| Billy Bragg – Little Time Bomb Lyrics | 1 month ago |
|
I believe the "he" in this song is Billy. It's about an ex that he had a fiery relationship with. He was a committed activist, but could not keep the relationship together. I'd bet that "the one that he hates most", doing "a lap of honour", that he'd like to "bring |
|
| Rufus Wainwright – Jericho Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| The biblical account of Jericho involves the righteous laying siege on a walled city. The walls were knocked down at the blowing of a ram's horn (sometimes referred to as a trumpet). Rufus uses this story as an analogy -- here, the religious right (who refuse to ever compromise or better themselves, in his eyes) are in their walled city and he is the one laying siege. They are hard and heartless, but he is saying he can be too, and if the blowing of the trumpet doesn't do the trick, he's willing to go to more extreme measures (i.e. using a cannon). | |
| Connie Converse – Playboy of the Western World Lyrics | 7 years ago |
|
Such a great song... The beginning is a bit tortured, but once that verse guitar kicks in it's pure magic. It took me a while to realise it, but I think the narrator is returning the flowers to him in the end in his casket, after he dies. That's my read of it anyway. Brilliant. |
|
| Connie Converse – Sweet Amelia Lyrics | 7 years ago |
|
Well, this one is a serious head-scratcher, but two observations: 1. Given the year this was recorded (mid-50's?), this is surely one of the earliest cultural references to Dick Van Dyke from an external source. 2. It eventually occurred to me that this song was likely intended to be a duet, between a man and a woman. Notice the lines she sings in a comically low register, and how they trade off with lines in her normal singing voice. And while I still have no clue as to what the song means, the "man" parts also seem to be much more cynical, lyrically. |
|
| Connie Converse – Spring Lyrics | 8 years ago |
|
By happy accident, I figured out that the lyrics to this one actually match the E. E. Cummings poem called "in Just-". They appear a bit off here because I submitted them as close as possible to the original, but the spacing gets thrown off when rendering in HTML. The song title should probably in fact be "in Just-", but I don't think the lyrical source was realized at the time it was given a name! I think it's a brilliant song, one of the finest examples of capturing the feel of the poem it's based on. |
|
| Connie Converse – Love Is a Danger Lyrics | 8 years ago |
|
(Note this song also appears on YouTube with the name "Here Is The Door". I get the feeling a number of Connie's song titles were not initially specified and later decided by the people who released them.) On casual listen I thought this was just a nice song about giving romantic advice to a loved one. On closer look, though -- this is a murder ballad! The advice giver tried to give the right advice on how to deal with the man's infidelity -- "leave him or abide him". But the wronged woman ended up murdering him instead out by the well, and now the advice giver (who witnessed them fighting) is standing hesitantly outside her door, and wondering (on the last line) if the murderer is going to deny it. |
|
| Connie Converse – John Brady Lyrics | 8 years ago |
|
It's tempting to think of Connie's song as short because they're unfinished demos. I think this one is a clear case where any addition would only cause diminishment. She had the gift of creating songs that are complete thoughts, and no more than they had to be. And yet there's room for ambiguity, at least for me. Is it an expression of her own distaste for simple men, or was she faulting women who forsake love for money? Her guitar accompaniments were phenomenal too, as a close listen to this one will show. |
|
| Connie Converse – Talkin' Like (Two Tall Mountains) Lyrics | 8 years ago |
| @[Golda:23439] We Lived Alone is another great song of hers on the same subject. Hope she found her solace. | |
| Connie Converse – Roving Woman Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| Definitely satirical. This song was written in the early fifties and there was a big expectation on women to be prim and proper. So there's a definite wink-wink going on I think with the whole concept of being "taken home" -- sounds like she's being taken away from trouble, but it's really a come on, that she's okay with. The "little aftermath" entendre is brilliant. This song would be scandalous at the time if played on the radio. | |
| Quasi – You Fucked Yourself Lyrics | 17 years ago |
|
Full corrected lyrics: You fucked yourself And you don't know where to go Split wide open like a sturgeon for the roe Blood red splashed on pure white snow You fucked yourself And you're looking for the goat Drown if you sink Condemned if you float You placed the blame but missed the boat You fucked yourself You chose your fate You changed your mind When it's too late Self-deceit's your worst mistake -- Roe are fish eggs, like caviar. This is one of my all-time favorite albums; this song is just one of the many reasons why. |
|
| Quasi – Please Do Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| My wife has also theorized this one is about Elliott. I don't really agree. I mean, it could be, but it could be about just about anyone, really, who is famous and capitalizing off of a gloomy image. There's lots out there. | |
| PJ Harvey – When Under Ether Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| The "ether" being referred to in this song is not the anesthetic, but rather the fabric of the universe, where the baby is returning to. C'mon, this is clearly about an abortion -- "waist down undressed", and with a woman beside her holding her hand? One of PJ's easier to interpret songs, but still amazing... | |
| Frank Black – The Hostess With The Mostest Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| I've heard this one is about the Mall of America in Minnesota. | |
| Frank Black – Olé Mulholland Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| Just a love song for L.A., in my reading... | |
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.