| Bear Hands – Bone Digger Lyrics | 7 years ago |
|
I think the song is comparing unethical journalism with graverobbing. Alternative careers: Could be referring to anyone who would be televised... politicians, soldiers, reality tv actors on the history channel (god help us) |
|
| Streetlight Manifesto – The Three of Us Lyrics | 7 years ago |
|
It seems to be a song about personal principles. The chorus is the protagonist's principles. The kingdom is invaded, forcing the thief, king, and protagonist to escape. They lose everything and everyone. This influences the protagonist's principles: He has contempt for anyone who isn't 100% against his enemies. The three characters take refuge in the forest. The king feels disillusioned and guilty, so he abandons his principles. The characters realize that they are equal, so the narrator adds a new set of principles: There is no reason to bow to anyone, because even a king is flawed and human and equal. Finding that the thief was not that bad of a person and that all his crimes were meaningless now, the protagonist also learns that you should only repent for your own sins (violating your own principles). The voices of the kingdom's inhabitants as they "fall" reminds us that you can only rely on yourself. Before the characters go their separate ways, it's foreshadowed that they will find what they are looking for. They go down their "long and winding roads" accompanied by their set of principles (or lack thereof, in the king's case, as he had no longer nurtured the seeds of belief). Then, the characters meet again. True to their paths, the thief had become a priest, the king had become a tramp, and the protagonist was an older version of himself. There is another hint of nihilism, another reminder of the meaninglessness of all the stuff you don't care about. What matters is what you believe in. Your own Bible, your own spoken word to tell yourself. The priest had found a very common set of principles in organized religion. Yet, the king's path was not inherently worse; The priest has some jealousy of the tramp's newfound freedom. This song draws a very clear line between what you believe in and what someone else believes in. It warns you not to believe in someone else's principles and acknowledges the validity of believing in nothing. It's also worth noting the comparisons between religion and principle that emerge a few times in the song. Your principles are truly the religion of your life, regardless of whether you participate in a religious group. |
|
| Broken Bells – The High Road Lyrics | 9 years ago |
|
Well it's 2016, and I doubt anyone will see this, but I wanted to get my thoughts out there. The song is about the naivety of our fear of death, in the context of religion. It also touches on different approaches to life, and how the dead take note of them. "We're bound to wait all night." None of us really know for sure what happens after we die. We're in the dark. We just have to wait and see. But isn't it silly to wait for death? "She's bound to run amok. Invested enough in it anyhow," Run amok probably implies that she is going away from the high road. She is making mistakes, hurting people, sinning, etc. She's already taken steps down it, and is "invested." "To each his own…" Ultimately, it's up to us how we handle our actions, morality, and philosophy. The singer isn't going to tell her how to live her life. "The Garden needs sorting out" In many ways, Earth is like the Garden of Eden. We're supposed to be able to wander around and enjoy it, but it's also kind of a test because we can't help but sin. The Garden sorts us out, showing just how flawed we are. "She curls her lips on the bow." The serpent in the Garden of Eden used deception and temptation. It was able to twist morality, and it was able to muddy the line between good and bad. Some traditions also say the serpent represented sexual desire. In any case, "she" succeeds in her efforts to push humans even further toward sin. She is proud of her performance, bends to take a bow, and smiles. "And I don't know if I'm dead or not, To anyone..." Over time you screw over countless people. You lose track of all the people that hate you. You're dead to them. (Like that expression, "you're dead to me.") "Come on and get the minimum, Before you open up your eyes." Hell, if we're all going to sin, why not have some fun with it? "This army has so many heads, To analyze..." The dead are watching. We know what sins are being committed. We're judging you. We're weighing your soul. "Come on and get your overdose. Collect it at the borderline, And they want to get up in your head..." At the borderline, you're having a near-death experience. Your fate is uncertain. Just a little more sin, and you'll overdose and go to hell. The dead want to warn you. Just as they used their heads "to analyze" they want to get into your head to help you realize. "Cause they know and so do I. The high road is hard to find." It's pretty much impossible to live a perfect life. You're going to mess up. You're going to hurt people. You're going to sin. The hordes of people in hell understand this very well. "A detour to your new life. Tell all of your friends goodbye." Suddenly, you've died. What happens to you now? "The dawn to end all nights, That's all we hoped it was." Well, the night has ended. You know there is life after death. That's all you wanted, after all, right? You needed to know. "A break from the warfare in your house, To each his own..." Maybe you saw Earth as a mess. Maybe you're just glad it's over with. The singer has the right to disagree. To each his own. "A soldier is bailing out. He curled his lips on the barrel." Sometimes life is f***ing hard. It's traumatizing. So instead of soldiering on, sometimes we're tempted to bail out. "And I don't know if the dead can talk, To anyone..." The singer wishes he could tell the soldier not to off himself. Perhaps, if anything is on the other side, it might not be so nice. "It's too late to change your mind" Your life is over. Can't go back. "You let loss be your guide" You made poor choices out of pain, instead of moving on. You followed that path to the end. |
|
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.