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"
I'm just an American boy, raised on MTV
And I've seen all the kids in the soda pop ads
But none of 'em look like me.
So I started lookin' around for a light out of the dim
And the first thing I heard that made sense was the word
Of Mohammed, peace be upon him
A shadu la ilaha illa Allah
There is no God but God
If my daddy could see me now â?? chains around my feet
He don't understand that sometimes a man's
Got to fight for what he believes
And I believe God is great, all praise due to him
And if I should die, I'll rise up to the sky
Just like Jesus, peace be upon him
We came to fight the Jihad, and our hearts were pure and strong.
As death filled the air, we all offered up prayers
And prepared for our martyrdom.
But Allah had some other plan, some secret not revealed
Now they're draggin' me back with my head in a sack
To the land of the infidel.
A shadu la ilaha illa Allah
A shadu la ilaha illa Allah
And I've seen all the kids in the soda pop ads
But none of 'em look like me.
So I started lookin' around for a light out of the dim
And the first thing I heard that made sense was the word
Of Mohammed, peace be upon him
A shadu la ilaha illa Allah
There is no God but God
If my daddy could see me now â?? chains around my feet
He don't understand that sometimes a man's
Got to fight for what he believes
And I believe God is great, all praise due to him
And if I should die, I'll rise up to the sky
Just like Jesus, peace be upon him
We came to fight the Jihad, and our hearts were pure and strong.
As death filled the air, we all offered up prayers
And prepared for our martyrdom.
But Allah had some other plan, some secret not revealed
Now they're draggin' me back with my head in a sack
To the land of the infidel.
A shadu la ilaha illa Allah
A shadu la ilaha illa Allah
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The Night We Met
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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
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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,
No Surprises
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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.
Magical
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How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
1) It Blows me away that noone has commented on this song
2) it blows me away that more Steve Earle songs arent on this site!
This song is about John Walker Lind who was known as "The American Taliban". He was caught in Afghanistan fighting the Northern Alliance on the side of Al Quada. There is no argument that he ever fired on Americans or even had an opportunity to..but was ridiculed and hauled back to America and treated like a terrorist just the same. It took Balls the size of church bells to write this song when it was written (or now for that matter) and Steve Earle has so many great songs.
Check out: BIlly Austin, Over Yonder, Valentines Day, Copperhead Road, Dead Man Walking, Tom Ames Prayer, and his version of Breed by Nirvana!
You have got to love this song. One of my favorites from Jerusalem. In fact, one of my favorite Steve Earle songs ever. And I like all of Earle's songs, so that's saying something. And you're right, Bellyfull of Swans, a) The lack of Earle songs on here is surprising, and b) He's got real guts to have written this song at all, especially at the given time. John Walker Lind needed a sympathetic voice, and Steve delivered it.
I read an interview from Steve Earle who said that when John Walker Lind was arrested, he thought he had a son about the same age, and that he wanted to write a song from his perspective. See the dad reference in the song. Everybody screws up at some point, and it's a shame that this kid got caught up in something over his head at a bad time. It's also telling that Steve Earle had the balls to point out that we as American's were going too far to make this kid a vilian, and tossing civil liberties out the window. It takes a strong character to be that correct and stand to your convicitions even when they are unpopular. Even better, he never backed down and let people overreact to the song, unlike the wavering Dixie Chicks. Appreciating this song, like art, doesn't make you a terrorist, or a Muslim.
That's true, ILoutlaw, and the connection to thinking of J. W. Lind as if it were his own son helped give a direct pat to understanding the motivations, contradictions, and great sadness of the boy.
This is a remarkable work of empathy and just plain excellent songwriting.
But I wasn't aware at the time that this song was very "controversial" -- I thought it was truly under the radar. It's not like they were playing much Steve Earle on the radio anyway! That's the thing you have to realize with what the Dixie Chicks went through: they were at the absolute "Top of the World" as far as fame went in the commercial County music world went, and then one made a declarative statement about Bush being a shame for Texans and Americans, at a time when Americans have never been so propagandized and fearful, and false-Patriotic.
They were advised to "take it back" and at first made an awkward attempt to mend the broken relationship they suddenly had with much of their fanbase, and then said screw it and owned their new bad commercial-radio reputation, moved on up. I'm not a Dixie Chicks fan, but I admire what they do at their level, and they deserve much respect sacrificing all the fame and monetary gain at that time for a higher principles.
And all praise to Steve Earle who never betrays his convictions or his talent.
My Friend Steve may be controversial-but at the same time, he is brilliant! John Walker is a sympathetic character study that rocks hard! I love Steve Earle and the Dukes!
You have got to love this song. One of my favorites from Jerusalem. In fact, one of my favorite Steve Earle songs ever. And I like all of Earle's songs, so that's saying something. And you're right, Bellyfull of Swans, a) The lack of Earle songs on here is surprising, and b) He's got real guts to have written this song at all, especially at the given time. John Walker Lind needed a sympathetic voice, and Steve delivered it.
I'm new, this is, in fact, my first comment. I feel a personal relationship with steve earle, i been a huge fan for several years, yes after first being exposed to copperhead road, I have since seen the guy live every time he comes this way, i think, I got every record he's made on disc as well as the pc, If you pay close attention, your favorites will change alla time, he's got like twenty five years of great thought provoking, intelligent, meaning rock and roll, bluegrass, country, rockabilly, etc. I also have a nice collection of steve earle written songs, interpreted by other artists. That is a surprisingly diverse mixture of artists, i think the guy is the most underrated artist ever. But share with everyone you know, maybe steve will hit the mainstream, make loads of real money and come to tyhe westcoast more often..haha
I'm Muslim and I'm quite impressed by how much Earle gets right. "Ashadu (an) la ilaha il Allah" is what Muslims say on entering the faith. Muslims should say "peace be upon him" after mentioning a prophet like Muhammad, Jesus, Abraham, and others, peace be upon them. The sample at the end is recitation of the Quran in Arabic, but I cannot make out what part. It's a beautiful, poignant song.
The Arabic at the end is from the Quran, 47:4, one translation is:
NOW WHEN you meet [in war] those who are bent on denying the truth, [4] smite their necks until you overcome them fully, and then tighten their bonds; [5] but thereafter [set them free,] either by an act of grace or against ransom, so that the burden of war may be lifted: [6] thus [shall it be]. And [know that] had God so willed, He could indeed punish them [Himself]; but [He wills you to struggle] so as to test you [all] by means of one another. [7] And as for those who are slain in God’s cause, never will He let their deeds go to waste: - 47:4 (Muhammad Asad) -