I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
We never seem to find peace of mind
We're always on the run, away from the sun
And we've only just begun
You say we've overcome, nothing is wrong
You say our job is done, the battle is won
But we've only just begun
You say our job is done, the battle is won
But we've only just begun
We're always on the run, away from the sun
And we've only just begun
You say we've overcome, nothing is wrong
You say our job is done, the battle is won
But we've only just begun
You say our job is done, the battle is won
But we've only just begun
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More Featured Meanings
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
wow i can't beleive no one has commented this before! this song is so beautiful I want to listen to it again and again not really sure what it means...anyone?
No idea.
Huh. I'll take a crack at it. I think the song is about a couple of DJ's, but it's open to interpretation. "We're always on the run from the sun" If the sun is meant to be taken literally, then they're always in the nightclubs, doing what they do best. "You say our job is done, the battle is won. But we've only just begun." One of them feels proud of their accomplishments and doesn't feel the need to try to innovate. The narrator, however, feels that they're only scratching the surface of music. The title, "Waltz for Koop", could mean that the song is basically their mission statement. They're digging deeper into music in order to make it better (They think).
Quite a random idea there from TheRandomGuy...
I think the song may be about a couple where one of them thinks that now that they've finally got together all their problems are over, "the battle is won" (they might have had to overcome some obstacles to be together,) but the narrator thinks that this is only the beginning of their struggle, they've "only just begun" and their relationship is still going to be tested, and that a true relationship isn't necessarily all roses and puppies. But it doesn't sound negative, she is just trying to be pragmatic. Maybe it could be about a couple where one of them was married to someone else when they fell in love, or maybe even a gay couple, something anyway that makes them feel like they have had to hide and lie and have secrets "away from the sun". Anyway just an idea.
What I really like about this song is that it's in triple time, which is not as common in pop music.
hmm ok. interesting interpretation from RandomGuy
sometimes it reminds me also of a couple having gone through rough patches - but not just regular fights and stuff. it reminds me of this terrible book I read called Rebecca. this girl marries a man who had killed his ex-wife and was trying to get himself through - their house gets burned down and they're shaken up by a court affair. by the end of the book the couple are basically suffering from PTSD. i didn't care much for the book but the empathy for a man who's killed his wife stuck with me.
anyway, this tune goin' is inspired by, if not borrowed from, "Gymnopédie No. 1" by Erik Satie. this song actually introduced me to that composition. if any of you haven't, you MUST give it a listen. Other works by him are definitely worth listening to if you're into that kind of thing. I really adore both the original and this song.
lol did i say empathy. sympathy is more appropriate i guess