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Sufjan Stevens – Adlai Stevenson Lyrics 19 years ago
The accident mentioned in the song is probably referring to Adlai accidently shooting someone when he was young. Supposedly the immense guilt he felt from this motivated him to try and do things for good.

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Wolf Parade – Modern World Lyrics 20 years ago
It probably is also referencing the Modern Lovers' "Modern World" ("I'm in love with the modern world")

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Wolf Parade – Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts Lyrics 20 years ago
Holes could also be graves, specifically, your own grave.

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Wolf Parade – Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts Lyrics 20 years ago
Thanks. Cokemachineglow.com has got a really good interview (http://www.cokemachineglow.com/feature/interview/wolfparade1.html) with Spencer Krug and they've talked a bit about this song:

CMG: Like, what’s a “Hungry Ghost”?
SK: It’s – ok I’m going to forget the details now, so I’m going to sound kind of dumb…But in one particular Buddhist religion – and don’t ask me why I referred to something Buddhist – but there are these neat characters in Buddhism that are these tortured characters. They symbolize one of the levels of Hell. I forget the name for it – but there are a bunch of different levels of Hell, and one of them is this level where hypocrites and liars go; not the worst sins, sort of middle-ground punishment. And when they get there, they turn into hungry ghosts, that’s the best translation for it. And hungry ghosts are always thirsty, and always hungry. They’re sort of like that character Tantalus in Greek mythology: he can’t eat or drink, but he’s always hungry or thirsty. And these ghosts, they have really tiny throats, so if they try to eat, it chokes them and they die, because they only have these little straws for throats. I THINK that when they drink water it turns into fire.
CMG: That happens to my grandfather.
SK: Yeah, so Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts is addressing my own generation, I guess. Insatiable thirsts, and hunger for whatever…

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Andrew Bird – The Naming of Things Lyrics 20 years ago
I love the repetition in this song; it feels like it's being unfolded, like it's a very long silk belt folded upon itself many times and now someone's tugging on an end and the folds cause a sort of pattern as they come undone.

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Andrew Bird – Measuring Cups Lyrics 20 years ago
It all starts when you're young and in school. After all isn't school just another (or the primary) institution to socialize you into becoming a functioning person in society? What comes now isn't so different from what comes later.
De-clawing fairytales - yeah the orginal version is kind of gruesome but protecting kids from everything is impossible and at best leaves them with this weird, sheltered life.
Anyway I agree with what's been said about the critique of schools and institutions, it's such a fantastic song. (P.S. Good interview!)

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Bob Dylan – Don't Think Twice, It's All Right Lyrics 21 years ago
"I gave her my heart but she wanted my soul"

Sounds like she wanted to change him rather than accept him as well or return with her own heart.

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Interpol – NYC Lyrics 23 years ago
what does it mean by "the subway is a porno"?

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Interpol – Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down Lyrics 23 years ago
the pitchfork interview w/ interpol says:

Pitchfork: Who's Stella, if anybody? I was wondering if it was a reference to, or was inspired by A Streetcar Named Desire.

Paul: Which is one of my favorite movies. It's not, and I don't know when we wrote that if I had really seen it. I probably had seen it, but no, it's not. I love the name. I went through a phase where I was fixated on girls names that, for me, kind of represented something. So in "Precipitate", Daphne is the character. It was actually more to do with certain female names that were really interesting to me. I had another song about a girl named Kat, too, but no, I don't know [a Stella] and it's not directly related to that film, even though I love that film.

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