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.
Listen to me Lamia, listen to what I've got to say.
I've got these feelings, and they won't go away.
I've got these fears inside that'll bring me to my knees.
Oh help me Lamia or I'm sure I'll die, oh please.
I feel unsettled, now I know that I've done wrong.
I've messed around with mystic things and magic for too long.
I feel I'm being paid with this nightmare inside me,
The devil's got a hold on my soul and he just won't let me be.
I'm on my knees, oh help me please.
I'm on my knees, help me please.
Oh Lamia please try to help me.
The devil's got a hold of my soul and he won't let me be.
Lamia I've got this curse, I'm turning to bad.
The devil's got a hold of my soul, and it's driving me mad. Oh
Oh Lamia please try to help me.
The devil's got a hold of my soul and he won't let me be.
Lamia I've got this curse, I'm turning to bad.
The devil's got a hold of my soul, and it's driving me mad. Oh
I've got these feelings, and they won't go away.
I've got these fears inside that'll bring me to my knees.
Oh help me Lamia or I'm sure I'll die, oh please.
I feel unsettled, now I know that I've done wrong.
I've messed around with mystic things and magic for too long.
I feel I'm being paid with this nightmare inside me,
The devil's got a hold on my soul and he just won't let me be.
I'm on my knees, oh help me please.
I'm on my knees, help me please.
Oh Lamia please try to help me.
The devil's got a hold of my soul and he won't let me be.
Lamia I've got this curse, I'm turning to bad.
The devil's got a hold of my soul, and it's driving me mad. Oh
Oh Lamia please try to help me.
The devil's got a hold of my soul and he won't let me be.
Lamia I've got this curse, I'm turning to bad.
The devil's got a hold of my soul, and it's driving me mad. Oh
Lyrics submitted by numb
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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.
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Somewhere Only We Know
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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."
isn't Lamia a female vampire or something? I really have no idead what the metaphors and similitudes used in this song are, but generally it can be understood as a plea for help from something
Prodigal Son is a parable Jesus said, its in the bible, but i doubt the song lyrics are related to the parable.
the solo in this song is hot
Anyone else notice the musical similarity between this and Ozzy's You Can't Kill Rock 'n Roll? They came out at about the same time too. Hmm.
It is true that one riff is very similar to You Can't Kill Rock N Roll but that is not because iron maiden is a rip or that ozzy is...there are only so many riffs and it doesn't matter if they over lap to make 2 amazing songs.
@Songmeaningsuser sure but this came out 8 months prior. Knew Ozzy was a song credit pirate but never suspected Randy! Sure Sharon and Ozzy had a talk with the lad and convenced him it was ok. Or Ozzy just belted it out himelf on guitar like he did the the entire Bark at the Moon album!
Fuck you songmeaninguser.iron maiden do not steal music.
Welll...what does this song MEAN?
I don't know what it means.Obviously Ddadutta's right about it being a plea for help.It's one of their best songs and also like Still Life one of their most underappreciated.I know Lamia was a figure in Greek mythology.How that relates to him crying out for help I don't exactly know.
as tyranny souls said, it's a 'plea for help', a begging for forgiveness
from what i can tell...
I've messed around with mystic things and magic for too long. I feel I'm being paid with this nightmare inside me, The devil's got a hold on my soul and he just won't let me be.
The speaker was messing around with black magic or something and i think they are going to hell.
i guess the speaker is asking Lamia to help him. From what i remember in greek mythology Lamia was a monster who zeus gave her the power of prophecy to make her stop killing children. what this has to do with the speaker i have no clue.
this may have to do with the Keats poem which would probably make the speaker Lycius...but i dont know.
i have no idea what lamia has to do with anything.
I think it is about the evil people carry in theri souls and the wrong moves they make.Really great song,imaginary,poetic abstract lyrics and travelling music.
A lamia is most often described as a demon. It could be something he summoned, or something he's sitting next to in Hell, or something sent to him to torment him. The Prodigal Son, the title, is based on the parable in the Bible, where a man's son wandered off, squandered his inheritance, and comes back promising to do better. The dad takes him back. The title basically means that the narrator strayed into evil, and he's trying to come back and be a good person.
First of all Paul Di Anno sung it not Bruce Dickenson, And I reckon that person who said that Lamia was a Greek mythological woman dragon is true and also in biblical times children were threatened to behave or if not they would be fed to Lamia who was a type of witch that tortured children so I supposed they´re personifying a misbehaved regretfu prodical son asing for forgiveness.and not be taken by Lamia. Come on your maidens !!!!!