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Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody Lyrics 9 years ago
As a gay atheist, this song makes all kinds of sense.

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Epica – Sancta Terra Lyrics 10 years ago
The lyrics are vague enough that I'm sure this could be taken several different ways. For me, this seems like a song describing a fall into acceptance of religion (from the point of view of an outside, atheist observer).

Sancta ~ holy, terra ~ everywhere on Earth.

I feel a passion watching over me - God/gods
To shed this
This evolution will empower me - interesting word choice. Are we shedding evolution or is the change to religion an empowering change?
Now truth begins - religion works on paradoxical immutable truths.

It's a place where your dreams will be sanctioned - religion tells its followers what to believe
And will always be - a reference to the permanence of religion or perhaps the eternities described in the teachings.
It's a force that was sent out to win you - your weekly tithing, please, pass the tray!
Just you wait and see - a reference to the hope that truth will one day show itself to the religious, or is this an allusion to afterlife?

Other verses can be seen through a similar lens. Maybe the context in the album provides a more specific/different meaning. Either way, this is just what I thought when listening/reading to this song.

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Lady GaGa – Applause Lyrics 11 years ago
Gaga has stated in interviews (multiple times) that she takes great joy in seeing her fans happy, seeing her message of acceptance no matter the circumstances (among other messages) heard through her music. I think this song is a tribute to that. Maybe she is reminding us that it's her fans that make it worth it.

Her attire in this video is unusually bland and not-quite-as-suggestive as usual. However, I'm sure that's intentional. Maybe it's a means of communicating her desire to be closer to her fans. Maybe it's just a way to contrast with the colors that are in the video. Maybe she is just trying a new style.

What's really interesting to me is the stanza about art. Google Translate says kunst means art.

One second I'm a kunst
Then suddenly the kunst is me
Pop culture was in art
Now, art's in pop culture in me

Gag wanted to be an artist and suddenly she gets recognition.
Pop culture was one component of art, and now Gaga's art is popular; her artistic expression is done via her pop music.

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Nightwish – Romanticide Lyrics 11 years ago
Thoumas has stated father plainly that the ONLY song he wrote with any band turmoil in mind is Bye Bye Beautiful on Dark Passion Play. Also, I don't think those dramas are related to this song at all. See my explanation:

It's just my interpretation, but I think Romanticide is about divorce. I think we are meant to follow along as Thoumas rushes us through a marriage that ends in disaster. Maybe it was destined to fail? Maybe it wasn't? How do you want to interpret it? Does your interpretation change depending on your mood?

The song begins with the marriage:

God love and rest my soul
With this sundown never ending
// Referring to the divinity of marriage - and maybe to the weeding night ;)

The feel is gone yet you ain't gonna see me fail
I am the decadence of your world
// She is determined to make it work long-term; she is committed and recognizes that he feels the same way. Might be more wedding night references, too. But...

Happy hunting, you double-faced carnivore
// At this point, we get a foreshadowing of the impending doom. One face for her, but his other face is turned to the hunt for other women

Tell me why
No heart to cry
Hang me high
// Once we get to this point in the song, the divorce is gaining steam. From here on out, it's about the break-up and malice between the two (former) lovers. Loss of innocence, anyone? Thoumas has a bit of an obsession with that...

See me ruined by my own creations
// This is possibly a statement of shared guilt, but moving on...

.. .. ..
// This is where the bridge is situated in the song. I think it's critical to consider the musical aspect in conjunction with the semantic meaning of the lyrics in a song, especially in the case of Romanticide. The first half of the song is lyrical with metal backing, carrying a similarity to many other Nightwish songs. BUT, at this point in Romanticide, the character of the song completely changes. Off the top of my head, I can't recall any other compositions by Nightwish that are as angry-feeling as the second half of this song. This is definitely the part where the couple, now getting divorced is actively fighting with copious malice. The words are nearly shouted instead of sung; they are intoned quickly, as if in a rage:

Dead Boy's alive but without sense
I need a near-death experience
Heart once bold
Now turned to stone
Perfection my messenger from hell
// This is sung by Marco (not Tarja like the rest of the song), so let's assume that this would be from the point of view of the man in the relationship. He was in love, but seems became dull for him, his goals changed - he carries regret for marrying.

Wine turns to water
Campfires freeze, love letters burn
Romance is lost
Lord, let me be wrong in this pain

Temporary pain, eternal shame
To take part in this devil's chess game
// Describing the essence of divorce (though it's certainly a meta-emotional statement, IMO)

Spit on me, let go, get rid of me
And try to survive your stupidity
// At this point, it could be from both sides. It's a bitter end and they want nothing to do with the other.

And it's interesting to consider how a dead romance sets up for the next song on Once - one of the most epic metal compositions: Ghost Love Score.

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Lady GaGa – Poker Face Lyrics 11 years ago
As with many/all songs that have much value, there are many ways this song could be interpreted. One way to look at it would be Gaga seducing a wealthy man and then running off with his money.

In this model, verse one is about getting the man's attention. For example: "Love Game intuition play the cards with spades to start" Gaga is going for him strong right away, catching his attention.

Verse two is about living it up in the limelight - doing all of the things that wealthy dating couples do. It's risky for her because Gaga's faking it and could be discovered at any time - thus the Russian Roulette reference.

Verse three is about Gaga not showing affection to the wealthy man when it's normally appropriate: "I won't tell you that I love you - Kiss or hug you." But, that's fine with Gaga because Gaga has already walked off with his money: "Check this hand cause I'm marvelous."

The chorus can be seen as a window to Gaga's thoughts as she goes about doing all of this. "I'll get him hot, show him what I've got" is clearly a reference to seduction, but "Can't read my, Can't read my, No he can't read my poker face" - in the context of this analysis - is a reference to the idea that it's just a show for Gaga. The cash is what's it's really about; he's can't see through Gaga's poker face to see that she's playing him for his money.

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