| Bob Dylan – Black Diamond Bay Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| Or the mid-'70s, which is when the song was actually written. | |
| Grateful Dead – Row Jimmy Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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Sure, it seems like a song about Jimmy and Julie living in abject poverty - 'til the line, "Ever since they tore the jukebox down". This line suggests the song is set in a post-apocalyptic town, perhaps, or a post-anarchy town - Jimmy and Julie live in a village that has been ravaged by something (let's call it The Event, for the sake of convenience) that has supplanted modes of playing music. They're living slowly, day-by-day, subsisting - a pace of life reflected in the song's stately pace. Since The Event, they've been living off rabbits; Julie's tried to run away, to escape, but she couldn't - the effects of The Event were too widespread, and anyway, she needs Jimmy just as much as Jimmy needs her. Jimmy, the stoic optimist, tells Julie not to "hang [her] head", as moping won't help them get by - they should "let the two-time roll" (two-time being a triple-entendre, I think - it's a dance, i.e. they're sort of slow-dancing their way through life, but also the 'two' suggests that the pair have each other, and no-one else. A third possible interpretation is that Julie has two-timed Jimmy - but we'll get to that interpretation later.) Naturally, everything is made more difficult by the fact that there's no music (no jukeboxes), except for the song that Jimmy's singing - the song that helps them get by. Jimmy's rowing himself and Julie down the metaphorical river of life - seemingly to some sort of afterlife. It's a "common way to go"; 'common' could also be a double-entendre (it's 'common' because everyone since The Event is just rowing, fatalistically, towards death/afterlife; but, since 'common' can also mean 'poor', it could suggest that commoners are forced to merely row, while the richer people can sail by on their yachts - although they, too, are headed for death/afterlife). The whole interpretation of the song may change if we interpret 'two time' as Julie having cheated on Jimmy - in which case, they're living in spiritual misery. They may as well be living in literal poverty - the cheating has brought their world crashing down. Even the jukeboxes may as well have been torn down, for all the good the music's doing the couple. Still, there's a sense of optimism - they're rowing their way towards a paired salvation, a state of mind in which they've got over the cheating. Anyway - those are my two cents. :) |
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| Grateful Dead – Eyes Of The World Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| It was Garcia's 'Bird Song', not 'Eyes of the World', that was written in tribute to Janis. :) | |
| Elvis Costello – Chemistry Class Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| The phrase 'Final Solution' has exclusively Nazi connotations. Make of that what you will. I'm not sure I know what to make of it, except that given EC's predilection for imagery that toys with fascism (e.g. the song that follows it is 'Two Little Hitlers'), it might just be a rhetorical device. | |
| Steely Dan – Aja Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| Usually sceptical of such interpretations, but I think you've hit the nail on the head. Your analogy fits the song pretty well, although I think it's subtext rather than text. | |
| Steely Dan – The Royal Scam Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| You think 'Haitian Divorce' is mediocre?? | |
| Steely Dan – Show Biz Kids Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| Correct me if I'm wrong, but this track contains Fagen's most passionate, heartfelt vocals (excepting some of the stuff on 'The Nightfly'). | |
| The Beatles – Birthday Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| 'Birthday' is clearly a postmodern comment on the nature of identity; this is embodied in the song's faux-reflexive structure and the dazzling complexity of its lyrics. | |
| Brian Eno – Taking Tiger Mountain Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| One of the most beautiful songs ever performed by anyone. | |
| Brian Eno – Taking Tiger Mountain Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| One of the most beautiful songs ever performed by anyone. | |
| Brian Eno – Taking Tiger Mountain Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| One of the most beautiful songs ever performed by anyone. | |
| Brian Eno – Taking Tiger Mountain Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| One of the most beautiful songs ever performed by anyone. | |
| Brian Eno – Taking Tiger Mountain Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| One of the most beautiful songs ever performed by anyone. | |
| Brian Eno – Taking Tiger Mountain Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| One of the most beautiful songs ever performed by anyone. | |
| Brian Eno – King's Lead Hat Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I'm pretty surprised no-one has pointed out the saliently sexual nature of most of these lyrics; I'm not the kind of guy that reads sex and drugs into most lyrics, but here, the double-entendres come thick and fast ;) E.g. "the biology of purpose", the repetition of "it will come", "put the innocence [i.e. a baby] inside her", "put the poker in the fire" etc. In fact, part of me wants to interpret the phrase 'king's lead hat' as a sort of futuristic metal condom. Of course, the whole song is probably just an Eno-esque joke, instigated by forming an anagram of 'Talking Heads' and then making a nonsense song out of whatever resulted. He's probably got other songs in the vaults, along the lines of "Stagehand Ilk", "Head Stalking", and "Death's Laking". |
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| Brian Eno – King's Lead Hat Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I'm pretty surprised no-one has pointed out the saliently sexual nature of most of these lyrics; I'm not the kind of guy that reads sex and drugs into most lyrics, but here, the double-entendres come thick and fast ;) E.g. "the biology of purpose", the repetition of "it will come", "put the innocence [i.e. a baby] inside her", "put the poker in the fire" etc. In fact, part of me wants to interpret the phrase 'king's lead hat' as a sort of futuristic metal condom. Of course, the whole song is probably just an Eno-esque joke, instigated by forming an anagram of 'Talking Heads' and then making a nonsense song out of whatever resulted. He's probably got other songs in the vaults, along the lines of "Stagehand Ilk", "Head Stalking", and "Death's Laking". |
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| Brian Eno – King's Lead Hat Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I'm pretty surprised no-one has pointed out the saliently sexual nature of most of these lyrics; I'm not the kind of guy that reads sex and drugs into most lyrics, but here, the double-entendres come thick and fast ;) E.g. "the biology of purpose", the repetition of "it will come", "put the innocence [i.e. a baby] inside her", "put the poker in the fire" etc. In fact, part of me wants to interpret the phrase 'king's lead hat' as a sort of futuristic metal condom. Of course, the whole song is probably just an Eno-esque joke, instigated by forming an anagram of 'Talking Heads' and then making a nonsense song out of whatever resulted. He's probably got other songs in the vaults, along the lines of "Stagehand Ilk", "Head Stalking", and "Death's Laking". |
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| Aerosmith – Monkey On My Back Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| Not according to the band members themselves - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_on_My_Back | |
| Isaac Hayes – Walk On By Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| Amazing song, but only worth hearing if you hear Isaac Hayes's full 12-minute version. The first side of 'Hot Buttered Soul' is the greatest side of extravagant soul music ever cut. | |
| Kanye West – Gold Digger Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| You, sir, are hilarious. | |
| Lou Reed – My House Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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No comments?! This is probably Lou's most beautiful, sincere post-Velvets song. It pays tribute to one of his biggest influences - Delmore Schwartz - while Lou is living in isolated domestic bliss with his wife Sylvia. 'The Blue Mask', despite its thrashing, frustrated, existentially morbid title-track, is one of the most beautiful, blissful and heartfelt albums ever cut by anyone, and is essential listening for anyone who wants a glimpse of 'the real Lou Reed', in the same way that 'Blood on the Tracks' offers a glimpse of 'the real Bob Dylan', or 'Tunnel of Love' ditto 'the real Bruce Springsteen'. |
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| Bob Dylan – Queen Jane Approximately Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| I usually don't give credence to this sort of interpretation, but yours is really interesting. Thanks for the thoughts. Must think about it further. | |
| Derek and the Dominos – Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad? Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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One of the most powerful songs every performed by anybody. Duane and Eric make this together. If one of them were absent, it wouldn't be anywhere near as good. A true guitar masterpiece; such emotions flowing through the strings shall never again be replicated. The 'Layla' album almost makes me forgive Eric for being a racist. |
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| Bob Dylan – Born in Time Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| I love the 'Tell Tale Signs' version!! Haven't even heard the version from 'Under a Red Sky'. | |
| New York Dolls – Lonely Planet Boy Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| Was "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory" a loose cover of this song? | |
| Lou Reed – Legendary Hearts Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| It's on the album of the same name. Which isn't as good as the album that preceded it - 'The Blue Mask', which in my view is his only post-VU masterpiece (though I haven't listened to all his albums). | |
| Al Stewart – Joe the Georgian Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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"And when Joe the Georgian gets here We will dance, dance dance" Compare to... "And when Quinn the Eskimo gets here Everybody jumps for joy" ... |
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| Bob Dylan – Tears of Rage Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| The best song on the released version of 'The Basement Tapes', featuring possibly his greatest vocal performance ever. Wish they'd release the rest of the tapes. "Sign on the Cross" is incredible. And "I'm Not There" needs to be remastered so I can actually understand what he's saying. | |
| Bob Dylan – Someday Baby (Tell Tale Signs version) Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| Superior to the one released on 'Modern Times'; his phrasing is sublime, and the music is more beautiful, without relying so much on the Muddy Waters template. Thanks for uploading the lyrics; I was stuck on the 'hypocrite' line! | |
| Bob Dylan – Tin Angel Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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Spread the word, people - Dylan's the best musician ever at telling stories! This one could have a little more musical variation - but who'd give up a 9-minute tale of revenge, murder and love gone wrong? Great fun. Possibly my favourite song on the album, largely for his vocal phrasing. But out of 8 excellent tracks (the last two are naff), it's hard to pick... they're all so different... |
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| Bob Dylan – Mr. Tambourine Man Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| The Joni Mitchell lyric you've used came 5 years after "Mr. Tambourine Man", and the Young lyric 14 years after. Dylan did it all first! And the melody of "Mr. Tambourine Man" surely proves that Le Zim is not more of a poet than he is a musician! | |
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