| Museum – The Law Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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Really great song. Basically plays off of the idea that good and evil is utterly subjective and is just based on whatever "law" you decide is most valid/true. Also relates to humans having the need to fit into a group, sometimes to the point of not thinking for themselves. "We defer good and bad for you / we defer friend and foe for you." The listener is not allowed to think for themselves but are told they must choose "a side," as though good and evil is black and white, but this song is subtly mocking that idea. My favorite verse is, "You know justice justifies the wars, the wars / and you know we are just." This points out that humans tend to fall into deciding that their way is "right" and others' ways are "wrong," and use that to justify doing horrific things. Therefore the "good" side is not really good at all, just following a different law. |
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| Jason Mraz – 0% Interest Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I think the way Jason Mraz writes is that his lines often are more about the way they sound and the images they create rather than having an actual literal meaning, so his songs can be hard to interpret word for word. However, his songs do have an underlying theme. This song seems to be about the idea of having dreams and then having to reconcile those dreams with the real world. There's also the theme of being with someone who's too good for you and having to let them go. It starts off with him talking about "his friends on the front porch," living in happiness and under a bright porch spotlight, like his friends are in the real world. Him and this girl, however, are at first living "in the shadows"--outside of the constraints of reality. The girl, "Candy," is telling him about some "0% interest," a deal which is impossible and unrealistic, but she got it as though she's somehow exceptional. He goes on about her for awhile, "you left your thumbprint inside me," clearly she has made a big impression on him but he can't seem to do the same, because of the underlying fear that he's nothing special. "Mine only brushes your soft surface." He also feels trapped in the world he lives in. He says, "If I knew all the words, I would write myself out of here..." He wants to get somewhere special, but again fears he doesn't have the ability. The next part is almost sarcastic, talking about everything this girl's apparently capable of which he so clearly isn't. "Why don't you tell me about the sunsets of Sweden... and how you were the rock of Gibraltar." Then he says "slide your foot off the gas," possibly because she's running away from him and pretending to lead this extraordinary life. He doesn't want to "crash into the median," to be part of the "middle of the street." He doesn't want to be average. "We all need to find a little space in our daydreams... is it long enough?" Everyone should dream, but how long can we spend pretending that we're going to do all of these amazing things before we have to admit defeat? Not everyone can be someone special, and the narrator of the song thinks he isn't. |
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| The National – Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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So I look at this song overall as a commentary on what happens to "bullies" vs. "geeks" when they grow up. To me "Vanderlyle" sounds like the name of a school of some sort and so the lyrics are based around the graduates of Vanderlyle. The song opens with the verse, "Leave your home, change your name..." which suggests that after high school/college ends people move on to new lives and try and forget their pasts. The line "Eat your cake" suggests that whoever is being focused on in the song got everything they wanted from life-the saying goes you can't have your cake and eat it too, but this person clearly did. The chorus is where things are really explained. "Though the waters are rising, there's still no surprising you." Whoever the song is about is squarely in control of their life and always has been. However, the line "It's all been forgiven" also suggests that the main character has done bad things in his past, yet has either forgiven himself or has assumed that people have forgiven him. "Swans are a-swimming" suggests that he's successful now, that things are at peace. But then comes the line "I'll explain everything to the geeks." What if the person who is the focus of the song was a bully in the past? He's out of Vanderlyle now and is a new person, and has moved on from his experiences back then. In fact he's even forgiven himself for being who he was in the past. But what about all the "geeks" who were actually affected by this guy? Well, someone has to "explain" to them that it's all over- everyone's moved on- they should be moving on too. Then comes the repetitive "All the very best of us string ourselves up for love." This looks to me like the main character would do anything to get people like him- including bullying the geeks. He justifies what he's done by thinking that everyone does it so it's okay. Overall the song suggests that maybe it's easy for "bullies" to brush off their pasts and move on. But as for the "geeks," it's not always that easy to forget how they were treated, and maybe they never truly will understand what made other people treat them the way they did. This last part may be a HUGE stretch, but the lines "Hangin' from chandeliers, same small world at your heels" could represent both sides of the story. The "bullies" are hanging from chandeliers because they're "stringing themselves up for love." But the "hanging" line also conjures up images of suicide, which is where the geeks could end up. Though it's for different reasons, it's over the same world. |
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