| Theatre of Hate – Propaganda Lyrics | 2 months ago |
| To me, this song is about the tendency of people to rationalise growing authoritarianism by dismissing it as empty rhetoric. Even when the state dials up the hate, they don't see (or refuse to see) that the blatant threat in what to them is 'only propaganda' is setting up the boot that's soon to fall on their 'wonderful lives'. They believe they're above the propaganda but don't realise they're next in line for oppression. | |
| Talking Heads – Found a Job Lyrics | 10 months ago |
| To me, this is about a couple focussing their energies on each other and improving their lives instead of focussing on their problems. By leaving meaningful lives ('making up their own shows') they become more interesting people which improves their relationship and their wider social lives ('They've enlisted all their family/They've enlisted all their friends') and gets them from their initial resentment to the point where they're considering having a child together ('There might even be a spinoff'). It's a call to action to actually invest time in your relationship instead of just passively experiencing it in the way you'd watch a crappy TV just because it's on. | |
| The Chameleons – Inside Out Lyrics | 11 months ago |
| To me, this song is about a young baby who is given up and then adopted by a loving foster parent, and the emotional complexities involved in that new relationship - and the fierce determination of the foster parent to make things work in the face of uncaring system | |
| Mission of Burma – New Nails Lyrics | 2 years ago |
| To add, the song's title 'New Nails' poses this corruption of the original Christian message over time as yet more nails to the ones already used to mount Jesus to the cross in the Bible, an ironic twist on the saying 'another nail in the coffin. | |
| Mission of Burma – New Nails Lyrics | 2 years ago |
| For me this song seems inspired by Philip K Dick's novel VALIS, which contains long passages of the main character Horselover Fat's self-written gnostic-inspired philosophy after he either goes mad/overdoses/is visited by God/all three. A key phrase in the book is 'The Empire Never Ended', referenced in this song by 'The Roman empire never died'. Also present in the book is the theme of Christianity being twisted from its original liberatory meaning into a tool of oppression, and references to Dionysus. | |
| Travis – Blue Flashing Light Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I would agree that this song is about people's reactions to abuse - it's something obvious, everyone knows it's going on, but nobody does anything. Right from the start, "I would see him arrive at the door" - the song is from a neighbour's perspective - he sees it often enough that it's become regular, accepted even. He knows that horrible things are going to happen, yet takes no action to stop it - "A storm is abrew... as I look at you from the shore" The chorus shows a different side of the story - the girl's (I think from the slurs it's a girl, but I could be wrong ofc) friends don't want to get involved either, so they don't call her (pre-mobile phone era, obviously). So she's both suffering the direct abuse from her father (?) and feeling isolated and alone because she can't turn to her friends for support. So her emotions boil over and she decides to 'settle the score'. The third verse... well. We hear about firemen and the phone being disconnected so this to me implies that the girl decides to set fire to the house in order to get back at her abuser. The neighbours come out to see what's going on and immediately realise what's happened ("Everyone sees") but they don't want to discuss it. The narrator asks, "Are we all just afraid of the heat?" but they all know that's a lie, they know what's been happening, but even now the refuse to break ranks, to acknowledge their complicity in keeping silent now that it's led to disaster. But the final repetition of "Never do!" makes it clear that the reason why this has happened this time is that, when the girl was most vulnerable, her support was cut out from her - she was abandoned by her friends (I guess the father banned her from going out) because they didn't want to be involved - they're too bust partying and pretending she's not an issue. And the events of the third verse are the consequences. |
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| Travis – Last Train Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I've always thought that this is one of Travis's most interesting songs. The first two verses seem simple enough - he likes this person, makes a move, gets rejected, goes mental. But then you get the last set of lyrics - he's sitting on the station, watching her through the window. So, what's going on here? Is he planning this? Is it a memory? The final lines reveal the true meaning of this song . 'If you took all the little feelings in your heart And took all those little feelings all apart Oh well now What's the point in doing all of that?' It's not real. He's seen this girl, but he doesn't know her - he's simply watching her from the station platform. He starts wondering about a possible relationship - but can only assume the worst - rejection leading to him going off the deep end. In the last line, he decides that it's simply not worth acting upon this 'little feeling' Put simply, it's a song about a rather dark version of the idle thoughts floating through someone's mind when they see someone they like - with him quickly deciding that such 'little feelings' are more trouble than they're worth. |
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