| David + David – Ain't So Easy Lyrics | 4 years ago |
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‘Ain’t So Easy’ seems at first like a melancholy look at a love gone wrong - a man who made a mistake, maybe cheated, and wants to forget the past and move forward with his girlfriend to easier times. He pleads with her, “Don’t leave me all alone.” And it is right there that the song takes a turn. Baerwald’s vocals turn angry, it almost sounds like he is using a different mic, as he growls, “I’m sorry about your eye / I’ll find a way to make amends / It’s only that sometimes / I got to break before I bend.” David Baerwald is a masterful songwriter, his talent later evident with Sheryl Crow’s ‘Tuesday Night Music Club.’ Here, he takes on the Jeckyl and Hydeness of an abuser in a relationship who seeks forgiveness but still boils underneath. The interplay of the softness of his vocals (“Let me kiss your face / Tend to your aches”) is juxtaposed with the harshness of his taunts (“And where would you go / Anyway?”) ‘Ain't So Easy,’ like much of Boomtown, is deeper and more challenging than some of the late eighties pop music that enveloped it. The last line before the final echoing of the bridge sums it up. “Stop this fooling around / I could never let you get away.” It is clear that Baerwald’s abuser in this song isn’t going to let her go without a fight. A tragically beautiful song. |
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| Paul Simon – American Tune Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| I had forgotten about this gem until I heard that Dave Matthews had covered it at the 2008 DNC in Denver. (His version from 2003 referenced by gweeps is definitely worth a look on YouTube). I always count on Songmeanings to help me see different interpretations, and I always learn something. Thank you, tappanking, for the education. This is a beautiful song, and the background just adds to the appreciation I have for both the song and the artist. | |
| Joni Mitchell – Nothing Can Be Done Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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A beautiful song, complemented by David Baerwald's (David & David, Sheryl Crow) amazing guest vocal. To me, it reflects the sadness of wanting to move past a rough period, and to continue to grow and explore... but somewhat shackled with the knowledge that past skeletons may encumber that growth. With age comes wisdom, but also a past ("My heart is a smoking gun") and scars ("There are no victimless crimes... In these grafitti ruins"). One of my favorite "Joni"s. |
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| Suzanne Vega – Penitent Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| Of all Suzanne's songs, this one speaks to me the most. It is a complete relinquishment to God. Her life is out of control, and she has realized that she is powerless to change it by herself. I have heard "Songs In Red And Gray" referred to, perhaps insensitively, as the "divorce album". The emotional roller coaster that experience provided garnered, IMHO, her most reflective, and most revealed writing. | |
| Joe Walsh – The Confessor Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| Joe is better known as the clown prince of the Eagles (Life's Been Good, Rocky Mountain Way), so it was nice to see a song like this, spiritual and meaningful, get such good reception. Very powerful. | |
| Rush – The Pass Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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"Don't turn your back And slam the door on me" I agree with SuperSpud. Whether or not suicide is implied in its literal or figuritive sense, the conversation seems to be internal... Someone's subconscious trying to reason with its depressed counterpart. One of Neal's most impressive lyrically, which is saying something. |
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