submissions
| Interpol – Roland Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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haha that link is really funny...yeah that does add another really creepily coincidental case to the argument. it would make sense too, since he's from england (those english chaps love cricket!), his name is roland butcher, he had to perform in the snow, he has a beard, severing segments refers to his hitting style in cricket (he likes to hit every ball really hard and far..looks like he's trying to chop them up i guess?), the 16 knives might refers to the amount of bats he has, the case in the public place could refer to the incident in which he decided to be involved in a rebel tour of South Africa and he got some bad media attention for that. as for "he was growing on me"...this is speculation, but maybe Roland recently became one of the singer's favorite cricket players but then he retired soon after. "always had the time to speak"...maybe he was nice and friendly with fans? who knows. good story though, that interpretation is also good since every line can be related. this link has everything: http://content.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/9329.html
oh, also i don't think the song can really be taken literally...all the other interpol songs are pretty straightforward and this seems to be the only one that's really seemingly random, and i think it might be their only real effort to make an abstract song so i'm guessing that there's more than surface value. but hey. you could have a point. |
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| Interpol – Roland Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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oh and i think the lyric is supposed to be "my best friend's from poland and, um, he has a beard," right? |
submissions
| Interpol – Roland Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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Ok I see your point, and I probably should've covered that topic but it slipped my mind. To answer it...I think he wanted to reference the book to parallel the relationship between Billy and Roland to a similar relationship he might've and probably experienced. No I'm not saying he's gay. He might've had a gf or a close friend who at first annoyed him or who he constantly was fed up with, but eventually she started to grow on him...leading to best friends. He recognizes all her (or his) faults, yet he is still drawn to him. This is plausible since the girls or guys in his relationships seem to have major personality faults. You can see this in the other songs...like in the songs Obstacle 1 (her stories are boring and stuff, she's bad), Stella (that one's pretty clear), The New (he gave a lot to her, I can't pretend I don't need to defend some part of me from you), Say Hello to the Angels (you lack the things to which i relate), Take You On a Cruise (the resisting part), etc. I'm sure you know that already though. So my point here is that he's singing in reference to the relationship in the book because it is similar to the one that he is always experiencing. I do like your interpretation because yes it does make sense, but I seriously think the book and the song has way too many parallels to be a mere coincidence...read a summary of the book and it'll tell you enough. Ok so tell me what you think about the whole relationship idea. I don't think it's too far out there. You see I don't hate you, I still value your opinion. But you did make a good point, I should've given the exact reason for why he would reference the book. If I didn't have on you'd be right, but I do and I think it's valid. |
submissions
| Interpol – Roland Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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wow gingerhorsie, are you going to tell me kessler told you personally what the song means too? believe me, if both of you read the book it'll all make sense. every line in the song pertains to some part of the book whereas your analysis about jack the ripper has a lot of holes. the main problem is you're explanation for a good amount of the lyrics, that they're there for rhyming convenience. they may seem random, but they each are references to Slaughterhouse 5. please, do you honestly think i'm embarrassed mr bobster? you're just a silly little boy, and probably really emo too. this is an online forum, dimwit. it's not like i actually know you people. this is just something to pass the time. yes i know i'm stubborn, and you are too, but the difference is that at least i can admit that. you call yourself an adult? let me remind you that you were also taking part in this "ridiculous" flamewar. and also, you did not defeat me, because you know what, you have no proof. neither of us can prove to each other our ideas, because neither of us know for sure what the song means. if you think you won because you decided to drop kesslers name then that's your deal, but anyone who isn't dense can see through that. now that is really childish. "ooo kessler told me so!" how do you expect anyone to believe that? how about this. you email the band about roland, and then maybe they'll post the answer on their FAQ page of their site. that's the only plausible way to end this argument. |
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| Interpol – Roland Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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wow, you do suck at making arguments. from your first entry, it seems like you're the kind of person that would try to find every bit of evidence he can to support your ideas. including supposedly finding out later the true meaning of the song. it would end it and you seem to want to always be right. honestly, who wouldn't post that if they actually found out the real meaning. and art is subjective. this is why most of the time artists don't reveal what the work means, they want to see how the public interprets it. but i'm not here to argue about art, i don't have a problem with your take on it. i have a problem with you thinking you're some great music elitist. oh, and is this an official debate? am i trying to impress someone by using big, unecessary words? no. but if you want to play that game i am fully capable of it. i'm just not an ostentatious, pompous idiot. also, i haven't been to this site ever since it was down. the first time i came back to it was when i posted my comment, so i haven't seen anything on interpol. then i found this. the only reason the other 2 people didn't put up anything else was because they probably didn't have anything else to say about the songs and were probably too scared to go against anyone, which is silly since this is online. and don't tell me about getting in the last word, because that's exactly what you're doing, dumbass. i wouldn't be surprised if you were 10, calling everyone names like you did with your pathetic, patronizing tone. also, you definitely were picking on people's ideas. let's look at your first entry. " Holy Jesus you people are pathetically dense. It's about the Patriot Act? What? A drug dealer?" also, the person who suggested the patriot act did offer evidence, even though it was weak. you can keep guessing my age, you'll never get it. you couldn't even guess my gender. |
submissions
| Interpol – Roland Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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um, retard, i was referring to your entry on 5-26, way past march. any person with common sense would've mentioned supposedly asking kessler about the song. but i guess you're not too good at fabricating stories.
you obviously don't understand my point because you're so narrow minded. say what you want about the art, don't try to diss other people doing the same, and the only time you can is when you see that person being an ass. in this case, that's you. of course i can label you as a liar, if you don't have any proof to support your hypothesis, mr writer, and in your words, otherwise they aren't valid. because according to you, everything needs evidence right?
funny how you can call me a little girl when in your first entry all you did was whine about everyone else, moron. anything you say to me i can throw right back at you, dumbass.
now give us all some tangible evidence for your claim, you silly little boy |
submissions
| Interpol – Roland Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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hey, people can say whatever they want about any song. the only reason i have something against you is..well, you're a jackass. i don't see anyone else in this forum trying to insult anyone or anything. and do you really expect anyone to believe your load of crap about kessler telling you? now, if that were true, wouldn't it have made sense for you to say that in the first place in some attempt to further support your hypothesis? yeah, "nice try" |
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| Interpol – Roland Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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Hey I'm not saying their stuff didn't have a good case...they didn't really offer any evidence, but i think anyone can be free to interpret the song however they wish to because hey they have the same right we do. i really don't care if they do say that it's about puppies and ice cream. or pickles. and really, did anyone offer anything that farfetched? no. not really. and yes, you can interpret anything...well, in this case, anything being art...however you want. because art is subjective. and hey if they want to insult the song or songwriter, they can.
oh, and i'd love to see you try and destroy my thesis. read the book. |
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| Sigur Rós – Untitled 1 Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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i'm impressed by the tension and release in this song..they keep building and building and then reach their breaking point which is when the music becomes the most beautiful ever |
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| Interpol – Roland Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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Oh, and Roland likes to fabricate stories about the war to make himself seem like a hero but people see through this and knows he's just being false and arrogant. I think the knives in the song are symbolic for each story of each person he claims he killed, and he carries these stories around with him..or tries to. |
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| Interpol – Roland Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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TheBobster might be right. But I have another take on it. I first thought this song was a reference to the book Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut. The main character is Billy and there's a minor character named Roland Weary. Roland is actually killed by Billy during World War II, hence "my best friend's from Poland." In the song he sings in the present tense..but then switches to past tense, I guess after Roland dies. The reason why I think the song is based off this book is because the character Roland continues to save Billy's life, which is a pretty good reason for being someone's best friend. Also he is addicted to war...hence the butchering. In the story, Roland's father collects torture devices and Roland himself carries a cruel trench knife. The line "they caught him with his case in a public place" refers to the incident where Roland carelessly fires an anti-tank gun incorrectly, leaving scorch marks, and therefore revealing his crew's position. Everyone is killed except him. Also, Billy doesn't really like Roland but in Roland's mind, the two are best friends. Oh and another thing. It's winter and it was snowing when all this happened. Then I guess it stopped when Billy killed Roland.
Oh one more thing...TheBobster, get over yourself. Anyone can interpret this song however they want if it means something to them. So get your head out of your ass and stop acting like you know so much more than everyone. |
submissions
| Abandoned Pools – Fluorescein Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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some idiot doesn't know how to spell the title correctly
but anyways, this is a beautiful airy song. it's great how he can reach such high notes unlike some male singers |
submissions
| Avril Lavigne – Sk8er Boi Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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this song sucks so much. the lyrics are so simple and shallow and avril's definitely not original. her look isn't her own, it's just being exploited. she's such a poser who thinks it's cool to be a bitch |
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| Zwan – El Sol Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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i love this song. it sounds happy but it's actually depressing... it's really relaxing and carefree, a nice change from those heart-wrenching pumpkins songs (but i still love them) |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – The Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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oh gee 2 more lost lovers... dusty needs to be with petey because it kills her not to be. but then again when she is with him she feels pain. he's next to her, "dead", and she doesn't know if he feels anything anymore. but in his mind he thinks that there's some unspoken dialogue going on and feels a connection. and of course there's the happy ending, they really love and need each other and they'll never leave |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Landslide (Fleetwood Mac cover) Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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he thought he knew everything and was prepared for everything but found out things weren't the way they seemed to be. and this song is so calming, and they played it on the radio for the first time today (at least on my fav station) hehe |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Daydream Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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she wishes all her daydreams could come true because they're so much more appealing than her reality. and they're about the person she wants, loves, needs, whatever, she's crazy about him |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Hummer Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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well uh... the dude is sick of trying to please everyone especially his lover who expects a lot out of him? then he realizes he can just be himself and be perfectly content. he just has to somehow tell her this instead of letting her trying to figure him out |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Hello Kitty Kat Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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another needy relationship song... it's about someone that keeps letting her lover down and hurts him in many ways but still he loves and is attached to her to the point of obsession. he knows it's an unhealthy relationship and tries to walk away from it, but he can't because she's like a drug. he doesn't "want to be like the others" because every other guy has fallen for her at one point and were probably "killed" by her. he believes he can show her true love but it's really infatuation. |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Disarm Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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lovely lovely song. it's about billy's childhood. but if i were to listen to it for the first time i'd say it was about a dysfunctional relationship where both people get hurt. |
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| System of a Down – Sugar Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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ya know...all those funny words are japanese or something...kombucha is a japanese mushroom food or something? and then someone gave me the idea that the mushroom refers to the shape of a cloud that forms when a nuclear bomb explodes...but i don't really see what that has to do with anything. but funny song anyways |
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| Apartment 26 – Backwards Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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these are some shallow lyrics but at the least the song sounds decent. the guy can see through the fakeness and fronts that people put up, but they can't see through him because he's too complex for them. even though they don't know the real him sometimes he feels exposed and violated...? and maybe he's wondering if he's starting to become like the people he hates? |
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| Tinfed – Immune Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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yeah i'm the first one... this is the only song i know by this band. i don't even really know who they are. but this song is a good one. this song says that there are people who lie and others that are innocent and it doesn't matter which the hell u are, ur going to be exposed to pain. and i think the last verse is saying that u might think that ur situation is shitty, but that it's nothing to someone else because their life is even worse |
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| System of a Down – Aerials Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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we never appreciate anything, and the world sucks like that or at least the people in it. and they're selfish. yeah. |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – 1979 Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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great stuff...some kids are having some simple fun during the summer or something and they know it'll end soon and their adolescence will too and they know they won't be able to be carefree forever but they just aren't thinking about it right now. before they thought the fun would never end, they could do whatever they wanted to, but they're facing reality and shit. or u know, it could just be a good song with weird lyrics that make no sense ^_- |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Tonight, Tonight Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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this song is AMAZING i think it's saying that u shouldn't be afraid to give in to love and that u should trust ur partner's love completely and love him back and all that good stuff. this video is so freaking cool too! i want to meet billy! |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Tonight, Tonight Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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this song is AMAZING i think it's saying that u shouldn't be afraid to give in to love and that u should trust ur partner's love completely and love him back and all that good stuff. this video is so freaking cool too! i want to meet billy! |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Thirty Three Lyrics
| 23 years ago
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this song is so beautiful. billy said it was about his divorce with courtney love i think? he had to move out of his apartment (as the cluttered streets greet me once again). he's hurt by this breakup and believes that maybe they can still hold on to whatever love is left (and you can make it last). he knows he has to get through this and he has his true friends to turn to blahblahblah. and when he was feeling all this pain he felt that life was meaningless and didn't have the will to go on (tomorrow's just an excuse away). oh yeah and he tried to forget about the pain by doing things (and for a moment i lose myself, wrapped up in the pleasures of the world) but it didn't work because the pain was still there (i've journeyed here and there and back again). ok that's all, i just want to say again that this song is beautiful and the video is surreal and lovely and it ROCKS |
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