Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
And it's true we named our children
After towns that we've never been to.
And it's true that the clouds just hung around
Like black Cadillacs outside a funeral.
And we were done, done, done
With all the fuck, fuck, fuckin' around.
You were so true to yourself.
You were true to no one else.
Well I should put you in the ground.
I've got the time, I got the hours,
I got the days, I got the weeks.
I could say to myself
I've got the words but I can't speak.
Well I was done, done, done
With all the circ, circ, circlin' round.
I didn't die and I ain't complainin'.
I ain't blamin' you.
I didn't know that the words you said to me
Meant more to me than they ever could you?
I didn't lie and I ain't sayin'
I told the whole truth.
I didn't know that this game we were playin'
Even had a set of rules.
We named our children after towns
That we've never been to.
And it's true that the clouds just hung around
Like black Cadillacs outside a funeral.
And we were laughing at the stars
While our feet clung tight to the ground.
So pleased with ourselves
For using so many verbs and nouns.
But we were all still just dumb, dumb, dumber
Than the dirt, dirt, dirt on the ground.
Well wings on flames, kings with no names,
Well this place just ain't got right air right now.
You were so all over town but still so Crayola brown.
Well you should run 'round yourself right now.
And we were done, done, done
With all the fuck, fuck, fuckin' around.
Circlin' round.
After towns that we've never been to.
And it's true that the clouds just hung around
Like black Cadillacs outside a funeral.
And we were done, done, done
With all the fuck, fuck, fuckin' around.
You were so true to yourself.
You were true to no one else.
Well I should put you in the ground.
I've got the time, I got the hours,
I got the days, I got the weeks.
I could say to myself
I've got the words but I can't speak.
Well I was done, done, done
With all the circ, circ, circlin' round.
I didn't die and I ain't complainin'.
I ain't blamin' you.
I didn't know that the words you said to me
Meant more to me than they ever could you?
I didn't lie and I ain't sayin'
I told the whole truth.
I didn't know that this game we were playin'
Even had a set of rules.
We named our children after towns
That we've never been to.
And it's true that the clouds just hung around
Like black Cadillacs outside a funeral.
And we were laughing at the stars
While our feet clung tight to the ground.
So pleased with ourselves
For using so many verbs and nouns.
But we were all still just dumb, dumb, dumber
Than the dirt, dirt, dirt on the ground.
Well wings on flames, kings with no names,
Well this place just ain't got right air right now.
You were so all over town but still so Crayola brown.
Well you should run 'round yourself right now.
And we were done, done, done
With all the fuck, fuck, fuckin' around.
Circlin' round.
Lyrics submitted by nuclearjesus
Black Cadillacs Lyrics as written by Eric Judy Dann Gallucci
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Techno Ted
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Audioslave
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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.
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"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.
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the whole death factor. The majority of this album (Black Cadillacs, Dig Your Grave, the Devil's Work Day, Satin in a Coffin, Bury Me With It... catching a trend here?) is about the death of someone close to Isaac, though not necessarily loved. There are interviews specifiying this. This is not about a romantic breakup. This is a death; didn't anyone nostice all the funeral imagery? It's in the title.
Isaac flat-out states that "I didn't die and I ain't complaining, I ain't blaming you," as in: one of us died, and it wasn't me; it was you. The identity of whose death inspired so much of the (brilliant) lyricism within this album hasn't been made public, but I suspect it's his mother (though I haven't found the proof yet.... just go with me here).
Isaac's mom dragged him all over the country in fanatical religious sects as a child and forced him to live in 1) an abandoned, flooded house (until he was evicted) and 2) a shed. You're supposed to love your mom, but it sure would be hard under these circumstances, and the bitterness shines through in this song/album.
I don't think the "we named our children after towns we'd never been to" line actually applies to Isaac naming his own children, as he has none, but more of a reflection on ignorant parenting (also reflecting the numerous different towns Isaac grew up in) which his mother seems to have been a pro at. This would exemplify the line "I didn't know that the words you said to me meant more to me than they ever did you," which is a pretty standard flaw in fanatical Christian hypocrisy.
Isaac's a fantastic lyricist, and you've got to dig deeper than love/breakup songs. He rarely sings about that stuff, it's too cliche. What makes this album so fantastic is the honest complexity in which he is dealing with the death of someone, mother or not, who he did not know if he loved or hated. It's neither straight-up grief nor relief, and that's much more real than anything most people ever write about.
i think this was a great interpretation. one thought about "we named our children after towns we'd never been to" which strikes me as wistful: it's almost gives a sense of belonging once removed, if that makes sense, or wanting to belong to a place removed from where you actually are...and that by naming your children after those places, it's a projection in at least a couple different ways: projecting your children into the world and perhaps closer to that "place", projecting that sense of discontentment on them in a way that they can never ignore in the here and now.
I still view this as a romantic song. Death imagery is a common theme on the album, but not every song has to be about it. <br /> <br /> I don't quite get how you got "I didn't die and I ain't complaining, I ain't blaming you," to mean that someone else died. I see it as more of an explanation that a bad break up hurt, but he obviously isn't going to die from it, and that he doesn't blame the person for the pain, because they had to make the choice to leave. <br /> <br /> Looking up at the stars and naming children before a relationship is fully grounded is a common romantic thing that couples do, especially lovestruck teens. The death imagery can be attributed to the fact that it's been said that the feeling experienced by people after a long relationship ends can be similar to losing that person to death.<br /> <br /> A breakup song may seem cliche, but a strong theme on the album is all the horrible things people go through in life, and accepting them, so the topic is appropriate.
i agree with most of what you said, 764-mouser, but i didnt agree with "He's supposed to be writing for the FANS not the masses." i think artist should write what they are thinking/feeling, not what anyone else wants
@SpringE exactly! A true artist writes for themselves. Having people who enjoy your art is always good but should never be priority.
Great Song Great Band Great Album
I LOVE this song. "We named our children after towns that we've never been to" is such a great line. and now i want to name my children like that.
Yeah, so much knowledge of facts (names of towns and nouns)but it means nothing, but no personal experience. All their learning just made more masks to hide behind, and he's sick of it all.
First of all, Insulting this record would be like making fun of a kid with down syndrome because many may not know this, but Isaac and the band went through a lot of hardships while making this album: Jeremy leaving, DUI's attempted murder charges, jail time, they actually started over at a point, and the list goes on. you can see it in the lyrics, its about bad news and how bad shit happens, etc.
But that out of they way, this was an alright album, but compared to their last 3 LP's it doesn't compare, and its hard to blame the record company because EPIC did a great job with the Moon & Antartica. It was Isaac's choic to make an album with shorter songs, but the thing we love about Modest Mouse IS the 7 minute songs and deep lyrics and cheesy effects. He's supposed to be writing for the FANS not the masses.
Regardless, I think this is a very cool song and has great meaning. along with Bukowski, Blame it on the Tetons and The Good Times Are Kiling me.
@764-mouser no. He’s supposed to be writing for HIMSELF. He owes no one anything.
I must say I agree with sirgarycoleman. I have to believe that a band as great as Modest Mouse would not waste their time on love songs (all the time, if even at all) and they leave you searching for a deeper meaning in the lyrics. At least that's what I think, if not than what good would Modest Mouse be compared to all the other corny rock bands around? Nah, I still think Modest Mouse's lyrics are on the same level of the Mars Volta and the like, though this album is really not their best. Still, I love Modest Mouse.
@gustergusher Though, Little Motel is clearly about the end of a relationship
Good song, good song. It's about going to school (which is a waste of life), being 'educated' and still being fucking stupid. Like most people. That's what I think, anyways...
To me, the background of this song is a serious argument between two people and an analysis of one of the primary sources of the conflict: restlessness caused by their mutual small-mindedness. The people in the argument think highly of themselves but have never done anything or been anywhere. They named their children after towns they have never been to and laughed at the stars while their feet clung tight to the ground. The death imagery suggests that they are not really living life even while they are alive. They are standing around waiting to die like hovering hearses. “A Different City” also touches on this suffocating sense of suburban myopia.
“You were so all over town but still Crayola brown” may refer to the phrase “to paint the town red.” Although the person is thinks he/she is doing exciting things (painting the town red), he/she is in fact doing nothing and going nowhere.
Still, I think twougly people also has an interesting interpretation about the double meaning of stars.
what i dont like is that everyone either thinks the songs are about relationships (which i personaly dont think modest mouse would waste their time with) or the band selling out or sticking to its roots. i've been to many other modest mouse songs and these are all the same guesses by everyone. i think honesly that 80% of everything they write is "inside writing" and that it has a lot of significant value to the band but we dont know much about it. (like portugals songs use weird imagery from alaska that doesnt mean much to one of us.) just a thought