| Matchbox Twenty – Downfall Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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This song spoke to me tonight. I've heard and loved the song for years, but only one thing hasn't made sense to me about the lyrics: the most important word, "downfall". Why would you want to be someone's downfall? I've toyed with religious implications but never really found anything until tonight. I've been with my girlfriend now for more than two years, but there has been something that has been pulling me down for about seven years. It's been seeping into our relationship, slowly pushing us apart in the most subtle way. I haven't ever been able to quite put my finger on the exact problem, but we both know it's there, and it's big. Tonight it came to a head. I knew that I had been hurting her, but I hadn't let myself see how badly. Tonight, as she was telling me that she is a step away from walking out of my life, I heard this song in my head. And suddenly the "downfall" part made sense. My girlfriend was singing this song to me tonight. Not literally, but her message was clear in the lyrics (I'll try to just do the important parts): "I wonder how you sleep I wonder what you think of me" She asked me how I could live with myself, how I could look her in the eye, how I could really care about her, knowing that I'm driving this issue between us. "I want you to be uneased" She wanted me to see just how bad I've let my issues get. "I want you to believe in me I want you on my side Come on, and Lay it down" I have to be able to come to terms with this issue, and together, WE can come to terms with it - but first I have to actually pinpoint what's been affecting me and lay it out completely. "Give all that's within you Be my savior And I'll be your downfall" If I can put my issues aside and focus my energies on what's important in my life, I can be so much more than I have been. I can be the man that she's seen that I can be - I can be her savior. But first, I've been unable to actually address it because I've still been able to justify that I haven't hit rock bottom. I've still been ok. But not now - now she is showing me that I really am hitting that rock bottom. She is being my downfall. And now I can't ignore it - I have to either fix it or lose her, and lose a huge part of my life at the same time. "Here we go again Ashamed of being broken in" I've been unwilling to let anyone else see the problem, ashamed of what other will think. "I want you to agree with me I want so much so bad... Only love can save us now" After all that I've put her through, knowingly and unknowingly, she shouldn't put up with it. But instead of staying mad at me, she ended up giving me advice about how to fix it, because she wants the love that we have so badly. She wants me to want it, too - and now the only reason that we still have a chance is if this is meant to be. If it's real, we will be able to pull through if we fight hard enough - love is the only reason we are both still trying. "Now I'm back on my own Yeah my feet are heavy, made of stone" I've got a tough road ahead of me. But if I can take responsibility for my actions... "And I'm coming home, on my back Kissing me, your lips painted black" ...then I can come back to her, having killed off the old me (hence the black lipstick) and starting fresh (the kiss along with the upbeat music). It's poetic. It's perfect. And I'm not sure that it'll make sense to anyone but me, but I'm putting it out here on the off chance that this song will inspire someone else. :) |
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| Relient K – Maintain Conciousness Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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as someone just now diagnosed with ADD at 19, I'm conflicted on the nature of the disorder itself. At its core, ADD basically denatures the willpower and decision-making capabilities to chemical reactions. As a biomedical engineer, that makes sense to me and appeals to my sense of logic, etc. It gives a tangible reason for difficulty, an obstacle. But this song speaks to that nagging doubt in the back of my head about the whole thing. And yes, it is bigger than ADD, and it applies to the whole population. ADD is simply an obstacle, just as many other things in our lives are. Obstacles are things that can be avoided, dealt with, and surpassed. The idea is that no matter what the obstacle, it is up to us to keep focused on what really matters, to "maintain consciousness". Despite the fact that ADD is a chemical obstacle to firing neurons, and despite the fact that doctors have directly told me that it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to focus without medication to the same extent that someone without ADD can, I don't buy it - it's not an excuse. No matter what our excuses in today's world, it's ultimately our decision on what we do and who we become. |
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| Train – Cab Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I get a very distinct feeling from this song (sorry in advance for a long post). A guy is certainly lonely, missing a girl that obviously meant a lot to him. The problem is, life is still going on. The guy is "making his way uptown and down", noticing familiar things that have always been a part of his life, like his morning coffee or the New York snow. But his thoughts are dominated by this girl, and always seem to drift back to her: he appreciates the snow as he always has, but then it reminds him of her beauty. He cannot quite enjoy his coffee because he sees her face in the swirls and grounds in his cup. Essentially, he is constantly distracted and lost in thought about her. But, since his life keeps moving, he has to continually remind himself to actually participate in it. He ends up just kind of going through the motions: he finds himself spacing as he watches his breath, but when he shivers, it brings him back to the fact that he left his apartment to actually *go* somewhere. So he goes through the motions of checking his pockets (half-heartedly, or "helplessly") and tries to put himself back into the rhythm of the city around him. The chorus brings the whole thing together. Though the days provide enough activity for him to move his mind from her every once in a while, he doesn't have any distractions at night. So he spends his night alone, lost in thought, failing to pull himself from the thought of her. And the cab line is the most illustrative of all: when you're in a cab, you just sit there - alone in the seat behind the driver. You're essentially waiting for the next part of the day to come, because you're not in the right place - you're slowly moving to the next point. In the meantime, the world is passing by outside your window. It's active and there's movement all over the place outside your window, but on the inside you're just sitting there. watching. So as this guy is in a cab, he's lost in thought as the world passes him by. He's smack in the middle of it, but it's more moving around him because he is stuck in his own little world of the cab - and of his need for this girl. Sure, there may be other cabs and cars and trucks and people and bikes moving all around the streets around him. But for all he actually notices, it may as well be that he is all alone on that road. New York is an especially poignant setting for this song, because there is so much going on in New York City. If you have ever been, you may know what I'm talking about when I say that you almost have to puff up your ego when you're walking around the streets, otherwise you feel kind of meek and not a part of all the big things going on around you. I like to paint a picture in my mind of the guy in a taxi in New York: the pedestrians are briskly walking all around the cab, momentarily stranding it in the middle of the intersection. The cabbie is furious, yelling and gesturing at the people outside. Cars and trucks are honking all over the place, people are yelling to hold business conversations over the noise, perhaps there's a siren coming from a couple of streets over...but for the guy, he doesn't hear or acknowledge any of it. It all sort of blurs together, fading and leaving him in his own little world in the back of the cab. For all the rest of the world matters, he's the only cab on the road. |
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| Dave Matthews Band – Christmas Song Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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good recap of christianity, mbckeeper. If you don't mind, I'm going to attach an addendum and tie it back in to the lyrics of the song. Christianity DOES revolve around the sacrifice Christ made for all people. In fact, since He is the only way to bridge the gap we have created when we fall short of God, it is crucial. Yet there is a bit more to be understood - during Jesus' life, He taught and showed tremendous love for anyone and everyone. Throughout His life, He demonstrated that love is an integral part of a Christian's life. When asked about which of the commandments was the greatest, He said above all to "love your neighbor". He said to love everyone, even your enemies. Yeah, it sounds preachy and idealistic. But does it sound familiar? Dave talks about it in "Christmas Song". I personally cannot profess to know much about Dave's life or belief system. But I can say that he certainly recognized a big part of Christ's message to us. Even around Mary Magdelene, who "less than reputable was known to be", "His heart was full of love". Dave realized Christ's message of love for everyone, even those that are "less than golden-hearted, gamblers and robbers, drinkers and jokers, all soul searchers like you and me". Whether or not Dave believes in everything Jesus taught, I don't know (although I'm inclined to believe, after reading this thread, that he is not a Christian. Which is sad, because he seems to know the story and it looks like he's picked up on most of the good parts of it, too). I guess my point is, whether or not Dave is a Christian, in "Christmas Song" he points out an important part of Christ's story, His unfettered love for all. This message is a good one. Plus, it's nestled in a simple yet soothing piece of music that is very well put together. Bravo, Dave. Keep it up, and good luck on your spiritual journey. |
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