| Everything Everything – Choice Mountain Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I see this song as using animal evolution as an extended metaphor for the process of an individual trying to grow as a person. This could be from after a break up in which they were told they weren't good enough, a situation in childhood where they were bullied and are now trying to return stronger ('I could be the whale that takes them all'), or a personal life decision to stop being the way you are. They seem desperate in the way they evolve, to prove others (or themselves) wrong, or return to their ex lover ('And why you never call back?') Though they keep trying, they have failed several times or in the end will fail ('a tiny little fish egg is homeless and boneless and drifting along, just jelly in the blackness') Ultimately, the ideal self they are trying to be is unrealistic and unachievable ('A pterodactyl god') -"Another slightly ridiculous, preposterous ideal. I wanted it to sound like a little boy’s idea of ‘something cool’." (Everything Everything's analysis of their own lyrics, http://genius.com/rictus_grin ) Amazing song, particularly love the image of 'a cherub in the ashtray'. This band write lyrics brilliantly |
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| Radiohead – Paranoid Android Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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To me, I interpreted the lyrics being an insult to the upper-middle class/government, from the perspective of a working class, average citizen in society. 1st verse suggests the speaker has an upper class 2nd personality that sometimes takes over his mind. Not necessarily as a mental disorder, but as a piss take of the class, though 'what's that?' repeated throughout could imply he's going slightly mad with it. 'Unborn chicken voices in my head' - either chicken foetuses trying to speak to him, or the scared upper class 2nd personality emerging from the unborn places of his mind to take over. ...more likely the latter. 2nd verse could be this personality coming to life. 'When I am king' rather than 'if I am king' shows the speaker believes the upper class have no doubts about their omnipotent fate. 'First against the wall with your opinion.... at all' - people who try and speak opposing opinions to the government will be murdered despite the fact they're 'of no consequence' - implies government know they could actually have consequences and are threatened by this. 'Ambition makes you look pretty ugly' - true speaker talking again, saying that the type of ambition the upper class have makes them look egotistical. 'Kicking and squealing Gucci little piggy' - 'Gucci' shows their spoilt nature & wealth. Dunno about pigs, but they're pretty spoilt and lazy maybe like the government? 2nd personality kicks in again in the whole 'off with his head' bit, displaying an extreme ego. 'I guess he does' - could be a bitter 'realisation' that the lower class citizen being punished for his opposing opinions did remember his name after all, except just seconds before he was executed; screaming the name begging for mercy. The whole 'rain down' part is the true speaker, telling the upper class to rain down whatever they can on him as his opinions may be small but are indestructible. Final verse could show MPs resigning from power as the working class opinions are getting more recognition and the current MPs are losing control. 'The crackle of pigskin' repeats idea of them being pigs; pigskin heard when they move to leave their seat in government. 'The panic, the vomit' - downfall of government. 'God loves his children' - perhaps cynical, sarcastic lyric implying that god favours some over others (rich over poor). Or said in hope that god will eventually treat all the same. Title could reflect how the upper class are just like robots, fuelled from money with apathy for others. Paranoid of losing their power. Probably very far off from the actual meaning but just my take on it. p.s. Radiohead are absolutely amazing and this song is incredible. |
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| Two Door Cinema Club – Next Year Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| @[takeapiece:1758] Thank you! I think your interpretation's completely valid too. That's the thing I love about lyrics; you get a different interpretation with every person :) | |
| Ben Howard – Bones Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I believe this is about being in love with a prostitute or a woman who sleeps with many men for her own pleasure. 'Oh go, far from this small town bar we know' -the bar is where she picks up men she sleeps with. The fact that he says 'we' implies that he was once a customer of her services and hung out at the bar for her. During the course of their love making, it seems he has fallen in love with her, but she still views him as a sexual object. This line also foreshadows the events of the last lines of this song. 'And hold, hold your lips so tightly, That the shadows may go' -she does not speak a word of her crimes in day-to-day life. He sarcastically remarks that if she conceals her secrets well enough her memories of all the men she's slept with may eventually stop being a burden on her. He's completely aware that she will never change her ways as we gather every time he says 'it's just the bones you're made of' and 'you can never be alone' (although this one could imply that she is always sleeping with men or that he will always be metaphorically with her). Despite this he still loves her and will always be there for her even though she may never love him back. 'And you laugh like you've never been lonely' - She laughs (mainly to her men) to cover up how she is truly feeling. In fact she doesn't enjoy what she does and gets lonely because she is never truly loved, but she has to continue with it because she may be addicted to that way of living or she has to do it for money. 'That's alright honey' -This line :') THEM FEELS. Her ways are not influential on his feelings for her :') 'Oh you laugh like there's hope in the story' -again, we gather she's a hopeless cause in her ways. 'Oh you laugh like I'll be there to hold you always, Always here' -With the false laughs in the previous lines we could also gather that this too is a false laugh and she may not think our narrator will always be there because he is just another one of the men she sleeps with, but he actually will. He loves her. In the final chorus, her guard is let down: 'And you love like you've always been lonely'. Then 'Oh you love him with all of your body' would make you think she is continuing to sleep with men that are not the narrator, but 'Oh you love him like he'll be there for always, Always honey yeah, always near' reveals that 'him' was actually the narrator addressing himself in third person. She does love him back and knows he'll always stay with her. The last verse contradicts this; she leaves him. He just tells her to 'go', because he's aware it's just how she has always been and will always be. He accepts it but this does not mean he feels no pain. Sorry for the ridiculous detail, it's just my take on the song. P.S. Ben Howard is an incredible musician and lyricist and praise the lord we have him to bless our ears. |
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| Bombay Bicycle Club – Already Know Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| Such a beautiful song in both the music and the lyrics, it just makes you smile and want to cry at the same time. I love how it's being interpreted in completely different ways probably depending on people's own experiences of love. As mine is non existent this song's tricky for my to get my head around, but I do like shytrain's interpretation so thanks for making it make sense for me :) | |
| Two Door Cinema Club – Next Year Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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This is probably a goodbye song to a loved one (most likely girlfriend) because he needs some time to himself. I think in the first verse he's talking about how he left her maybe because he is trying to find himself. Being in a relationship is too much to ask at this time in his life when he should focus on himself. He can't guarantee he'll speak to her because he doesn't know where life will take him, but if there was a better situation where he could be himself with her ('For that moment I was never what I am' ) then he would take it. But there isn't, so he leaves to travel. 'I won't forget' and 'If you think of me, I will think of you' shows he could go back to the relationship after this break because it was something worth having. Verse 2 for me is him stating what was wrong with her and why he had to leave. 'In between the lines is the only place you'll find what you're missing but you didn't know was there' implies that she is someone who doesn't see or read between the lines; she is just seeing the obvious and getting by without curiosity. He wants to do this opposite to this. The whole chorus I think says that if after this break they get back together again or after he returns home and the relationship carries on as before, she could go and travel as well. In the last chorus he also suggests that 'maybe sometime in a long time you'll remember what I had said there I said I'll be home for next year, darling' referring to what he said when he left her just then. That could all be completely wrong, but it's how I interpreted it :) |
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