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Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Lyrics 10 months ago
Seems to be a lyric about a misguided queer guy from the country who finally got tired of his big-city sugar daddy using him as a sex slave and pimping him out to his buddies.

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Tori Amos – Silent All These Years Lyrics 1 year ago
The first time I heard this song, over 30 years ago, I wept. Today, it still makes my eyes water and gives me a lump in my throat.
Few artists allow us to come so close to them as Tori Amos does. Tori is like my younger sister; so open, so vulnerable, so trusting. This song made me a lifelong fan of hers, and I'm filled with appreciation that she shares her abundant talent & artistry, and bares her beautiful soul. She's priceless.

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Blue Öyster Cult – I Love The Night Lyrics 2 years ago
@[dhanahlynx:49008]: agree totally. if one simply reads the lyrics and takes the narrative as it's told, there's no doubt -- or need for futile flights of fancy.

This is a song about a female vampire. Period. Okay, and a beautiful, seductive one. But that's about as far as one needs to go as far as engaging in flights of fancy.

Hehe. Cocaine. Jung.
Gawd.

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The Pretenders – Tattooed Love Boys Lyrics 2 years ago
The best description of this song I ever heard, back when it first hit the airwaves:

"Classy trash."

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Talking Heads – Take Me To The River Lyrics 2 years ago
This song has nothing to do with religion. Or God. Or mysticism.
Unless you consider poetry religion.

The imagery of water -- a river; currents, ever-changing -- is a staple of poetic metaphor.

It also perfectly relates to the up/down, above/below water, twisting & turning nature of loving relationships among us bumbling humans.

The Talking Heads were a terrific live band to experience. "Stop Making Sense" is one of my all-time favorite live albums.

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The Beatles – Sexy Sadie Lyrics 2 years ago
"Gurus" are a cottage industry in India.

Just like conservatives & evangelical "christians" in the US & the western world. And every other "faith" scam around the world.

None has anything to do with "higher" truth. For if any of these people were successful at attaining it, they wouldn't have to preach anything or quote scriptural passages to anyone. They would live by example. Of course, none does. It's always "do as I say, not as I do."

One needn't travel the far corners of the world to find piles of steaming b.s. all around.

John was wise enough to know this, even in his 20's. Most likely, he just wanted to trip out on acid in a novel setting. And experience some pickled brine as context for another song.

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America – Ventura Highway Lyrics 2 years ago
"alligator lizards in the air" is one of the most poetic images ever in rock lyrics.

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Steely Dan – Throw Back The Little Ones Lyrics 3 years ago
As accurately described above, this appears to me to be about the music business & the ludicrous requirement to fit in, to look or sound like someone else's vision.

It also reminds me in a way of when Jelly Roll Morton talked about how so many of his songs were stolen & appropriated by others. He said, "they'd steal one, so you'd go back and write another."

Some masks are better than others, and some songs are better than others. The lyricists use cooking as a metaphor to illustrate the differing value of their end products. Some you just throw away. Some include ingredients from other shit you borrowed. While others (the big ones) are worthy of care, to be sauteed and pan-fried.

But even with the crap they ultimately threw away, they were always cognizant of injecting each piece with their own style: tact, poise & reason...gently squeezing them.

This song is very funny, in the usual darkly-Dan manner.

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Steely Dan – Your Gold Teeth II Lyrics 3 years ago
For me, in a way this piece is a companion to "Change of the Guard" from the Dan's first LP.

A new generation's coming up, a new game, nothing can stop it, like it or not, even if you don't understand them or it. So you'd better play the hand you're dealt while you still can. It's your game the rules are your own, win or lose.

submissions
Steely Dan – Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More Lyrics 3 years ago
Very simple, one of the Dan's more straightforward lyrics.

Daddy
was a kinda low-rent criminal
living in NYC
with a stash of guns, liquor & women
He ended up
a mafia hit victim
after driving out to Hackensack
too see the "joker"
who did him in

submissions
Steely Dan – Jack of Speed Lyrics 3 years ago
Like any good lyric poetry, there is no singular meaning to a narrative like this.

On its face, yes; it's easy to point to the drug aspect/addiction/change of personality/loss of individuality of the antagonist.

In a larger sense, this song suggests that people can throw themselves & their lives away in service to any malicious slave driver, be it drugs, religion, authoritarians, exploiters or any manner of self-defeating ideas, people or things to which they sacrifice themselves.

Don't have to look far to witness this kind of widespread depravity these days.

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