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.
I got seven pictures of Buddha
The prophet's on my tongue
Eleven angels of mercy
Sighin' over that black hole in the sun
My heart's dark but it's risin'
I'm pullin' all the faith I can see
From that black hole on the horizon
I hear your voice calling me
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain, let it rain
Meet me at Mary's place, we're gonna have a party
Meet me at Mary's place, we're gonna have a party
Tell me how do we get this thing started
Meet me at Mary's place (meet me at Mary's place)
Familiar faces around me
Laughter fills the air
Your loving grace surrounds me
Everybody's here
Furniture's out on the front porch
Music's up loud
I dream of you in my arms
And I lose myself in the crowd
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain, let it rain
Meet me at Mary's place, we're gonna have a party
Meet me at Mary's place, we're gonna have a party
Tell me how do you live broken-hearted
Meet me at Mary's place (meet me at Mary's place)
Meet me at Mary's place
Meet me at Mary's place
I got a picture of you in my locket
I keep it close to my heart
It's a light shining in my breast
Leading me through the dark
Seven days, seven candles
In my window lighting your way
Your favorite record's on the turntable
I drop the needle and pray (turn it up)
Band's countin' out midnight (turn it up)
Floor's rumblin' loud (turn it up)
Singer's callin' up daylight (turn it up)
And waitin' for that shout from the crowd (turn it up)
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd (turn it up)
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd (turn it up)
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd (turn it up)
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd (turn it up)
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, turn it up
Meet me at Mary's place, we're gonna have a party
Meet me at Mary's place, we're gonna have a party
Tell me how do we get this thing started
Meet me at Mary's place, meet me at Mary's place
Come on, meet me at Mary's place, meet me at Mary's place, oh
Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do do, meet me at Mary's place
Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do do, meet me at Mary's place
Meet me at Mary's place
Meet me at Mary's place
Meet me at Mary's place
Meet me at Mary's place
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain, let it rain, let it rain
The prophet's on my tongue
Eleven angels of mercy
Sighin' over that black hole in the sun
My heart's dark but it's risin'
I'm pullin' all the faith I can see
From that black hole on the horizon
I hear your voice calling me
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain, let it rain
Meet me at Mary's place, we're gonna have a party
Meet me at Mary's place, we're gonna have a party
Tell me how do we get this thing started
Meet me at Mary's place (meet me at Mary's place)
Familiar faces around me
Laughter fills the air
Your loving grace surrounds me
Everybody's here
Furniture's out on the front porch
Music's up loud
I dream of you in my arms
And I lose myself in the crowd
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain, let it rain
Meet me at Mary's place, we're gonna have a party
Meet me at Mary's place, we're gonna have a party
Tell me how do you live broken-hearted
Meet me at Mary's place (meet me at Mary's place)
Meet me at Mary's place
Meet me at Mary's place
I got a picture of you in my locket
I keep it close to my heart
It's a light shining in my breast
Leading me through the dark
Seven days, seven candles
In my window lighting your way
Your favorite record's on the turntable
I drop the needle and pray (turn it up)
Band's countin' out midnight (turn it up)
Floor's rumblin' loud (turn it up)
Singer's callin' up daylight (turn it up)
And waitin' for that shout from the crowd (turn it up)
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd (turn it up)
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd (turn it up)
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd (turn it up)
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd (turn it up)
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, turn it up
Meet me at Mary's place, we're gonna have a party
Meet me at Mary's place, we're gonna have a party
Tell me how do we get this thing started
Meet me at Mary's place, meet me at Mary's place
Come on, meet me at Mary's place, meet me at Mary's place, oh
Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do do, meet me at Mary's place
Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do do, meet me at Mary's place
Meet me at Mary's place
Meet me at Mary's place
Meet me at Mary's place
Meet me at Mary's place
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain, let it rain, let it rain
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Standing On The Edge Of Summer
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Fast Car
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Mountain Song
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
No Surprises
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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.
American Town
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I saw Bruce in the Meadowlands a couple years back and he talked at a decent length about this song. It's primarily about throwing a house party on the Jersey shore in the summertime. Bruce talked about how he would sometimes hope for rain because it meant everyone one would be looking for a place to go inside. They'd cary all the furniture out of the house, lay carboard down everywhere, and dance the night away.
I think there's also a deeper metaphor in turning a down situation (such as rain in the summer time) into one of the best nights possible. All it takes is good people around you and a positive attitude.
On another note it's interesting how many religious figures he refers to throughout The Rising album. Watch his "storytellers" from VH1 and he gets pretty deep into the religious exploration he was on when writing The Rising.