| Modest Mouse – Float On Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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This song means many things to many people, and most interpret it as an unabashedly optimistic song. That's completely fine. But my take on the meaning is a little less positive and goes a little beyond the face value. In "Float On," Isaac deliberately alludes to imagery from the track "The Devil's Workday." In this song, "all the people that you know" are compared to 'logs floating in a river.' A log in a river is completely at the mercy of the current, with no real way to steer or slow down. All the logs end up in the same place, having caused no real impact on the river's course. So, to me, "Float On" really means that whatever happens in our lives, no matter how terrible or monumental it may seem at the moment, is actually insignificant in the grand, cosmic scheme of things. The river of time and life keeps flowing despite our futile efforts to make a change or leave our mark. Ultimately, we all float on because we never really even mattered. We were dead before we started. The ship had already sank. |
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| Modest Mouse – This Devil's Workday Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I think that if you take this visual, of logs floating in the river, and apply it to Float On, that song becomes less unabashedly optimistic than most people interpret it to be. In a sense, Isaac is saying: "Whatever happens in your life, no matter how bad, doesn't even really matter in the grand cosmic scheme of things because we are so small and unimportant. The river of time and life keeps floating, and we all float on; we never even really mattered." | |
| Modest Mouse – I Came as a Rat (Long Walk Off a Short Dock) Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I haven’t set out to explain the meaning of this song. Although some people don’t like it, I think Isaac’s songs should mean something different for each person, at each point in their lives. Isaac’s songs are full of symbolisms. So what I’ve done here is explain some possible meanings for the symbolisms used in “I Came As A Rat” to help you come to a more informed conclusion about what the song means to YOU. Many of these interpretations relate to dream psychology. I admit that this is a pseudo-science at best. But it’s interesting to imagine Isaac reading about these symbols and deciding to write a song using them. Enjoy: _______________________________ >>Well, I ain't sure, but I've been told >>He's baking cakes inside our souls In dream psychology, cakes can symbolize selfishness or the feeling of not getting your fair share. More positively, the dream may represent accomplishments and achievements. To dream that you are buying a cake suggests that you have accepted the deserved rewards and recognition. To see a partially eaten cake in your dream signifies missed and lost opportunities. During the Middle Ages in Britain and Ireland, “soul cakes” were small round cakes given to children and the poor who went door-to-door during All Saints Day or All Souls' Day to celebrate the dead. Each cake eaten would represent a soul being freed from Purgatory. _______________________________ >>Stayed awake, took a nap, got myself my bottles back >>I'm breaking them out on the street, walking around in my bare feet In the interpretation of dreams, the kind you have when you “nap”, broken bottles symbolize aggression or failure for disappointments and losses. Isaac’s hopes and goals come crashing down and shatter out on the street. He proceeds to walk on the broken shards with his bare feet: the long-reaching consequences of his shattered expectations [internal or external] are agonizingly painful. _______________________________ >>I do not need you to tell me that I am not a cat In dream psychology, cats denote independence. Maybe Isaac is saying he is painfully aware of his lack of intellectual and spiritual independence, or original though. Also, cats are symbols for the guardians of the Underworld. Also, cats are traditionally believed to have nine lives. _______________________________ >>I caught a ride, we caught some air, >>He's never gonna cut his hair To dream that you are RIDING a vehicle symbolizes the path and direction of your life. This also means that you are passively going along with someone else's plans and ideas. To dream about the AIR symbolizes creativity and intelligence. If the air is foggy or polluted, then it suggests that your thought process or mind is clouded. To dream that someone is giving you a HAIRCUT suggests that you are experiencing a decreased sense of power. You feel you are being criticized unfairly. Alternatively, your dream haircut symbolizes a fresh start. You are shedding off some unwanted aspect of yourself. _______________________________ >>It takes more time to make a fake, >>we night swam down in the lake To dream that you are SWIMMING underwater suggests that you are completely submerged in your own feelings. You are forcing yourself to deal with your subconscious emotions. To dream that you are swimming away from someone or something indicates that you are avoiding some deep emotional issue. You are refusing to acknowledge and confront your feelings because it may be too painful or too fresh. In particular, if you are swimming away to escape danger or death, then it suggests that you are letting fear take over your actions. You are afraid of change. _______________________________ >>I came as ice, I came as a whore I’m gonna go on a bit of a stretch on this one. I think Isaac might have meant “Ice Cream” instead of just “Ice”, but this didn’t match the syllable structure and tone of the song. So he went with ICE. In dream psychology, ICE CREAM denotes good luck, pleasure, success in love and satisfaction with your life. On the other hand, dreaming about a WHORE suggests that you are harboring feelings of guilt toward a relationship or that you are "prostituting" yourself in some situation, either emotionally or morally; selling yourself out. >>I came as gold, I came as crap In dream psychology, GOLD symbolizes wealth, riches, natural healing, illumination, spirituality, love and longevity. On the other hand, dreams about FECES relate to feelings of guilt, unworthiness and low self-esteem. >>I came clean and I came as a rat In dream psychology, RATS symbolize doubts, greed, guilt, unworthiness and envy. They imply that you are keeping something to yourself that is eating you up inside. You feel guilt for bad actions. Rats denote repulsion, betrayal, decay, unCLEANliness, and even death. >>I came as a call, I came as flat Telephone CALLS tend to signify communication and relationship with others; being receptive to new ideas or others’ opinions. To dream about a FLAT tire indicates emotional drain and weariness, hindered goals, lack of progress, not moving forward. >>I came too soon so I came back Dreaming that time is moving too fast can mean being overwhelmed by a task or emotion. If a clock moves backwards, it means lack of progress; being stuck in a rut. To dream that you are winding or setting a clock suggests that you need to put more effort toward a task in order to obtain the desired result or outcome. >>I came as flowers, I came as nice FLOWERS signify kindness, compassion, gentleness, pleasure, beauty, gain, joy, and love. It is also symbolic of perfection, spirituality, hidden potentials and latent talents. >>I came as dirt and I came as a surprise DIRT is representative of situations where you have been less than honorable and may have acted in a devious manner. You are trying to conceal or bury your questionable behavior. It implies feelings of unworthiness and low self-esteem. To dream that you are pleasantly SURPRISED indicates that you are opened in acknowledging and confronting your subconscious feelings. To dream that you are unpleasantly surprised suggests fear of the unexpected and unknown. You do not want to face your feelings. _______________________________ >>Well, I don't know, but I been told >>You'll never die when you'll never grow old Dreaming of DEATH symbolizes change, transformation and self-discovery. It implies a transitional phase enlightenment and spiritual growth. It means new beginnings and leaving the past behind. It is a termination of old ways and habits. It indicates a choice. On a negative note, to dream that you die may represent involvement in deeply painful relationships or unhealthy, destructive behaviors. Alternatively, you may be trying to get out of some obligation, responsibility or other situation. You are desperately trying to escape from the demands of your daily life. To see something OLD in your dream suggests that there is something in your life that you need to replace or get rid of. Alternatively, the dream means that there may be something in the past that you need to incorporate into your current life. To see or dream that you are an old man may mean your unyielding ways and rigid thinking. |
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| Modest Mouse – I Came as a Rat (Long Walk Off a Short Dock) Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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>>It takes a long time but God dies too >>But not before he'll stick it to you Isaac grew up in a zealously religious household. Slowly, after “a long time”, he lost his belief in God [he was disillusioned with religion]. It’s as if God was “dead” to him. However, the fear of Judgment and punishment in an afterworld are so innately ingrained in Isaac’s psyche, that not even his atheism can erase it. He still lives with this fear weighing on his shoulders day to day. In this sense, God had the last laugh. God “stuck it to him” before He “died”. |
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| Modest Mouse – I Came as a Rat (Long Walk Off a Short Dock) Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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>>I came as ice, I came as a whore >>I came as advice that came too sure >>I came as gold, I came as crap >>I came clean and I came as a rat >>I came as a call, I came as flat >>I came too soon so I came back >>I came as flowers, I came as nice >>I came as dirt and I came as a surprise To me, this doesn’t seem to be referring to reincarnation, per say. I think he’s talking about different iterations of himself within his lifetime. He was presented with different situations and he approached them from different perspectives, with different attitudes and playing different roles. Alternatively, maybe Isaac presented himself before God in various ways, as a sacrifice. However, his sacrifice was never good enough for God, at least in Isaac’s eyes. For instance, when he presented himself as gold, God [perhaps as represented by religion] told him that his sacrifice was worthless, crap. Ultimately, he was disillusioned by his own repeated failures to live up to God’s [religion’s] lofty requirements. |
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