| LCD Soundsystem – Oh Baby Lyrics | 3 years ago |
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I think it's about two people who have both experienced damage in the past and are hesitant to fully commit to the other. But they are slowly and tentatively moving toward one other despite their doubts and fears. Maybe the relationship is doomed, maybe it will be happy, but for me this song is about trying to make something beautiful in the wake of loss or hurt. For me this is not a totally hopeless or sad song. Lyrically it has a yearning, melancholy tone, but there's also a fresh hopeful feeling to the music. |
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| The Statler Brothers – Flowers On The Wall Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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It's such a clever song. The guy is in denial. He has secluded himself in his dark room and his life boils down to insomnia, watching children's programs, smoking, and playing solitaire, but he's obviously not playing with a full deck ("deck of 51"). People keep trying to get him out in the real world and he resists. The tune reflects his inner turmoil: the verses are all very chipper and upbeat, with the singer telling you how great he is. But then the chorus kicks in with that ominous drum as he tells you exactly what he does by himself, hinting that something is not quite right. I used to think this song was about a person who didn't realize he was crazy, but the older I get the more I think he just doesn't know how to be okay anymore. This routine is the only coping mechanism he knows and over time it has become normal to him. Overall it's a masterclass in songwriting. Notes: - counting flowers the wall = bored and obsessive - playing solitaire till dawn = alone by himself and not sleeping - deck of 51 = not playing with a full deck - Captain Kangaroo = a children's show - last night I put on tails, pretended I was on the town = living in a fantasy world - eyes not accustomed to this light = always dark where he's at - my feet are not used to this hard concrete = he's used to a padded room (like in a mental institution) (Oh yeah, and the title reminds me of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" where the wallpaper makes the main character crazy.) |
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| LCD Soundsystem – Someone Great Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| This song is about the death of a loved one and the denial that follows it. Because the singer of the song had always built up the deceased person as a larger-than-life figure, the singer's wife was surprised at how physically small the deceased person was. They might have been viewing the body at the wake or funeral. | |
| Bauhaus – All We Ever Wanted Was Everything Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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It's about being trapped in the vise-like grip of average adulthood after (or while) dreaming of bigger, better things. Maybe we dream of being the cream of the crop, and maybe there was a moment when we were younger when success seemed possible, but guess what, now we're eating shitty prepackaged food and living the boring routine normie lives while scraping by, and we're trapped in it like everyone else. |
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| Monster Magnet – Space Lord Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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I'm not a comic book/sci-fi fan so I always thought this was just a badass song about revenge, someone who has been at the mercy of another person for too long and one day turns the tables. Love the way the song builds and then explodes at the end, kind of like rage, so satisfying. |
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| Tori Amos – Yes, Anastasia Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| To me this song is about being true to yourself during a time of crisis, and making a daring escape from a bad situation or mindset by challenging yourself and rising to the occasion. It's legend that Anastasia Romanov escaped being executed; I think Tori is singing about saving yourself by calling on your own inner strength. | |
| Alice in Chains – Would? Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| "If I would, could you?" = If I would make a huge mistake or go too far, could you try to see it my way? Could you forgive me? | |
| Built to Spill – Velvet Waltz Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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I've listened to this so many times. Maybe he is talking about the danger of lingering too long on wishful thinking, or getting stuck in the ideal of something at the cost of appreciating reality. He's saying "you took all that moment" and "left it in the sun," meaning you obsessed over a memory until it wasn't the truth anymore. The "brave idea" (meaning naive idealism) was good but you gave it too much "sun," meaning attention and value. You "didn't mean no harm," but you wallowed so much in hope and idealism that you ignored the reality of a situation. In the end, both the ideal and reality are ruined. You thought of everything but one thing you forgot was you're wrong... The "sun" of good intentions, nostalgia, idealism can blind a person and destroy lives. You can't accurately estimate the extent of potential failure ("the temperature and the distance of the sun") in the midst of idealism. But we keep hoping in spite of ourselves. We keep trying. The great human tragedy! Such a beautiful, sad song, musically and lyrically. |
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| Angel Olsen – Windows Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| I've often thought this song is the singer/narrator speaking to herself. Questioning her own fear, depression, or hesitation to engage with the world. And it's really sad because she can see the way out (the window and the light), but this inner conversation between the "light" and "dark" parts of the mind is neverending. The window might never be opened. | |
| Arcade Fire – Creature Comfort Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| I see this song as an indictment of the current culture of America and the idea that we all just "standing in the mirror and wait for the feedback" from others. We either want the approval of strangers (to be famous) or we want to numb ourselves with our creature comforts (a painless life). Finally, all of this seeking approval and creature comforts is just noise to cover up the fact that each of us is in pain and will one day die. The song also pokes fun at the emptiness of American prosperity--we don't know what we want, and if/when we get what we want, we aren't sure if we want it. Arcade Fire is so good at getting to the heart of the issue. | |
| Blink-182 – Adam's Song Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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Maybe I'm a pessimist but I do not see how this is a "light at the end of the tunnel" ending. I realize the line switches to "tomorrow holds such better days" at the end but the LAST LINE OF THE SONG is back to him dreaming about the exact thing that he was talking about past-tense when he was thinking about killing himself. And, like, anyone who has ever been depressed knows that the *possibility* of future good things just makes you feel worse/guilty, so this song does not end happily in my mind. I feel like the last stanza is said mockingly---"oh yeah, right, it'll get better" ---but he's still GONNA GO SPEND TIME IN HIS ROOM ALONE and we know what that means. |
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| Pixies – In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song) Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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I always thought this song was about nihilism and unfairness of the world. The speaker starts out pretending that everything is just peachy---you have your good thing and he has his. He should be content and happy, but he can't be. Someone else will always have his "good thing" even in the most perfect scenario. "Heaven" is a final destination, so if unfairness exists there it will never be corrected. By the end of the song his fake happy face erupts into rage at the truth & injustice of it all. Could be referring to the end of a relationship, too. Like he's trying to play it cool after being dumped, but in reality the ex will have her good thing PLUS his. I love this song because it succinctly drives home the general unfairness of life we have to accept. I heard it before I ever knew about Eraserhead, so this has been my take from long ago. |
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| Bee Gees – Stayin Alive Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| I always thought "New York Times effect on man" was poking fun at intellectualism vs. survivalism (aka "stayin' alive"). While the upper-class & academics trot out their theories on WHY everything is so terrible, the speaker of the song and most regular people are actually living that reality and trying to survive. | |
| Grouper – Headache Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| These are the lyrics as I heard them but any edits or additions are welcome | |
| Pink Floyd – Mother Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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I always thought "Mother" was authority in general. Could be parent, government, religion, depression/anxiety, whatever we allow to have power in our life. Pretty bleak song. We want to know what to expect and what to do in this life, but the source that offers answers usually also has the power. If we want a certain future, we must relinquish personal freedom and control. Seeking reassurance in a world of uncertainty is a losing game. Last line: the speaker wants to know why the wall of isolation/protection had to be built so high, but they are resigned to it. They are powerless by the end of the song. |
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| Joanna Newsom – Sawdust and Diamonds Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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Without going too deep, I always thought the song was dealing with mortality, and how love and history (past and future) are some consolation for death. She has some beautiful lyrics about the bittersweet nature of accepting one's mortality while acknowledging that we're all part of a bigger, longer picture. |
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| Laurie Anderson – Big Science Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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I think this is about how humans put themselves above nature, and how foolish this notion is. She is sort of mocking humans who use nature for their own means, to their own ends. "I think we should put some mountains here Otherwise, what are all the characters going to fall off of?" We even think that mountains are there for the benefit of our stories and fiction. Humans ruin everything because we appropriate everything. The point is that nature does not belongs to us, no matter how much a master we think ""big science" makes us. |
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| Stone Temple Pilots – Sex Type Thing Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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Is it fucked up that upon hearing this song as a 14 yr old girl, I thought this song was supposed to be sexy? Never once occurred to me it was about rape. I thought this animalistic sexual behavior was just what guys did, and I dreamed that one day a guy would "want me" as much as the guy in this song. I am 32 and just finding out the rapey meaning of this song. It's blowing my mind with how fucked up a society we live in that my 14 yr old girl self sincerely thought all those things. |
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| Stone Temple Pilots – Big Empty Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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I always figured it was about general regret: regret about drugs, about relationships gone bad, abortions, lying, stealing, cheating, everything that goes with those things, and being so exhausted by the shitty things you've done that you're beyond the point of talking, you're beyond conversation and trying to understand yourself and other people and all the bad choices you've made. All that is left to do is smoke a cig, drive home from whatever pit of hell you just escaped, keep on existing. Thus, the Big Empty. |
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| Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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She's basically saying to her partner, I wish we could trade places so we can see things from both sides. Seems as if she's frustrated at always been shooed away for feeling too much or "overreacting," but if her partner could just swap places they would know how harmful their behavior is to her. And vice-versa. And it's kind of sad, because obvs we can't make deals with God, so this deep understanding will never happen. |
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| Baroness – Chlorine & Wine Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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I think this is about depression, and feeling generally disconnected from everyone but also enraged and frustrated that there is nothing that helps. There are also references to substance abuse, and how depression has made him addicted to attention, drinking, meds, whatever he thinks could "keep him warm" in the winter of the soul. Toward the end there is an allusion to death (possibly suicide), but he wants to resist the urge. Also, it's obviously a take on "Shine on, You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd (and it has a "Comfortably Numb" reference, which is cool). |
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| Pixies – Lady in the Radiator Song Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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Before I knew of the Eraserhead connection, I always thought the song was the ultimate fuck-you-but-I-still-love-you song. It's like the speaker wants to reassure himself and his partner that he'll be just effin fine without her, but it's clear as the song continues that he is really not fine, and will never be okay. He wants to make peace with the situation, but he can't, and that is very bitter to him. The turn at the middle, when he changes, "You got your good thing, and I got mine" to "You got your good thing, and YOU got mine," is genius. The wistful tune and screaming (frustration/agony) really puts across a powerful message of a person who cannot let go as much as they want to. |
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| Built to Spill – Trimmed and Burning Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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I think this song is about more than just romance, I think it's about the inner fire we have in each of us that can fuel us or destroy us, sometimes both. And that fire can only be enough for us---we can't help anyone else, they have to find their own source of strength. "Keep your lamps trimmed and burning" is a biblical reference to Matthew 21:1-13. The passage is about being vigilant and aware, because you may not know when God will return. I think in the song it's a command to always be aware of yourself and your surroundings, because only you can love yourself, drive yourself, fix yourself, destroy yourself. It's also a warning, because "You may be alarmed by what you see." |
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| Father John Misty – The Ideal Husband Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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Julian is Julian Assange, the guy who headed up Wikileaks. His website leaked Top Secret government documents that some say compromised national US security. So this song is joking that "Julian" is going to expose all of the singer's worst acts. Now everyone will know the worst things about him. Although, let's face it....just like the USA suspected shadiness going on, I think this guy's friends are already very aware that he has a few issues. Everyone likes to think they hide their shittiness so well, but guess what....now it's out. And it's always been out. |
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| Our Lady Peace – 4 A.M. Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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I used to think this song was about a suicidal person who blamed his father for keeping him (the speaker) and a significant other/friend apart. "If I don't make it" is sort of like, "If I don't make it out of this depression (if I kill myself), know that I loved you all along." He hopes he can figure out why he's so depressed before he does something drastic. I realize now that the song is aimed toward the speaker's father, but I guess my adolescent mind thought every song was about a Very Depressed Person, ha ha. |
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| Bat for Lashes – Siren Song Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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This is weird, but I thought of Pearl in The Scarlet Letter. She was the child born out of wedlock to Hester Prynne, and she was Hester's alter-ego---capricious, wild, lawless, and wise beyond her years. I believe she thinks that SHE is the siren song, that despite her efforts to love the right way she will crash whoever she loves against the rocks. She believes herself to be evil, so she know it's inevitable, despite her most honest efforts to love. I also thought maybe it was a metaphor for depression---in her perfect world, she'll never be sad, she'll always be a supportive and active lover who does not ruin the party or bring anyone down. But she realizes this dream is unrealistic, because she's mentally unstable and can't deliver on her promises. A lot of guilt, regret, and anger at herself (and maybe, I think, at the person who expects it of her). |
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| Death in Vegas – Aisha Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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Two meanings, for me: 1) A murderer on death row. "I'm confused, I'm vibrating" is him getting electrocuted (listen to the noises he makes right after that, sounds like someone being electrocuted). "science makes us gods" - We created high-tech methods of execution, and we're playing god "we live in a cemetery" could be a reference to prison. OR 2) More of a half comedic, half terrifying horror story, where he's a deranged killer who is talking to his next victim "Aisha, he got out" sounds very Jekyll/Hyde, as if he has no control over his serial killer self "science runs through us, making us gods" is very Frankensteinian, classic science vs. nature horror theme "I'm confused, I'm vibrating" is just the murderer being insane, confused at his own hallucinations/derangement, yet exhilarated, too. Sounds like both a plea for help and an ecstatic exclamation |
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| Iggy Pop – Isolation Lyrics | 8 years ago |
| At the end of the song, I always thought he repeated "God only laughs at you, God only laughs at you." | |
| Temple of the Dog – Hunger Strike Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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I always thought this was about more than food---it is about feeling powerless. Often a "hunger strike" is a form of protest. And the lyric "I can't feed off the powerless / when my cup is overfilled" meant that the narrator's cup (life) is full of the same powerlessness. I think the song is about seeing others having success they do not deserve at the expense of other people, and feeling the injustice of witnessing that. It's the lie of the American dream: we see the rich and powerful, and we keep thinking that will be us, but we hate the rich even as we dream of being one of them. Watching other people have success just makes us emptier. |
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| Leonard Cohen – Anthem Lyrics | 8 years ago |
| This song is about grinning and bearing it and trying to remember that what breaks us down makes us stronger. Our "cracks" or hardships are how we grow and change. We should make the best of what we have while going through crises, and forget about being perfect for others. Nothing is perfect, but it is imperfection that toughens us and allows us to weather terrible hardship. | |
| James Taylor – Fire And Rain Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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I always thought this song would be a devastating suicide note. Perhaps the "you" in "I always thought that I'd see you again" is not a person at all, but happiness. The song is not abjectly sad, sort of bittersweet and reflective. It acknowledges good times and bad times, but there is a resigned feel to it. The tone is one of regret and acceptance, a feeling that often comes before someone decides to end their life due to depression or illness. |
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| PJ Harvey – Civil War Correspondent Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I love this song because it reminds us that all war is alike. This could be titled "WWI Correspondent" or "Vietnam Correspondent" or "Operation Iraqi Freedom Correspondent." It reminds me of The Red Badge of Courage. The soldier is losing hope in the brutality that surrounds him, and after a while even word from home and loved ones isn't enough to buoy his spirits. After all, "words can't save lives." I think by the end of the song it is clear that war has subsumed the soldier's spirit and/or mind. He cannot escape the gunfire any more than he can escape his own heartbeat. |
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| The National – Don't Swallow the Cap Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| I also think "bright white beautiful heaven hanging over me" refers to how he wants to believe there's something wonderful after death. But he only shares this image when someone else asks what he "sees." I think he doesn't want to confess he doesn't believe there's anything waiting for us. He wants to comfort others instead of telling them the truth. | |
| Damien Jurado – Abilene Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I think "Is it in the mountains high? Or is it the deep blue sea?" means heaven or hell, happiness or sadness, but there is also a tone of weird threat of isolation to this whole song. For example, when the speaker is talking about her parents, and how they will not believe she left them----he sounds kind of gleeful to be taking this naive girl away from everything and everyone she knows. It could also be the devil himself. It sounds rather mysterious and dark, like the Devil has come to tempt her away from her "goodness" and into the dark unknown. |
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| Steven Wilson – Perfect Life Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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What a gorgeous, sad song. According to Steven Wilson, this song is part of an album that explores the imagined memories and experiences of Joyce Carol Vincent, the woman who died in her British flat and went unmissed and unfound for 3 years. I think the "sister" could either be a real friend who visited for six months, or, perhaps more likely, an imaginary friend the speaker invented. We never learn how they become separated, only that she faded from memory completely, much as our imaginary friends do when we grow up and grow out of them. But wow, how sad. This song is a picture of the purity of childhood friendship and imagination and the hard reality of growing up and leaving those things behind.. |
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| Our Lady Peace – Clumsy Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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A friend keeps fucking up their life and fucking you over and finally you just say, fuck it, fine, if that's how you want to be then do it. Maybe one day that guy will have a friend as "clumsy" with their own life and their friendship and learn a lesson. |
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| White Zombie – More Human Than Human Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| I always heard "Hellbilly Caprice" instead of "hell American freak show" | |
| Filter – Hey Man, Nice Shot Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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He was sort of saying to the media, fuck you, you condemn crime and suicide but look at how you grow strong on it. I'll give you something to chew on. He also killed himself with a clean shot to his head (no disfigurement), so the "nice shot" congratulations of this song has double meaning. |
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| Filter – The Only Way (Is The Wrong Way) Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| I think the speaker is expressing frustration at a partner who is controlling and passive-aggressive. The partner makes promises, and pushes him for what he's told is his own good, but in the end it's clear that the partner (or parent) is just doing these things for their own gain or control. That's why the lyrics are "it FEELS like the only way is the wrong way"---because while he's being told one thing (that it's all for his own good), it feels like (and probably is) the wrong thing. | |
| Lana Del Rey – Old Money Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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Has anyone noticed the "I'll run to you, I'll come to you" part is VERY reminiscent of "I Have a Reason" by the Velvet Underground (famously covered by Cat Power)? I like the song, I'm just surprised no one else has said anything. |
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| Lana Del Rey – Pretty When You Cry Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I think she's saying he let's her down because he likes to hurt her, and she's calling him out on it. Since she's "pretty when she cries" he doesn't mind hurting her. Maybe he even gets off on it. Or maybe he associates ugliness with suffering and doesn't realize he's really hurting her because she remains beautiful when she cries |
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| Lana Del Rey – West Coast Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I got whiplash listening to this song (in a good way)-- "Down on the west coast..." part sounds like "Maniac" from Flashdance "You're flying high.." part sounds like "Dirty Diana" by Michael Jackson. |
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| Broken Social Scene – Horses Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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This is actually a cover of the beginning of a Patti Smith song called "Land: Horses/Land of a Thousand Dances" from her album Horses. Her original song is over nine minutes long and awesome. BSS's cover is also awesome. I wish it were longer. I think it's about either rage or an orgasm gathering inside "Johnny," and the horses are either the rage or the orgasm manifesting itself. |
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| Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Song of Joy Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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Also, he says he was a doctor and "visiting a sick friend." This was a joke back in the day, code for when men wanted to go out with the chaps and get in trouble. If anyone's familiar with the "dogs playing poker" paintings by Cassius Coolidge, there is a painting in that series called "Sitting Up With a Sick Friend" that depicts the dogs playing poker and the wives catching them. |
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| The Kills – Future Starts Slow Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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Does anyone see a drug addiction meaning in this? The love-hate relationship with drugs. "It's hard to be hard when you're shaking like a dog" means it's hard to have resolve or feel hopeful about anything when you're withdrawing. I guess half of love songs could be interpreted as drug songs, but hey, it fits. |
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| Pete Yorn – Vampyre Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I feel like whatever the song is about, the "too hot to handle, too cold to shovel" refers to a subject matter or issue that's too hard to face but impossible to bury. The rest of it, I'm at a loss. I feel like maybe it's an internal dialogue---maybe the "we" is a Greek chorus "we." But then I think that maybe it's more straightforward---perhaps a crowd judging people they perceive as the authority. Hence, the "They" are the people who don't see or care about them getting into trouble in clear view (backs of cars), and these people are the ones who need the "stake through the heart." |
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| Better Than Ezra – Desperately Wanting Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I think it's about a friend who maybe was molested as a kid, grew up to be a drug addict. The doctors saved her/him after they overdosed, then pumped her full of pills again and then wondered how she relapsed when they "turned her on again." The narrator is angry at all the people who fucked up his friend---her family, her doctors, all the people who never really gave her a chance to succeed. I think this song is telling her how he understands how she may want to kick them all in the face. He wants to help her to truly recover and get straight if she would give him the chance. |
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| Creedence Clearwater Revival – I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Marvin Gaye cover) Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| I love this version and find it addictive. It is so dark and moody, it could be interpreted as a murder ballad....the longer the song goes on, the more the feeling of dread increases. You can just feel the singer's dismay turn toward anger. | |
| Arcade Fire – Supersymmetry Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| I feel this is another song about death and dealing with the end of things, which seems to be a theme on Reflektor. The male speaker lost someone and is waiting out the seasons, trying to find distractions from his grief. Meanwhile, the female---the dead partner---is singing the same words, presumably feeling the same thing on the other side. Or at least in his mind, she's with him, working out the same feelings of grief while existing apart. They find closure and I daresay hope at the end. The music is euphoric and bittersweet at the end, sort of telling us they completed the grieving process and have come to a point of resolution and acceptance of losing each other. | |
| Arcade Fire – We Used to Wait Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| Yes, I agree with everyone who says it's about technology and the fast, impatient society we live in...but I also think it works on another level. Just like we used to wait for communication, we used to spend time on authentic, lasting things---physical and "slow" communication like writing letters, friendships, marriages, etc. In addition to communication being so speedy, we now expect things like friendship and love relationships to be instantaneous, and have little patience for interruptions in service, so to speak. Waiting and patience builds steadfastness, dedication, and character. It takes patience to wait for good things and wait out bad times (also known as hope), and we have lost that. | |
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