| The Velvet Underground – Heroin Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| This song to me was never about drugs...it could be. But I think beneath it all it's more psychological. Heroin could be the part of the spirit - the feminine virgin mary soul side that victimizes itself in hopeless situations. Since the singer is a male - he's using his body has a jesus sacrifice to the drug - but it's all centered around the depressing feeling of being in such a toxic environment - a lifeless society of superficial and his fear is rooted in wanting something deeper on a soul level but morality everyone is conformed to go the same way and all he could do is watch as wars in society take place and dramas amongst friends etc. And it makes him want to detached and disassociate himself from consciousness - drift into the drug and in doing so - his perception changes to accept the things he can't change though he's sacrificing his body and health. It's almost self-harm in the case that he knows the drug is hurting him but he doesn't care because life is already twisted in the environment around him - he's thinking it's crazier to listen to all these people than take the drug that actually makes him happy - which is not what he gets from everyone else around him. I'd say emotions and feelings are more of a female quality - on a soul spiritual level - that's why Lou - at least in this one could be talking about how God is female to him in that moment. Like Mary. He worships her - only in reality he worships a needle of the drug claiming he's sacrificially jesus because he hates this whole experience because it's disgracefully a damned if you do and damned if you don't. And the line "thank your God that I'm unaware" I think he means - they must worship more of male God who has a mars mentally of war and killing, casting judgement and being threateningly cruel to claim power and he's completely against this - though he demonstrates that in more of a female gesture of self-harm through heroin which would actually just perpetuate his enemies to continue believing in what they believe but he's so detached that he doesn't even care that in doing this he's not convincing other people to side or think like him - instead he feels his actions from the beginning were simply to escape and not win any praise. The feeling itself must have been once of personally spiraling but enjoying it, being aware others probably think "you're only hurting yourself" and he's laughing - too happy because he knows he's got everything he needs and - they could only criticize like a mars type would to gain happiness through the way people like them gain happiness - in putting others down. But he gains happiness in escapism through embracing a feeling and falling into the depths of it while physically deteriorating within a drug. And his "God" is pleased - meanwhile there's isn't. So he's laughing, spiraling, and on a physical body level it's tragic but on a mental spiritual level it's beautiful because he's slowly dying for what he believes in and most importantly he's happy - so he sees no point in switching into one of them as long as he's happy. Fuck it. Heroine. | |
| Elliott Smith – Alphabet Town Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I think the term "Alphabet City or town" implies apathy for where he lives, basically it being so insignificant to him that the people who inhabit it are just seen as initials of the alphabet. People come in alphabetical order. Just another person, they don't matter to him. I figure that there's a girl he is talking about in particular that he's showing around though this town he despises. He doesn't have feelings for her and nor does she for him. She may be a drug dealer to make the situation even more unhealthy. They are both aware of the fact that this relationship is meaningless. But they are both going along with it. I figure using each other as an escape. There's a heavy apathy / emptiness implied in both their lives cause firstly they are both seeking an escape but at the same time, the escape itself is meaningless. I can only imagine how lonely that must be. For me, it has to be one of the saddest songs I've ever heard. The harmonica is haunting and just deepens the overall feeling of this song. The thing that is just so genius about Eliott's songwriting is that he implies things that aren't so obvious "told you her name you can't pronounce", "with someone who will hear you say it and just not mind", the idea of "alphabet town". He's not just talking about crying or any other pop cliche lyric that shows sadness. His pain runs deep. Real pain is in the small gestures of carelessness rather than just straightforward pain. This song carries depth and shows or describes a sad situation and the way it makes Elliott feel or not feel. It amazes me. |
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