any military conflicts in general? I've heard people mention 9/11 but also Hiroshima & Nagasaki the atom bombs, both tragedies involved two planes and took place fairly near to summer (Sept. and August, respectively). just curious thanks! | |
| Sarah McLachlan – Possession Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| I saw the VH1 storytellers show she did years ago, and I remember being in awe of her for making such a difficult issue into a song, and trying to see things from the stalker's perspective. I bet a lot of stalked people would just be like "ew, get this crazy person away from me and locked away somewhere!" but she actually tried to understand what goes through such a person's thoughts. I've always thought that was pretty big of her to do that, and I've had increased respect for her ever since. | |
| Broken Social Scene – Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| I found this song via a fan-made video for the show LOST. It's a beautiful song and now I'm looking into more of BSS's music. For some reason this also makes me think of young Idgie in Fried Green Tomatoes. | |
| Awolnation – Sail Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| Hi, I doubt you posted on here with intentions to get chewed out by everybody for your opinions, because I know that sucks, but please don't blame parents. Yes a lot of parents do a crappy job of raising their kids because they're not cut out for parenting, but my parents have always loved me and put me first, and yet I still ended up with severe OCD/anxiety issues. Not quite ADD but there are some similarities in symptoms. And if you're someone who has to live with mental health issues like that 24/7, I can say firsthand that it hurts to hear other people say that they don't believe in it. It's real, it's not fun, and it's definitely not easy. I hope you never have to go through it. | |
| Orgy – Social Enemies Lyrics | 10 years ago |
|
I think it's about the people trying to "fix" something that isn't broken. Many people are naturally afraid of the unknown, so they think "hey, let's find out what's wrong with these "freaks" and try to help them become more like us." When it's not necessary, because the "freaks" are already comfortable with who they are. Actually this has been going on for ages, if you think about it- one example is the European conquest of American Indians- "Oh, these people are so heathen, let's convert them to our own ways and beliefs!" >.> Or more recently, the idea of "converting LGBT people to straight," almost as if it's some sort of "disease" that they want to eradicate. |
|
| Sugar Ray – High Anxiety Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| Um, the lyrics on this page are for "Fly," not "High Anxiety." Which sucks 'cause I was hoping to get the lyrics for High Anxiety figured out once and for all! :P Oh well. The band members might be the only people who know all the High Anxiety lyrics, since I can't find a complete lyric set for this song anywhere and there's some words in there I just can't figure out! lol | |
| The Cranberries – Bosnia Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| I am from the U.S. and in my twenties now, and I never learned anything about the tragedies going on in Bosnia when I was in school, even though I remember seeing a few words about it on the news on TV when I was a kid. I finally took it upon myself recently to do some research into what went on, and the overall gravity of the situation was overwhelming and horrifying to me. When Dolores sings the line "we live in our secure surroundings, and people die out there," I feel like that is so true, because it seems like so many people in my country go through their lives knowing every move of their favorite celebrity, but not knowing anything about serious world events like this one that affected so many people, and are still hurtful to the survivors. It's really sad, and I wish everyone would pay more attention to what goes on in the world, because maybe then we would learn to get along with each other better, to avoid those kinds of horrors. I listened to this song for a while when I was reading the history about this, and now every time I listen to this song, it gives me the chills. It is a beautifully done song, but at the same time, it is really heartwrenching, and my heart goes out to everyone who had to endure this conflict firsthand. | |
| Angie Aparo – Spaceship Lyrics | 11 years ago |
|
I think this song is about how the world presents a lot of flashy things to us when we're young and inexperienced, and then we get all excited and have big dreams about getting involved in all that stuff. But then sometimes, it turns out to be not what we expected, and we feel let down and perhaps somewhat fragile by the experience, and need someone to turn to who truthfully supports us, rather than just the sycophants who were associated with the flashy stuff or big dreams. That's sort of how the song resonated with me anyway when I first heard it, and became attached to it. Also, the part "Hey man I'm sorry Joe, this is just a song to pay the rent" always makes me think about the jobs I have quit because my heart wasn't really in them, and I was only there for the money--I always seem to end up with bosses named Jo/e! haha. Also I agree with Fata36's lyrics, I think they are the more accurate ones, thanks for posting! |
|
| Lifehouse – My Precious Lyrics | 11 years ago |
|
I know this is probably not what it was written about, but whenever I listen to this I have visions of Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings attempting to take the Ring to Mordor (the ring which Gollum often refers to as "my precious"). The ambience of the music feels like it paints a picture of the desolate wastes Frodo has to cross along his journey; and certain lines, like "Too tired to go the other way/ Too late to wait another day/ I'm going on," and the climbing references, could portray the determination he has to get there, despite the difficulty. The overall eerie and sort of vague feeling of the song also makes me think of how Frodo probably feels as the ring's dark power is affecting him--like he is a slave to its often overwhelming influence, and that he feels isolated from those around him ("Where did you go? / Where did you hide? / All I can do is watch you pass by"). Whatever this song is actually about, though, I love it :) Lifehouse does not ever disappoint. |
|
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.