| The National – The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| Matt Berringer was recently interviewed as saying the song speaks to the current dark state of affairs the US is experiencing politically with the rise of dark ethno-nationalistic elements selling people a twisted hate-based faith of sorts. He said the song is about the "darkness before the dawn" in that the system (our society) can only be motivated and inspired to break free and grow out of this divisive hatred, this dark faith, in the most trying, darkest of times (that inspiration being the "dreams" he alludes to). He says that he can tell that "somebody sold you (sic: on some terrible twisted ideology)", being taken aback because he thought we were impervious to the mistakes of history (i.e., "we said we wouldn't be fooled by nefarious elements of society...we wouldn't let them in...but you did."). He says the only cure for this new dark time we've found ourselves in is to eradicate this twisted dark faith many have become beholden to (i.e., "Loss of no other faith is light enough for this place"). | |
| CHVRCHES – The Mother We Share Lyrics | 8 years ago |
| Was watching the music video for this song when it dawned on me that this song is being sung from the perspective of a depressed person's inner child (i.e., the aspect of that person where their hopes, dreams, and inner strength lies), who is crying out desperately to motivate that person to move forward and "out" of their sadness and in doing so to leave their baggage behind, realize that they are not alone, and connect with the world around them because that inner child can only hold that person up so long before things make a turn for the worse. Since "they" are really one in the same person, "they" share a common origin, experiences, and mother. The inner child cries "I'm in misery" and "make it easy on me". They want the person's ego to heed this subconcious need to continue on and survive, to not be "stuck" and lamenting any longer--to realize that they are not alone in the world. | |
| Tool – Right in Two Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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Maynard and the rest of the guys in TOOL are a cleaver bunch. Being staunch atheists, they've found a way to relate reason-and-logic-based social and political commentary to nonbelievers and believers alike by leveraging parables the common man is familiar with, even though they don't believe the religious dogma themselves. Being that the song is sung satirically from the "Angels" perspective (i.e., intelligent, rational people), the band can stand back and comment on the behavior of the "monkeys" (i.e., all humans--people in general) without the flack they would catch from being more blunt about it. The line I love most in the song is, "Repugnant is a Creature who would squander the ability To lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here". The use of the words "heaven" and "here" are loaded and telling; they are saying that "heaven" is actually our time "here" as conscious beings on earth and that we should use that time wisely, rather than waste it on unproductive, selfish, violent, and irrational pursuits. |
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| Tool – Parabola Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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FlyAnts said (many moons ago): "Our soul is what makes us different from every other person. It is my personal belief that our soul is the same thing as our mind. Our body gives our soul a chance to experience life and what it means to be alive." I agree that the soul, the spirit (aka 'breath of life'), the mind, etc. are all names for the emergent phemomena of self-conscious cognition resulting from being embodied by our particular form. These capacities are specific to human physiology. All life is cognizant to a certain degree. We just happen to be aware of ourselves in relation to the external environment in a self-reflective sense, the highest known form of awareness. Our form is rare, complex, and robust and thus precious. We should not take our embodied form for granted. This 'body' that we have is it. It's all we have. It is everything to us. Our bodies coming into contact with the external environment beget and shape our unique minds; only then do our unique minds enable our bodies to fully experience life. Therefore, our bodies and minds/spirits/souls are actually one in the same (the phenomena of 'mind' emerges from the body's interactions with the world). The idea that they are separate, discrete, compartmental facets of existence is completely false. Being embodied as a human being is a rare, precious gift that should be treasured by anyone lucky enough to be born into this form. Experiencing life as a human being is being in heaven. It is the most holy reality and the most holy of experiences. I believe the realization and celebration of being embodied as a unique human being is what the song is about. |
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| David Bowie – Quicksand Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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The song is influenced heavily by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy of the Overman/Superman (which is actually mentioned in the song "I'm not a prophet or a stone age man; Just a mortal with the potential of a Superman"), as well as philosophy and ideas emanating from Buddhism. Believe it or not, the song is actually a positive, hopeful song. Essentially, the song is about moving one's psyche away from that of god-infused egalitarianism, Platonic idealism, asceticism, or any other-worldly idealism or even nihilism and towards that of a purposed existence based on a love of this earth, a love of the world we share, a love for each other, and a love of life at this very moment. The song is very much about the death of the idealized view we hold of ourselves in our mind's eye and not so much about an actual physical death. The "belief in yourself" he warns against is that of idealizing yourself in an other-worldy sort of way, which is deceiving and misrepresentative of your true nature. Knowledge comes with the freeing of one's mind from the torments of idealization. Everything else will simply follow after this realization. In the end, a human's nature is exactly what it is. It is readily apparent and does not need to be deconstructed. The non-holistic, reductionist qualities of idealistic philosophies can lead to a sickness of the mind (insanity/introversion derived from being neglectful of the whole of being). These are some interesting tidbids from the Wikipedia article on the Overman (Ãœbermensch): "This-worldliness Nietzsche introduces the concept of the Ãœbermensch in contrast to the other-worldliness of Christianity: Zarathustra proclaims the Ãœbermensch to be the meaning of the earth and admonishes his audience to ignore those who promise other-worldly hopes in order to draw them away from the earth.[2][3] The turn away from the earth is prompted, he says, by a dissatisfaction with life, a dissatisfaction that causes one to create another world in which those who made one unhappy in this life are tormented. The Ãœbermensch is not driven into other worlds away from this one. The Christian escape from this world also required the invention of an eternal soul which would be separate from the body and survive the body's death. Part of other-worldliness, then, was the denigration and mortification of the body, or asceticism. Zarathustra further links the Ãœbermensch to the body and to interpreting the soul as simply an aspect of the body. As the drama of Thus Spoke Zarathustra progresses, the turn to metaphysics in philosophy and Platonism in general come to light as manifestations of other-worldliness, as well. Truth and nature are inventions by means of which men escape from this world. The Ãœbermensch is also free from these failings. The death of God and the creation of new values Zarathustra ties the Ãœbermensch to the death of God. While this God was the ultimate expression of other-worldly values and the instincts that gave birth to those values, belief in that God nevertheless did give life meaning for a time. God is dead means that the idea of God can no longer provide values. With the sole source of values no longer capable of providing those values, there is a real danger of nihilism. Zarathustra presents the Ãœbermensch as the creator of new values. In this way, it appears as a solution to the problem of the death of God and nihilism. Because the Ãœbermensch acts to create new values within the moral vacuum of nihilism, there is nothing that this creative act would not justify. Alternatively, in the absence of this creation, there are no grounds upon which to criticize or justify any action, including the particular values created and the means by which they are promulgated. In order to avoid a relapse into Platonic Idealism or asceticism, the creation of these new values cannot be motivated by the same instincts that gave birth to those tables of values. Instead, they must be motivated by a love of this world and of life. Whereas Nietzsche diagnosed the Christian value system as a reaction against life and hence destructive in a sense, the new values which the Ãœbermensch will be responsible for will be life-affirming and creative." |
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| Eddie Vedder – Rise Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Mandolin power. Hell yeah! Amazingly motivating song about finding the power from within to rise up and overcome your obstacles. |
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| The Killers – Spaceman Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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arnoldisgreat quoted as saying: "I'm pretty sure this songs about how much he doesn't like being famous! think about it he's getting abducted by the music industry in the begining of the song and he thought it would be great but then he CHANGED HIS MIND and he got too famous and people are calling him by his name... the star maker is the talent agency the dream maker just a metaphor for his own dreams not being like he thought and He is the spaceman (or maybe someone else telling him that being famous sucks) and that the glam and all that about being famous is all in your mind" This is also how I interpreted the metaphor of an alien abduction. I feel as if the song is about Flowers thinking that a regular life in Sam's Town wasn't good enough...that being surrounded by debauchery and lowlifes and lack of ambition would rub him the wrong way and hold him back. He thought that, being a super-"star" and removing himself from where he came from, he could solve all his world's problems or that they would all go away. But he was wrong. In fact, he realized living with your head in the clouds, removed from the real world, wasn't any better. He realizes it's actually worse. It's corrupting, full of manipulation and exploitation. He begs to be brought back to a "real" life. The starmaker is obviously someone that exploits his talent for their own gain (a Hollywood Agent or a Record Label). The dreammaker represents himself and his frustration because of the gap between his dreams of grandeur and the reality of being a star. The spaceman represents those (in media and government perhaps?) who wish to discredit his experiences and continue to sell the image of Hollywood and non-reality for mass consumption by an unwitting public. Just my take. |
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| Snow Patrol – Lifeboats Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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"This song really seems like he's waking up after a hellish nightmare that scares the bejeebers out of him. And then he wakes up and sees the love of his life when he wakes up and his world is just alright again. He's safe with her." This is the meaning of the song. I get the same thing from reading the lyrics. He's having terrible nightmares about insecurities he has with his relationship and the fear of losing his love. He wakes up and he's safe because she's still there, sleeping right next to him. She is his lifeboat. As long as she's there, everything is going to be alright for him. |
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| Third Eye Blind – Non-Dairy Creamer Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| This song explains through its political commentary how the new social pollution which consists of a twisted mixture of BIG American Pop-culture, Neoconservativism, and Theocracy has almost destroyed modern civilization. Thank you giant international corporate syndicates and religious zealots for your fine gift to the world. | |
| OneRepublic – Stop and Stare Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Everyone feels this way from time to time throughout the progression of life. Whenever people are stuck in a rut, they project they can't escape a certain fate, for instance. Whenever you fall off the path you are trekking in life and lose track of yourself and where you are going, you feel like this. Most people then stop and stare...which the singer then concludes is exactly what you should NOT do in life. Rather, you should get back up and keep going. Everyone reflects upon seemingly unfair experiences in life that they think have gotten them where they are. The problem with this line of thought is that people also have the tendency to draw conclusions where no conclusions can be drawn because they over analyze their situation. This generally leads to stagnation, preventing you from being who you really are and getting where you are supposed to be going. This also falsely leads people into thinking they need to become someone who they are not. They wrongly rethink their whole journey instead of just getting up, dusting themselves off, and proceeding onward. In the end, we can never really run away from ourselves. The pain will follow you wherever you take off to. If you want to truly be at peace and be happy, live for the now and just be you. You'll eventually wind up where you want to be. And that's not necessarily a physical location. It's a state of being. And remember, it is never too late to get up, dust yourself off, and continue onward. Don't let missed opportunity get you down because it is a vicious cycle that will only depress you and make you miss more opportunities. Forget about missed opportunity. Jump on new opportunity and you will be happy. I promise. |
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| David Bowie – I'm Afraid of Americans Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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The connotation of this song is obvious: David Bowie is worried about the state of American culture...afraid of it even. Like he says, "Nobody needs anyone. They don't even just pretend." Every man is a castle in America (everyone living the rugged individualist's wet dream), and there is no cohesive culture to speak of. There is no respect, not even recognition, for one's neighbors and fellow men and women here. So, inevitably, there is vast exploitation and manipulation...hedonism enabled via stepping on the toes of others...validated through the antiquated belief systems called modern religions. Some would say Americans are so boisterously arrogant and selfish as to call god (gods?) one of their own. Many have validated this country's financial and technological success in this way. David Bowie sees this greed, arrogance, carelessness, and exploitation and worries for the world. After all, the world has looked to America in the past for direction. Ironically, when this song was first released, we knew not what the last 8 years could possibly hold for American culture. But it seems as if David Bowie's worst fears have actually materialized. Our self-centered culture has finally caught up with us. Now the world must pay for it. |
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| Ani DiFranco – Landing Gear Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| On second examination, I think it is actually about a combination of what you and I both put forth...about her having a baby and wanting the baby to live life for the here and now, for this world. She is going to make sure the baby loves this world and promises to never instill the fear-mongering of the religious in him or her. The frustrations and criticisms I mentioned that she puts forth are intertwined with her hopes and wishes for her baby. She mentions them as obstacles for her baby to overcome in this new world he or she will soon enter into. | |
| Ani DiFranco – Landing Gear Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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That's an interesting interpretation...about her having her baby. I think I know what she really means, though. The name of the song implies it, actually. She's not preaching to the choir here. She's speaking to religious zealots that have their heads in the clouds, shouting at them, "Time to come down now. Time to land. Time to get back in touch with reality and be grounded once again." In the song, Ani tries to sell the idea to the pious that you don't need to live your life for an afterlife...for after you die. The world loves you right here and right now, whether you acknowledge it or not. Wake the f*ck up and start living for today, here in OUR beautiful world! Stop living your life according to some dogma written with the intention to subordinate and control you. Start living your life for what you want and start loving yourself, your neighbors, and your environment. She is right on point. I agree with her 100%. I think this song is a reflection of her frustration with the far right-wing theocrats and neocons of the GOP running our country for the past 8 years. She actually made passing mention to this at a live performance of hers I was at recently. |
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| Depeche Mode – Enjoy The Silence Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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The song is pretty obviously about 2 people in a relationship and how words don't adequately describe and can even taint the pure intent of the two kindred spirits involved. The relationship could be boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, etc. I'd even like to think it could extend to father/child. When I first heard this song way back when, I thought it was so beautiful because it might be about a father and his infant daughter who can't yet speak. I thought he might be rhetorically telling her, as well as himself, as he cradles her in his arms to enjoy the silence and pureness of intent well it lasts...before indescript words come into the picture and muff things up. And when I think of the song this way, it makes the most sense to me (even brings a tear to my eye). The pureness of human love expresses itself so lucidly in this type of situation. |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Rocket Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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This song is thematically coincident with TOOL's song Lateralus. It is almost like they are 2 versions of the same message by 2 totally different artists with 2 totally different styles. The themes of the songs are self evident below: Rocket: "I miss me I miss everything I'll never be... I torch my soul to show The world that I am pure Deep inside my heart No more lies... A crown of horns An image formed deformed... I shall be free free Free of those voices inside me" In Rocket, he wants to be born again (the rocket blasting off metaphor--an escape), free from the misconceptions, assumptions, and prejudices about him manufactured by his own worst enemy...himself. And in order to return to a state grace in 'finding himself, being himself, or living to his fullest potential', he must purge 'the voices' from his mind and the negativity from his soul. It is a realization that the only way not to regret missing the opportunities that pass you by is by not putting boundries around those opportunities in the first place and seizing all opportunities presented before you enthusiastically. Lateralus: "Black then white are all I see in my infancy. red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me. lets me see there is so much more and beckons me to look through to these infinite possibilities. As below, so above and beyond, I imagine drawn outside the lines of reason. Push the envelope. Watch it bend... Over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind. Withering my intuition leaving all these opportunities behind... Feed my will to feel this moment urging me to cross the line. Reaching out to embrace the random. Reaching out to embrace whatever may come... I embrace my desire to feel the rhythm, to feel connected enough to step aside and weep like a widow to feel inspired, to fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be a human." In Lateralus, the song's subject yearns to stop overanalyzing himself and rekindle what it was that made him human in the first place...the pure explorative curiousity sans preconceptions about things and himself. He realizes that being spiritually born again anew is what it will take to push outside the artificial boundaries he has set for himself in the past. Being open to the world, its experiences, himself, and others will cleanse him of his own imprisioning self-loathing. I'd like to end with a helpful and hopeful quote by Pink Floyd that is synonymous with the themes presented above and illustrates the path and end-goal of all human individuality, creativity, and experience: "Long you live and high you fly Smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry All you touch and all you see Is all your life will ever be." |
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| Type O Negative – Green Man Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| The Green Man is a pagan diety, or nature spirit, who is of gaulish/gaelic (celtic) origin (this is debated, but most historical evidence found thus far points to this being true). The druids, themselves being of the celtic peoples inhabiting Northwest Europe during the times of the Roman Empire and prior, personified the green man (nature/virility) as being tree-like, uniting the elemental earth forces of the ground with the heavenly eternity of the sky. It was his cycle of birth, growth, death, and rebirth that explained the processes of life and nature. This closed loop (perfect circle) vision of the universe is uniting, hopeful, and positive yet humbling. Today's people think progressively, linearly, individualistically. The people of yesteryear were more in tune with nature and its cyclical, or seasonal, qualities, as well as its communal symbiosis and interdependencies. This song is definitely an appeal to humanity being closely connected to nature in the latter sense. | |
| The Shins – Caring Is Creepy Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I think alot of people here get this song's meaning. They are just having a bit of trouble putting it into words. I'll give it a go here: Essentially, it's a narrative explaining the singer's struggle to make sense of advice about life and its meaning, which comes at him from all different angles from different people who claim to be "in the know." While people's intention as advice givers is sometimes to help out the receiver of the message, many times the advice is given just to validate the advice giver's opinion and experience. The advice giver is human after all, and likely to put too much weight, or a bias, on the point of view experienced in that particular situation, usually with blatant disregard for a counteracting point of view or opinion. The singer comes to the conclusion that the definitive answers that explain life and the right way to live it are actually semantic, or contextual...meaning based on each individual's unique situation. The answers hang just above our heads in a place outside of our ability to perceive them clearly. No one person has all the answers and fighting to make people accept your opinion as truth (preaching) is a waste of everyone's time and energy. Preaching is projecting your "truth" on others, which according to the above logic is actually more artificial and likely to hurt the advice receiver in the long run if forced upon him or her. The singer has learned to deal with these "know it alls" by not giving too much weight, or even consideration, to their opinions and points of view. He believes it a waste of time and effort, and that it leads to missed opportunities. People who overanalyzing everything, plannning but never actually executing, often claim to be these "know it alls" he speaks of. This is his critique of those who subscribe to this mode of thought. |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Disarm Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| This songs is about the vicious cycle of hurt we put each other through. Billy sings of a once innocent boy hurt and abandoned by another. And ironically it is this very thing that hardened the 'boy' to be able to 'disarm another with a smile', or make another let down her guard long enough for him to gain her trust and hurt and abandon her just as he was hurt and abandoned by another. It is this learned 'hurt' and 'hardening of spirit' that the song speaks to. Corgan again observes and attests to one of life's bittersweet symphonies. | |
| The Smashing Pumpkins – Thirty Three Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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It seems that the allusions to the Last Supper and the Crucifixion are being used as metaphors in the song to describe his feeling betrayed by those that loved him and were closest to him. He feels he must go off and find his own path and this makes him sad. But I feel the real crux of the song is as follows: He says in the beginning of the song, "deep in thought i forgive everyone." This line is very interesting because later in the song he says, "sympathies i'm ready to return/ i'll make the effort, love can last forever." It is important to realize that the song is about emotional growth. He leaves forgiving everyone for wronging him, but as he finds himself on his own, he realizes he must go back and say he is sorry for wronging them, as well. The lesson here is that the hardest part of growing as a person is having humility: that is taking responsiblity and being accountable for your own shortcomings and not blaming all the hardships in your life on everyone but yourself. Being modest and accepting of differences is the hardest of virtues to achieve. Billy Corrigan just happens to know how to illustrate his own growth process in this beautiful song. You know someone is getting older and wiser when they admit there is still much more ahead to learn: "mysteries not ready to reveal." |
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| UNKLE – Rabbit In Your Headlights Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I see a lot of people have pieced together what this song is all about. I'll try to summarize: -UNKLE was very influenced by the movie 'Jacob's Ladder' in the making of both this song and this album [sidenote: the videogame series, Silent Hill, was also influenced by the same movie...similarities are striking amongst all 3]. A voice sample getting at the underlying thematics of the song should clue you in to this. -The atmosphere of the song is that of fear, psychological confusion, spiritual despair, and utter human hopelessness...in the beginning. At the end, it is an atmosphere of sudden, almost explosive, enlightenment, empowerment, and metamorphasis for the better, after the confrontaion of a journey symbolizing life and the imparting of knowledge and wisdom only experience [read: trials and tribulations] can bring (i.e. refer to man walking down a highway tunnel in the music video). -The music video is chock full of symbolism, including a man who is considered an outcast by a society because he doesn't fit in and chooses his own path and who eventually partakes in the ultimate enlightment and causes earth-shaking change to occur [seems very messiah-like, supported by the visuals]; normal, everyday people zooming around, into, and by the man in their automobiles, going about their business and living in their own little worlds, unaware of the bigger picture, as well as unaware of the 'little' guy [one of these normal people is nice enough to stop and see what is the matter...he is a needle in a hay stack, symbolizing the inherent good and selflessness of mankind buried amongst his overt tendencies of greed and selfishness]; the road and tunnel which are the path of life for everyone; and the infamous jacket which represents this man's doubt, despair, victimization, lack of self esteem, confusion, etc. [he tends to hide his true self within this 'jacket of woe and sorrow'...using it as a wall or baracade between his true self and the outside the world...causing an introversion of his mind, spirit, and energy]. -The events can be interpretted as the story of a little guy, a seemingly innocent, harmless rabbit, who cares not for social acceptance and recognition, but rather chooses to live life according to his own will, truths, and goals. He walks along the path of life, confused, lonely, and lacking faith in humanity because he sees its ugliness, unlike many others who foolishly think life is a race to get from one end of the tunnel to the other. In his despair, he shuts himself off from the outside world, shielding himself from it with the jacket and locking his true self inside. He, at first, doesn't realize he is doing more harm then good for himself by hiding within this 'jacket of woe'. He feels betrayed and victimized by humanity as others rush by him and even knock into him. He is so jaded after a while that he becomes completely unaware when a helping hand comes to aid him. He buries himself deeper and deeper within the confines of the jacket, mistakingly thinking that it will protect him...when it really just makes him more of a target. The introversion and hopelessness cause this. After getting knocked down repeatedly, he has an epiphany...a revelation. His fear and introversion are what is causing his downfall. His lack of faith in humanity had become a lack of faith in himself. In order to break free from this, he must shed his 'jacket'...he must unsheathe himself from the confines of his own mind and his inwardness--he must believe in himself and his ways and project his true self outward for all the world to see. When he sheds this 'jacket', his metamorphasis occurs and change in his life can finally take place. Not only is he empowered, enlightened, and changed, his projection is so powerful that it changes his surroundings and all of those around him, bringing them to a CRASHING halt. His will is unbreakable...insurmountable. His influence on this world will be felt. He has become aware of the pinnacle of all human truths: Mind over matter. The willpower of the human mind, body, and spirit, when harmoniously in accord, can shatter the delusions we have of this life, this world, and this universe...this very existence. When you believe in yourself and you are ready to fearlessly lead by example, your influence can and shall be felt. Change for the better can occur only at this point. -The underlying theme of this song is envoked by the vocal sample from 'Jacob's Ladder' and the 'jacket of woe and sorrow' I mentioned earlier. The two are very closely related. The vocal sample mentions that you cannot free yourself of the burdens of this life if you do not make peace with yourself and believe in yourself...you cannot wrecklessly hold on and try to control everything by clinging to your 'jacket of woe and sorrow' and directing your energy inwards. If you cling to this metaphorical shield, you will only become bitter, jaded, and miserable. You will only see the world and everybody in it, including yourself, as 'Devils'. Only when you change yourself by ridding yourself of this 'jacket' can you change everything for the better. You can finally see everyone, including yourself, as 'Angels' [seeing the good/positive in everything--not focusing on the bad/negative]. By accepting what you can and cannot control, you can use the wisdom and knowledge garnered from experience to project your will unto the world. Believing in yourself and your cause; being fearless; confronting your adversaries: general apathy, greed, fear, and negativity; and leading by example and taking action comprise the recipe for change for the better. In the beginning of the song, the rabbit in the headlights--the victim--is the man. By the end of the song and after the enlightenment and epiphany take place, the man becomes the messiah...the deliverer of change and truth...and an ultimate victor in life. |
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| TV on the Radio – Province Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I beieve this song is about a change in the people of America's collective conciousness and perspective over the past 7 or so years. I don't want to deconstruct the song because it loses its feeling and meaning that way, but in essense, the song is saying that the old American ideals can no longer be applied to the new world. We are coming to realize that our view of history is incredibly bias and that we are not the almighty, all-encompassing power we once thought we were. Our influence is waning. We are culturally unwise, immature if you will...and we are finally, as a young country, going through our growing pains. We, as a nation, are going to have to evolve with the rest of the world. This change is inevitable...like the change of color in the autumn leaves. The political message of the song is pretty clearly communicated throught the music video, where a women in military uniform representing America is being overwhelmed by the world around her. In the end, as hard as she tries to persist, she fails. Nature wins. The time for change has arrived. There are also words that represent America and its symbology throughout the song. For example: "love is the province of the brave" is a play on words of the gandhi quote...meaning that love should be of the utmost importance, especially in the land of the free and the home OF THE BRAVE. "Pushed under this EXPANSE OF BURSTING STARS Let this burning brightly illuminate the where we are" in reference to our flag's stars. "Much like falcons tumbling from the heights at play Conjoined, talons engaged" referring to America's symbology of a bald eagle falling from its pedastal in the sky...falling from grace that is. There are many references to courage and freedom and what we have taken from other people's that have preceeded us (native american's, etc.)...things all likely to be associated with America. The song emmotes, in my opinion, a very important message in these all to volatile times we live in. |
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| Jack Johnson – Breakdown Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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""the wisdoms in the trees not the glass windows" ^^i love that line! i think jacks saying we should all take time to stop and just smell the roses...and not get too caught up on moving so fast and just going thru the motions..we should take time to experience life..and just "put the moment on hold"..it seems like a lot of jacks songs are about slowing down life.. " -BeachBumHippie You, sir, win. This is certainly the deeper thematic message the song emotes. "in his thicker than water dvd jack tells that they were on a train, i dont remember if it was to a gig or to a new sport to surf, and they passed by this really cool, small looking town in the country. he wrote this song on the train wishing it would break down and they could explore that interesting town and take a break from the work." -hank wisner Yes, I saw this, too. You can definitely gather that this was the inspiration from the lyrics, as well. And I shall reiterate, the most important line in the song, as many before have mentioned prior. "The wisdom's in the trees, not the glass windows." This line is much more important than I first thought it was. It should be a mantra for Western life...a balancing mantra--a metaphorical yin to our culture's yang. The wisdom does lie within nature; not what human's have built, culturally or substantively. We have always been inspired by it, not the other way around. We must celebrate what we have by experiencing it: the use of the cliche of stopping and smelling the roses is absolutely perfect here. Because it is the inspiration and the provider for our lives, we must protect and celebrate it...and look to it for further inspiration. The Gaia mechanism has not stopped persisting since recorded history and civilized society began. It continues to be thrown out of its natural state of balance by this energy that we exude. We have to slow down our own lives to give it a chance to reclaim its natural state of balance...to filter out the toxins and waste we have left behind. If we do, the Earth shall reward us 10 fold for our efforts. More directly to what he speaks to in the song, society will benefit, as well, from this model. Having knowledge and technology is much different than having cultural wisdom. We are still a young country (USA), and we have much to learn. In my humble opinion, life is not about grinding yourself into the ground the fastest. Rather, it's as much about experiencing, celebrating, and protecting the provided resources as it is about transforming them in a progressive manner. Some words to chew on... |
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| Beck – Cell Phone's Dead Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| Follow-up: not just entertainers, though. Any talking heads utilizing their visibility and wealth to talk over others, even though they have nothing important to say (even though they themselves usually think it's important). | |
| Beck – Cell Phone's Dead Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| Saying that entertainers today repackage the same predigested garbage over and over again using glitz and glamar as a guise of celebrity, and therefore, trying to sell you a tagline instead of a message. | |
| Seal – Human Beings Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| I feel like Seal is speaking of human nature in the context of our modern world and how life in our introverted, technologically-driven, hyper-individualistic society is so shamelessly competitive. He alludes to it being more dog eat dog now than ever before. People try to get ahead at any cost, and they generally do so with little to no regard for their fellow man. They trample over and exploit whoever and whatever necessary to get what and where they want to. And for what? To die with the most toys, to be on top for a day, to look down on others, to see others suffer. It's like a rat race to the grave, never stopping a second to enjoy what life has to offer...never stopping to smell the roses. This is present-day human nature, and Seal, in the song, is saddened by it. He says, "Desperate/It's destined/We're mere human beings we die." I think he means that as human beings we are fragile and desperate to survive. And in our desperation, we do things to hurt each other and ourselves. This competition is impersonal and unrelenting. He witnesses it when he sees people thrive off the vulnerability and despair of others, especially those who are having trouble or are in need. He say: "If you bleed/they will say it was destined/They'll be punchin' tickets/For the minute if you fall out of line"...basically saying, someone will be there to jump on your missed opportunities if you mess up just a tad...no empathy, no sympathy, no compassion for your present condition. Everyone is driven by a fear that dictates that what you have is never enough. It's a vicious, never-ending cycle of discontent. When will what we have ever be enough? Seal seems to think the answer is in the awareness of us having each other and loving each other and ourselves. He says, "It is only love I feel/That will give us peace of heart." This is in stark contrast to how he sees people operate at the moment. It's almost as if racing to their own death will relieve them of the burden which is their life. He says. "Tell me is it death you feel/That will bring you peace of life?" In our desperation as human beings, conquering another's life or extinguishing life itself sometimes seems like the only answer for life's problems. And in this, Seal is definitely questioning the western world's concept of living successfully. Perhaps, the way we live now is not a healthy obsession. I tend to agree with this sentiment. | |
| Bush – Machinehead Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I think he uses a car crash as a metaphor for his relationship with someone or something (I'm thinking someone because of his references to a person). At first, he thinks that he is in control of the situation, but the tables are quickly turned. He realizes that he is at the whim of another--that he is whipped and being exploited in his addiction. He decides to walk away before it's too late...but it is too late. The car has crashed...the damage has been done (to him emotionally). I'm surprised no one else has made reference to this metaphorical allusion stemming from the imagery associated with a car crash. Hasn't anyone ever heard of a relationship/situation being referred to as a "car crash"? |
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| They Might Be Giants – Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| This song is simply about how "the singer" will no longer let what's going on around him affect who he is and what he believes in. | |
| They Might Be Giants – Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I believe in the first couple of stanzas tmbg are referring to how nostalgia can be dangerous if you dwell on and romanticize it. You lose track of reality and start imagining the way you and things were instead of realizing how they really were. The rest of the song seems to use the imagery of sticking your hand in a puppet to illustrate that we can never just be ourselves. We always walk around flashing a facade...a projection of what we think other people want us to be. If the puppet head was "busted in"...if we could just be ourselves...things would be much better for everyone. |
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| Tool – 10,000 Days (Wings Pt. 2) Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Posted by Oni: "As I take it, Tool seems to have meant the song to mean something along the lines of this: Judith has worked hard for her religion, even though Maynard isn't particularly Christian (and yes, I am Christian in a different sort of way, so I'm not bringing my opinion in here). Since she has worked so hard, the universe after death should be malleable to what she expected, and thus she should be able to receive what the bible and her faith promised her in reward for her kindness and faith." Excellent summation of the song, Oni. This is exactly what it is about. 10,000 Days is the best song on the album in my personal opinion. The music is cohesive and heart-felt....spiritually and synergistically transcendant of sum of its parts. The most amazing part of the song is how Maynard finally comes to terms and accepts that it is okay that he doesn't believe HOW his mother believed. It doesn't make her any less worthy of what she deserves than he of what he deserves. And she was a pillar of strength, faith, and inspiration for him and many others it seems. It is very touching because he concedes she must have been must stronger than he in her faith, and it seems he is actually envious of her. In a certain way, he elevates her strength in faith above his own and demands for her what everyone knows she deserves--a place of rest and peace in eternity (what she envisioned as becoming an angel in heaven through her own belief--getting her wings). He let's go of his cynical viewpoint of her faith and realizes it was her source of strength and positive energy that had helped her to fight and hold on for those 10,000 days. And for all that fighting, he voices for her some of the most beautiful, powerful, and moving lyrics I have ever heard: "It's time now! My time now! Give me my, give me my wings!" I started crying after I heard that...I realized I've been doing the same thing to my mother for some time now--writing off her beliefs and her advice and thinking that she's being naive for holding on to them. What I thought was being sheepish and simple-minded was really just being human and hopeful. It made me realize I should feel ashamed for how I act and that there is strength with my mother for how she can tolerate mine and everyone else's cynacism and criticism. Bless her and all the other mothers out there. From this, I gather it's not what we believe that makes us worthy of eternity--it's how good we are to each other and to this world. It's the positive energy that radiates from our being that should determine our fate. We should be given what we deserve. And at the very least, we should recognize those who deserve what they believe in. |
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| Nine Inch Nails – Every Day Is Exactly the Same Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I like how this song about a mid-life crisis (Trent's obviously) is related to by high-school students and the like. It just shows the universal appeal of a great artist. I agree this albums lyrics are less complex and the songs are easier to grasp on the surface. The complexities that arise are from the distinction between who the album was written by and who the album is for (target audience). Trent Reznor is a 40 year old man. He's writing from his perspective as a 40 year old man about his current experiences. It's amazing how discordant these experiences are with those of whom the album is targeted (older teens and 20 somethings), but we still relate--and it's not because we are on the same level. Rahter, we notice these things in a microcosm of our whole existence--certain facets, or pieces, of our own lives. It's interesting to see politics, middle-age, and the associated introspective thinking being communicated to a younger audience and their reaction to it. |
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| Jamiroquai – Feels Just Like It Should Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| The song's about what's running through a nerdy guy's mind as he goes and visits a hooker. Watch the music video...kinda all comes together after that. The scary, floating pimp is my favorite part. Pure genius on the part of Jamiroquai, once again. | |
| Living Colour – Cult of Personality Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| discovery21 summed it up pretty well. It's funny how in a world of grey there's so much black and white--so much polarization and mob mentality. Extremist ideas are easy to relate to and support because they are black and white, even though they are far from the truth of that which is reality and may not even be logical or practical. Those who refuse to follow the masses and carve their own path will find enlightenment...because in the end, YOU are the only one who can get you there. The journey is different for everybody...even though everybody strives towards similar ends. Buying into someone else's way is a sure dead end. I mean look at all the mindless religious-illiterate conservatives in this world and I'm not just talking about in the Mid-east...I'm also talking about right here in the States. It's just ridiculous that people have to line the pockets of babbling idiots who exploit them through infomercials just to feel as if they've found some fulfillment in their life. I mean anyone can believe what they want as far as religion, but as far as I'm concerned, "Today's religion is tomorrow's mythology." | |
| Nine Inch Nails – The Hand That Feeds Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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I would agree with a lot of people here that the song took a couple of listens to to get me liking it. I would also like to point out that, while trent reznor made industrial rock pop music, he stays surprisingly true to his roots. Industrial music is socio-politically persuasive via some sort of shock factor or disturbing lyrical imagery...kind of like a dark punk genre. The song speaks directly of current global events--goes even deeper to the ties between the manipulative exploits of politics, religion, and human greed. Like all industrial music, the song intracentrically criticizes our own way of doing things...pinpointing what's wrong with the system and how we don't have to buy into it. Authority is exploitive. It prevents you from being free. It offers the facade of protection from fear it ironically creates. All he is saying is don't buy it. |
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| Failure – Stuck On You Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| He's probably using a catchy tune as a metaphor for a person he was in a relationship with or something (drugs - heroine in particular?) he's addicted to unwillingly. | |
| Failure – The Nurse Who Loved Me Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Everyone is certainly entitle to their own opinions. But from a brief literary analysis, this song seems to be heavy on double-entendre and metaphor. It seems to be from the perspective of a disillusioned guy in an unhealthy relationship. He's been taken advantage of emotionally. The girl he's with leverages sex to get what she wants, and she doesn't seem to be faithful at all. This guy knows she's not faithful, but writes off all of her affairs as just physical, methodical, and simply as a fix -- comparing her to a nurse administering "drugs" to her patients (professional almost with no emotional ties). He believes he's the only one she truly loves. We all know that she's pulling one over his eyes, though. |
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| Tool – Jimmy Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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First of all, Nailbunny simply, clearly, and concisely analyzed and interpreted the song (thank fucking god--someone has to do it): "by NailBunny on 07-19-2002 @ 11:55:56 AM While the story concerning the death of Maynard's mother is convincing when listening to this song, it doesn't ring true. This mistake was that of Rolling Stone Magazine (the staff of which later printed a retraction of the article) ; Maynard's mother is actually still among the living. Rather, I tend to agree with idiotic in that she remarried someone Maynard strongly disliked when he was 11, and that the song is about reuniting with his 11-yr-old self in order to come to terms with this stressful period in his past ; coming home, so to speak." I'd just like to add that I find it funny that everytime I visit this board, there are the same types of people posting. There are the flamers/haters that hate life and everyone living it (including those with legit opinions), the spammers/bots that constantly put garbled nonsense that many dumbasses actually read and that posts links that takes you to a website trying to sell you something or that automatically installs spyware/malware on your computer, the overanalyzers that post ridiculously out-there theories, the emotional idiots that relate everything to their life/girlfriend/boyfriend/parents, and the shallow morons that can't think of anything to post but "I love this song" or "great song!" Well fuck all of you. The name of this site, like an intelligent person earlier in this thread said, is Songmeanings.net, which implies that you should only write something if you have a good idea what you're talking about and base it upon some kind of concrete and/or analytic evidence. |
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| Pearl Jam – Daughter Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Hmmm....let's just consolidate what everyone's been saying--try and get a clearer picture of what eddie vedder originally intended with this song: This song is about a girl and her mother. The song begins by laying out the situation which ultimately delegates the theme of the song: "Alone…listless Breakfast table in an otherwise empty room Young girl, violins, center of her own attention Mother reads aloud child tries to understand it Tries to make her proud" A mother and daughter are at the breakfast table. The mother is trying to teach the daughter to read. The daughter is listless/frustrated/confused because something is not allowing her to learn how to read (but she doesn't understand what it is and neither does the mother; we do on the otherhand: we know that she either has a learning disorder or is more specificially, like mentioned before, dyslexic). She can't focus on anything but her failure. She tries desperately anyway to understand what her mother is teaching her in order to gain her mother's respect and make her proud. We can infer that her mother is fed up with her child and blames her child for not "willing" herself to read. Most-likely, the mother emotionally/verbally abuses the daughter, thus suppressing her future motivation. The next part of the song moves into what the girl is thinking in her head: "The shades go down it’s in her head Painted room, can’t deny, somethin’s wrong Don’t call me daughter, not fair to The picture kept will remind me, Don’t call me daugher, not fit to The picture kept will remind me Don’t call me…. " The daughter has "the shades go down it's in her head," meaning she shuts herself off mentally from the rest of the world, becoming withdrawn, depressed, and thoughtful due to her dilemna, struggling to understand the situation. The "painted room" is her remembering what had happened in the room just mentioned in the previous stanza...it's more of a situational/mental picture than an actual picture--a situation frozen in time in her mind if you will. She can't stop revisiting it, and because she doesn't understand her problem (learning problem/dyslexia), she blames herself for letting down her mother (who also doesn't understand what is wrong with her) and receiving the abuse/criticism she has received. Ultimately, she believes she's not even fit to be called the mother's daughter because she can't make the mother proud. The next part of the song moves on to the action taken by the daughter, stemming from the previous stanzas: "She holds the hand that holds her down She will rise above" The daughter has received abuse/criticism from the mother, yet still holds her hand. Thus, she's holding the hand of the person who is holding her back...suppressing her will...making her think she is to blame for all of this. Eddie then foreshadows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel through the use of the last line: "she will rise above," meaning the daughter will eventually figure all of this out...realize she's not to blame...realize that she has a learning disorder/dyslexia...and realize that her mother was wrong for downing her like she did. The daughter will overcome the situation which has disturbed her for so long, and get on with the rest of her life. Now that being said, there is much circumstancial evidence pointing at this song being based on similar situations in Eddie Vedder's own life as a child. He did have dyslexia and had a hard time learning to read. The song may directly correlate to abuse/criticism from a parent or parents (not necessarily his stepfather, but likely) which held him back and made him think that he was stupid. This pretty much sums up what everyone else had already said or was trying to say I believe. Let me know what you think. |
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| Peter Gabriel – Sledgehammer Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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This song is about sex. And sex is fun. First off: Sledgehamemr = penis (obviously) he's saying he'll use his sledgehammer (penis) to nail down her tracks (he wants to NAIL her)....that's a hilarious allusion by the way. also...more sexual double-entendre in the song: You could have a steam train If you'd just lay down your tracks (uh yeah) You could have a big dipper Going up and down, all around the bends You could have a bumper car, bumping This amusement never ends (hahaha - this is great stuff) Show me round your fruitcage 'Cause I will be your honey bee Open up your fruitcage Where the fruit is as sweet as can be (blatantly ridiculous) You've been coming through Going to build that powerr Build, build up that power, hey I've been feeding the rhythm I've been feeding the rhythm Going to feel that power, build in you Come on, come on, help me do Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you I've been feeding the rhythm I've been feeding the rhythm It's what we're doing, doing All day and night (ok i think i've made my point) About sex. That's it. The music video illustrates this quite clearly, as well. |
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| A Perfect Circle – Thomas Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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"umm me personally...i think that Maynard is saying that he lost his faith in Jesus that he once had...[as shown in alot of his songs where they make you think he doesn't believe in God] well i simply think he is just saying.."God ive strayed away and i am hoping to "reconnect" to you.... fill me?" Very good. Through literary analysis, one can reach this conclusion. I believe Maynard's trying to balance out his tendency to be cynical, especially in regards to organized religion, here. Maynard is a spiritual person, no doubt. But being sprititual does not necesarily entail being religious (the point Maynard is always trying to make...especially with his incessant referencing to mass-supressing BLIND FAITH, which he hates....thus, songs like "Judith"). The technical definition of spirituality is transcendance of consciousness outside of the realm of one's self, connecting with something/someone in the external environment -- this is very closely related to being an individual, free being with the capacity to connect to things outside of itself, a philosophy of free choice also known as existentialism. Religion, on the other hand, has less to do with spirirtuality, in reality, and more to do with trying to explain the unexplainable. Thus, people have a terrible tendancy to be prescriptive about rules/dogmas associated with it to legitamize the whole thing. Many educated people realize that, historically, the religion of yesteryear's civilizations have become the mythology of today. And this makes sense when you think about it, in accordance with the definition of religion I've shown above. Since technology, flow of information, and knowledge of the environment and ourselves is constantly broadening, the need of religion (explaining the unexplainable through the "supernatural") is vastly diminishing. Inevitably, religion will disappear (sorry to all those that believe in it). That does not mean that relgion doesn't have anything positive to offer. For one, it offers a great big plate of fundamental morality that needs to be instilled in people. Maynard realizes this and comes to terms with that in this song. He knows the TRADITION of religion is warranted and legitimate (it glues people together and it keeps them civilized regardless of it being grounded in historical fact or not) and he DOES believe in something bigger than himself that he won't necessarily call "Jesus" or "God" because there's just no reason to. He also knows that religion has a dark side (causes wars and hate and closed-mindedness and prejudice and superiority complexes, etc.). While Maynard is using the allusion to Thomas's story in the Bible to point out his coming to terms with reasons for organized religion, the "feel" of the song is still skeptical at best. One can see Maynard intentionally putting an ominous feeling in the song as like saying, "Okay, I'm sorry for putting all of this down. It's not without its merits. And I see your point of view, but, at the same time, if you just lay down and conform, this is going to consume and exploit you and give you a false sense of hope/security." The easiest thing I can relate it to is the end of a cartoon where the good guy and bad guy come to terms for the episode to fight the greater evil. While the bad dude isn't good...he's necessary in accomplishing something that needs to get done--hehe--a necessary evil. But one of these days, we're gonna get rid of him too. You know it's coming. You just don't know when. |
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| Tool – The Grudge Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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Guys, everyone's interpretation of Saturn is pussy-footing around Maynard's clever metaphor... Think of who Saturn was -- you've all looked into this and discovered who Saturn was (obviously from the previos posts). You all know his mythological position. You've even touched on a little of the planetary revolution being 27 years and all...that's nice. That's probably the closest thing you've all said to the meaning of the metaphor...though inadvertantly. Think... "Saturn" the ROMAN version of the father of the gods, borrowed from GREEK mythology. What was the Greek versions name you ask? Why it was "CHRONOS," the ruler, creator, and god of all there was and what would be--the Greeks cyclic/seasonal concept of time, or passing of events. And what is Chronos the root of etimologically. Why the word Chronology, meaning of or relating to time. So, Maynard is pointing to the word "TIME"...in a clever indirect sense, as well as the story of Saturn. Through this all embodying metaphor - he attacks the concept of a grudge from all sides. He says: Saturn ascends "Time is imminent, all emcompassing, and the ultimate end to everything" Choose one or ten "Choose the beginning or the end...the alpha or the omega....one extreme or another" Hang on or be Humbled again "But you better hang on to your side of the issue with all your might, because eventually passing of time will make it readily apparent your wrong and your better off letting go. No matter how hard you try your going to be thrown from this bucking bronco" He continues: Saturn ascends Comes round again "Time is omniscient and reveals something to you...has shown you something important" Saturn ascends The one, the ten "Time is the beginning, the end, and everything inbetween" Ignorant to The damage done "Time doesn't care how much this grudge you've been holding has been hurting you...It makes it readily apparent that it will continue to hurt lest you let it go" He continues and makes very visible his intentions with the metaphor here: Saturn comes back around to show you everything "Time has revealed to you where you were right and where you were wrong with your grudge and has shown you that its not worth holding onto in the end" Let's you choose what you will, will not see and then "You can accept what you will and what you will not from what it has revealed to you" Drags you down like a stone or lifts you up again "In accordance with what you accept and what you don't, if you continue to hold onto it...the grudge becomes literally a burden on your shoulders, weighting you down in the water, smothering/drowning you with hate, or if you let it go...you become light as a bird/feather/newborn--no burdens on your shoulders frees you up...gives you peace of mind" Spits you out like a child, light and innocent "Less the grudge...you are innocent, hate free, loving, gentle...what I just mentioned above" Saturn comes back around Lifts you up like a child Or drags you down like a stone to "refer to above....just restated in slightly different (more concise, direct) words" Consume you till you Choose to Let this go Choose to Let this go "Maynard really conveys his message of the entire song here....the grudge will eat you alive...consume you if you will...unless you let go of it...be free of it...take this burden off your shoulders" There you have it---that I believe is very, very, very close...if not exactly what maynard had originally intended by this message. |
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| Sevendust – Home Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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This song is about a bad domestic relationship....how a man, once a child, reflects on his experience with his family growing up and how they were so f'd up and how his parents' fighting affected him. The parents battled for control, thus: I'm home - leave it to me (leave it to me) He personifies the struggle between mother and father: "From left to right.. " when he says "from left to right" he's illustrating the fight and struggle for control from one parent to another, back and forth--like a see-saw. These 3 lines sum up the song: "I tried - my Father said, I'm scared - she [Mother] always said They grab and pull until I [me as a child] tear" These other lines describe the situation in more detail: "Wreckage - My mind Insecure - All the time Once loved - Now Paralyzed I once thought - I'll never die Frustrated - Our simple Life No one listens - Everyone lies Who said "Home is where you hide"? ... Suffocated - our simple life No one listens - everyone dies Never a chance - how could you see?" |
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| Sevendust – Angel's Son Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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When I first heard this song, I had no idea it was written for and dedicated to Lynn Strait of Snot. In fact, I believe that while the song is dedicated to him, the song is not directly about him. The songs scenario sounds like its about a man who has lost the mother of his child (his son) from complications having to do with child birth. When Lajon sings: "I have a new life now She lives through you What can I do?" it seems as if the new "life" he's referring to is the man's son and that the "Angel" is the mother who died during the complications from childbirth. It makes sense that he lives on and that she lives through him because he is her living legacy. The song is given to the child, thus: "One last song Given to an Angel's Son" It is given to him as a tribute and in loving memory of the mother. Does the scenario seem way off base as the plot of the song's lyrics? |
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| Tool – Parabola Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| All of you may find this interesting...the origin of the song title...which we all know by now has much to do with the meaning of each TOOL song. Think. TOOL cleverly imposed several literary devices in the title alone. Instead of using the word "parable," they used the word "parabol," which is the precursor to the fully spelled word "parabola." This is TOOL pointing to the melodic flow of the prologue, "parabol," transitioning into the crux of their message "parabola," demonstrating that, in fact, these are one in the same song on two different tracks. Yet, these tracks are seperated for the reason of illustrating a radical difference in time and space, much like the process of being reborn, but not in a physical sense, of course (spiritually--and not a religious spirituality either, but rather, a spirituality which purely reflects the essence and innocence of a child, never taking for granted every precious moment that he experiences. This, in itself, becomes a religion, the unadulterated morality and justice of a child's viewpoint, not influenced by the world and its shortcomings, but by unconditional love and respect for all things good and a naivete of those things not worthy of recognizing in the first place). This allusion to rebirth helps us recognize that who and where we are in life right now is not so bad. We have the ability to change for the better at all times and to look to the brighter. We have the opportunity to never take for granted every passing moment. We have to the chance to turn our grudges into gold, to learn from them while letting them go and being forgiving. We can know, once again, what it's like to be like a child, light and innocent. We need to feed our will to feel our moment, which is right now. Now is the moment to turn things around. Your reality is a holy reality, if only you can recognize this. Your life is good, no matter how bad it is. Just the fact that you're alive should be enough. TOOL weaves this message into the song title with their choice of diction. The full name of the complete song is parabol parabola, or "parable parabola." A parable is a fable, a short story or song meant to teach a moral or lesson, but with a twist that forces the listener think. This twist takes something apparently obvious and turns it on its head, demonstrating that what's just, or right, is not always so obvious after all. A parabola is half of an elipse, most commonly perceived as a U-shaped figure, or horseshoe-looking shape. A parable parabola is a parable which illustrates that while you may think life centers itself around the lows like a U-shaped figure does, life actually centers itself around the ups and the highs (the good things) like an inverted U-shaped figure would reveal, a paramount or pinacle. The action of turning the pabola on its head to illustrate this point perfectly demonstrates the underlying theme of the song, that life is not on the whole bad, but rather that life is wonderful on the whole. We should, like children, put whats bad behind us and move on joyously, with arms open to embrace the random, arms open to embrace whatever may come. | |
| A Perfect Circle – Rose Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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Maynard usually likes to write songs about his own personal experiences and share them with other so that they can relate. Of course he does have his way with words, both metaphorically and poetically, able to express so beautifully the emotions and depth of a man's innermost psychi. This song is about rising up and out of depression and self-denial, not about a rose so much as the past tense of the word rise. The first stanza depicts Maynard in a stage of his life where he was frightened by the consequences of his own actions and by the dennial of his own person to the point where it paralyzed him. He had fallen prey to his own anxieties, and they were eating away at him inside, and devouring his true person and his good intentions (the beautiful rose). He believed the only way not to be destroyed by his anxieties immediately (just to hang on to what was left of himself) was to be governed by them, held down and suppressed by them. He feels helpless and defenseless. This is why he says, "compromise what I will, I am." He decides to compromise his will and his person to be held in the grips of his own depression and fear. The second paragraph once again reinforces this round-about lifestyle of always trying to evade yourself, not stand and face yourself, which is the hardest thing to do in the world, I know. I am a firm believer that the only thing most people are afraid of is themselves. The 2nd stanza, like the first, paints a picture of the terrified fawn in the forest, running through the foliage, when it senses danger and tries desperately to get away, quickly and quietly. He finally comes to the realization that this has to stop. He can't run forever. He must face his fears, his anxieties, let loose his anger, his beast. In the next stanza he proclaims, "I am, I will, so no longer Will I lay down, play dead, play your doe." He realizes who he is is who he is and this will not change and that its a good thing and that he can do whatever he wants. He doesn't have to trap himself in the prison cell of his mind. He no longer wants to be that doe, running away through the forest from something not so real. He continues saying, "[play your doe]...In the headlights, locked down and terrified, your Deer, in the headlights, shot down and horrified." He sees that this paralysis of his mind, like a deer in the headlights, will lead only to an imminennt disaster. He finally recognizes, "when Push comes to pull comes to shove comes to step around this Self-destructive dance that never would've ended till I rose, I roared aloud here I will, I am. The only way to avoid this self-destructive fate is to stop running away, to turn around, and to pit his conscious person against his fears and anxieties. He finds the confidence to finally fend off and suppress these anxieties in order to stop being the prey for once. In the final stanza, he reinforces this revalation of self consciousness by saying, "I am, I will, so no longer Will I lay down, play dead, play this Knee down, gun-shy, martyr, pitiful I rose, I roared, I will, I am." He finally knows who he is and what he wants and is satisfied with this. He know longer has to play the role of martyr to his fears, his anxieties. He will not give himself up to prove a point or to make others feel sorry for him. He will aggressively attack and destroy whatever was holding him back. He will destroy his fears. He will carry on. |
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| Tool – Aenema Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| This song is simply about Maynard's disgust for LA and its fake-ass, shallow lifestyle (some of which is attributed to it being an American city and some because it is a media wonderland). I've been to LA several times now, so I can definitely say I agree with Maynard wholeheartedly. Maynard actually wrote this song after a concert in LA at L. Ron Hubbards scientology convention center in 1995. He was so disgusted by the philosophy that came from these dispicable excuses for human beings' mouths that it sparked him to write a tribute to them and their lovely city. If you refer to my comment in the 46 & 2 section, you can see how Aenima is the most appropriate name for this song. The flushing away of this arrogant populous and their incredulously stated ideologies is a wish on Maynard's part...not a foreshadowing of events such as the apocalypse, etc. And quite an appropriate wish it is. The root of the song is getting at the evolution of thought once again. He refers to "mom", short for mother-nature, several times in the song, metaphorically sweeping away the ignorance and arrogance situated in LA. The reference to swimming ("Learn to Swim") is drilled into the listeners head. It is a chant saying, you better learn to swim (learn to think and live on your own) or you will drown in a pool of sheepish conformity which will swallow you and the rest of the adultared masses festering in the neon distraction which we call American Capitalism. He cleverly calls this body of water Arizona Bay, because when Southern Califoria is covered in water, that is exactly what it will have become. And if any of you noticed, the first thing Maynard lists to "Fuck" is L. Ron Hubbard and all of his clones...coincidence, I think not. I love his reference to "Fuck smiley glad-hands with hidden agendas" because I believe this to be the biggest problem with American culture and human nature--the deceptive nature of man with his alterior motives. Maynard knows that nature and all of nature's creatures, except for humans, are honest in their endevours, mainly because they have no other choice except to be that way. We humans have the conscious choice to be faithful, pure, and true to our fellow man, yet we choose greed and betrayal to satisfy our own tawdry, selfish needs. I believe Maynard's evolution of thought includes the selfless recognition of all men and trust that must be harnessed between them. | |
| Tool – Pushit Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| I can't believe everyone is obsessed with sex so much...it's true, some (very few, in fact, of maynard's TOOL songs have to do with sex...many more of his apc have to do with sex) TOOL songs have to do with sex as a metaphor or as an abuse (prison sex), etc., but most of Maynard's songs have intellectual meaning, philisophical meanings, ideological meanings...as does pushit. Pushit simply has to do with Maynard's internal struggle with his past and that of religion (Christian Baptist in particular). The infant mentioned in the song is in part himself in his youth and representative of the infant Jesus Christ. The ideas and values preached to a young Maynard really confused him because of the abusive relationship his stepfather (the one who was preaching) had with him. He associates a harmless, loving, defenseless infant with himself as a child, but he still hates himself for letting that abuse happen...he wants to get away from himself and that time in his life. The infant haunts him...it's an image that stays with him always, partly from what was preached to him. It's an image that tells him to love those who have wronged him (forgive them), an image that dictates the way he SHOULD (whether the right way or the wrong way) live his life but that he can't face up to because it is just to painful. Jesus was abused in some of the most wicked ways and yet, he forgave all those who maimed him. Maynard disagrees with this at the time this song was written. He holds THE GRUDGE and wheres it like a crown. | |
| Tool – Forty Six & 2 Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| And on one more note...Maynard who adds brilliant layers of interpretation to his lyrics has added a clever biblical allusion. 46 & 2 is a passage in the Old Testament in the Book of Genesis. Chapter 46 verse 2 refers to the Isrealites, God's chosen people, migration to Egypt. This is what it says, "There God, speaking to Isreal in a vision by night, called, 'Jacob! Jacob!' 'Here I am,' he answered. Then he said: "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation." For the Isrealites, the next evolution in their society was the founding of a great established nation they could call their homeland...I believe Maynard pokes fun at this passage because as we all know, all the Isrealites found was broken promises and a backwards step in the evolution of their society, slavery. In this, I believe Maynard says not to trust in arrogantly made promises...such as the one found in this passage and the ones promised by the Jungian/Melchizadek ideologies. | |
| Tool – Forty Six & 2 Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| On a different note, AEnima is a combination of words, which would read: "Anima enema," or the flushing of the nature spirit. An Anima is a word whose etimology is derived from the studying of older religions whose explanation of nature is attributed to "nature spirits" or spirit gods who reside in natural phenomena like the ocean, the sun, and the animals. The flushing (meaning of enema) of this Anima is quite clever on Maynard's part. Because Anima is considered to be an outdated, non-acceptable form of religion by todays standards, it has been stripped away. Most anthropologists described it as the way less civilized forms of men without science explained natural phenomena and the reality that surrounded them. Maynard is poking fun at these anthropologists and historians and scientologists (haha) who denounce these seemingly historic religions because they overlook their own arrogance and knowledge (or lack thereof) of nature, and how future men will denounce their ideologies as ridiculous, as well. Just thought I'd comment on the album title. Back to 46 & 2...Oberones and Evilangel09 have the meaning of this song down pat...it definitely is the moving from one conciousness to another, higher conciousness. The ideology (Jungian and Melchizadek) that Maynard refers to is used in a satirical fashion. Maynard believes that an evolution of thought needs to take place in society as a whole, but he certainly does not believe any of this scientologyesque, genetic bullshit. The whole idea behind the song is to poke fun at the ridiculous notions of forced genetic evolution in a society where artificial selection is so prevelant for reasons that are so incredibly shallow--like looks, material success, and fame (LA anyone?). Maynard is saying sarcastically that he is clearing out, making way for the 46 & 2 just ahead of him...as if he was magically going to get 2 new chromosomes. He wants to show people that this arrogant nonsense is just that...another product marketed for your dirty dollar. | |
| Tool – Stinkfist Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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I believe this song on the most shallow level can and was made to be interpreted as the fisting of a lover... and I thoroughly believe Maynard did this on purpose. The context of the lyrics, while seemingly out of place, do excactly what they are meant to do--pull you in by their seemingly offensive diction. The context and conotation of the words (once you study them) illustrate Maynard's original point. Like Maynard said in his interview (and might I add quite vaguely like he always does), this song is dedicated to a friend of Danny's nicknamed Stinkfist. Nothing is ever enough for this Stinkfist. Stinkfist is addicted to instantly gratifying himself...whether it be drugs, sex, or in his case work, or striving for material success (or as Maynard would say material excess). The easiest and most vivid way to poetically paint a portrait of this image is through the vulgar description of this type of sex. As many guys know, and almost all women know...its harder and harder for a woman to reach orgasm when the object placed inside her consistently becomes larger...mainly because she gets looser and looser. As many drug addicts know, you have to pop more pills, smoke more, inject more, etc. to reach the same high the next time. For Stinkfist to get the same high off success he had to gain more and more material wealth. This is all because the body and mind both build a tolerance to certain types of stimulation. If the stimulation becomes excessive ("overstimulation numbs me"), the individual will never reach the "instant gratification" they need to cope with a life that just isn't satisfactory. You know Stinkfist's life isn't satisfactory or happy because he is bored and numb, not feeling alive...as Maynard says, "Boredom's not a burden Anyone should bear " and "It's not enough I need more Nothing seems to satisfy I don't want it I just need it To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive". The three stanzas clarify the entire message the song is trying to portray. The 3 stanzas come as follows: Something has to change Undeniable dilemma Boredom's not a burden Anyone should bear Constant over stimulation numbs me But I would not want you [this] any other way It's not enough I need more Nothing seems to satisfy I don't want it I just need it To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive Maynard's message...plain and simple. |
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| Tool – Opiate Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| An Opiate is a narcotic substance to clarify things for all of you. It is derived from the Latin, through Greek opos, which mean "vegetable juice"...but just think how the Greeks were conotating the word...a liquid extract that is vegetal in nature was most likely refering to a mind altering, narcotic (sedating) substance coming from some plant or herb. The tie to Brave New World was great because the overlying theme of a sedating vacation pill called "Soma" (an opiate) neatly parallels organized religions' promise of a happy place called Heaven, a place away from home (reality)...it almost retails at the same price, as well: your soul. Karl Marx was outlining this ideology for you in the previously mentioned quote. | |
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