| Sleater-Kinney – The Remainder Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| @[rosemariex:19167] Louie, read Carrie's book, "Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl." One More Hour makes it sound like Carrie cheated, but she never did. The timing is totally wrong, too - they hadn't dated for like 5 years at that point. | |
| Sleater-Kinney – All Hands On The Bad One Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| Ok, finally figured this song out. Carrie said they named the record after this song because the record is about all versions of morality, grey areas. "All hands on the bad one" is their version of "let the one without sin cast the first stone" - it is saying, we are all flawed, we are living in a complicated world. It is about hypocrisy and also somewhat saying that we are all hypocrites at the end of the day. What a tough one, and a great one to crack! | |
| Sleater-Kinney – The Remainder Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| This song is about being cheated on. "One and one and one is two." Carrie must have written this about being cheated on, right before she moved to Portland from Olympia. | |
| WILD FLAG – Future Crimes Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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My favorite Wild Flag song. I think this is about a relationship that is breaking down before it even begins. The people are in love and trying to decide if they're going to take the next step. Carrie is trying to promise that she won't ruin the relationship by "swearing off future crimes," but the statement itself is ironic; by calling a breakup a "crime," she's giving off a bit of 'tude, as if to say it's an unfair ask. The second verse is introspective, discussing Carrie's personal life and her difficulty with long-term relationships, having set the context that Carrie does want to try, even though she's "hardwired to be alone." Then she switches it up. It's not clear whether the last verse is still from Carrie's perspective, but I bet if she sang this song with Corin, Corin would have taken this verse. Carrie is the restless soul, of course. But the very last two lines, "If you're going to give up this fight/Then I'm going to call you a liar," sounds like Carrie again (arguing in favor of the relationship). The line acknowledges the fact that staying in a relationship is a fight. It's interesting because it's almost a step into the future, and from the other woman's perspective. The last two lines could be saying, "Hey, you swore off future crimes, and here you're doing it, so you're a liar. And by the way, if you're going to be a restless soul, you're going to have a miserable life." Overall, probably the best and truest snapshot of Carrie's complex and difficult love life. |
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| Sleater-Kinney – A Quarter To Three Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| Carrie wrote this song (and many of the songs on The Hot Rock) about a girlfriend who broke up with her while she was on tour for Dig Me Out. | |
| Sleater-Kinney – Start Together Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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I think this song is a "first try" at "Hey Darling" from their new album. In her book, Carrie said that they are constantly using new songs to refine and reflect on the older songs. She used different examples, but I think this one is pretty obvious, especially considering how they used this song in their 2015 tour for No Cities to Love. The song is about the band staying together. "Come so far come close together/ Don't tear apart what we worked for." In Hey Darling, the meaning coalesces into, "I was meant to be/ Infinitely by your side/ Distractions always hit but/ We're good this time." It's easy to oversimplify this song, and calling it romantic isn't *wrong.* But it's a romantic song about the band and their friendships. |
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| Sleater-Kinney – Hot Rock Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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@[rgz:15483] I don't think that it is. By this time their relationship had been over for years. This song was written by Carrie, and she didn't seem to be as hung up about their breakup. I think this song is about someone else. "I'm not the one you wanted... find a love that's true." I know that Carrie was cheated on (from her memoir), but this was before that, I think??? Either way, a beautiful song. Jam-packed with intensity and lots of images. |
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| Sleater-Kinney – Jenny Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| Any ideas why they never play this live? It's a complete shame. | |
| Sleater-Kinney – Stay Where You Are Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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This song is an example of what Carrie describes in her book as the interplay between her and Corin's approaches to songwriting. Corin is direct, describing the seeking, the continuous reevaluation and redefinition, asking for a level of stability and telling Carrie “You're my life.” Carrie breaks the narrative apart, explaining why she, in fact, can't stay still, in vague and descriptive language. “It's me if you want but it's not what I want.” It's a shared journey of unrest and rage, but Corin's request for stability anchors the song and transforms what would otherwise be a blind rush into destruction into a song about love not fully reciprocated. |
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| Sleater-Kinney – Hey Darling Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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This song discusses of the distance the band experienced while they were on "hiatus." It's a mix of Corin and Carrie's perspectives. "Disappearing act" is straight out of Carrie's book, in this case referring to her panic attacks and sickness in their last tour before the hiatus. The last verse is also probably a partial explanation of the feelings that had brought on their hiatus. “It seems to me the only thing that comes from fame is mediocrity” is a reason they would consider not getting back together; they are concerned that having achieved comfort in their personal lives, they would fail to make good music if they tried. Ultimately, they conclude that they were “meant to be.” The puzzle is, “How could you steal the thing I love and keep it from me, just out of touch?” This might be referring to the fact that they all made music outside of the band; the music is what they love, but they feel that they weren't able to quite touch it in the same way. Or it could be the fact that they, in fact, remained friends, but didn't make music together for many years. Since it was Carrie’s breakdown that broke the band up, but Corin’s family life that solidified the break, it's not clear who stole what. It is also possible that Corin (or Janet?) is obliquely calling Portlandia mediocre, and Carrie’s response is that Corin stole the music from her and she is reaching for a substitute. That is a stretch. A shippy thought is that Carrie has flipped One More Hour on its head. “Meant to be” is Corin being close, but Carrie complains that she is still not quite within touch. Either way, clearly a love ballad. |
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| Sleater-Kinney – Not What You Want Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| In "Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl," Carrie Brownstein says that every song on this album is about either Lance (Corin's new boyfriend and eventual husband) or Carrie herself, as they had recently broken up. This one is clearly about both Lance and Carrie. Lance is offering Corin a shelter from her continued mixed feelings about Carrie, and Lance is aware of the origin of her feelings. Corin uses Lance as a means of escape. | |
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