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.
I see you clinging, stereotyping just to feel comfort, just to belong
Desperate for meaning to make sense of your life
Let me try to make you understand...
You got it wrong
You're not gonna catch me waving flags over my head
Looking straight and standing tall
I refuse to build the wall by adding my own bricks
That separate us all
I'd rather die than be a part of your pride
This ain't the homeland they've written books on
Never have been there, how would you know
Following footsteps that will get you nowhere
And living by some rules that were made up one hundred years ago
You're not gonna find me digging through my family tree
Just to find out who I am
I don't need to know that I'm linked to some murderer
To live on the same land
I'd rather die than be a part of your pride
So it looks like I'll be here for a long time now
Some things are better left mysteries
Can't change the future when living in the past
So do what you want and I'll decide my own history
Desperate for meaning to make sense of your life
Let me try to make you understand...
You got it wrong
You're not gonna catch me waving flags over my head
Looking straight and standing tall
I refuse to build the wall by adding my own bricks
That separate us all
I'd rather die than be a part of your pride
This ain't the homeland they've written books on
Never have been there, how would you know
Following footsteps that will get you nowhere
And living by some rules that were made up one hundred years ago
You're not gonna find me digging through my family tree
Just to find out who I am
I don't need to know that I'm linked to some murderer
To live on the same land
I'd rather die than be a part of your pride
So it looks like I'll be here for a long time now
Some things are better left mysteries
Can't change the future when living in the past
So do what you want and I'll decide my own history
Lyrics submitted by oofus
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I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
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/
Midnight
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Midnight” is a song about finding a love that is so true that it provides a calming feeling through every storm. Ed Sheeran reflects on his good fortunes in landing someone with such peace and support and speaks of not fearing the dark days because he knows they’ll all end in the safety nets of her arms.
“Well, good morning there / What a way to start the day / With everything laid bare,” Ed Sheeran sings in the first verse, enthusiastic to be waking up beside his woman. He apologizes for missing her calls in the second verse and promises to return them because for him, speaking to her is the most important thing. “Well, I get lost inside my head / In this chaos, you’re my calm / And I will find my feet again / ‘Cause еven the worst days of my life will always еnd / At midnight in your arms,” sings Ed Sheeran in the chorus, revelling in his good luck.
Trouble Breathing
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio
While the obvious connections with suicide or alcoholism could be drawn easily, more subtly this song could be about someone who views the world through a negative lens constantly and how as much as the writer tries to show the beauty in the world, this person refuses to see it. It's one or another between the rope and the bottle. There is no good option for this person. They can't see it. Skiba sings it in a kind of exasperated way like He's tired of hearing this negative view constantly and just allowing that person to continue feeling the way they feel knowing he can't do anything about it. You can hear it when he says maybe you're a vampire.
Somewhere Only We Know
Keane
Keane
Per the FAQ on Keane's website, Keane's drummer Richard Hughes, stated the following:
"We've been asked whether "Somewhere Only We Know" is about a specific place, and Tim has been saying that, for him, or us as individuals, it might be about a geographical space, or a feeling; it can mean something individual to each person, and they can interpret it to a memory of theirs... It's perhaps more of a theme rather than a specific message... Feelings that may be universal, without necessarily being totally specific to us, or a place, or a time..."
With the nostalgic sentiment and the overall tone of the song, I think Keane is attempting to express a Portuguese term known as 'saudade', which does not have a direct English translation but roughly means "that which we remember because it is gone."
We are all just people, no matter what land mass we live on. All the pride we have that makes us different than each other does so by building walls between us. Once you have those walls, every different group with their own pride will fight about how they are better than the other or how another is weaker. Who wants to be apart of that? When it comes down to it, we are all just people, all the same. Hiding behind your stereotypes gets you no where and is hurtful to people.
this song makes me think of anti-flag. although the message seems a bit extreme (to possess no pride for your heritage), it can be taken on a more moderate scale to be an excellent point. our pride turns into egoism and ruins the best of us. applied to current affairs it makes an interesting point, where we are now at a high-time for american pride. to what extent does the american flag represent peace and democracy rather than military superiority and dominance over the weak?
yes
This song brings up a new point with sept. 11. I am sick of everyone discovering a brand new "pride" or patriotism for our country. Where was this patriotism before the death of hundreds of thousands. As for the song, it talks about how ones history does not affect the future or who you are. Stop living in the past or with some fake pride in your country.
the dialogue in the beginning of the song is from American Beauty. Angela tells Jane the boy she likes is a freak and you know how it goes after that.
And I don't think the message is extreme when telling you to cut all strings attaching you to your past, and to who you already were when you were born. I guess the point is to let go of all that history, all the division of classes and backgrounds and make your own path with total freedom. and if you cut the links to the past, you do it either way it is a good or bad past. so you let go of pride and shame or fear, you are yourself, new and free.
nevermind, that dialogue is from another song.
Pride isn't just American pride dumbasses. It's also in race, like Mexican pride, Asian Pride, Irish Pride. Its like whats the point? You're taking pride in not being yourself and resorting to mob rules mentality. Taking pride in your heritage is rather pointless, cuz all it does is creates walls. People always point to racism, but that is a result of people taking too much pride in their ancestry and ethnicity