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.
Let me take you by the hand
Away from here
To another land
Oh this land in which we live
Where people love and are meant to forgive
And you always prove me wrong
'cause you're always putting me down
I can't take this anymore
I decided to leave
Walked out throught the door
Oh, and why do you think I go
Because you know it can never be so
And you always prove me wrong
'cause you're always putting me down
So let me take you by the hand
Away from here
To another land
Oh, this land in which we live
Where people love and are meant to forgive
And you always prove me wrong
'cause you're always putting me down
Away from here
To another land
Oh this land in which we live
Where people love and are meant to forgive
And you always prove me wrong
'cause you're always putting me down
I can't take this anymore
I decided to leave
Walked out throught the door
Oh, and why do you think I go
Because you know it can never be so
And you always prove me wrong
'cause you're always putting me down
So let me take you by the hand
Away from here
To another land
Oh, this land in which we live
Where people love and are meant to forgive
And you always prove me wrong
'cause you're always putting me down
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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"
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"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 Can't Go To Sleep
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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
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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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Simply incredible song! Haunting, breathy vocals just sends a chill up your spine. I think it's about two people in love, but the guy doesn't quite treat her right. She keeps trying to forgive him for the way he treats her, and they both still love each other, but they both know it could never work because they don't get along.
I think that the first section of this song really sets up the whole meaning,about how she wants to take him to another land where people love and are meant to forgive because she wishes she couldn't let him hurt her because he's always putting her down and she's sick of it and hopes she could forgive him in that land but she left because he never would stop and she gave up on him.This is a really pretty song and Dolores voice is nice as always.
this song is so beautiful.
Absolutely fantastic song - the wordless vocals are just stunning - right up there with "Dreams." It's much sadder than "Dreams," but that's not a bad thing. It's an excellent end for the album. In fact, all the albums other than "Wake up and smell the coffee" end with beautiful, sad songs. Not that I mind "Africa," but it doesn't follow the trend of being sad.
i agree. like their No Need to Argue album ends beautifully.
@didiercollard It's not Africa but Cape town. And isn't it some kind of a bonus track? Wich would mean that the actual end of the album is Chocolate Brown. Another beautiful sad song.
Ah these lyrics are wrong! It's "And you always prove me wrong" not "prove me wrong". Favorite song by them, it's breathtaking.
This song is the voices of person recently liberated from an unhealthy relationship. I think her voice sounds so free and triumphant in this song, especially during the non lyrical vocal parts. I think the first part is the ideal that both friends/lovers are striving for supposedly except its not working because the other person is manipulative and will be mean and cruel at times and loving and wonderful other times (the fantasy ideal described at the beginning of the first verse). The Jekyl and Hyde scenario. She finally realized she was done and walked away.