Rainbird

60

Points

I listen to way too much music...is what some foolish, lost souls have tried to tell me.
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Crowded House – Love You 'Til the Day I Die Lyrics 7 years ago
I wish I wasn’t in a position to understand this song so well. I can say with great certainty that it’s about being in a committed relationship with someone who is continually testing your patience and sanity. The screams at the beginning say it all, really.

Send help.

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R.E.M. – I Believe Lyrics 8 years ago
It's about contradictions, absolutely. Those corny things that people will say, statements they might say are rules to live by. Supposed wisdom for which there always seems to be another aphorism stating the exact opposite. Belief can change, believe in change and make your worldview adjustable. Knowing what you want vs. what you need is much more helpful than pithy sayings.

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Lush – Undertow Lyrics 8 years ago
About trying to rescue someone you care for deeply, possibly a former lover, from sinking deeper and deeper into depression.

The sea/depression analogy here is apt, because like depression, the deeper you fall and the longer you are underwater, the more dangerous it becomes. The singer is trying to keep someone from being so swept away by their sadness that she can't reach him/her anymore.

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Tom Petty – You Don't Know How It Feels Lyrics 10 years ago
So much of Tom's music is about moving on from the bad stuff in life. The refrain "Roll another joint" is kind of incidental; it's another way of saying 'I'm not going to dwell on the bad shit, let's just move on and be okay with what's happened.'

What's more significant is "You don't know how it feels to be me" -- 'you don't have to try to analyze me...I'm fine for now, let's just enjoy ourselves.' His lyrics might be laid back but they're never about stagnating.

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Lana Del Rey – Without You Lyrics 10 years ago
I downvoted this comment before but I changed it to an upvote because LOL

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Tame Impala – Runway, Houses, City, Clouds Lyrics 10 years ago
While it's pretty likely that this song is about the lyricist's personal experience with touring, the genius of the lyrics is that there is so much room for the listener's personal interpretation.

That said, my main takeaway lies in this phrase:
"And gazing out the window,
as I ascend into the sky,
but I'm the one who's
left behind."
To grow as a person, it's important to leave the comforts of home. This includes not only venturing outside your comfort zone, but doing things, meeting people, etc. that you might not have planned or expected. You're going to have to leave yourself behind, at least a little, if you want to be open to new things.

"And don't remind me of home,
or I might notice where I am."
In this phrase, there's a feeling of homesickness. Not a negative kind of homesickness, but the kind that comes with exploring the world and wanting to live outside your day-to-day life.

"It's true that some things
have to change."
There is a little reluctance there. It's natural to resist change, even when you want it very badly. Acceptance is the best way to go however, because you can't stop your world from changing.

"There is nothing that is safe."
Every choice we make is some kind of risk.
"I know some things have
to change."
I will adapt and move forward.

There's such a strong feeling of ambivalence in these lyrics, but ambivalence is a good thing if you're facing changes that are beyond your control. It's better than diving in head-first with utter negativity or overt optimism. Just take it as it comes. Forget about comfort, and face the changes with an open mind.

Most tl:dr comment ever...? I hope not, but if you read all of this and hate me for it, I send you sincere apologies and an invisible unicorn delivering massive nugs on the tip of its horn. Might take a few weeks to get there, depending on where you live. Listen carefully or you might miss it.

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Corey Hart – Aint Enough For You Lyrics 11 years ago
It’s about loving someone who is so insecure, that nothing you do or say can convince them that you love them…bending over backwards and twisting into pretzels, but nothing helps them overcome their insecurity.

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The Jesus and Mary Chain – April Skies Lyrics 11 years ago
Can't live with you.
Can't live without you.
So, one of us has to die...

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Lush – Ladykillers Lyrics 11 years ago
About the things men will say or do to in an attempt to get laid. Not new territory in that sense. But, she's pretty specific: it's about how guys who try to get laid with lines and techniques are just exercising mental masturbation; "when he's nice to me he's just nice to himself".

She turns it around when she says "you were nothing special 'til you turned out the light". Yeah, sometimes women just want to get laid too. They don't get an ego inflation from it, though.

"Hey girls, he's such a ladykiller, but we know where he's coming from and we know the score": women already know the stuff men do to try to get women into bed. It looks like the only only person ladykillers are aiming to impress is themselves.

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Duran Duran – The Reflex Lyrics 11 years ago
I think this is probably the most accurate interpretation that is possible. While Duran admitted that the lyrics are nonsense and made up on the fly, if it was truly an automatic writing sort of situation, then it reveals Simon's mindset at the time, even if that wasn't his intention. In particular, it might illustrate his reaction to the need to write lyrics in a pinch.

Not my favorite DD song by a mile, but I appreciate it more after reading finnegan63's interpretation.

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Camper Van Beethoven – Take The Skinheads Bowling Lyrics 11 years ago
That may be true, C3llarD00r, but but my point was that this song, at the time of its recording, was most likely referring to contemporaneous (and bigoted) North American skinheads. Which is partly where the song's humor lies.

Maybe it's just where I lived, but being a skinhead back then meant being racist. It wasn't until the late 80s, early 90's that I met skins that were anti-racism...

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The Cars – Just What I Needed Lyrics 11 years ago
It's about a FTF relationship. They don't love each other romantically, but it's great for the moment because he doesn't want a relationship -- he just wants somebody to talk to (feed) and have sex without strings attached (bleed), not to mention she's really hot (kinda lose my mind) and can have a decent conversation (as long as it was deep). She keeps showing up for a booty call (wasting all my time) but it's good for him right now. So, not really a love song, but a great song about a friends-with-benefits kinda situation.

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Pink Floyd – Us and Them Lyrics 12 years ago
But let's not forget how this song also says that "after all we're only ordinary [people]", and we could all find ourselves down and out because "in the end it's only round and round." Who knows which is which and who is who, so be kind. That's really the take-away message of this song, isn't it?

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Pink Floyd – Us and Them Lyrics 12 years ago
The first part of this song is definitely about war, but it's merely a setup for the last stanzas, which makes the point that the "us and them" attitude extends to the division between rich and poor.

"Down and out
It can't be helped but there's a lot of it about.
With, without.
And who'll deny it's what the fighting's all about?"

"The fighting" refers to the violence that's part of poverty, as well as the ongoing social tensions between those who are well-off and those who are not.

"Out of the way, it's a busy day
I've got things on my mind.
For the want of the price of tea and a slice
The old man died."

Here we see the "us and them" view. The well-off can't be bothered to care about his fellow man, because he's got a "me first" attitude, much like the general who sent the front lines off to die. The army is dispensible, just like the rest of the poor, and like the old beggar man who starved to death. "Us" is the well-off, busy man of means, and "them" are the poor, the ones who don't matter.

The middle of the song, including the spoken dialogue, is about how the poor, especially the homeless, are tossed in and out of jail and treated like cattle. .
"Listen son, said the man with the gun
There's room for you inside."
"I mean, they're not gunna kill ya, so if you give 'em a quick short,
Sharp, shock, they won't do it again."

Without a doubt, there's the still-raw memory of war in the opening stanzas, but it's mostly a framework for discussion of the ongoing and intensifying class war that was happening in the UK at the time, and criticism of how the poor were mistreated and/or ignored.

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Camper Van Beethoven – Take The Skinheads Bowling Lyrics 13 years ago
Sorry, but that's wrong. Most skinheads at the time of this song were all about white power. There were of course a few who adopted the skinhead look that weren't racist, and some even took on the style in an attempt to defuse the stereotype, but since it was so ingrained (started out in the 70s), the connotation couldn't be lost.

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Alien Sex Fiend – I Walk The Line Lyrics 13 years ago
Trashing your body and mind: the ultimate nihilistic art experiment??

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Neil Young – I Am A Child Lyrics 13 years ago
"What is the color when black is burned?" It's an example of a kid's odd and innocent questions, probably not to be taken literally. It represents things children ask that are difficult to answer, or that require a complicated explanation.

Coming with that is a realization that parenting isn't just about having fun with your kid, but that they need your insight and guidance. And along the way, your own worldview might be shaken up. When they ask you an innocent question, you might have to think carefully to give an informed answer.

But then: "I gave to you, now you give to me. I'd like to know what you've learned." Perhaps it's not a question TO the adult from the child, but FROM the adult to the child, who sees the world through fresh eyes. To relearn innocence, perhaps.

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Rush – A Passage To Bangkok Lyrics 13 years ago
You don't have to be a burnout to enjoy the herb. Is everyone who enjoys a quality beer or two from time to time a drunkard?

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Rush – A Passage To Bangkok Lyrics 13 years ago
You don't have to be a burnout to enjoy the herb. Is everyone who enjoys a quality beer or two from time to time a drunkard?

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Lana Del Rey – Without You Lyrics 13 years ago
You're kidding, right?

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