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"
Here's the story of a man and his family
And a big trip that they took
Well, I heard all about in a restaurant
And I read it in a history book
They rented a car at the Erie Canal
But the car didn't have no brake
Said ma to pa "My God this car
Is gonna fall into the bottomless lake"
Well, mama turned to daddy with a pale face
Said "I've done something horribly wrong
Well, the waters still runnin' in the bathtub
And I think I left the kitchen light on"
Then I heard a crash, the car when splash
The compass rolled around and around
Oh, for Heaven's sake! We fell in a lake
And I think we're all gonna drown
We are falling down
Down to the bottom of a hole in the ground
Smoke 'em if you got 'em
I'm so scared, I can hardly breathe
I may never see my sweetheart again
There was plenty of food in the backseat
And the windows were rolled up tight
So we all nibbled on a chicken leg
Told stories way through the night
Well, pa told one that he told before
And the baby got a bellyache
Said ma to pa "My God this car's
Falling down a bottomless lake"
We are falling down
Down to the bottom of a hole in the ground
Smoke 'em if you got 'em
I'm so scared, I can hardly breathe
I may never see my sweetheart again
Well papa played the music on the radio
Mama rocked the baby to sleep
He said, he would've taken the other road
But he didn't think the lake was that deep
Well, if the ferry had been there at the end of the pier
We'd be half way to Uncle Jake's
Instead of looking at fish out the window, I wish
We'd hit the bottom of the bottomless lake
'Stead of looking at fish out the window, I wish
We'd hit the bottom of the bottomless lake
We are falling down
Down to the bottom of a hole in the ground
Smoke 'em if you got 'em
I'm so scared, I can hardly breathe
I may never see my sweetheart again
So if you're ever goin' on a big trip
You better be careful out there
Start everything on your good foot
Wear clean underwear
Take along a Bible in the backseat
Read of David and Solomon
For if you make a mistake in the bottomless lake
You may never see your sweetheart again
If you should make a mistake in the bottomless lake
You may never see your sweetheart again
If you should make a mistake in the bottomless lake
You may never see your sweetheart again, that's right
And a big trip that they took
Well, I heard all about in a restaurant
And I read it in a history book
They rented a car at the Erie Canal
But the car didn't have no brake
Said ma to pa "My God this car
Is gonna fall into the bottomless lake"
Well, mama turned to daddy with a pale face
Said "I've done something horribly wrong
Well, the waters still runnin' in the bathtub
And I think I left the kitchen light on"
Then I heard a crash, the car when splash
The compass rolled around and around
Oh, for Heaven's sake! We fell in a lake
And I think we're all gonna drown
We are falling down
Down to the bottom of a hole in the ground
Smoke 'em if you got 'em
I'm so scared, I can hardly breathe
I may never see my sweetheart again
There was plenty of food in the backseat
And the windows were rolled up tight
So we all nibbled on a chicken leg
Told stories way through the night
Well, pa told one that he told before
And the baby got a bellyache
Said ma to pa "My God this car's
Falling down a bottomless lake"
We are falling down
Down to the bottom of a hole in the ground
Smoke 'em if you got 'em
I'm so scared, I can hardly breathe
I may never see my sweetheart again
Well papa played the music on the radio
Mama rocked the baby to sleep
He said, he would've taken the other road
But he didn't think the lake was that deep
Well, if the ferry had been there at the end of the pier
We'd be half way to Uncle Jake's
Instead of looking at fish out the window, I wish
We'd hit the bottom of the bottomless lake
'Stead of looking at fish out the window, I wish
We'd hit the bottom of the bottomless lake
We are falling down
Down to the bottom of a hole in the ground
Smoke 'em if you got 'em
I'm so scared, I can hardly breathe
I may never see my sweetheart again
So if you're ever goin' on a big trip
You better be careful out there
Start everything on your good foot
Wear clean underwear
Take along a Bible in the backseat
Read of David and Solomon
For if you make a mistake in the bottomless lake
You may never see your sweetheart again
If you should make a mistake in the bottomless lake
You may never see your sweetheart again
If you should make a mistake in the bottomless lake
You may never see your sweetheart again, that's right
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The Night We Met
Lord Huron
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Little Feat
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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/
I can't believe this song has no comments. It's such a great sing-along song, especially on road trips. It's a pretty self-explanatory, silly story-song.