| Islands – Rough Gem Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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To me, this seems to talk about conflict diamonds mined largely in Sierra Leone. It sounds like the singer is (at least sometimes) taking the persona of one of the diamonds being mined. The world beat you for the something nice You worked hard, died more The miners are beaten while they try to mine the diamonds and they don't even profit or benefit in any way from this gruelling labour and many many more die in the process of mining diamonds. You mined what you died for Diamonds di di di di di uh The miners are dying for the diamonds that they mine that feed wars You can whistle my name It's the mines, in Africa That are to blame We can blame the mines in Africa for the arrival of diamonds in more developed nations and blame them for the destruction and greed of the countries and their rulers. You can Scoop out my brain Shape it into an ear and then tell me your pain Diamond are shaped into beautiful items that are then only images and serve little purpose, meaning (by my take) that shaping a diamond into an ear and telling it the pain of a miner trying to survive their work would neither make the miner's life better nor change anything about the conflict diamond process. I've been awake from the first day Stayed awake, stayed awake The rabbit (?) the whole moon Longer, short road This bit's a little harder, but I take it to show how the miners and citizens of the country feel about the conflict diamonds, meaning that the diamonds pay for the war raging in the country and so the people stay awake, can't sleep for fear. The short roads have become longer because rebel forces patrol them and attack those who travel them. Dig deep but don't dig too deep When it's late you'll see the hole is empty and oh so deadly Digging the mines for the diamonds- the mines are huge pits in the ground and if you dig too deep, it's a lot of work for nothing because 'the hole is empty.' The hole being deadly again talks about all those who die trying to mine the diamonds. They want me raw and smooth like glass They want it fast but they don't want flaws I'm a girl's best friend Can you cut, I can cut, 'cause I'm a rough gem People want beautiful, perfect diamonds and they want them fast, 'diamonds are a girl's best friend' and the fact that diamonds can cut through pretty much any substance in their rough state. Who lives in those lights in the distance The miners want to know who is benefiting from their hard labour and cruel masters. Watered down, the rain will help you out Many of the mines are pools of water and when there is still water it helps? I had a dream, it was all a dream But it was ruined by the sun shining in through me Having a dream that the conflict diamond industry is just the dream (dream within a dream, if you will?) but when the sun shines through a diamond, it is revealed to be the truth and far from a dream. |
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| Owl City – The Saltwater Room Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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As I've said on other song interpretations, I do believe that the meaning of a song is subjective and dependent on the listener and what they are experiencing or have experienced. Due to this, this song, for me, has a slightly different meaning of it being about two people who love each other but are separated by distance and don't know if their love can even go anywhere. I opened my eyes last night 'Opening the eyes' could be opening the eyes to a memory, allowing it to be viewed in one's mind. Boy 'opens his eyes' and remembers seeing Girl 'last night' (last night meaning any time in the past). And saw you in the low light Walking down by the bay On the shore, staring up at the stars That aren't there anymore Boy recalls walking with Girl along the shore and she was watching the stars. The stars not being there anymore shows that the stars of his memory are not, at least to him, the same as the stars he sees now. I was feeling the night grow old And you were looking so cold Boy remembers how the night passed and suddenly, was over, and remembers how, as the night grew deeper (older), Girl got colder. Also a metaphor for the distance- the older the night, the farther the distance. So like an introvert I drew my over shirt Around my arms and began To shiver violently before Boy's back in the present and is chilled by the memories because he can't see Girl anymore so he draws his shirt and his arms around himself to console himself. You happened to look And see the tunnels all around me Running into the dark Underground All the subways around Create a great sound Girl looks at all the ways she can communicate with or see Boy, but the great distance is darkness that is filled with great sound (busyness or other time-filling commitments). To my motion fatigue Farewell Boy hates travelling, but bids farewell to this hatred so he can meet Girl. With your ear to a seashell You can hear the waves In underwater caves As if you actually were inside A saltwater room Boy and Girl share the memories of the beach and Girl listens to the 'ocean' in seashells so that she feels closer to Boy because they have so many memories by the water. Time together isn't ever quite enough What little time Boy and Girl spend together is nowhere near enough to satisfy them. When you and I are alone I've never felt so at home They feel at home with each other, so if, say, Girl went to visit Boy, she is far from home, but she's still at home because she's with Boy. What will it take to make or break this hint of love? Only time, only time Boy and Girl realize that they need to wait to see where their relationship is going before they can 'make or break' their feelings for each other. Can you believe that the crew has gone And wouldn't let me sign on Girl has to leave to return home or wherever and Boy isn't allowed to due to obligations where he is. All my islands have sunk In the deep, so I can hardly relax Or even oversleep This is harder. The islands could be a metaphor for the distance between Boy and Girl, meaning that the farther from Boy (mainland) Girl (island) gets, the fewer islands there are and she is 'sunk' in her own life away from him. I feel more with your hand In mine When we walk on the shore line Boy feels his love more strongly when he is walking with Girl, especially along the seashore where they keep going back to in their memories. I guess I'll never know Why sparrows love the snow Sparrows and snow seem like two contrasting ideas, so here, Boy could be thinking how love for someone (Girl) so vastly different could be possible, but acknowledges that it is a mystery to him. We'll turn off all of the lights And set this ballroom aglow They'll finally turn off the 'lights' which, to me, based on personal experiences, could be city lights, as one (presumably Girl, because Boy seems to have the capability of returning to their shoreline) of the two is in the city while the other is farther away. Turning off the lights means they're so far away from the city, they can't see the city lights. When we're apart whatever are you thinking of Boy wants to know Girl better because the distance is hard to communicate over and wants to know her thoughts and if they're of him. If this is what I call home Why does it feel so alone Boy is home, but he feels alone because the love of his life is not there (home is where the heart is). So tell me darling Do you wish we'd fall in love Boy asks Girl if she wishes they could have a relationship rather than be friends who love each other and want to see where it goes. All the time, all the time Boy and Girl think all the time that they wish they could date. This is, as I said, based largely on my personal experience of loving a guy who loves me and is very different, but we are waiting before we do anything so that we can be sure this is what we need. We're also far apart, leading to all my comments on the distance between. |
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| fun. – Some Nights Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| I think that this song symbolizes how everyone faces a "war," whether it be a literal war between countries or an internal battle. It means that sometimes we don't know what we stand for but we still have to face the battle and, sometimes, it's best to break the rules and be content. | |
| Owl City – Sunburn Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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This has a different and bittersweet meaning for me, based on my personal experiences. The guy I like and I are about three hours apart, though we spent a few months together earlier this year when it all started. My older brother also held a long distance relationship. Here's how I view this song because of this: So there we were, back home From somewhere inside my head When the long distance couple meets again, it's like coming home and the other half is no longer just a thought, but someone they can see. Well bravely I fought off the monsters beneath her bed Pillars of post-war books supported my frame of mind While she memorized the pages that I tried to not hide behind They're so excited to be back together that they'll do anything to help each other and are trying to get to know each other even better. She took my hand in hers and whispered her love for me The lantern died that night but we didn't need to see Implying that she's the bee's knees and I am the cat's meow They confess their love and don't even need to see each other to believe it, giving them hope for when they're apart and making them feel really good about themselves. It's funny how she recalls when I can't remember now When they're apart, they share different memories of time together. But when her smile came back And I didn't feel half as horrible She gave me a heart attack Just because she looked so adorable They meet each other again (her smile returning to the boy) and they both feel a lot better. She makes his heart go crazy because he realizes again just how beautiful or adorable she is. We both put our sunblock on Laid on the beach and vowed that we'd live and we'd learn Yeah, but she got a tan and I got a sunburn They try to protect themselves from the distance but she handles it better than he does. So there we were out there Unaware of where we'd been We kicked off our flip-flops And swung from the rooftops again When they're together, they forget the time apart and enjoy each other's company doing some fun stuff together. It's awkward but I'll confess she's all I can think about And it's funny how I recall when she can't remember now When they're apart (sorry for flipping back and forth so much!) she's all the guy can think about and, again, the sharing memories. Oh afterglow, look out below! We'd left a trail of dust behind This talks about all the memories of the time they get to be together and how they cherish it, but all of it is fading and they want to see each other again. As we parted ways, she held my gaze, And left an imprint on my mind I tried not to cry as we said goodbye And hung the clouds above my town This one's more from my personal experience. When I said goodbye to him, we couldn't stop looking at each other and it was hard to ignore the emotion. But I shed a tear when she disappeared 'Cause now I'm a stranger on the ground This means that he really misses her and feels alone without her. That's just my interpretation. Not entirely bad. The meanings of different things tend to be subjective, dictated by the experience of the person thinking about it. |
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