| The Kinks – Living on a Thin Line Lyrics | 9 months ago |
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@[James03:53550] There's one line about there not being England and it's not a lamentation. He means there is no king anymore. And he says the king was a liar, so I don't think he is very torn up about there not being an England with a liar king. The point of the song is the king used to start wars and people would die for him. He's worried that will happen again. He's also not worried about passing on "tradition" to the future generations. That whole verse is about actions we need to take now for the future generations. "What we couldn't do, what we wouldn't do," |
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| The Kinks – Living on a Thin Line Lyrics | 9 months ago |
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It's an anti-war song. The first verse is about how all the wars of the past and the differences they were fought over don't really matter any more. Perhaps they never did. Those kings are all dead and they can't tell lies anymore. They don't have power to send people to their death anymore, but inside, he knows that people haven't changed much at all. It can all happen again. It's a thin line that separates us from that old barbarity. But what are we supposed to do about it? The second verse addresses the question and the nihilism it comes from. How are we going to leave the world for the next generation? "What we couldn't do, or what we wouldn't do, it's a crime, but does it matter?" Our inaction is a crime but who cares? But no, Yes, it really really matters. The last verse is the same old pattern happening again. A leader tells the people to go to war "break their hearts and break their heads." Is there nothing we can say or do? Just shrug and accept it as a never ending cycle? "Blame the future on the past, always lost in bloody guts" But no, that's all history and those people are dead. It's me and you now. We can do something. This is on us for letting it happen. We're always living on a thin line and only our actions will decide on which side we fall. EDIT: And yes, I am just now watching The Sopranos. I think in the context of the show, the meaning of the song changes to the thin line Tony has to walk between his morality and the code of the family. Ralphie is a monster and Tony knows it, but he can't do anything about it because he's a made man. His inaction costs Tracey her life and Tony has to live with that. We see his guilt at the end of the episode in the therapy session. "A work related death. It's sad when they go so young." Which brings us to the girls. The song plays at the beginning and end of the episode, when we are first introduced to Tracey and at the end her replacement. These girls live on a thin line. They're disposable in this world. The parallel is drawn in the episode with Meadow and how she falls in love with Noah only for him to break up with her out of the blue. But obviously the stakes are much lower for her. Meadow is about the same age as Tracey, but their lives and the stakes are worlds apart. |
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| The Kinks – Living on a Thin Line Lyrics | 9 months ago |
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@[James03:53549] It's specifically the opposite of that. It is saying that is all pointless. "All the wars that were won and lost, Somehow don't seem to matter very much anymore. " |
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| Nine Inch Nails – Hurt Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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It's about drug addiction, regret, and rock bottom. The dialogue is with himself, specifically his addiction that he refers to as "My Sweetest Friend." I hurt myself today To see if I still feel I focus on the pain The only thing that's real He's completely burnt out. The addiction has consumed everything of him. He doesn't feel anything anymore except pain when he's not high. The needle tears a hole The old familiar sting Try to kill it all away But I remember everything The only reason he gets high anymore is to get away from pain and memories. But deep down he still knows. He remembers the life he once had, all his friends, his potential, before he lost everything. What have I become My sweetest friend Everyone I know Goes away in the end Again just reiterating how he's a husk of his former self and has no one left. And you could have it all My empire of dirt I will let you down I will make you hurt This is the more interesting part of the refrain. I think he wants to completely give into his addiction, to succumb and find eternal bliss. But he can't even do that. He's hopeless. He can't even save himself. I will let myself down. I will make me hurt. Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair He realizes his mind is permanently damaged from all the drug abuse and he will never be whole again. Beneath the stains of time The feelings disappear You are someone else I am still right here He's being reflective. Yes he's a complete husk of his former self, but there is still that small part that remembers, his hopes, his dreams, and those he loved. If I could start again A million miles away I would keep myself I would find a way If he could do it all again, he would not throw his life away. That's what I think the specific narrative of the song is, but the main point is regret. I think that's something we can all relate to. |
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