| Thom Yorke – Dawn Chorus Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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The most obvious meaning of the title is the loud bird song at dawn. There's also an electromagnetic phenomenon of the same name (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_chorus_%28electromagnetic%29) which is used at the end of the song as a synthetic, audible "dawn chorus" (compare: beginning of "Cluster One" by Pink Floyd which is using the same). I find the story in the lyrics to be written from a perspective of somebody describing a pattern of behavior. This is why they're using second person, even though they are just talking about repetitive behavior of their own. It's a confession, an internal monologue between two attitudes in the same person. The narrator is tired, depressed, and defeated. But deep inside there's still "me" with a spark of fight. Instead of summarizing the song, let me try to "translate" it verse-by-verse. > Back up the cul-de-sac You took a wrong turn and now you're at a dead end, you have to turn back. In other words, after a wrong decision, you're getting back to square one. > Come on, do your worst You are prepared to be judged for it. You challenge the accusers to give their best shot. You know they're going to say they told you so. > You quit your job again Commitment issues? Or maybe that's part of the dead end you need to get out of? > And your train of thought Oh. You don't *quit* your train of thought. You *lose* your train of thought. So you're *saying* you quit your job but in fact you were fired. > If you could do it all again Regret. You wish it never came to this. > A little fairy dust You realize it's a pointless exercise to wish for a makeover. It's too late, you'd need a miracle. > A thousand tiny birds singing You spent the entire night thinking about it. The birds start singing, it's dawning already. > If you must, you must You really need another chance. > Please let me know > When you’ve had enough > Of the white light > Of the dawn chorus (Musically this is when we hear the choir pads first.) Here the narrator breaks the fourth wall, introduces "me", suggesting an internal dialogue, internal conflict. The "me" deep inside asks the tired, depressed narrator if they are ready to start over, to let go of the visual noise (white light = light of all colors combined) and the auditory noise (the dawn chorus). If they are ready to act. > If you could do it all again (Implied question:) Would you like to? (Answer:) > You don't know how much --- > Pronto pronto, moshi mosh There's too much meaningless smalltalk in your life. > Come on, chop chop There's too much thankless work in your life. > If you could do it all again (Implied question:) Would you? (Answer:) > Yeah, without a second thought --- > I don't like leaving > The door shut This is the "me" talking, it's talking in first person. The "me" doesn't like burned bridges. Maybe leaves the door open for somebody to be able to come back? > I think I missed something > But I'm not sure what The "me" agrees with the regret that the narrator feels. (Compare with Pink Floyd's "No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.") But the "me" is more analytical, tries to find a reason for how they found themselves in this situation. > In the middle of the vortex > The wind picked up You didn't react quickly enough, you find yourself in the middle of a natural disaster. It's too late to escape. (Hence the comparison to Pink Floyd above.) By the way, since it's the "me" talking, after breaking the fourth wall, we know this natural disaster is metaphorical. > Shook up the soot > From the chimney pot > Into spiral patterns > Of you, my love Regret. In the unescapable final moments you think of better times, the best times. The "me" finds what they value most, what they regret the most. (Musically here there's a crescendo, the filters open, the choir picks up. It's a pivotal moment.) > You take a little piece > Then you break it off The narrator returns. Broken hearts never fully heal. (Compare Janis Joplin's "Take another little piece of my heart".) > It's a bloody racket > It’s the dawn chorus The birds sing loudly, the narrator is tired and irritated. Another sleepless night. > If you could do it all again (Implied question:) Imagine all the things you could do differently! (Answer:) > Big deal, so what? You don't trust there's any chance of that happening anymore. > Please let me know > When you've had enough > It's the last chance The "me" invites the narrator to act. It's the last chance, let me know when you're ready. I will help you. > O.K. Corral? Are you ready? (I think the reference to the shooting is a red herring. To me this phrase sounds like a soft meaningless phrase meant to calm the other down. It's not about the literal meaning of the words, it's about the tone. Note that the "corral" is sung with an upward intonation, suggesting a question.) > If you could do it all again > This time with style Let's start over. This time in an authentic way, without fear, with personality. |
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| Bon Iver – Beth/Rest Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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listener420 obviously spent a lot of time and effort to understand this song. Pretty cool. But I have a different interpretation of this song. Following the lyrics roughly, here's how it translates in my mind: It's not her who is errant. It's him. She's pulling him back by just a thin rope. She's extending olive branches, peace offerings, prying his stubbornness open with her love. He knows she tends to do that and he secretly counts on it. He won't reveal this because he knows his behavior is childish. He admitted this once in passing but she didn't hear him right. Instead of repeating, he redirected the conversation towards some mundane things. He understands their home is their nest. It is built on a solid foundation, it's safe (keeper's keep) because it's hard to get to, hard to penetrate (steep). It allows to recover from the daily grind. They leave outside worries and noise to the outside world. He sees they grew up in time and found their love and affection again. He knows she loves him, he knows that love is their foundation. He doesn't mention it but he doesn't have to: she can see he depends on it. She can see his dedication: they are married. He doesn't want to stumble aimlessly in the dark anymore. He wants purpose and direction. He's serious. He's not promising, he is actually declaring his intent. Their love is protected by this intent from ever freezing. "Heavy-mitted". He is serious about making it work. That love is bright and dependable. They can navigate life with it. There's always danger but they trust that it's going to be there indefinitely. It's their foundation. So far, so good. (this was originally incorrectly posted on user #13828's account because Facebook login is broken on this website) |
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| Metallica – Eye of the Beholder Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Can you cite where he said that? The phrase is actually much older: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/beauty-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder.html | |
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