Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Could I have been
A parking lot attendant
Could I have been
A millionaire in Bel Air
Could I have been
Lost Somewhere in Paris
Could I have been
You're little brother
Could I have been
Anyone other than me
Could I have been
Anyone other than me
Could I have been
Anyone
He stands touch his hair his shoes untied
Tongue gaping stare
Could I have been a magnet for money?
Could have been anyone other than me?
Twenty three and so tired of life
Such a shame to throw it all away
The images grow darker still
Could I have been anyone other than me?
Then I look up at the sky
My mouth is open wide lick and taste
What's the use in worrying, what's the use in hurrying
Turn turn we almost become dizzy
I am who I am who I am well who am I
Requesting some enlightenment
Could I have been anyone other than me
And then I'll
Sing and dance
I'll play for you tonight
The thrill of it all
Dark clouds may hang on me sometimes
But I'll work it out
And then I
Look up at the sky
My mouth is open wide lick and taste
What's the use in worrying, what's the use in hurrying
Turn turn we almost become dizzy
Falling out of a world of lies
Could I have been a dancing Nancy a dancing Nancy
Could I have been anyone other than me?
A parking lot attendant
Could I have been
A millionaire in Bel Air
Could I have been
Lost Somewhere in Paris
Could I have been
You're little brother
Could I have been
Anyone other than me
Could I have been
Anyone other than me
Could I have been
Anyone
He stands touch his hair his shoes untied
Tongue gaping stare
Could I have been a magnet for money?
Could have been anyone other than me?
Twenty three and so tired of life
Such a shame to throw it all away
The images grow darker still
Could I have been anyone other than me?
Then I look up at the sky
My mouth is open wide lick and taste
What's the use in worrying, what's the use in hurrying
Turn turn we almost become dizzy
I am who I am who I am well who am I
Requesting some enlightenment
Could I have been anyone other than me
And then I'll
Sing and dance
I'll play for you tonight
The thrill of it all
Dark clouds may hang on me sometimes
But I'll work it out
And then I
Look up at the sky
My mouth is open wide lick and taste
What's the use in worrying, what's the use in hurrying
Turn turn we almost become dizzy
Falling out of a world of lies
Could I have been a dancing Nancy a dancing Nancy
Could I have been anyone other than me?
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae
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Fast Car
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
The Night We Met
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Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
This is the song that I play whenever I feel like the world around me is crashing down. When I'M crashing down. Dave's words always have a way of reaching into my heart. I've actually cried a couple of times while listening to this song. This is the my all-time favorite song in the entire world. Everything in this song speaks to me. I love DMB.
I can't believe no one commented on this song!!! Are you kidding me?! This is probably one of the greatest Dave songs... "Dark clouds may hang on me sometimes, but I'll work it out".... Dave is amazing! I went to his concert last summer and it was so incredible. He's one of the most influential songwriters/musicians of our time...as opposed to all these new bands out there he's true to himself, his music, and his fans.
Every time I don my "Fire Dancer" T-shirt, I simply must play this song. Simply incredible! I have several versions of this song but one import cd has a great line where Dave opens up with, "You ever wonder what would've happened in your life if you had taken a left turn instead of a right?" We all second-guess what we could have/should have done. But in the end, now is all that matters. Peace
i agree! this song has a serious meaning. i think it reveals the confusion some of us have. then we just look around and see the beauty in everything. that is how this song makes me feel. there is no use in worry and hurry just live life one day at a time. enjoy it while you are here.
This really dosn't have much to do with the 'meaning' of the song, but since it's just such an amazing song, i'll add my 2 cents. I read somewhere that the title came from when he ws in Germany and he was in a cab and saw all these beautiful women dancing on the corner. He asked the driver: "Are those women prostitues?" the driver replied: "They're prostitutes, but theyr'e not women!" The term Dancing Nancies refers them, i guess as a reminder of that little quirkey moment.
this song is what keeps me from cracking when things get the worst. the lyric "dark clouds may hang on me sometimes/but i'll work it out" is powerful. its like a confirmation message:"everything is gonna be ok" is what it states to me. there are good days, and bad ones, and sometimes we strut, and sometimes we lag, down the road of life. we often wonder what we could have been to make our lives better...
dont get me wrong, i love music today. all these new artists popping up, they are great. but dave matthews is in his own domain, his own equivalent to a "talent genre"... his songs range from happy, to sad, to spiritual, to devilistic, to funny...and the originality. AND NOT TO MENTION HIS BANDMATES! they have to be the best of the best.
to sum it up, DMB is amazing. like no other band. i will continue to hope to hear from dave in the future, and hope those that do not currently listen to open their eyes to a true poet of our time...
i looked it up in the dictionary the term "nancy" awhile ago (don't ask) and its a slang for gay ppl
there are so many paths in life, it makes you wonder
this song deals with the ups and downs of life. Dave wrote this song to put his thoughts of suicide down on paper. He seriously contimplated it several times in his lifetime. "Then I look up at the sky My mouth is open wide lick and taste" is dave saying "i've been down, but i picked myself up...saw the brighter side of things...want more for myself then to end up dead. the lyrics "Sing and dance I'll play for you tonight The thrill of it all " is dave saying i'll go on, doing things for you, just to make you happy (the one time i actually think he's talking straight to his fans!)
I love this song, the best part of the song is "dark clouds may hang on me sometimes, but i'll work it out" how can you not live by those words???
Just as a side note, as usual in concert dave changes the lyrics to this song...he'll usually add something about the city he's in at the beginning by saying something like "could i have been a your sports team here cheerleader?" funny how dave has so much fun with such a serious song.
To add to what Lissy Ratz said (see third post): When he saw the women and the driver said that they weren't women, this struck a cord with Dave. I think the inspiration for this song came from that experience, when one could wonder, "Hell, I could have been that person."
Just my two cents.