In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Hey, this is radio station W S K E E
We're takin' calls on the wish line
Making all your wacky wishes come true
Hello?
I wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her
Wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a '64 Impala
I wish I was like six-foot-nine
So I can get with Leoshi
'Cause she don't know me but yo she's really fine
You know I see her all the time everywhere I go
And even in my dreams I can scheme of ways to make her mine
'Cause I know she's livin' phat
Her boyfriend's tall and he plays ball
So how am I gonna compete with that?
'Cause when it comes to playing basketball
I'm always last to be picked
And in some cases never picked at all
So I just lean up on the wall
Or sit up in the bleachers with the rest of the girls
Who came to watch their men ball
Dag y'all, I never understood, black
Why the jocks get the fly girls and me I get the hood rats
I tell 'em "scat, skittle, scabobble"
Got hit with a bottle
And get put in the hospital for talkin' that mess
I confess it's a shame when you living in a city
That's the size of a box and nobody knows yo' name
Glad I came to my senses
Like quick-quick got sick-sick to my stomach
Overcommeth by the thoughts of me and her together
Right? So when I asked her out she said I wasn't her type
I wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her
Wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a '64 Impala
I wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a '64 Impala
I wish I had a brand-new car
So far, I got this hatchback
And everywhere I go, yo, I gets laughed at
And when I'm in my car I'm laid back
I got an 8-track and a spare tire in the backseat, but that's flat
Uh and do you wanna know what's really whack?
See I can't even get a date, so, what do you think of that?
I heard that prom night is a bomb night
With the hood rats you can hold tight
But really though, I'm a Figaro
When I'm in my car I can't even get a "hello"
Well, so many people wanna cruise Crenshaw on Sunday
One day I'ma have to get in my car and go
You know I take the 110 until the 105
Get off on Crenshaw, tell my homies "look alive"
'Cause it's hard to survive when your living in a concrete jungle
And these girls keep passing me by
She looks fly, she looks fly
Makes me say "my, my, my"
I wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a '64 Impala
I wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a '64 Impala
I wish I was a little bit taller (wish I was a little bit taller)
I wish I was a baller (wish I was a baller)
I wish I was a little bit taller, y'all
Wish I was a little bit taller, y'all)
I wish I was a baller (wish I was a baller)
I wish I was a little bit taller, y'all
(Wish I was a little bit taller, y'all)
I wish I was a baller (wish I was a baller)
I wish I was a little bit taller, y'all
Wish I was a little bit taller, y'all)
I wish I was a baller (yeah)
Hey, I wish I had my way
'Cause every day would be a Friday
And you could even speed on the highway
I would play ghetto games
Name my kids ghetto names Little Mookie, Big Al, Lorraine
Yo you know that's on the real
So if you're down on your luck
Then you should know just how I feel
'Cause if you don't want me around
See I go simple, I go easy, I go Greyhound
Hey, you, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
Ah yes, ain't that fresh?
Everybody wants to get down like that
Wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her
wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a '64 Impala
I wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a '64 Impala
I wish, I wish
I wish, I wish
I wish, I wish
I wish, I wish
I wish, I wish
I wish, I wish
We're takin' calls on the wish line
Making all your wacky wishes come true
Hello?
I wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her
Wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a '64 Impala
I wish I was like six-foot-nine
So I can get with Leoshi
'Cause she don't know me but yo she's really fine
You know I see her all the time everywhere I go
And even in my dreams I can scheme of ways to make her mine
'Cause I know she's livin' phat
Her boyfriend's tall and he plays ball
So how am I gonna compete with that?
'Cause when it comes to playing basketball
I'm always last to be picked
And in some cases never picked at all
So I just lean up on the wall
Or sit up in the bleachers with the rest of the girls
Who came to watch their men ball
Dag y'all, I never understood, black
Why the jocks get the fly girls and me I get the hood rats
I tell 'em "scat, skittle, scabobble"
Got hit with a bottle
And get put in the hospital for talkin' that mess
I confess it's a shame when you living in a city
That's the size of a box and nobody knows yo' name
Glad I came to my senses
Like quick-quick got sick-sick to my stomach
Overcommeth by the thoughts of me and her together
Right? So when I asked her out she said I wasn't her type
I wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her
Wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a '64 Impala
I wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a '64 Impala
I wish I had a brand-new car
So far, I got this hatchback
And everywhere I go, yo, I gets laughed at
And when I'm in my car I'm laid back
I got an 8-track and a spare tire in the backseat, but that's flat
Uh and do you wanna know what's really whack?
See I can't even get a date, so, what do you think of that?
I heard that prom night is a bomb night
With the hood rats you can hold tight
But really though, I'm a Figaro
When I'm in my car I can't even get a "hello"
Well, so many people wanna cruise Crenshaw on Sunday
One day I'ma have to get in my car and go
You know I take the 110 until the 105
Get off on Crenshaw, tell my homies "look alive"
'Cause it's hard to survive when your living in a concrete jungle
And these girls keep passing me by
She looks fly, she looks fly
Makes me say "my, my, my"
I wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a '64 Impala
I wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a '64 Impala
I wish I was a little bit taller (wish I was a little bit taller)
I wish I was a baller (wish I was a baller)
I wish I was a little bit taller, y'all
Wish I was a little bit taller, y'all)
I wish I was a baller (wish I was a baller)
I wish I was a little bit taller, y'all
(Wish I was a little bit taller, y'all)
I wish I was a baller (wish I was a baller)
I wish I was a little bit taller, y'all
Wish I was a little bit taller, y'all)
I wish I was a baller (yeah)
Hey, I wish I had my way
'Cause every day would be a Friday
And you could even speed on the highway
I would play ghetto games
Name my kids ghetto names Little Mookie, Big Al, Lorraine
Yo you know that's on the real
So if you're down on your luck
Then you should know just how I feel
'Cause if you don't want me around
See I go simple, I go easy, I go Greyhound
Hey, you, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
Ah yes, ain't that fresh?
Everybody wants to get down like that
Wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her
wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a '64 Impala
I wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a '64 Impala
I wish, I wish
I wish, I wish
I wish, I wish
I wish, I wish
I wish, I wish
I wish, I wish
Lyrics submitted by ADimeADexter
I Wish Lyrics as written by Anne Dudley Archie Leroy Roundtree
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"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.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
This is totally MY song! I wish I was taller, prettier, richer, etc.