| Dishwalla – Candleburn Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| The song isn't about sex. It is literally about observing a woman's quiet moment of vigilance at a candle shrine and being moved by it. "When I'm gone, will it burn for me?" is the songwriter's desire to connect with that realness. It really is a gorgeous song, and Dishwalla's lead singer has a beautiful and emotive voice that really does it justice. | |
| Michael Penn – No Myth (Romeo in Black Jeans) Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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This song is about a man who has been rejected by a woman he believes he could make very happy, but she doesn't give him the chance to do so. It's one of my favorite songs of all time; Michael Penn is one of the most underrated lyricists of his generation and the wordplay here is really cute. Some of the interpretations above are right, but others misunderstood what the words meant. I'll try to provide my understanding of this song here. > So, she says its time she goes > but wanted to be sure I know > she hopes we can be friends It's implied here that a man has approached a woman about entering into a relationship with him. She cares about him, taking the time to "make sure [he] knows she hopes we can be friends" but doesn't see him as more than that. But "it's time she goes," so she leaves him to his thoughts by himself. Then he realizes: > I think yeah, I guess we can say I > but didn't think to ask her why He was so shocked/ upset at her rejection that he's having a hard time collecting his thoughts ("I think - yeah I guess...") and it hits him that it didn't occur to ask her why not. Why doesn't she want to be with him? He thinks he's perfect for her. Some people have been confused by the "but" in that line, but I think that's just a lyrical embellishment. The line really means: "I guess I didn't think to ask her why." > she blocked her eyes She doesn't want to see what he's proposing, that they'd be good together. >and drew the curtains >with knots I've got yet to untie She rejected him for reasons he still can't figure out. >(Chorus) > what if I were Romeo in black jeans I think it's distracting to focus on the tragedy aspect of "Romeo and Juliet." He names famous romantic figures. What if he's Romeo and she's his Juliet? Why didn't she stop to think about that? > what if I was Heathcliff, its no myth He believes that they, like Heathcliff and Romeo and their respective lady loves, could have epic love - REAL epic love. He believes this - it's no myth. But alas: > maybe she's just looking for > someone to dance with Maybe she isn't into epic right now. > See, it was just too soon to tell He feels like her decision was rash. She rejected the idea of a relationship a priori (she shut her eyes and tied the curtains up in knots) when she hadn't even given them a chance to tell if it would work out between them. > and looking for some parallel > can be an endless game He's realizing that he could easily torture himself by trying to figure out the whys and wherefores. > We said goodbye before hello Again, a reiteration of the sentiment that their relationship was nipped in the bud too soon. > my secrets she will never know Now she'll never get a chance to get to know him and find out that he could be her Romeo in black jeans. > and if I dig a hole to China > I'll catch the first junk to Soho Soho is a neighborhood in LA, where Michael Penn lived at the time, if I recall correctly. I'm not entirely sure what this line means, to be honest. It could mean that even though he has dug himself into a hole so deep that it goes all the way to China, he thinks he'll be okay and get back to himself (home, aka Soho). It could mean that maybe now he may be harder to pin down if she changes her mind. It may be an extremely obtuse way of saying, "you know where to find me, no matter what happens." > Sometime from now you'll bow to pressure He believes that the pull between them is so strong that eventually she's going to see she made a mistake. > some things in life you cannot measure by degrees In this case, "degrees" means "increments," not college degrees. =) Some things have no shades of grey and are an either/or situation. This is his response to the events of the first verse. He doesn't WANT to be friends. He wants all or nothing. It has to be understood that this song is a little bit of a tongue in cheek ego thing. He's saying, you turned me down, but you don't know what you're missing out on! So he's saying, eventually, you're gonna realize that being just friends with me is a loss for you. > I'm between the poles and the equator > don't send no private investigator to find me please Again, he's saying, "I'm not going to wait around for you, you don't know what you're missing out on, I'm still looking for that great love, like Romeo and Heathcliff. If you want me," he says, "don't be discrete and quiet about it - I want all or nothing, I want big epic romances and grand overtures. Don't send a private investigator. Fess up and tell me yourself." =) > 'less he speaks Chinese > and can dance like Astaire overseas Again, another great romantic figure - Fred Astaire - and exotic far off places like China are invoked here. He doesn't want an ordinary love, and once she realizes she's made a mistake in rejecting him, which in this song he's confident she will, she shouldn't re-approach him unless she's ready to "dance like Astaire." He'll be "someone to dance with" like she wants, but he thinks they have a lot more potential than that. This is really a terrific song, about dealing with rejection with hope and humor. Hopefully this has been helpful to others. :) |
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