submissions
| Adrian Belew – The Rail Song Lyrics
| 11 months ago
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I’m surprised there are no comments on this song. I used to listen to this one quite a bit when it was originally released and it is a song that I’ve found never leaves my consciousness for very long, even after all of these years. I believe it is about coming of age. The railroad is his childhood innocence. He longs for the simpler time in his life when he not only had fewer problems that come with adulthood, but also the thrill that he used to get from doing simple things. The jet airplane is a symbol for adulthood and the bird of prey represents the fact that change is inevitable. |
submissions
| Split Enz – Message to my Girl Lyrics
| 1 year ago
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@[kooswillem:51309] I agree with this, but do you see the irony in the fact that he doesn’t actually say the word he is frightened by? |
submissions
| Squeeze – Black Coffee in Bed Lyrics
| 2 years ago
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@[realshitface:47282] “Back on the beat” is the correct line. Difford is a master of puns. The surface meaning is that he has moved on to doing what he did before the relationship… visiting the same pubs, etc, not unlike a cop has a beat, which is the places being patrolled. There is also a double entendre in this line with the second meaning being a reference to autoeroticism. These clever puns are in so many Squeeze songs, and one of the things that I’ve always loved about them. |
submissions
| The Turtles – She's My Girl Lyrics
| 5 years ago
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Morning glory is slang for an involuntary erection. The girl was in a pornographic magazine and he was fantasizing about her. The “bullet in her eye” reference could have been the result of him pleasuring himself and inadvertently getting something on the page in the area of her eye. This theme of fantasizing about unobtainable women runs through much of The Turtles’ work. At the time of release, many radio stations refused to play the song because they thought the song was about drug use. It’s a little amusing to think that the band would have been quick to say that the song was not about drugs, but would have likely stopped short of explaining what the lyrics actually meant for fear of just bringing up another reason that some may have felt also deemed it inappropriate to play on the radio. Anyway, it’s a great song and I can’t believe that I’m the only one here that has commented on it.
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submissions
| The Cars – Bye Bye Love Lyrics
| 6 years ago
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I like the idea of this song being inspired by Van Gogh, but I have to say that it seems more likely to me to have been inspired by a song of the same title by The Everly Brothers. The subject matter is actually Identical between the two songs about not only unrequited love, but jealousy over another man who has successfully seduced the target of his attraction. “Just a broken lullaby” is a direct allusion to Bye Bye Love by the Everly Brothers.... basically an old standard for a pop song from over 20 years prior that was still very much in the public consciousness in the late 1970’s. In fact, the song would have been iconic to the band because it was such a big hit during Ric’s formative years. The “broken lullaby” is a metaphor for a consistent pattern of never getting the girl, and the line is clearly delivered with a sense of resignation to further drive the point of how hopeless the situation is.
Do I have any sources or anything to back up my interpretation? No. I’ve never read anything from Ric on the meaning of this song, but this is my interpretation for what it is worth. |
submissions
| The Posies – Suddenly Mary Lyrics
| 12 years ago
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I think that he is referring to an old trick where someone is skinny dipping and someone has hidden his clothes. As Michial said, it's in the context of a failing/failed marriage. I think the lyrics make an analogy of feeling trapped (hence the 'slavery' reference also in the song) and vulnerable in the marriage, the same as one would feel if they found that they didn't have clothes to put on and get away. |
submissions
| Big Star – Jesus Christ Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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I don't disagree with it being sarcastic.... I've read that several times before over the years. Don't take the sequence of songs on 3rd/Sister Lovers to be a clue though.... Keep in mind that the album has never been released with the intended song sequence (according to many sources anyway). |
submissions
| Big Star – Holocaust Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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According to a posting on another web site, this song is about the mother of his, then girlfriend, Lesa Aldridge, who Alex Chilton didn't really get along with very well.
According to the site http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=Holocaust, "This song is about Lesa Aldredge's mother. At the time it was written and recorded, Alex was dating Lesa...... Lesa's mom was an alcoholic and prescription drug addict at the time, and Alex didn't get along with her very well." |
submissions
| Big Star – September Gurls Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Yep.... I agree with this as the interpretation of "December Boy..." I can't believe that nobody else picked up on what a September Gurl is though..... She's a pin-up girl for the month of September. You don't see calendars like this as much nowadays, but in the 1970's calendars like this were pretty common.... with women dressed suggestively (or not even at all sometimes). The line "when I get to bed, late at night, that's the time she makes things right...." It's a teenage boy fantasy. It's unrequited lust/love ala Pictures of Lily by The Who. "December boys got it bad" because they will never meet. |
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