| Randy Newman – I Think It's Going To Rain Today Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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To say that “human kindness” is sarcastic is to sell Randy Newman short. He must be sick of hearing that his lyrics are sarcastic. I actually find this line quite earnest, but juxtaposed with other imagery that brings a different shade to it with every refrain. The first verse with its “broken windows”, “empty hallways” and “a pale dead moon in a sky streaked with grey” is a very clear counterpoint to “human kindness is overflowing.” This pairing of a vision of despair with a vision of hope sets the scene for all that follows. “Scarecrows dressed in the latest styles / With frozen smiles to chase love away” shows the narrator’s cynicism toward humanity, but the refrain here seems a counter to that worldview. The challenge of being both a cynic and a dreamer. And finally when it shows up in the last verse, it follows the lines, “Bright before me the signs implore me / To help the needy and show them the way.” The narrator has given in to hope—truly human kindness has great potential and now is the time to help. It reminds me in some ways of Stephen Foster’s “Hard Times Come Again No More”, a beautiful call to action to help the poor. My favorite verse: “While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay / There are frail forms fainting at the door / Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks will say / Oh, hard times, come again no more.” A lament paired with a plea of hope. “Human kindness is overflowing / And I think it’s going to rain today.” What a damn beautiful song. |
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| R.E.M. – Man On The Moon Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Thank you King! I just happen to have thought a lot about Andy and his life, I cannot claim to be any better at analysis than most. And molly that's very insightful thanks. | |
| R.E.M. – Man On The Moon Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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This song is a tribute to "performance artist" Andy Kaufman. While the references his to his life are quite clear, the rest of the lyrics are very much up to interpretation (hell, even the ones directly about him are up to interpretation, at least metaphorically). There is a lot I am not sure about, and it would be helpful if someone could clear it up for me. I think as some people have said, the first verse is mainly about stuff from the late 70s/early 80s like Mott the Hoople and their big hit "All the Young Dudes" originally penned by David Bowie. The second line introduces Andy as the centerpiece of the song, and further down in this verse "Mr. Fred Blassie and the breakfast mess" refers to Fred Blassie the wrestler and his relationship with Andy. Andy was a big fan of wrestling as it got people riled up and excited about something, a reaction Andy loved. He had a period where he wrestled women and feigned being extremely sexist in order to become the ultimate "villain" in the wrestling world. This also led to a relationship with wrestler Jerry Lawler and later on, Fred Blassie. Andy and Blassie made a movie together based on a different movie called "My Dinner with Andre," which took place over the course of a dinner between two people. The movie was called "My Breakfast with Blassie" and it did not fair very well in theaters (the breakfast mess). "See you in heaven if you make the list" is an absolutely beautiful line, but I am not sure what it refers to. I imagine this is another Andy reference as it is quite abstract. The pre-chorus "Now, Andy did you hear about this one..." refers to the common belief that Andy hadn't actually died and he was playing a trick. There is a ton of double-meaning in this part of the song. It asks Andy if he's "heard about this one", since it is certainly something that would have piqued Andy's interest. In my mind it suggests that Andy may not have found it to be a great practical joke to fake one's own death, and that if Andy was asked he might say it was going too far. The next line, "tell me are you locked in the punch" is saying hey Andy, are you really doing this? Are you so committed to your performance style that you are willing to fake your death? "Andy, are you goofing on Elvis" is about the fact that many people believed that Elvis Presley's death was faked, and Andy was an incredible (in fact Elvis's favorite) Elvis impersonator. I think the last line "are we losing touch" is about people being totally unsure about the truth of this "prank". In addition, it may refer to Andy's strongly held belief that people take themselves too seriously, and we should be willing to make fools out of ourselves lest we forget to have fun while we can. The chorus is clearly about the myth that the moon landing was faked, once again comparing it to Andy's "faked" death. It's probably not very complex but I'm having trouble figuring out "then nothing is cool." The chorus really has the least to talk about in this song. The bit about Moses, Isaac Newton, Egypt, and Charles Darwin is about certain courageous people who forged ahead, unafraid of being chastised, just like Andy (I'm not sure how the Egypt part fits in here). Andy was a huge exception to the role of "comedian" which so many people wanted to put him in. He was a visionary, if one were to give him that much credit for the purpose behind his performance style. The second pre-chorus has a change in the last line to "are you having fun?". This line is asking Andy whether he is doing these practical jokes for his own entertainment or for others'. There is a line George Shapiro says in the movie Man on the Moon paraphrasing this. Specifically, in a very ironic R.E.M. fashion, this line asks if he is having fun with this prank, his death. This is what a lot of the public was likely thinking until it was clear that he actually did died. Andy was not having fun. He was dead. The last verse gives me chills every time I hear it. It takes place after Andy's death. After Andy died, one of his characters kept making appearances: Tony Clifton, a washed-up lounge singer. Since he did play Tony sometimes, Andy's friend Bob Zmuda was thought to have played Clifton in the years following Andy's death. "Here's a little agit for the never-believers". I have no idea what "agit" means but if I had to guess it probably derives from agitate, so it could be that Andy is taunting the skeptics by showing up in the form of Tony Clifton, suggesting he may not have died. The line "here's a little ghost for the offering" is like, hey here's a little bit of Andy. I don't quite get the "here's a truck stop instead of St. Peter's" line but it suggests some sullying of a holy place. Maybe "St. Peter's" is referring to heaven rather than the cathedral, as Peter is the one who mans the pearly gates. The spiritual nature of this line should not be ignored. Andy was a hugely spiritual man and he devoted a large part of his personal life to the Transcendental Meditation movement. He was by no means Christian, but the line seems to hold a greater spiritual meaning. Finally, the song returns to "Mister Andy Kaufman's gone wrestling". When I hear this line, I imagine Andy wrestling in heaven. Andy is not dead. He lives on in the chaos, laughter, hatred, and love that he caused so many people to feel. If anyone has any answers to the questions I posed, please let me know! |
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| R.E.M. – Man On The Moon Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| wrestling bears? | |
| Green Day – Lazy Bones Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Damn. one of their best songs to date. Can't get over this one. | |
| The Flaming Lips – Watching the Planets Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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So, I know that this song is about realizing how small we really are and that we are not important at all in the grand scheme of things. And that's fine, classic Flaming Lips. One specific line really spoke to me though: Oh, oh, oh, finding the answer Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Finding that there ain't no answer to find The way I see it, we are always looking for validation that what we are doing is right, or that there is someone who knows that secret answer that will make our lives perfect. And we search and search for that person and that answer, but when it gets down to it, no one can give it to you. You have to answer your own questions. I guess I see it as, you can't find the answer out there, you have to find it from within. The Lips I'm sure are saying that there IS no answer, and that you just have to deal with the meaninglessness of it all. But this is how it spoke to me–from a more existential point of view rather than a nihilistic one. |
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| The Killers – Runaways Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| I've gotta disagree, it sounds infinitely better than anything on Flamingo in my opinion and the guitar is loud and it rocks. Love it. I understand you don't dislike it but I think it was the perfect choice. | |
| The Killers – Runaways Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| I've gotta disagree, it sounds infinitely better than anything on Flamingo in my opinion and the guitar is loud and it rocks. Love it. | |
| The Shins – Port of Morrow Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Thanks I actually figured that out not too long after posting the comment haha thanks! | |
| The Beach Boys – From There To Back Again Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Can't stop listening to this one, it's another Brian Wilson masterpiece. Would have fit in easily on Pet Sounds. | |
| The Shins – Port of Morrow Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| What exactly happened in Cologne in 1927? I can't seem to find anything on it. | |
| The Beach Boys – Surf's Up Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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This song is what makes SMiLE stand up against Sgt. Pepper's. Rivals "God Only Knows" as Brian's best work in my eyes. And with the release of The SMiLE Sessions, I think it's necessary to add the trail out lyrics, which I think tie the song together so perfectly. Child, child, the child, the father of the man Child, child, the child, the father of the man A children's song Have you listened as they played? Their song is love And the children know the way Perfection. |
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| Pearl Jam – Tremor Christ Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I think some of the lyrics are wrong, this is as I remember it in the booklet but I might be wrong: "Wounded is the organ he left all...bloodied on the shore..." should be "Wounded is the open knee left, oh... bloodied on the shore..." "Gorgeous was his savior, sees her..." should be "Gorgeous was his savior, Caesar..." "Daily taste the salt of her tears, but...a chance blamed fate..." should be "I barely taste the salt of her tears, but I just blame fate..." "He whispers pleasing words..." is " He whispers faith and words..." "Triumphant are the angels if they can...a get there first..." (I don't know why someone put an A in there" This is just what I hear/remember. |
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| U2 – I Believe In Father Christmas Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Am I the only one who hears, "BUT I believed in the Israelite" in this version? | |
| Crowded House – Amsterdam Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| No problem. That's very possible, and yeah it's one of my favorites too. | |
| Crowded House – Amsterdam Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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The lovely thing about Neil's lyrics is that they often tell a story and at the same time have a deep, underlying meaning. Specifically here, Neil is singing about a night he spent in Amsterdam while on tour with Split Enz. He said in an interview that it was kind of a fun place to go because you could get all the weed you wanted and not have to worry about laws that seem rather useless here. In terms of the meaning of the song, Neil toys with the idea of freedom and whether it's really all that great. Sure you can do whatever you want, but it's that much easier for people to take advantage of you, and when you really see what you can do–"every temptation up in lights" – it seems that much easier and more accepted to do it. |
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| Crowded House – Elephants Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I'd have to guess this one is about the uncaring nature of the universe. Similar to the final track from Time on Earth "People Are Like Suns", people "come and go". The alligators wait to attack when night falls, just as death waits for us at the end. It seems to be an existential sort of take on Paul's death. I'm not sure who the friend is to whom he goes for insight, whether it's Paul's spirit, a friend, or his wife. The "sweet dreams, make waves, find bliss" has to be interpreted as making a difference while we're here and finding happiness. | |
| Wilco – Country Disappeared Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Dude are you serious? This is lazy poetry? You need to read up a bit and open your mind man. | |
| Pearl Jam – Just Breathe Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| I'm pretty sure it's "practiced at my sins." I think the line after it puts it in context: "never gonna let me win." His sins will never let him win. As you said before, he is sort of asking for forgiveness, "coming clean." Knowing that, I think that line means that he knows that he is human (as is confirmed in the next line) and that he will mess up. His sins will continue to hold him back, and he is asking either a) to know God so that he can be forgiven or b) to ask his wife (probably) to take it easier on him, since he does what he can. That help? | |
| Pearl Jam – Just Breathe Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| no it's definitely believe. | |
| Pearl Jam – Just Breathe Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who thinks this song might be Eddie reaching out to God. On the other hand, it could be seen as a simple love song. Either way, the song presents us with a vulnerable Vedder, as he asks for love and forgiveness whether it is from a girl or a deity. | |
| Pearl Jam – Just Breathe Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Did Eddie tell you that? | |
| Wilco – You Never Know Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Knowing that Tweedy wrote this when he was in New Zealand working with Neil Finn on his 7 Worlds Collide project is interesting. These lyrics are very Finn-esque, especially the "lone heavy hell." | |
| DragonForce – Through the Fire and Flames Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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This song is so obviously anti-war its not even funny "For the lives all so wasted and gone We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days Through the fire and the flames we carry on" And yes, i think it does represent harshness of life too. |
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