| Blue Öyster Cult – Shooting Shark Lyrics | 8 years ago |
|
Sorry guys. This song is NOT about drugs, drug addiction, Satanic ideology...or anything of the like. Patty Smith actually wrote for and collaborated with BOC on more songs than you probably know. She wrote this song in it's entirety for the band. This is a powerfully moving piece about a desperate man who is unable to permanently leave a relationship with a woman that has gone on WAY TOO LONG and his inability to cut the ties (he makes 3 weak attempts to do so and each fails utterly) is now making him PHYSICALLY SICK. The character cries out to the Magic Man, "I AM SICK!" The "Magic Man" he seeks out initially, who is a kind of PSYCHIC who ..."lays a spread of Jacks and Queens; and bade me take my pick...but every face it had your face I cried out, I AM SICK..." is an intentional stab at the...especially back then...sorry and ineffective general practice of psychology/psychiatry to actually help with ANYTHING (one's chances of getting meaningful help from a "clinician" was NO better than paying money and seeing a Tarot Card reader...I know this!). So after his initial visit with the psychic, he tells us what his experience of staying in the relationship is like and what it's doing to him and how badly he wants out: "...Sick of hauling your love around; Wanna run my train (my life) alone...just loving you takes everything out of me (my breath away). "But the engine tracks straight through your heart and weighs me like a stone." (keeps getting redirected back to her). "Oh it's a hard load to love you...it takes up all my time." (Ever date someone who is really NEEDY? Smothering? He's talking about this). Attempt 1 to leave her: "So I gave away the picture... And your golden ring And the phone calls you sent me And the silver birds that sing." (Common for people to try "leaving" someone by tossing out the stuff given to us by them FIRST. Typically doesn't work.) But then the psychic leaves a message that depresses him badly: "Then the man he left a message that really brought me down: "Your things were thrown away it's true... but YOU WERE STILL IN TOWN." (Didn't really change anything) Still getting sicker "hauling her love around" Killing him...can't do it much longer. Attempt 2 to leave her: The psychic leaves another ominous message for him: He said "Accept the chains of loving... Accept or else remove yourself from her side." (Cheesy advice...no brainer right? Get out or this will just continue). So he gets more dime store psychology advice "Live without her love." WELL IF HE COULD HAVE DONE THAT HE WOULD HAVE ALREADY!! Attempt 3 to leave her: "I lay back with the steel chain (last memento he has left from her); I keep it by my side." (Means he still can't let go yet). "I could mail a letter to you... But I still have my pride." (getting sicker from hauling her love around... and how draining this is...he wants out but can't do it). (How many of you...those who have sought psychiatric/psychological help have been given the absolutely worthless assignment of "writing a letter" to _____ who hurt you, died, left you, abandoned you, molested you...whatever? I have never seen this help ANYONE over the long term in 22 years of practice!). No wonder he rejected it as something that might help him extricate himself from the dysfunctional relationship!) (Still sick of hauling her love around & wanting his life back...because this is smothering him completely) RESOLUTION OF CONFLICT: ***He reviews for us what's happened so far *** "3 times I've sent you back from me... 3 times my bones gone dry!" (great symbolism for what it feels like when we can't let go of something bad for us but serves some dysfunctional need we probably don't understand; people report feeling like they are dying on the inside). SO... "3 times I've seen the shooting shark lightning up the sky. (by the way no one really knows what the shooting shark actually represents...save Patti Smith?) Repeat of the heavy load it is loving her, etc. BUT: "The 4th time around is the LAST time around...there's nothing else to say..." He finally walks away from her. After a long battle resulting in the realization that it is hopeless and killing him. Great song! Awesome symbolism and metaphors! Sorry guys: Not about drugs or anything else but a sick relationship. Blake |
|
| Rush – Vital Signs Lyrics | 8 years ago |
|
Hi. This is my 1st time exposing my "intimate" thoughts about any song publicly...much less one as potentially chocked full of meaning (s) as this one; and like a few of you rightly said---MANY OF THE GREAT SONGS WITH POWERFUL LYRICAL CONTENT (I.e. guys like John Anderson of Yes, not so much Genesis...but many others) WHEN YOU ACTUALLY WATCH THE ARTISTS WHO CREATED THEM in interviews speak directly about them we often learn (much to my let-down I must admit) that in fact the lyrics are essentially meaningless. Or simply astute plays on words/tempo/syncopation/rhyming etc. There is obviously the possibility that Vital Signs, with its INTENTIONALLY misspelled words/mistakenly verbalized words ("...everybody got to EVELATE from the norm") is exactly like Yes' "And You And I" where Jon Anderson repeatedly sings, "...oh COMPLETEND the sight of seeds of life with you ..." Or, "Yours Is No Disgrace," (...shining flying purple wolfhound show me where you are...lyrical gibberish but to me one of the best lyrical songs written). But Rush/Niel Peart simply doesn't do that as a rule. You guys know that Niel P. is one smart, extremely knowledgeable guy! I know a lot about all these musicians and almost no one can generate lyrics like Niel P. So I don't think he "wastes ANY space" AT ALL and nothing is "nonsensical." So...take it for my opinion as a psychiatrist that Vital Signs simply has too many direct and metaphorical references to the body's endocrine system, and the insane number of differing "neurological/biochemical" FEEDBACK LOOPS that MUST operate within certain "Degrees of Freedom" for us to remain healthy. Otherwise "the balance is distorted," "signals get crossed..." and "Vital" systems become at risk for breaking down...resulting in often severe consequences. The repetitive, but powerful, "...everybody got to deviate from the norm... ...everybody got to EVELATE from the norm... ...everybody got to escalate from the norm..." is extremely powerful live and on the LP but my gut tells me that Geddy Lee probably added that improvisationally to finish up the song in the studio. You would be quite surprised to learn how many great, fan-devoted and "misinterpreted" stuff has been incidentally/unintentionally included on iconic tunes that have stayed fresh 40+ years! I have been fortunate to see Rush live in concert EVERY SINGLE TOUR since Signals. I thank everybody for taking the time to share your thoughts and feelings about MY music. Being a 70's kid I think gives me a unique "personal investment" in all the irreplaceable music that came out every 4 months or so when I was a kid. Concert tickets were $7.50. Cool huh? Blake |
|
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.