| Tears for Fears – Killing with Kindness Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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Just a few corrections, marked with asterisks Don't cry for me my baby Don't say a word Everyone knows you're a dangerous bird * Glide like a golden eagle Sleek like the snow Ticking your time bomb where ever you go You're sinking a line without a trace With elegant crimes against the state Killing with kindness yeah Making the most of the mess oh yeah * You might want to try this, yeah, yeah Just kill them with kindness yeah, yeah * Bite pillow, politician Now you've been caught Came from behind It's a dangerous spot Green are the seeds of envy Watch how they grow Everyone knows there's a fire down below You're sinking a line without a trace With elegant crimes against the state Killing with kindness yeah Making the most of the mess oh yeah * You might want to try this, yeah, yeah Just kill them with kindness yeah, yeah Killing with kindness Raising the ghost from the flesh oh yeah Don't blind them with science yeah, yeah Just kill them with kindness yeah, yeah Turn your back And you might understand Become your destiny And you'll be a lucky man Don't let anything stand in your way Source: A friend has the UK edition, which includes liner lyrics. This is probably my favorite TFF song of them all. I could not love it more. |
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| Roland Orzabal – Bullets for Brains Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| I've read comments by Roland that indicate he doesn't like to write straightforward songs that are easily taken at face value, so I'm gonna go with sarcasm on this one. Given his body of work as a whole, I doubt this track is meant to be taken literally. | |
| Curt Smith – Sun King Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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Fish Out Of Water: "F*ck you, you f*cking f*cker!" Sun King: "U mad, bro?" *troll* |
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| The Monkees – Salesman Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I read someone's opinion that this song is about a drug dealer - "secret goods that you push while you talk." I can see that. On the other hand, I've been reading a lot about Huey P. Long lately, and on hearing this song afterward, I started to think it could also be referencing politicians. What is a politician but a salesman, anyway? | |
| The Monkees – Goin' Down Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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No love for Goin' Down?! Oh *man,* what a badass song this is. If you haven't heard it, you're in for a treat. I've never jumped in the river to commit suicide, but I have no trouble believing in the authenticity of the lyrics. The rap-like pace and the frantic, squalling brass capture the desperation in the lyrics perfectly. Micky Dolenz's finest hour, for sure. |
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| The Monkees – Last Train to Clarksville Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Yep, an anti-war song, catchy and subversive enough to make it past the establishment onto the airwaves. I've read that it was played at orientation for draftees, usually to break the ice :) Also, what an heinous girlfriend :[ |
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| The Monkees – Mary, Mary Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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A classic stalker song, LOL - this one is like "Every Breath You Take," you don't realize how creepy the message is when you're young. It takes the ears of experience, I guess :) It's got a great R&B vibe, though. I love it. |
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| The Monkees – Early Morning Blues And Greens Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I love this melancholy song. Who can't relate to the sighing ennui of the lyrics, and Davy's weary vocal is perfect for it. What a treasure. | |
| The Monkees – Riu Chiu Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| My favorite vocal performance by these guys. If you haven't heard it, find it. | |
| The Monkees – Daily Nightly Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I've heard it was Mike's take on the LA riots. Either way, a brilliant song, and the psychedelic vibe of the Moog synthesizer is perfect. | |
| The Monkees – (Theme From) The Monkees Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Second verse: We go wherever we want to Do what we want to do, And anytime we get restless There's always something new and then We're just trying to be friendly So come and watch us sing and play We're the young generation And we've got something to say |
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| The Monkees – Daydream Believer Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I've always believed the daydream believer and the homecoming queen were the same character (sleepy Jean), and the narrator is addressing her. | |
| The Monkees – Gonna Buy Me A Dog Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Micky's damn-fool ad-libbing at the end absolutely makes this song for me, especially when he gives that little chuckle in the middle of it. That, and his laughing over the lyrics "I can teach a dog to do that." It makes me laugh every. single. time. I didn't realize there was a misconception that all the little in-jokes were written into the song. | |
| The Monkees – For Pete's Sake Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Flower-power anthem :) Gotta love Peter Tork | |
| Nick Drake – Harvest Breed Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| And Matt81, you've expressed what *I* had in mind but wouldn't have been able to say nearly as well. | |
| Nick Drake – At The Chime Of A City Clock Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Anonymity. I think he craved it but was simultaneously frightened by it. As Martel said, he was a country boy, and the anonymity offered by the boondocks is completely different than that provided by the city. The country can offer shelter from the world, but in the city, it's like the world just doesn't notice you there. It's effectively the same thing, but in the city, the comfort's cold. | |
| Nick Drake – Free Ride Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Nick wasn't interested in possessions (pictures on the wall) or the sound and fury of life among the masses (the cattle as they go by the door). He wanted a deeper connection - everything else was superficial to him. A recurring theme in his songs seems to be a longing to be understood, when his values were so different than other people's, and an inability to connect. Nobody heard him calling. | |
| Nick Drake – Fly Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| "I've fallen so far for the people you are" is one of my favorite lyrics of all time. Everybody has more than one face, and how rare is it to find someone who knows all of your "faces" and accepts them all. He's asking for the same from the object of the song, but is willing to accept that it's a rare thing and difficult to do. | |
| Nick Drake – Cello Song Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I'm sorry for your loss | |
| Nick Drake – Clothes Of Sand Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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...more thoughts "Clothes of sand have covered your face given you meaning but taken my place" Sand is a harsh material, used in sandblasting and sandpaper - products that strip away imperfections. His "clothes of sand" could be an allusion to his antidepressant meds, which were supposed to make him "better." I can also see a parallel to another harsh material, the hair shirt, which was worn against the skin as a penance. "Does it now seem worth all the color of skies to see the air through painted eyes to look through panes of shaded glass see the stains of winters grass" This verse makes me think of the deadening of emotions caused by some antidepressants. He could be asking if the mental equilibrium is worth the loss of one's emotional and creative life. |
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| Nick Drake – Clothes Of Sand Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I heard this song after reading an essay here http://www.uow.edu.au/~morgan/drake1.htm (it's currently down). It includes a quote by Nick that really resonated with me, "You remember me. You remember me how I was. Tell me how I was. I used to have a brain. I used to be somebody. What happened to me? What happened to me?" In some parts of Clothes of Sand,it seems Nick could be talking to himself, a younger, "better" version who had himself together. The above quote makes me wonder if he experienced cognitive decline as a side effect of his medicines. I have some experience with that, and it's terrifying. You truly feel as though you don't know yourself, and you can't trust yourself. I can definitely hear that frustration and fear in these lyrics. |
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| Nick Drake – Which Will Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I think Statement's on the right track - he's speaking to the world at large, not to one individual. He never understood why he wasn't more successful, why people wouldn't stop to listen to him. He didn't have the sort of personality that enabled him to command attention. From all I've read about him, he was a kind person and polite to a fault, and his inability to connect with people through his music hurt him deeply. | |
| Nick Drake – Northern Sky Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| To me, this exquisite piece of work is hands-down the most hopeful and optimistic of his songs. I don't think this one really needs to be overthought - they're the thoughts of a lover in love. Knowing Nick's personal history, I think it was more abstract than concrete, but he was an intelligent, thoughtful man and doubtless longed, as we all do, for someone to understand him and love him despite what he considered unlovable in himself. He's reaching for an ideal; it's a timeless concept that we can all relate to. | |
| Nick Drake – Northern Sky Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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It's been a couple of years since this was asked, but I'll give it a shot: Been a long time that I'm blown (wandering aimlessly, without direction) Straighten my new mind's eye (help me understand these new emotions, this new way of seeing the world that you've inspired in me) Come blow your horn on high (shout it from the rooftops - tell me in a way that leaves no doubt - don't be subtle or I might miss it, and I don't want to miss it) |
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| Nick Drake – From The Morning Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I recently read an article where the author called the album Pink Moon "ghoulish and unlistenable." Evidently they never made it as far as this song, which, to me, is one of the most affirming songs Nick did. It's like a bittersweet love letter to those left behind. I don't get that reaction from any of the songs on Pink Moon. Some of them are tougher than others - Parasite, Harvest Breed - but I just don't get the bleak and depressing mood, even from those two tracks, that some others do. It's spare, it's raw and evocative, but it isn't "ghoulish," and it's anything but "unlistenable." I could listen to it forever. |
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| Nick Drake – Voice From the Mountain Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Heh, sometimes the country can't be contained :) | |
| Nick Drake – All My Trials Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I hear "Lord" too - it's a spiritual so that's not surprising. I absolutely love this little jewel. | |
| Nick Drake – Know Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I just heard this one for the first time today. I rather like solarion's interpretation - that truly would be inspired songwriting. But my first impression was that this is an ode to unconditional love. It reads, to me, like a call and response. The first two lines are Nick's acknowledgement of his family's love and acceptance, and the second two are his response to them. In the first two lines, Nick's loved ones are saying, "Know that [we] love you, know [we] don't care (about your introversion, your quirky nature, your odd behavior - you are *ours* and we love you unconditionally)." The second two lines are Nick's reply to them: "Know that I see you (I know how you feel about me and I appreciate it), know I'm not there (...but it's too late, there's nothing here for me anymore)." If you wanted to, you could extrapolate this out to include us, Nick's growing fanbase. We love him, and we don't care about detractors (haters gonna hate!). His reply to us could well be, "I had to go, but I tried to leave something beautiful behind for you. Thanks for getting it." |
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| Nick Drake – Voice From the Mountain Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| His voice here, as in Black Eyed Dog, has that plaintive, querulous, almost childlike quality that gives me chillbumps. | |
| Nick Drake – Mayfair Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Not much love for Mayfair? I love this song. It's a fresh take on his outside-looking-in viewpoint, and I love the whimsy ("for even trees are wealthy here"). His music can be so introspective and brooding that his little drops of humor shine even more in contrast. | |
| Nick Drake – Road Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Let me add - one thing I like about this song is that he acknowledges the other person's viewpoint as valid. He seemed to be very fair in his assessments of other people, accepting them for who they were even though he never fit in with them. That's a healthy attitude for one as unwell as Nick. I haven't been listening to him for very long - a few weeks - but I've immersed myself in his music. Every day a new song presents itself to me for consideration, and I realize how deceptively complex his "simple" songs are, and what a multilayered, complicated person Nick Drake was. God love him. |
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| Nick Drake – Road Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I see this as an answer to optimism versus, not necessarily pessimism, but realism. My husband, who was always more of a "glass half full" person than I, used to have these conversations all the time. (I say "used to" because he has, for good or ill, begun to swing more toward a pessimistic bent. I kind of miss my old Pauly Sunshine :/ ) | |
| Nick Drake – Road Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| That makes a lot of sense, especially given the fact that he never really got over his bad experience performing live. | |
| Nick Drake – Milk and Honey Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| It's lush and gorgeous - the lyrics are so rich in imagery that the simple guitar is the perfect accompaniment. I may be in the minority, but I like the scratchy Tanworth recordings. They remind me of early blues recordings, so for me, it adds warmth and authenticity. | |
| Nick Drake – Things Behind the Sun Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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This song leaves me with a vague sense of foreboding. It's almost sinister; it makes me want to look behind me and see what's there. The last five lines just give me chillbumps. I love it. |
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| Nick Drake – Courting Blues Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Nick's voice is so seductive in this song. I heard a lot of praise for the B. Jansch original, I find this cover so much more sensual. | |
| Nick Drake – Hazey Jane II Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| This is just a rollicking masterpiece of absurdity. I've read SparklingMINDBeam's explanation, and it's plausible and probably pretty accurate, given what we know about Nick, but I like to get lost in the general bounciness of this one. He gave us so little that was bouncy. :/ | |
| Nick Drake – Strollin' Down The Highway Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| This is just so ... jaunty. I wish Nick had done more straight-up blues - he was awesome at it. | |
| Nick Drake – Time of No Reply Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I can't say it better than this. Your interpretation moved me. | |
| Nick Drake – Bird Flew By Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I was coming here to see if the lyrics reflect what I heard - "she was wise enough to stay up in the sky," and I see the previous commenter caught that too. It's lovely. |
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| Nick Drake – One Of These Things First Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I think he's saying, I could just as soon be what you want me to be as I could have been one of these (inanimate object) things. "Sure," he's saying, "I should be able to go on tour and give interviews, to play facing people...heck, to have normal relationships with people! But I could just as soon be a kettle or a clock or a signpost as do any of those things that come so easily to you." |
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| Nick Drake – Time Has Told Me Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. Maybe he didn't even know. What difference does it make? Doesn't lessen his appeal, his talent, or his timeless quality. | |
| Nick Drake – Day Is Done Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| When I first heard this sound, I was put off by the rushed quality of it, but now I think that's just right. It adds a subtle, subliminal feeling that time's ticking by. The man knew how to deliver. | |
| Nick Drake – Way to Blue Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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This was my first Nick Drake song, and I'll never be able to explain how or why it moved me so. I think, like other posters have said, that he was seeking the way to happiness, to normalcy. Depression is still stigmatized in 2011; imagine what he must have dealt with in the 1960s-70s. He was likely being told to snap out of it, to feel better, to try harder; to be normal, to just be happy. And he couldn't. He couldn't do what people were asking of him, the things they found so easy, and he didn't know why. Wouldn't he have felt broken? Wouldn't he have felt ... wrong? Self-indulgent? ("Parasite" comes to mind here.) And so he was reduced to pleading for someone to let him in on the secret. "Just tell me how to be!" is what I hear him saying here. God, my heart breaks for him. I pray he found peace. |
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| Nick Drake – To the Garden Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Puts me in mind of House Of The Rising Sun | |
| Nick Drake – Introduction Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| jerky5, I agree. I already know I want From The Morning played at my funeral, and if anyone is amused by the "AT&T music," well, that's okay. :) | |
| Nick Drake – Here Comes the Blues Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| A part of this ol' boy's soul was Southern. That's the highest compliment I can give, musically speaking. | |
| Nick Drake – Rain Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Haunting, delicate, lovely, like a flower that blooms but once. | |
| Nick Drake – Black Mountain Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Nitpick: "Jury called him guilty, judge will grant him bail." | |
| Nick Drake – Black Mountain Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Aw, hayle yeah. :D I love Nick wailin' the blues. It really appeals to this Louisiana girl raised on this music. | |
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