| Brooke Fraser – C.S. Lewis Song Lyrics | 4 months ago |
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The reason this song is called "CS Lewis song", is because of its very first two lines, which are a paraphrase of CS Lewis's catchphrase: "If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world." But the meaning behind this very catchphrase is, unfortunately, much deeper. And when I say "deeper", I mean in a very sinister but real sense. Brooke Ligertwood's lyrics, particularly in the refrain, talk about an unspecified "mercy" that "comes with the morning", that will "speak to" the singer "in the light of the dawn". Very reminiscent of the worlds that fellow great minds and singer-songwriters John Lennon and Michael Jackson wrote about, in "Imagine" and "Heal the world" respectively. Don't we all desire such an idealistic world? But what exactly is this unspecified "mercy", that could claim to fulfill all our idealistic desires without being all but a scam as we know it today? Can it even exist? Brooke then sings, "Am I lost or just less-found? On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way? / Is this a soul that stirs in me, is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?" Now this is where the sinister part kicks in. Looking at the context, from recognizing that we all have desires so idealistic that this world might well never be able to provide, and recognizing our own "light and momentary" mortal nature, to dreaming of a "mercy" that will create that ideal world that we've all dreamed of, which will "speak to" us "in the light of the dawn", and meanwhile we wait for this "hope" to come - we all have hopes, what is it we are hoping for? It varies from person to person - and now, we see Brooke questioning her own status of how "lost" or "found" she is, as far as finding the right "way" for herself is concerned; and then wondering if it is just her "soul" stirring within her wanting to "break free" - sounds like the soul wanting to leave the body, doesn't it? But how does the soul depart the body, without death happening first? Question - if all this put together sounds right, is this ideal "mercy" supposed to be the Grim Reaper himself? Her primary bridge answers that question clearly: "For we, we are not long here / Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it / And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know you / Hope is coming for me / Hope, he's coming". These sinister lyrics recognize that sometimes, there are things in this world that are much worse than death. Now don't get me wrong here; I am not an advocate for suicide in any way. What I'm trying to say here is that Brooke is talking about death, in a generic sense, being a sort-of deliverer for us from our sufferings that all of us have to go through. When Brooke croons the lines of the primary bridge, before coming back to the final chorus which she sings a few tones higher, she is pertaining to the three things we all can never get enough of, yet can sometimes also be the cause of heartbreak for some of us: getting a life, finding love, and gaining knowledge ("I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know you"). But try as we may, we forget that death is inevitable ("We are not long here / Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it"), and at the end of the day, that unspecified "hope"/"mercy" will come to bring us a world we dreamed of, which will be on the day we die ("Hope, it's coming for me"). My conclusion: - This song is a metaphor about death. - The unspecified "hope"/"mercy" is likely Death itself. - The lyrics speak about Death coming to bring us into a dreams-come-true world. I hope this makes sense! |
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| Barry Manilow – I Write The Songs Lyrics | 4 months ago |
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@[Showguy:54264] Thank you for those words! :) Finally, someone who actually agrees with me. "I write the songs" is about music, it is written from the PoV of music as if it were anthropomorphized, and it talks about the things music can do to make our lives better. Music has indeed been alive forever - it has been an art form since donkeys' years ago. It wrote the very first song - goes without saying. The line "I am music and I write the songs" couldn't be clearer - it is Music itself speaking here. Bruce Johnston did a great job of writing this song, and I think he is correct. We all love music (that's why we all joined SongMeanings in the first place, surely?). So I think this song is about MUSIC, and is another ode to music - it isn't the first, and it will not be the last (see my comment above). I think "I write the songs" is one of the most beautiful odes to music - I have in fact made it my personal music anthem and created a PMV for it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCJn38AEPvc). Thank you once again @[Showguy:54264]! |
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| Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven Lyrics | 4 months ago |
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I love this song so much. As a Tolkien reader (my grandad himself was a huge Tolkien fan), here is my take on the song: The lady who's sure = Galadriel, from Fellowship of the Ring The stairway to heaven = admission back into Valinor, where Galadriel is from. In the books, being one of the Noldor who rebelled, Galadriel was banned from Valinor, so when Ann (Wilson) sings "And she's buying a stairway to heaven", she means that Galadriel is trying to find a way to gain readmission to her home city, even if she has to pay a price for it. "If the stores are all closed / With a word she can get what she came for" = if all avenues are closed to Galadriel, the word is "No"; "what she came for" pertains to her readmission to Valinor (see above) "There's a feeling I get when I look to the west / And my spirit is crying for leaving" = Ann now switches to the first person narration, these lines are from Galadriel's PoV; she (Galadriel) is sad because she misses Valinor and wants to return. "In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke thru the trees / And the voices of those who stand looking" = The rings of smoke are (who else?) Gandalf the Grey. "Those who stand looking" are the Valar, the high-ranking spirits, who shaped and ruled Middle-Earth. "And it's whispered that soon if we all call the tune / Then the piper will lead us to reason" = the "piper" is likely Aragorn, who led the war against Sauron. Aragorn has been depicted smoking a pipe intermittently, especially during the journey to Rivendell. "And a new day will dawn for those who stand long / And the forests will echo with laughter" = after the war against Sauron, peace will return to Middle Earth, and those who stood strong shall be happy. "Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run / There's still time to change the road you're on" = you can always choose to be good, instead of taking the seemingly "easy" route to evil. This is a common theme throughout LotR. "And as we wind on down the road / Our shadows taller than our soul / There walks a lady we all know / Who shines white light and wants to show / How everything still turns to gold" = this is a very famous part of LotR, I doubt any Tolkien readers would not recognize this. Frodo and Sam Gamgee are now heading east towards Mordor (the Shadow is therefore in front of them). "Who shines white light" is the famous scene when Galadriel takes the Ring from Frodo, and cries out, "And now at last it comes. You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!" And finally, "How everything still turns to gold" pertains to the Ring that Galadriel took from Frodo, and how in spite of all the temptation the heroes had to face, the Phial of Galadriel kept them strong. "And if you listen very hard / The tune will come to you at last / When all are one and one is all" = this is basically a re-wording of "One ring to rule them all" "To be a rock and not to roll" = to be strong and resist evil, another common theme we see throughout LotR. So there you have it, the TRUE interpretation of this famous song. Need I say more? |
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| Barry Manilow – I Write The Songs Lyrics | 4 months ago |
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Srsly, is it just me, or does all 14 commentators here so far seem to have some need of professional help?! "I write the songs" is simply an ode to music - albeit written from the point of view of music as if it were anthropomorphized. It is not the first ode to music, and it will not be the last. We all love music, do we not (is that not why we are all on SongMeanings in the first place)? What better than a song that praises the beauty and versatility of music as an art - such as "I write the songs", for instance? Music has been alive forever, people have been making music since goodness knows when; and it goes without saying, music itself can be credited with writing the very first song. Through the lips of people like you and I. This is why we still enjoy music today, in all its varying genres. When I say that "I write the songs" is not the first ode to music, and will not be the last, here is my methodology to prove: In the early 1600s, William Shakespeare wrote a famous ode to music in his play Twelfth Night, later set to music by Henry Purcell - "If music is the fruit of love, play on, play on" (sung here by soprano Kathleen Battle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPCDas6U4aI). In 1817, Franz Schubert wrote "An die Musik" (dedicated to music), also known by its first line "Du holde Kunst" (you pure art form), which talks about how music can transport you to a different world. (Sung here by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm_AKMV0ME0) And more recently in 1999, English Eurodance singer Anna "Lolly" Kumble released her debut single, "Viva la radio" (which you can see its official music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXIPQBXHS7I), which glorifies the then-new technology of the MP3 player and how it enables one to listen to one's favorite songs on the go. A modern ode to music, but still, an ode to music nonetheless. Music is one of the oldest forms of art. It will never die. It will always exist, and will continue to develop itself with time. The music we enjoy so much today is a unity in diversity that comes in so many genres, styles, and more. "I am music and I write the songs" - I think the line could not be clearer, it is music personified saying that it has given us all the songs we enjoy today. If you don't enjoy music, why did you even sign up with SongMeanings at all? So please, please, Mr Matthew whatever-your-name-is, stop with all this "Jesus" and "Bible" obsession, and start focussing on the music instead, and enjoy it, like any normal person would. If you want to continue obsessing about your "Jesus" and "Bible" nonsense, please go to your cathedrals, suck up to your clergy, continue giving them millions of pounds every week so that their pop-singer wives can travel the world, do what you wanna do - but srsly, don't come and bring your "Jesus" and "Bible" comments to a song that has nothing whatsoever to do with that. From a Masters Music student about to pursue their PhD in Music. |
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| Barry Manilow – I Write The Songs Lyrics | 4 months ago |
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Srsly, is it just me, or does all 14 commentators here so far seem to have some need of professional help?! "I write the songs" is simply an ode to music - albeit written from the point of view of music as if it were anthropomorphized. It is not the first ode to music, and it will not be the last. We all love music, do we not (is that not why we are all on SongMeanings in the first place)? What better than a song that praises the beauty and versatility of music as an art - such as "I write the songs", for instance? Music has been alive forever, people have been making music since goodness knows when; and it goes without saying, music itself can be credited with writing the very first song. Through the lips of people like you and I. This is why we still enjoy music today, in all its varying genres. When I say that "I write the songs" is not the first ode to music, and will not be the last, here is my methodology to prove: In the early 1600s, William Shakespeare wrote a famous ode to music in his play Twelfth Night, later set to music by Henry Purcell - "If music is the fruit of love, play on, play on" (sung here by soprano Kathleen Battle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPCDas6U4aI). In 1817, Franz Schubert wrote "An die Musik" (dedicated to music), also known by its first line "Du holde Kunst" (you pure art form), which talks about how music can transport you to a different world. (Sung here by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm_AKMV0ME0) And more recently in 1999, English Eurodance singer Anna "Lolly" Kumble released her debut single, "Viva la radio" (which you can see its official music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXIPQBXHS7I), which glorifies the then-new technology of the MP3 player and how it enables one to listen to one's favorite songs on the go. A modern ode to music, but still, an ode to music nonetheless. Music is one of the oldest forms of art. It will never die. It will always exist, and will continue to develop itself with time. The music we enjoy so much today is a unity in diversity that comes in so many genres, styles, and more. "I am music and I write the songs" - I think the line could not be clearer, it is music personified saying that it has given us all the songs we enjoy today. If you don't enjoy music, why did you even sign up with SongMeanings at all? So please, please, stop with all this "Jesus" and "Bible" obsession, and start focussing on the music instead, and enjoy it, like any normal person would. If you want to continue obsessing about your "Jesus" and "Bible" nonsense, please go to your cathedrals, suck up to your clergy, continue giving them millions of pounds every week so that their pop-singer wives can travel the world, do what you wanna do - but srsly, don't come and bring your "Jesus" and "Bible" comments to a song that has nothing whatsoever to do with that. From a Music Masters student currently about to pursue their PhD in Music. |
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