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| Parenthetical Girls – A Song for Ellie Greenwich Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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The entire record seems to be a chronologically concept record about an affair between a 14 year old and a 25 year old. This song seems to be when that relationship is uncovered and falls apart. The rest of the record seems to be reflecting on that dissolution, mostly from the 25 year old's perspective.
There is a fair amount of gender confusion between the narrators song to song, but it seems consistent in narrative terms. |
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| The Replacements – Can't Hardly Wait Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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Wow, how has no one caught on to this?
This song is about touring and how much it sucks. It's about sleeping on horrible floors, in terrible motels (when you're lucky) and being DRUNK all the time. "I'll write you a letter tomorrow, tonight I can't hold a pen."
Have any of you toured? It is exactly this song, especially when someone is waiting.
"Jesus rides beside me," in the van. Probably a slick reference to a tour manager or just a metaphor for driving straight. |
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| Vampire Weekend – A-Punk Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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Um ... how the heck did Johanna get inherently Native American? Where is the evidence for that? I mean, it sounds like "J-" to me. Your post sounds filled with projection, no offense meant. |
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| Red House Painters – Japanese To English Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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Wow. That last comment is marginally offensive.
I don't think this song is literally about taking a Japanese lover. I mean maybe it is, but it seems to really be about being somewhere else in the world and feeling completely alone and unable to relate both literally and metaphorically. The "we" is clearly NOT a happy pair. |
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| Sonic Youth – 'Cross the Breeze Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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I highly highly doubt Sonic Youth would write anything pro-Christian given their very progressive leanings. If anything, the song seems to be loosely about how women who are sexually powerful are marginalized, which is kind of what half of Kim's songs are about. The "walking on water" part is I think meant to highlight the difference between the female speaker and the male Jesus. Jesus walks on water so he's the son of Christ. The speaker walks on water so she's the daughter of Satan. |
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| Sex Pistols – Belsen Was A Gas Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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It's called "irony," Masterofpuppets. They didn't it to be funny because life is completely absurd. The world is full of disgusting things and yet people go on with day to day ideas and stodgy old England marches on. The Sex Pistols wore swastikas and used such divisive rhetoric to say, "why are you all so boring? We live in a depraved, horrific and also, brilliant world, wake up." |
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| Sex Pistols – No Feelings Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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That's because the music of the Sex Pistols is essentially unimportant even to them. Their legacy lies somewhere totally different. I know others will disagree, but what mattered first, was the spectacle (a la Bowie, though of course, Bowie's was an entirely different spectacle, it was still the same in a way, the "act" over the "art" until the act becomes the art) and second, Lydon's lyrics, which are certainly the most unique part of the Pistols' record.
Now, Public Image Limited was another, far more musically interesting project started by Lydon specifically to focus on music (by way of "destroying rock"), which it succeeded in doing under the guise of being a "corporation," which was just another way of insulting his former project's largely commercial beginnings and aims.
Of course, the masses do not appreciate musicians, they prefer marketing schemes and thus, PiL (along with their creative peers: Pere Ubu, This Heat, Pop Group, etc.) were as ignored as possible given that John Lydon was a member. And today, despite the reunion shows and all that, they are still given a fragment of the consideration the Pistols are given, despite the Pistols vastly less innovative music (indeed, the Pistols music was not innovative in the least). |
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| Vampire Weekend – A-Punk Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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Pretty sure it's called A-punk because it sounds like Afro-pop guitar mixed with punk-inspired drumming and arrangement (though it's actually kind of just an Elvis Costello knock when you think about it).
As for the lyrics, I think the Honor stole the ring that belonged to someone she cared about. She got it back. The Judge went to Mexico seeking exotica. It's not even related to her getting the ring back inherently, just another detail, no need to infer anything from it.
Half of the ring lies here with "me," me being the dead lover/friend/relative/whatever-who-cares and the other half is at the bottom of the sea because Johanna tossed it there to start living her life in New York. |
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| Vampire Weekend – Diplomat's Son Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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Sandinista, you absolutely NAILED it. It is definitely Joe Strummer (whose father was indeed a diplomat). The song's style is distinctly in the vein of 1981 Clash and the MIA sample is the dead giveaway, who sampled "Straight to Hell" for her biggest hit. Great great great post, buddy! Enlightening. |
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| Vampire Weekend – Giving Up the Gun Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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The metaphor is the other way around ... quite simply, it personifies Japan. Makes a lot of sense when one considers the rampant East Asian jones (which borders on fetishism there, but in the hands of Ezra avoids it entirely here) on display in the Discovery stuff. |
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| Public Image Ltd. – Religion Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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You have a severe misunderstanding of the history of the world. If you believe churches actually donate their money to worthy causes, I feel sorry for you. Worthy causes are things like: safe sex education programs and civil rights, not abstinence courses and charity that merely keeps the weak weaker and dependent upon outmoded social institutions like ... the church. |
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| Public Image Ltd. – Public Image Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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The original meaning of punk was the same as the original meaning of Rock n Roll: a burst of melodic energy delivered by passionate but unremarkable musicians. It happened about 12 years after that first shot. No offense to those who worship at their alters, but by the time the Pistols and the Clash adapted to the fashion ('76), punk was already a commercial enterprise. Indeed, they're probably the two groups that most represented that commercialization (the Clash, for adapting their sound to the trend post-facto and the Pistols, for focusing on fashion [founded by the owner of a boutique, not a musician or an artist] rather than music OR ethos; further, they both became rather popular with major marketing machines behind them while other innovators languished until later).
Lydon of course realized this and was not particularly proud of his role in a marketing scheme that ultimately killed some of his closest friends and thus, PiL was born as an actual attempt to make interesting, anti-commercial music more related to the real "punk" revolution underway in the late '70s, i.e., the No Wave of New York, the New Wave of Ohio (Pere Ubu and Devo), the Rock in Opposition movement in continental Europe (with its roots in England, but its most essential fan base anywhere but) and the Dub of Jamaica. |
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| Jónsi – Boy Lilikoi Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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I think he's saying he wants to be eaten by the boy (who he describes as a sort of creature). He wants the boy to seize life and the speaker in the song wants to provide that. It's a beautiful metaphor. |
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| Low – Lion/Lamb Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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In some Mormon theological assessments, God makes people who they are (not quite predestiny) and their duty is to enact that "self" to His end. The idea behind this song is rooted in that concept and in that regard is very similar to Murderer. The speaker of the song says, "I'm a lion, I eat the lamb, I'm guilty and I accept that because that's as God crafted me." He then asks the listener to accept the same. |
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| The Sugarcubes – Birthday Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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To add to that, all the imagery of the girl basically tugging insect bits apart I think speaks to the subtle operation acting negatively on her psyche. Transference. |
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| The Sugarcubes – Birthday Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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Bjork has essentially said the song is about an inappropriate relationship between a man and a little girl who share the same birthday. What makes the song so odd is the lack of moralizing in the lyrics. The idiosyncratic girl, probably insane (she has no other friends after all), believes she loves the sick fellow (and that he loves her) and doesn't see anything wrong with it. Of course, as listeners, we can see it's terribly wrong and this gives the song its bite. |
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| Nada Surf – Hyperspace Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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Crewbert, how you managed to turn a song about a relationship falling apart with incredible speed into a War metaphor is pretty amazing. I mean, I don't think the song has anything to do with the Middle East, but it's still an amazing operation. |
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| Elvis Costello – Alison Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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It's not really about one girl, IMO, it's oddly about "patriarchy," for lack of a better term, in general. The subject of the song, the narrator's former flame, traps herself in marriage and other sexual conventions. "The world is killing" her. It's not that her life is so bad, but that it's so pointless. |
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| Public Image Ltd. – Albatross Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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It's about the Sex Pistols and perhaps in effect, punk, which Lydon was very disillusioned with at the time. Getting rid of the unbearable albatross with slow motion "non music." |
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| Wolf Parade – I'll Believe in Anything Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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I think JoanCaroline has got it. The subject of the song is certainly being judged for something or another and the narrator wants to take her away from it. I think theopponent's reading is way too close, though hey, many readings of eliot's wastelands have turned up similarly quite specific interpretations, right? |
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| Wolf Parade – I'll Believe in Anything Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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It's a love song to somebody who for whatever reason the narrator isn't along to publicly be with, so he's suggesting they forget all their connections there and just run away together. Seems simple enough, despite the 100+ comments. I think the scary day is when the two of them finally admit they're in love. Other than that, every line seems to say "I'll make sure bad stuff goes away, baby, let's get outta here, grrrrl." |
submissions
| The National – Fake Empire Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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Again, the vast majority of you are interpreting empire so strictly. I think given the rest of the lyrics, the "empire" is clearly a personal one, not an extrinsic one, the "fake empire" is that built between the song's protagonists. I also think it may be a cheeky reference to New York, the state in the first verse and the city in the second (I believe the band resides in Brooklyn now). |
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| Red House Painters – Drop Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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Ever been cheated on by a manic depressive? Well, the narrator of this song (not necessarily Mark K.) has. |
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| Red House Painters – Revelation Big Sur Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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I think it's just about living with someone for a few years, how difficult it is and how it's very tough to leave such a situation. "I can't anything of why the brightest light fades." |
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| Mclusky – Kkkitchens, What Were You Thinking? Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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It is an actual store. http://www.kkkitchens.com/
The song isn't so much about race as it is terrible, terrible branding, which is then taken as racist. Like most Mclusky songs it's black, playful humor.
The line about the riot is just about the popular reaction to a store with such a moronic name. The references to the obscure and seemingly non-existent things are there to hammer home the absolute absurdity of a kitchen decorating/renovations store with the name KKKitchens ACTUALLY existing.
In the last verse, the narrator of the song pretty much concedes that he bought his kitchen supplies there anyway ("I think you gave us everything ..."), because it was convenient, but he definitely knew it was a dumb name for a business doomed to fail.
Here's a story to illuminate ...
A man walks into a bar, he's depressed. The bartender asks what's wrong. The man says his business closed. The bartender asks what he sold. The man tells him he sold kitchen supplies. The bartender asks about the location, if he had enough potential customers, what his costs were, etc., etc. It's all in perfect order. Finally he says, "well, I just can't see why your store closed. Some things in business don't make sense" And the man says, "I know. How could KKKitchens possibly fail?" |
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| Parenthetical Girls – Love Connection, Pt. II Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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This is definitely from the girl's perspective, including the couplet. It's "girlish" weight, i.e., light, fay, etc., etc. He's a young, thin waif. Using girlish is a nice little turn. I do wish the bells would fade out during the bridge at 2:39. |
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| The National – Fake Empire Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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To add to my earlier comment, yes, it's about the delusions one suffers drunk as hell with someone you used to love. I don't understand how people could stretch the title into a political allegory. Frankly, I find that absurd. I would hope a band this good wouldn't have a lyricist interested in such vague and shallow commentary. Politics are best served with a head on a plate, a la Pop Group or This Heat, IMO. I would hope The National are at least as capable as John Mellencamp when they do mix political thinking with music (which I believe they are, though it seems others here don't give them as much credit, even if they think they're being complimentary by reading into the lyrics so specifically). Considering how much more respect I have for this song than every John Mellencamp song, I will suggest people look for the more personal and resonant meaning than some superficial reading about American imperialism and angst, of which plenty of very direct and pleasurable tunes have been crafted around (see: 2/3s of Fugazi's catalogue) to great success. |
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| The National – Fake Empire Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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I think it's about falling out of love. These things, the residue of love, are the fake empire, but in the end, it's over even if we don't think about. |
submissions
| Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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It seems pretty simple. The narrator is suffering. The subject is not. The narrator wants to switch places to end her/his suffering. It does hurt the narrator, but the subject doesn't want to even know that. The subject is unaware of the narrator's secret fantasy to switch places. No need to jump through hoops to get there. |
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| The Flaming Lips – Bad Days Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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The song is about being incredibly depressed, but how in dreams that depression is replaced by a magical surreal fantasy life, hence the delightful music. It's basically about self-induced dementia. |
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| John Cale – Paris 1919 Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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The song is about a failed wedding in the wake of WWI, as such using the runaway bride as a metaphor for Europe's tentative peace. |
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| This Heat – A New Kind of Water Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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Post-nuclear neurosis spawns a massive state, the massive state, under the guise of solving problems, furthers that nuclear fear. What is a cure for our least vague fears when a nuclear bomb is hanging above us all? Didn't the same impulse that built the big problem spawn those very fears?
That's this song for me in a nutshell. Some of the best lyrics of any rock song I know. |
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| Low – In Metal Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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Noonday, it's both what you're saying and what kookycat is saying. Both of those references are very clear and equally prominent. There's nothing difficult about this song. It's about love for an infant and also in a more subtle manner, about fear of aging. |
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| Kanye West – Paranoid Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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This song is obviously about a dude whose cheating on his lady all the time (which the rest of the record seems to confirm), but he's telling her to relax and not worry about it, because really it doesn't matter either way. People have affairs all the time and to be frank, digging deeper only makes it worse. At least that's the perspective the song takes and well, most therapists would probably agree. Hit it and quit it, people! |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – I'm on Fire Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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The song is obviously about a very conflicted sexual deviant who can be interpreted quite easily and I'm certain, intentionally, as a pedophile. This is Bruce Springsteen, people. He does not write simple, happy songs about cute little lovers. He's a careful author and every single word he's written he very much scrutinized, so while some people may refer to their equal-aged wives or girlfriends as "little girls" (misogynistic in its own right), this song is SPECIFICALLY related to a sexual obsession. The speaker in the song (who is NOT Bruce, but as usual, a narrator) is literally sweating in sheets with lust over a "little girl." There is nothing "pet" or "cute" about having dark, obsessive sexual thoughts about someone you call a "little girl." Further, the fact the narrator can't control the desire and seems to desperately not want it supports this interpretation. The double meanings in every single line are clearly intended by Springsteen, but to simply ignore the dark subtext is to totally ignore the meaning of the piece. It wants us to ask "what is the line between disgusting, depraved lust and so-called love," because frankly those lines aren't as clear as we think.
As for those who use the video as evidence, does anyone really think they'd put a video about an insane sexual obsessive on MTV? No way. Bruce didn't write or direct the video so it's pretty essentially irrelevant to the song, it means nothing more than the "Dancing in the Dark" video.
All of Springsteen's work for this era exhibits double meanings and most of his songs from then are indeed about depraved souls who are torn freaks or washed-up losers. That's what the Boss is really about, the dark side of the American dream. |
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