| CHVRCHES – Gun Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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Yes this is a song about a woman scorned, but I think there's a lot more to it than that. This isn't exactly the perfect break up song you blare in your car as you pass your ex's house. There's a subtle meaning that gives this song a much wider appeal. "There's no other way we can run far" There's a "we" there. Despite the knife in the back and burned bridges, there's still a way they "can run far" together. It implies that, while the relationship may have broken down, the fascination continues. She's hunting the object of her affection, leaving out what she'll do when she catches up. What first sounds like tough talk starts to sound a lot more like infatuation. "I will be a gun and it's you I'll come for" Why isn't the lyric "it's you I'll aim for"? You aim a gun and fire, it's the bullet that does the traveling. I think that simple question creates a tension your brain wants to resolve. The obvious homophone of "coming" creates a sexual undertone, as if the betrayal of her lover has her caught in a compulsion/revulsion trap of wanting to be with someone who's no good for her. This one lyric is the central theme of the song, after all, and she repeats, "and it's you I'll come for" repeatedly as if to underscore the point. Double entendre or no, when the line is taken out of context this way it sounds as if it would be right at home in a love song. If you go back and read the lyrics and imagine it sung by an rock or industrial band, the double meaning would get lost. As it stands though, the lilting synthpop delivery is about the furthest you can get from vengeful or aggressive, with a bittersweet tone that owes a more to OMD or Pet Shop Boys than say Alanis Morissette or Depeche Mode. |
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| Little Dragon – Twice Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I should start by saying the video represents a unique take on the song, not the intended meaning. The band has confirmed in interviews that they had a hand in making the video (going so far as to controlling some of the puppets), but had no idea what the film maker's take on the song was until they saw the finished product. I believe the song is a conflicted ballad to an unfortunate ex-lover, with whom she shares a rather dark attraction. It's about compulsion/revulsion, where she herself is toxic, and the other person is intrinsically broken because they keep coming back. The first verse talks about repeatedly betraying someone, seemingly without consequence, and she'd "love to know" what lead the other person to think she was still interested. Was it the night she'd let down her guard, or the way in which she'd hurt people in the past? Was it the way she so casually hurt others, or is it that they see themselves as the same person? She thought she knew what kept the other person coming back, but their erratic behavior kept her interested. The other person's sincere feelings through her for a loop with so many other lovers acting so subtly. I can see how these lyrics could be turned inward to be about drug addiction or flipped to be about loving someone who's toxic. Either way, it's a beautifully dark song. |
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