| Rob Thomas – Little Wonders Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Sadly, it seems to me as though all of the comments have missed the true point of the song. The song isn't focusing on whatever the "hardest part" is but instead on the "little wonders" themselves. This song is about love. It is about him encouraging his love as she spends time with him. And the memories of these "little wonders" of "small hours" (or a small amount of time together) enable her to be strong enough to make it though. After all "its the heart that really matters in the end." In this the heart of a person is not only their love but also intimately who they are. In strengthening her heart he strengthens her and in the mystery of love "these small hours, these little wonders, still remain" in that she loves him and he her. |
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| Opeth – Burden Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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It seems to me that this song, like many of the best works of Opeth, is written as a lament. I say this in particular to the mood in which the song begins and ends, that one can picture the scene described below through the eyes of a cop, first on arrival to the scene, as he tries to understand what has happened. The song then becomes more upbeat as the woman that Mikael once dated now tells her story. The starting line is striking, as she is telling what did happen "once a upon a time." The connection here is to the fairy tales of a childhood, of tales that never came true. So, she did, 'once upon a time, carry a burden inside" this then brings the thought of the child she once had, that like a good mother she "sang a last goodbye" to her child, soothing her to sleep before she took her own life. After all is it not children that we sing goodbye to every night when they are put to sleep? "A broken rhyme I had underlined" brings more depth into this situation. The broken rhyme could be her voice breaking as she sings her child to sleep for the last time. It could also be that the rhyme is a part of a fairy tale that never came true for the mother but that she hopes will come true for her child, be it a daughter or not. (If the child is a daughter then the image is all the more striking) The child, seems to understand what is happening and the mother fancies that she sees "an ocean of sorrow in you" in this the 'ocean' is used as in older language where an ocean could only be crossed with a great expedition, that an ocean was something that could never be overcome. The mother shares this same sorrow as connected she is to her child they both know it, the child however, does not yet know why. The next verse occurs while the mother continues to commit the act of suicide. She first remembers what happened in the past, perhaps when she is talking to her friends, her family, or even a psychiatrist. She sees "a movement in their eyes" a movement that the tone suggests is likely negative or doubting, certainly unbelieving and possibly even slightly hostile in that whomever she is addressing wishes she would just leave them in peace. Whatever the look was it was clear enough to her that they knew that she didn't know what to do in life. 'Ghost' has many meanings and it seems to me that ghost here means primarily "the principle of life, spirit or soul". In this then whomever she is talking to knows that she has given up on life, on religion, and that she is simply passive in life, that she no longer fights against fear but is so ingrained with it that she can do nothing but wait for redemption by another. In this there is a continuation of a cycle where she is either "waiting to fail" and is "falling again" and as such is certainly depressed in such a mindset. The keyboard solo here expresses the extremes of emotion that she is going through as (in her mindset) life spirals beyond any semblance of control, ending in failing. The final verse is a combination of her final prayer that she knows of her failing but hopes that her life was enough to reach Heaven. "If death should take me now Count my mistakes and let me through" Then a whisper responds "You have taken more than we've received" In this implicit statement there is no condemnation, just the simple fact that she could have lived her life better if she chose to.And she mourns this result "And the ocean of sorrow is you" The final solo is an expression of her sorrow, later mixed with an expression of the cycle of life as the notes continue the same pattern and yet change slightly each time. And it seems that all is well as life goes on. Yet the ending, the true statement of the song is the end, where the guitar chords seem fine, even beautiful at first, but then quickly things get out of hand as the discordance depicts what is wrong within society that allows such things as suicide to occur. The combination of the laughter at the end of the song could be the answer to the fate of the woman, or it could be laughter of the evildoer, reveling in another triumph for him. All in all it is a beautiful song with many meanings, but it is my belief that Mikael presents the woman in such a way as to defend her and uphold his own hope that she is not damned and truly was helpless when she chose such a way to end her life and that perhaps she did so for a misguided good for her child. This is my take. |
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| Opeth – To Rid the Disease Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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In my opinion in connection with jonas87's investigation into the interview online this song is a lament for mankind's fallen nature from Eden and in so is a story of Adam and Eve as well as a description of concupiscence or man's fallen and disordered state of existence in the present. Keep in mind that the CD is titled Damnation as well as I attempt to interpret the song according to this view which I think should be combined with kerfeldt's interview in that the song was written as a lament about how man is and the evil that he does. (First verse) There's nobody here, there's nobody near I try not to care, dead eyes always stare Let these matters be, don't trust what you see Take hold of your time, step into the line So, after Adam and Eve are expelled from Eden they no longer had perfect grace. There are no other people and Adam and Eve have lost the innocent love they once had. It bother's them though they don't want to admit it and they can see the truth of the pain of loss in each other's eyes which no longer completely shine with life but are instead full of the pain of existing as they try to make a living in the land. Yet they can't really worry about this and they have to focus on doing the best that they can. Yet once more they have lost perfect innocence and therefore perfect trust (and trusting is loving as well) in each other and in God; so they must as they know live as best as possible precisely because they stepped across the line (in trying to become like God himself). (Chorus) There's innocence torn from its maker Stillborn the trust in you This failure has made the creator So would you tell him what to do (would you) In doing so they tore the innocence from themselves, and since all their gifts came from God they also tore it from him. Yet also they themselves were innocence but by their actions "There's innocence torn from its maker" meaning they see the innocence in each other that is no longer connected with God on that higher level of perfection. Yet in this act they tried to become equal to the creator or another creator themselves (This failure has made the creator) (as In the mist says). "Stillborn the trust in you" most likely refers to both abortion in the world today but also the fact that once more man is no longer innocent and his trust has become tinged with selfishness, shame, caution, and a wariness that they did not have originally, therefore the trust dies before it is present and is "stillborn" in their souls. Yet also "this failure made the creator" exile them and therefore they are responsible for what they have done. They are angry but understanding that God is God and they reflect that they cannot "tell him what to do" even though some part of them wants to. The "would you" that echoes is them second guessing themselves and considering what they would have done and their new desire to be the lord of their own life. (Second Verse) Leave your mark upon the head of someone Who'll cry for his state, we know it's too late I turn round to see what was meant to be Faint movement release to rid the disease Adam and Eve then live their life and have two sons Cain and Abel. Cain, jealous of Abel killed him. This is often depicted as Cain crushing the head of Abel and thus leaving his mark of violence and death upon him. In this we see that man cannot truly be good or even attempt create without God but only destroy. Yet "leave your mark upon" also references once more man's new urge to be his own master and rule over others that makes him attempt to be on his own. Afterwards no one knows but Abel and God who hears "Abel's blood crying out for vengeance." Yet "Who'll cry for his state is also asking about mankind, who will or is crying for mankind itself in this separation from God. Cain is repentant for what he did but is is "too late." In this the song is lamenting over those who are unavenged, the innocent that are lost, and the loss of Eden itself as Cain, a type of all people who sin and realize it, "turn round to see what was meant to be." God then punishes Cain by sending him away to discipline him, a "faint movement to rid the disease" because Cain is convinced that he deserves worse punishment and self discipline is the only true way for a person to rid themselves of the disease that concupiscence seems to be. (Chorus with additional background voices) There's innocence torn from its maker Stillborn the trust in you (I have lost the trust I had in you) This failure has made the creator So would you tell him what to do (I have lost the trust I had in you) Once more like the other chorus except that man has "lost all trust I had in you" turning form God and becoming more and more corrupted until God finally sent Christ to die for the sins of the world. Therefore mankind "made the creator" send the son and Peter attempted to stop Christ from going through the crucifixion as well"would you tell him what to do." And so Christ dies for the sins and yet mankind has still "lost all trust in you" turning from God and going its own way until it has reached the perversion of nature that it is today in greed, lust, war, murder, genocide...ect. The song then is a lamentation for mankind itself, admitting that until concupiscence is over, until sin is destroyed as in Revelation then mankind cannot "rid the disease" but must live as best as possible. And this is what the final voiceless minutes of the song reflect upon. This is an amazing song that has two or even three themes reflected throughout its entirety that all come to their full meaning in the chorus through the use of voices and background voices as well as the saddening piano chords. |
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