| The Fall – Bill Is Dead Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| I think I read somewhere that Bill was the name of Mark's Dad... | |
| The Fall – C.R.E.E.P. Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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According to a recent Quietus interview with Marc Riley, this song is about Marc Riley: http://thequietus.com/articles/11471-marc-riley-favourite-albums-bbc-6-music?page=14 |
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| The Mountain Goats – Moon Over Goldsboro Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| When I first heard this song when this album came out I also thought it was about a relationship that had ended. But listening to it now, and reading the lyrics, it seems clear that it's about a relationship that's still ongoing, maybe even a marriage, but it's a relationship that's beginning to fall apart. | |
| Therapy? – Plague Bell Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| I think it's about people who want Therapy? to knock out another Troublegum | |
| Blur – Sing Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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In fact, according to Wikipedia, "Sing" was written in 1988... ""Sing" was included on the Trainspotting soundtrack in 1996. The original version, "Sing (To Me)" was recorded as a demo in late 1988 under the band's former name- Seymour, and can only be heard on the ultra-rare Promo-only single which was released over a decade later in February 2000." |
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| Blur – Sing Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I haven't commented on this website in ages, yet I feel that I now must given some of the comments above. This song is off Blur's album Leisure, which came out in 1991. The film of Trainspotting didn't come out until 1996 - the novel wasn't even published until 1993, for Gawd's sake! This song wasn't written for the movie (although it is used in it). Excellent song by the way... as for its meaning... I agree, it's obviously about loss of joyful innocence. Could be about heroin - but not necessarily so. |
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| Manic Street Preachers – Peeled Apples Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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"a dwarf takes his cockerel out on the cockfight" A dwarf takes a cockerel out at a cockfight in the influential novel 'Day of the Locust' by Nathaniel West. Maybe coincidence, maybe not. See Chapter 21 below - the dwarf is the character "Abe": http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/locust/section12.rhtml |
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| The Mountain Goats – Dirty Old Town (Pogues cover) Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| This isn't a Pogues song (they covered it too). It was written by Ewan MacColl and first made popular by The Dubliners. | |
| Perfume Genius – Look Out, Look Out Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Bell | |
| Perfume Genius – Look Out, Look Out Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Bell | |
| Liars – Scissor Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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"She was alive... and breathing!!" Very gothic, reminds me of an EA Poe story or a Nick Cave song, but it's quite over the top and funny as well |
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| The Mountain Goats – Matthew 25:21 Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| There's an interview with JD about the new album on Pitchfork, in it he explains the meaning behind a few of the songs - this one is autobiographical, and is about breaking off a tour to fly back to visit his mother in law who is dying of cancer | |
| Manic Street Preachers – She Bathed Herself in A Bath of Bleach Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| I read somewhere that this song (and some others that Richey wrote around this time) were about other patients he got to know at the mental health facilties he spent time in in 94/95 | |
| Manic Street Preachers – She Bathed Herself in A Bath of Bleach Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| I read somewhere that this song (and some others that Richey wrote around this time) were about other patients he got to know at the mental health facilties he spent time in in 94/95 | |
| Manic Street Preachers – Peeled Apples Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Sample at the start is from The Machinist starring Christian Bale | |
| Nine Inch Nails – The Four of Us Are Dying Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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@ nubbity - I don't know, if you look at the lyrics for Where Is Everybody? and watch the episode they're pretty much the same themes. Look at my post on the "Where is Everybody?" thread on this site for more info. And trying to find links where none exist - thats what songmeanings.net is all about isnt it? ;-) |
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| Xiu Xiu – PJ in the Streets... Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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OK Coow, here’s my interpretation… “Straight ahead what is there?” — The future looks bleak “My brother and sister and I trying to make some sense of this” — implies some kind of family tragedy — death of a parent? “it's just a fleeting thought though for there is nothing in our wondering” — There’s no God answering or listening to the families’ prayers “night in night out love begins and love ends” — circle of life / love “the red sun rises sadness is still in print” — The Sun is Britain’s most popular tabloid newspaper. It’s often called a Red Top because its front page is red. The fact that he references London in this song makes me think that’s where it’s set, and that the front page of The Sun has some tragic event like a terrorist attack / gruesome murder / natural disaster / war etc “my royal name is Cyrus the selfish” — I always took this to be a private “in joke” — a nickname for Jamie / the narrator that one of his friends / relatives has for him “and yours Panic in the streets of London” — a line from The Smiths song “Panic”, another nickname for a friend / relative of Jamie / the narrator “listen when the baby calls your name and don't act as if you didn't know...” — to me this just seems like a stereotypical Smiths lyric eg “This Night Has Opened My Eyes”: “In a river the colour of lead immerse a baby's head wrap her up in the News Of The World dump her on a doorstep, girl this night has opened my eyes and I will never sleep again” Again this ads weight to my point about The Sun, as The Smiths song references another tabloid (The News of The World) |
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| The Mountain Goats – Pigs That Ran Straightaway into the Water, Triumph of Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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"“And there was one herd of many swine feeding on this mountain; and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. “Then went the devils out of the man and entered into the swine; and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake and were choked. “When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. “Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.” Luke, ch. viii. 32-37" This is quoted at the start of The Devils / The Possessed by Dostoevsky - I don't know if this is where J Darnelle got the quote from, but he does refer to Dostoevsky in other songs (Love Love Love for example) |
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| The Mountain Goats – Home Again Garden Grove Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I guess in terms of the story of the album, "Your Belgian Things" is about when his friends meth lab explodes, "Mole" is about going to visit his friend in hospital and promising to take him to the desert , and this song is about actually busting him out of hospital ("Let's go where the jackals are breeding Wrap this bandanna around your head Don't let anyone see that you're bleeding") |
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| Xiu Xiu – Dr. Troll Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I think the On Fire is most likely referring to the album "Prayers on Fire" by The Birthday Party seeing as he mentioens them a couple of lines before. They're also mentioned in the song Luber on the same album |
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| Xiu Xiu – King Earth, King Earth Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| This song is good on Chapel of the Chimes but it is incredible on Fag Patrol, especially when he sings "no one can touch you." | |
| Xiu Xiu – King Earth, King Earth Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| This song is good on Chapel of the Chimes but it is incredible on Fag Patrol, especially when he sings "no one can touch you." | |
| Nine Inch Nails – Where Is Everybody? Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I always wondered whether this song was named after the Twilight Zone episode of the same name, and now that Trent's called a song 'The Four of Us Are Dying' (another Twilight Zone episode) on The Slip, it seems more likely. The episode 'Where Is Everybody?' is about... *spoilers* A guy in a US Military uniform walking round a small US town with nobody in it apart from himself. It's a lot like the "We're In This Together" video actually. Anyway, he keeps wandering around, having no idea how he got there, who he is, or what he's supposed to be doing, and gradually freaks out more and more. Eventually at the end of the episode he completely cracks and keeps pushing a traffic light button sobbing and crying out for someone to help him. Then the twist is that he was actually a volunteer for a US Space Program who was in an isolation tank to experiment on trying to send man to the moon (the episode was written / filmed in the late fifties). He dreamed the whole town up in his own mind from lonliness and sensory deprivation. |
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| Nine Inch Nails – The Four of Us Are Dying Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I always wondered whether 'Where is Everybody?' off the Fragile was named after the Twilight Zone episode of the same name, now it seems like it was. 'Where Is Everybody?' was the first Twilight Zone episode ever by the way, and a great one too |
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| The Mountain Goats – Tianchi Lake Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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This is a lake between China and N Korea that some say is home to an Asian version of the Loch Ness Momster (hence the lines "body of a sea lion, head just like a horse" and "the Tianchi Monster" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven_Lake http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Tianchi_Monster |
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| The Mountain Goats – Lovecraft in Brooklyn Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Just in case anyone doesn't know, the Lovercraft referred to is HP Lovecraft (1890 - 1937) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft When he lived in Brooklyn he was very down and out (from wiki). "Initially Lovecraft was enthralled by New York but soon the couple was facing financial difficulties. Greene lost her hat shop and suffered poor health. Lovecraft could not find work to support them both so his wife moved to Cleveland for employment. Lovecraft lived by himself in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn and came to intensely dislike New York life[3]. Indeed, this daunting reality of failure to secure any work in the midst of a large immigrant population—especially irreconcilable with his opinion of himself as a privileged Anglo-Saxon—has been theorized as galvanizing his racism to the point of fear, a sentiment he sublimated in the short story The Horror at Red Hook[4]." The bit about the brain in the jar reminds me a bit of his story "The Whisperer in Darkness" |
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| Soundgarden – Fresh Tendrils Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| I always thought it was about alcohol addiction | |
| of Montreal – A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| @The first poster - I always heard "just laughed too much" as well! | |
| Boards of Canada – Gyroscope Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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^That's right. You can download an album of numbers stations called The Conet Project near the bottom of the page here: http://irdial.hyperreal.org/ |
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| Scott Walker – The Escape Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| Funniest / most terrifying song ever | |
| Morrissey – Life Is A Pigsty Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Keli_1989, from your username I'm guessing you're 17/18... u just wait a few years and then you'll be jaded like the rest of us! ;-) Great song by the way |
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| Panda Bear – Comfy in Nautica Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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How good is this album? Hopefully the rest of the lyrics will be up here soon... Anyway, I think this one's the same kind of themes as Brian Wilson sang about on Pet Sounds... growing up, feeling insecure but at the same time trying to find yr secure place in the world etc |
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| My Bloody Valentine – I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It) Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| Apparently it's literally about being shot through head with a bullet (I can see it but I can't feel it) | |
| Nicky Wire – Bobby Untitled Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| It's about IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands | |
| ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – Gold Heart Mountain Top Queen Directory (Guided by Voices cover) Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| OK, maybe that's a little unfair... TOD's version is good too :) | |
| ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – Gold Heart Mountain Top Queen Directory (Guided by Voices cover) Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| Inferior Guided By Voices cover | |
| Elliott Smith – From a Poison Well Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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http://www.elliottsmithbsides.com/BasementDemos.htm Just got leaked a couple of days ago :) |
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| The Beach Boys – Hang On To Your Ego Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| About taking acid | |
| Joy Division – Colony Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I always thought it was about the political situation in Northern Ireland at the time. I know Ian was very interested in that | |
| David Bowie – Space Oddity Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I believe this song was originally written for the motion picture "Donnie Darko" OST | |
| Iron Maiden – Virus Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| Sorry Izard, that was just my little joke ;-) | |
| The Decemberists – Shankill Butchers Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Wow - I didn't know the Decmeberists wrote a song about these guys. Random. Anyway, the Shankill Butchers were a bunch of scumbag murdering c**** from Belfast, most of whom are now burning in hell (or are on their way). Yay! The movie Resurrection Man is about them |
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| Stiff Little Fingers – Alternative Ulster Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| Well, it's pretty self-explanatory. A couple of things people might not know are that the RUC was the old police force in NI, and that Bangors quite a middle class seaside town about 15 miles from Belfast. | |
| Morrissey – A Song From Under The Floorboards Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| It's about Notes From Undergorund by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Wonder if Moz knows that. Probably | |
| Gang of Four – Ether Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| It's about internment in Northern Ireland | |
| Gang of Four – 5:45 Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| Well moe2000, Tool are still sing ing about the same thing now (Vicarious) | |
| Gang of Four – Armalite Rifle Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I don't think it's pro or anti 'RA | |
| Iron Maiden – Virus Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| This is a cover of a Godspeed You Black Emperor! song | |
| Eels – Susan's House Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I agree with Big Scary - I always thought it was about some dude walking to his girl's house and seeing whats going on around him, but I really like Napple Snapple's idea | |
| Joy Division – Candidate Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| No it isn't ;-) | |
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