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.
Machine Gun
Tearing my body all apart
Machine Gun, yeah
Tearing my body all apart
Evil man make me kill ya
Evil man make you kill me
Evil man make me kill you
Even though we’re only families apart
Well I pick up my axe and fight like a bomber
(You know what I mean)
Hey! And your bullets keep knocking me down
Hey, I pick up my axe and fight like a bomber now
Yeah, but you still blast me down to the ground
The same way you shoot me down, baby
You’ll be going just the same
Three times the pain,
and your own self to blame
Hey, Machine Gun
I ain’t afraid of your mess no more, babe
I ain’t afraid no more
After a while, your, your cheap talk don’t even cause me pain,
so let your bullets fly like rain
’Cause I know all the time you’re wrong baby
And you’ll be going just the same
Yeah, Machine Gun
Tearing my family apart
Yeah, yeah, alright
Tearing my family apart
(Don’t you shoot him down)
(He’s ’bout to leave here)
(Don’t you shoot him down)
(He’s got to stay here)
(He ain’t going nowhere)
(He’s been shot down to the ground)
(Oh where he can’t survive, no, no)
Yeah, that’s what we don’t wanna hear anymore, alright?
(No bullets)
At least here, huh huh
(No guns, no bombs)
Huh huh
(No nothin’, just let’s all live and live)
(You know, instead of killin’)
May this be
Love or just
Confusion Born out of
frustration wracked
feelings - of not
being able to
make true physical
love to the
Universal gypsy Queen
True, free expressed music
Darling guitar please
rest. Amen
Tearing my body all apart
Machine Gun, yeah
Tearing my body all apart
Evil man make me kill ya
Evil man make you kill me
Evil man make me kill you
Even though we’re only families apart
Well I pick up my axe and fight like a bomber
(You know what I mean)
Hey! And your bullets keep knocking me down
Hey, I pick up my axe and fight like a bomber now
Yeah, but you still blast me down to the ground
The same way you shoot me down, baby
You’ll be going just the same
Three times the pain,
and your own self to blame
Hey, Machine Gun
I ain’t afraid of your mess no more, babe
I ain’t afraid no more
After a while, your, your cheap talk don’t even cause me pain,
so let your bullets fly like rain
’Cause I know all the time you’re wrong baby
And you’ll be going just the same
Yeah, Machine Gun
Tearing my family apart
Yeah, yeah, alright
Tearing my family apart
(Don’t you shoot him down)
(He’s ’bout to leave here)
(Don’t you shoot him down)
(He’s got to stay here)
(He ain’t going nowhere)
(He’s been shot down to the ground)
(Oh where he can’t survive, no, no)
Yeah, that’s what we don’t wanna hear anymore, alright?
(No bullets)
At least here, huh huh
(No guns, no bombs)
Huh huh
(No nothin’, just let’s all live and live)
(You know, instead of killin’)
May this be
Love or just
Confusion Born out of
frustration wracked
feelings - of not
being able to
make true physical
love to the
Universal gypsy Queen
True, free expressed music
Darling guitar please
rest. Amen
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.
It is talking about the war with Vietnam
Machine gun is awesome. There is a band here in my town that does a cover of machine gun. I must say they do a great job of it.
Machine Gun blew my mind when I first heard it. The best guitar solo ever, IMO. His hypnotic use of feedback and powerful vocals are amazing. I think this song best displays Hendrix's phenominal musical talent.This song is so much different than his stuff with The Experience.
The lyric is, "I pick up my axe and fight like a farmer." Not, "...like a bomber."
On the Band of Gypsys album, the following lyrics preceed the song:
"I'd like to dedicate this song to all the soldiers fighting in Chicago, and Miwaukee, and New York. Oh yes, and all the soldiers fighting in Vietnam."
He mentions Vietnam almost as an afterthought, which I believe is intentional because of his views on the US fighting in that war. It's a humorous statement because one would expect that Jimi would mention Vietnam immediately rather than an afterthought.
he was saying this because as so often happens in war, citizens are so concerned about what's happening as a direct result of the war (draft, etc.) that they don't give as much attention to all the local wars that are happening every day (poverty, homelessness, people struggling to survive in such a bullshit system) - not that they're neglecting these problems because of the war necessarily, or that they deserve more attention than war - not at all. just that they're AS MUCH OF A PROBLEM and deserve to be fought against too.<br /> <br /> that's what i think he was getting at by saying "oh yeah, and vietnam."
YEah the guitar is amazing, there is a webpage explaining Jimi's techiniques and arrangement for the song. Bass really supports the track, and drums sound great too....the parts where he slams the drums to make it sound like machine gunfire...awesome. This song got me into Hendrix...just blew me away.
This sing is awesome. Jimi Hendix was actually pro war. He joined the 101st airborne to avoid being put in jail. He was a fully certified sharpshooter. But the war was getting to him so he told the doctor he had gay tendencys, and they kicked him out. Hendrix is in my mind the best artist of all time, in every perspective.
by the way hendrix got kicked out cause he broke his leg in a parachooting accident. and das jets im pretty sure its bomber but i like what u said about the vietnam thing
STONEDOUT is actually correct. It was always lead to believe that Hendrix got into an accident and he broke his ankle and he was dischared. It was discovered earlier this year that Hendrix wanted out and said he had gay tendencys and he was masturbating a lot. So naturally, they kicked him out. lolz
This really is such an amazing sound ! One thing though, I have Band of Gypsys album and I don't hear the last part of the posted lyrics from "May this be . . . -> Amen". ???Help?