| Streetlight Manifesto – Walking Away Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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I think this version is *far* superior to the Catch 22 version (which I also love). It was always obvious they were trying to go for a loungy, jazzy feeling for the song, and I think StreetLight's rerecord caught that perfectly, especially with the trumpet/trombone deul in the middle. This song and Day In Day Out are the only 2 songs off of SM's rerecord of Keasbey that I'm sure are better than they're predecessors. The other songs I can't decide. -Moses |
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| Ben Folds – Bitches Ain't Shit (Dr. Dre cover) Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| You realize just how ridiculous rap lyrics are when they're in a normal song. Most of it doesn't even make sense, it's just a string of curse words. Ben Folds is so cool. | |
| Anti-Flag – Punk By The Book Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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For being a group that was founded on nonconformity and going against the grain and doing your own thing, punks are surprisingly close minded and elitist. They take a very you're-with-us-or-against-us approach to individuality. That's what this song is about, how the punk scene doesn't actually embrace any of the ideals they claim they do. I wish Anti-Flag would do more social songs like this one, I like them better than their political stuff. |
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| Chronic Future – Time And Time Again Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I don't think this song is necessary an anti-war song- obviously it can be interpreted as such, as the video did, but I think that's only one way to look at it. To be honest, the video irritated me- I'm tired of all this anti-government, anti-war, anti-everything movement. I think it's largely the product of a generation without convictions who just wants to protest something, regardless of what it is or why. As a result, I didn't even like the song until I heard it while playing Burnout 3, and without the video (and actually listening to the lyrics), I realized it's not only musically unique and original, it's also extremely well written and not necessarily political. Interestingly enough, I think the song supports my ideas here as much as it does an anti-war interpretation, it just depends on the way you look at it. To me, the song is more about knowing yourself, knowing what you believe in and where you stand. It's not so much against war but against ignorance of your persona, and the accompanying apathy to discover it. The opening verse is perhaps the hardest to understand. The first half (Inspiring, shining, rising/And when you're in my way/I'm not dividing me from you cause we're working together/Perfect in its splendor like the currents of the weather) I think could be the speaker looking back and seeing how he’s changed and grown. When presented with an obstacle, instead of trying to oppose it, he works with it and achieves greater results than before. The second half (The splinter in my center hindering all of my pleasure/Is me manifested as you in this endeavor/Once responsibility is taken I can render/Experience to be however I want to remember) returns to the speaker being apprehensive about learning who he is. He admires someone who does have convictions and beliefs and imagines himself as that person, and when he isn’t held accountable for his actions and doesn’t have to justify himself, he can shape his memory however he likes and essentially, viewing it through the rose colored glasses of the present, take on that person’s model as if it were his own. The chorus (Time and time again we fall in to the depths of who we are/But you can't keep running away from what you're trying to find) is more or less straightforward in describing this. What it says to me is that lack of knowledge of yourself will lead you down blind paths, leaving you lost. Everyone wants to know who they are, and many claim they do, but they’re really just trying to avoid it as much as possible. The second verse isn’t terribly cryptic, either. The first few lines (Put yourself through the scariest of scenarios/Enter experiences you normally wouldn't dare to go/It's all for the character and the arrogant afterglow) are about actually living your life, discovering your abilities, and learning who you are. Then (Of knowing it's appearance according to your patterns of growth/And what your parents handed down to you to handle/Make sure you carry torches when their puttin’ out your candles) it tells you to be mindful of your predecessors’ experiences and build from them, but to make sure to experience things yourself and not just live off of theirs. Finally (Prediction can be unkind but unwind them still/Don't erase the part of you that's responsible for your will), it says that you shouldn’t be afraid to delve into mind, and above all listen to yourself. The bridge (Well I've seen you and those things you do/And the way you hide that shadow can't be good for you/Your dark defines your light) is about how you can’t be fearful of what you might find, to find a darker side to yourself, because, as the line goes, it’s your dark side that puts your light side into perspective. Everything is judged against one another, so without dark there can be no light. The beginning of the third verse (There's some utterly damaged particles to deal with/And if I stutter I'm sorry but it's hard to feel swift/When stuck in my stomach is a cannon ball anchor to lift/I've been pushing it down pretending it doesn't exist) seems to say that the speaker is acknowledging that ultimately he’s hurt himself by ignoring and continually pushing away who he is. The next two lines (Well this is what happens when you're pissed about being pissed/You dig yourself so deep you resist just to resist) goes back to what I was saying about a generation without convictions, who protest (or resist) just for the sake of protesting. When you’re so far-gone in running away from yourself, you find yourself engaging in feelings just to feel them, without any real purpose or reason. The last two lines (And there's no way to get back experiences you missed/So start right now today and risk furiousness for bliss) are essentially a call to action- if you miss your opportunities now, they’ll never come back, so you have to sacrifice indulging in protest and resisting for the sake of it to truly experience life and the bliss it brings. Obviously this isn’t the only interpretation of the song, but this is what immediately came to my mind the first time I actually listened to it, and after going through it line by line, each and every one supports my view. This really is a great song that was unfortunately overlooked and dismissed (even by myself, initially). I hope Chronic Future gains some more notoriety, they really deserve it. |
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| Reel Big Fish – 241 Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| Musically this song always reminded me of One Step Beyond- both sound very similar, and are almost entirely instrumental with the title repeated throughout. | |
| No Doubt – Ache Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| I just got my wisdom teeth out and remembered this song, hehe. It's not so bad for me, now, but No Doubt ska is always fun to listen to. | |
| At the Drive-In – Enfilade Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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Furthering the drug/heroine analogy is one way you can look at this: "they kept a close eye on your get well incentive" To me it seems to be about how your desire to pull yourself out of a rut, perhaps drug induced, is seriously suppressed so long as you're still in that rut. It takes an enormous effort of will and strength to pull yourself out, and the drugs are making sure to crush any desire you might have to pull yourself together. |
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| At the Drive-In – Sleepwalk Capsules Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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This is my favorite line from the song: "and the emperor still wears no clothes" We all know the story of The Emperor's New Clothes, in which a sly tailor tricks the emperor into parading around naked by telling him that the new clothes he made for him can only be seen by intelligent and wise people. Of course, no one wants to admit they're stupid, so even though everyone can clearly see the emperor is unclothed, they don't want to say anything lest they be branded by everyone else as being unworthy. So how this applies to the song, going back to the idea that youeatpoop brought up, hypocrisy, is that everyone sees the immense flaws in the current system (what exactly that may be is up to the listener), but no one really wants to believe they see it. We're all basically turning a blind eye to something we know is in desperate need of fixing. We're just acting like it's not there because we don't want to concern ourselves with it, no one wants to take on that responsibility. That's how I view it, at least. |
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| Capdown – MV4 Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| This is one of my favorite Capdown songs- I just love the sense of weight it conveys. It seems to me that the song is about the people who constantly criticize others and complain about things but don't do anything to help solve the problem. It's about how these people really don't know what it entails to enact upon your beliefs and ideals. | |
| At the Drive-In – Hourglass Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| Really? Does Aprta play this song? I always wondered if they did- it seems to fit more with their set rather than ATDI's. | |
| Sunny Day Real Estate – Killed By An Angel Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| Maybe "killed by an angel" is supposed to mean something or someone you thought you could trust turning on you. Or maybe it's about how too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing, and your "angel" ends up "killing" you. It's very cryptic, though- SDRE wrote some very strange lyrics, very reminiscent of ATDI's, actually. | |
| Sparta – Glasshouse Tarot Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| This is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Ir was also the first Sparta song I ever heard, and it had me hooked on them instantly. This is by far one of my favorite songs ever, and easily the best Sparta song, in my opinion. The harmony of all the different parts, and the urgent yet unobtrusive singing- Jim's voice really is just another instrument in this song. | |
| Sparta – Sans Cosm Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| Then you're not digging deep enough- in terms of crypticness Sparta's lyrics are no different than At the Drive-In's. *You* get what *you* want out of a song- that way no song is every truly meaningless, you're just failing to see how it pertains to you. | |
| Capdown – Bitches And Nike Shoes Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| I don' think it's an attack on the rudeboy lifestyle at all, I think it's an attack on all the bands that try to create the illusion of depth rather than actually achieving it themselves. It's about how Capdown's lyrics actually have a point and aren't just stagnant. | |
| Queen – Don't Stop Me Now Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| Why do people think every Queen song is gay? I think you're reading way too into it- just because Freddie Mercury was gay doesn't mean that's all he (or the rest of Queen, for that matter) ever wrote about. | |
| Operation Ivy – Freeze Up Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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This is one of my favorite Operation Ivy songs. The lyrics miss the spoken part during the bridge, though (the best part!): Static and division is increasing like a storm! We are sheltered, we are forewarned! Nothing can be changed except ourselves! NOTHING CAN BE CHANGED EXCEPT OURSELVES! |
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| Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution – Dear Sergio: Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| BOTAR was just the transition for Kalnoky from Catch 22 to Streetlight Manifesto. The songs' melodies are all carried by the horns, just like in SM, so the fact all the guitar parts are acoustic doesn't make much of a difference. | |
| Operation Ivy – Oi Skinhead Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| I'd like to point out that skinheads originated in Jamaica during the ska/reggae movements- they were essentially rude boys. Even Bob Marley and I believe Peter Tosh shaved their heads for a while. During the 2nd wave ska revival in the UK during the 70's a lot of ska fans adopted the skinhead look, and it was eventually incorporated into the oi movement and later associated with neo-Nazis, which is very ironic considering the original skinheads were blacks from Jamaica. | |
| Streetlight Manifesto – Point/Counterpoint Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| This song is almost like Keaseby Nights 2, and it becomes quite appparent if you listen to the two back to back. It makes sense, too, since Streetlight Manifesto has more original Catch 22 members than Catch 22 does now, including the singer/songwriter of Keaseby Nights itself. Point / Counterpoint is one of the greatest ska songs ever recorded, in my opinion. | |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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I took a bit of a different meaning from this song. While it being about the fakeness of Hollywood and whatnot is a great way to think about it, to me it's also about how Hollywood (and pop culture in general) uses things like sex as a replacement for real depth and emotion to get sales. I think the title in of itself, a combination of the words "California" and "fornication" (sex) is indicative of this. The song also goes on to tell us of the consequences of this, too. "It’s the edge of the world And all of western civilization " This line specifically demonstrates this, and warns that society as we know it (commonly referred to as western civilization) is on the verge of collapse. "And Alderaan’s not far away " This demonstrates the same idea- as we all know, and has been explained here, Alderaan was the planet Princess Leia was raised on and destroyed in a testing of the first Death Star. The line is basically saying our own world isn't far off from Alderaan, meaning we're heading down that same path of destruction. "And tidal waves couldn’t save the world From Califonication " This is my personal favorite line of the song- it's obviously (at least to me) a reference to the Bible and the story of Noah's Ark, or rather almost every ancient culture's similar tale of a massive flood. The idea of all these stories is that humanity has become so corrupted that the god/gods have decided to completely destroy it and start over with a clean slate. What this line means to me is that corruption in society is inevitable, unavoidable, is engrained in our psyche and can never be avoided. Whiping us out and starting over won't change the fact that corruption will still exist, and will always exist, whether we like it or not. Obviously there's other things to get out of this song, but that's the way I see it. Amazing pice by an incredible band I didn't even know I liked until recently. |
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| Mad Caddies – No Hope Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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It most certainly is about pot at least, if only because of this line: "you got no hope you're fucking on dope" |
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| Mad Caddies – No Hope Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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It most certainly is about pot at least, if only because of this line: "you got no hope you're fucking on dope" |
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| Pain (USA) – Fight Lyrics | 22 years ago |
| I heard at Pain's shows they'll throw a man shaped pinata into the audience to tear up while they sing this song. | |
| Pain (USA) – The Man Upstairs Lyrics | 22 years ago |
| That's what I love about Pain- you wouldn't expect a punk-esque band to sing about something like parents hiring someone to murder there child, or for it to end that way. Makes for a great song, though. | |
| Less Than Jake – History Of A Boring Town Lyrics | 22 years ago |
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The lyrics also leaves out a a second line to the chorus. It's supposed to go: "that same old crowd that drags me down, another day in a boring town that same old crowd that brings me down, a boring life in a boring town" Anyway, the song is awesome. And don't any of you complain about living in a boring town until you've lived in Kansas. :| |
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| Pain (USA) – Futz Said Julie Lyrics | 22 years ago |
| Aside from this song being incredible (especially the amazing sax solo), I do agree that it is most likely about the early American space program. It appears that the people singing represent America with their space program in it's infancy and how it was kind of lost until one Wernher von Braun, who is represented by Julie, came along and really kickstarted the program into high gear and made it the most advanced one today. I'm not sure if every Pain song has such a meaning to it (or if I really even got this one right), but they're all great. | |
| Pain (USA) – Army Of The Bored Lyrics | 22 years ago |
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"and whose dreams spur them on still; at least they didn't sleep the day away," Well, I'm not quite sure if Pain generally puts a lot of meaning in thier songs- they seem more like pleasent little ballads- but this line really jumped out at me in this song. To me "and whose dreams spur them on still" means that they have very ambitious goals and they strive to achieve these goals with all their effort. "at least they didn't sleep the day away", again to me, means that while they do have goals and try to attain these goals, they're not wasting their effort with goals they simply can't achieve. It's a nice little analogy- they have their "dreams", but they didn't "sleep all day" dreaming of these dreams. I've always loved Pain's extremely witty lyrics. :D |
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| At the Drive-In – Shaking Hand Incision Lyrics | 22 years ago |
| The song could be out a rape and then subsequent abortion due to pregnancy, what youeatpoop pointed out about "stitched lips" is, I guess, a metaphor for abstinence, which youeatpoop also pointed out. | |
| At the Drive-In – Enfilade Lyrics | 22 years ago |
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I don't know if this was ATDI's intent (I like S0nlxaftrsh0ck's interpretation of hyenas), but hyenas also have a habit of attacking large cats' cubs, lions and leopards included. They'll sneak in when the mothers aren't watching and drag them away. Also, no ATDI song is only about what you hear on the surface. Double meanings run rampant across just about all their songs. While this superb song may be about kidnapping to one person, it could be about drugs to another. That's what's so great about ATDI's songs. |
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| Pain (USA) – Grudge Lyrics | 22 years ago |
| This song has son many geek references- I love it so much. :D Although I've never personally gone after the perverbial popular girl, I can relate to all the geek stuf. | |
| Pain (USA) – Thimbledrome Lyrics | 22 years ago |
| Right- it's a reference to growing old together. I assume this song is about Dan and Ellen's marraige (incidently the same Ellen, I'm guessing, as in the song Ellen). | |
| Pain (USA) – The Comeback Lyrics | 22 years ago |
| Well said. Most people have enver even heard of Pain when, in my opinion, their stuff is 100% better than 100% of the stuff out there. It seems like they just have a knack for making extremely enjoyable songs- I can listen to their CD's for hours. This song in particular blends a great melody with great lyrics- can Pain make a bad song? | |
| Pain (USA) – Antidote Lyrics | 22 years ago |
| A botfly is a type of parasitic fly. I love this song, as I do every other Pain song. | |
| Pain (USA) – Jabberjaw (Running Underwater) Lyrics | 22 years ago |
| Same here- I saw this music video on Cartoon Network and have been a huge Pain fan ever since. Easily my favorite band. | |
| At the Drive-In – For Now...We Toast Lyrics | 22 years ago |
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God I love this song. :D Anyway, if this song is indeed about the government silencing free thinkers (which it seems to be), it makes me wonder why ATDI would think that it's a problem in the US- obviously it can't be if they're making a song about it that millions listen to. People run rampant all across the country saying anarchist things- people publicly critiscize our own leader every day without so much as an eyelash bat from the government. Now I'm not saying our government can do no wrong- far from it, but if ATDI saw the government suppressing people who had negative views of our leadership (seriously, who doesn't at times), they saw ssomething I'm not. Oh well- whatever message they're trying to get acorss, this is an incredibly good song. :) |
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| At the Drive-In – Non-Zero Possibility Lyrics | 22 years ago |
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God I love this song, and just about every other ATDI song. They were suggested to me by a guy I knew on another emssage board (I in turn suggested Pain) and have loved them ever since. While I think that abortion is a very creative explanation for the line: i was bitten on the entrance You'll notice it says *I* was bitten on the entrace, so I don't think it refers to babies who never got a chance. I can't claim to really decipher many ATDI lyrics, but to me it seems like they mean is he was, for lack of a better word, disadvantaged from birth or at least very young. Bitten kind of entails being scarred but not killed, if you know what I mean. Like I said, I'm not very good at this. :) Take it as you will. My sister's a huge Thursday fan but I haven't listened to any of their stuff- probably should. |
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