This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
By the bumper cars, in the pretty twining light, I may have gone too far, I may have gone too much too long. I'm a dull and witless boy. In the after bars, think I was sullied by a dream: in the killing jar, you and me at war at arms all falling in embrace.
Tell me why you lied and what it is you do to keep your eyes all shiny.
A tawny gypsy girl, sleeping blanketed by stars beneath the tilt-a-whirl where we were coyly caught alone all fumbling with your blouse.
Tell me why you lied and what it is you do to keep your eyes all shiny.
In the rollercoaster din, by the parachutes in saddle shoes you break your shin. But I have never seen two eyes so shiny.
And the sullen beery swine who try to tangle you in sullen beery balls of twine, have they ever seen two eyes so shiny?
The boys in denim vest, smoking cigarettes between their bootblack fingertips, sweetly tipsy by the half-light. The light and the half-light.
Tell me why you lied and what it is you do to keep your eyes so shiny
Tell me why you lied and what it is you do to keep your eyes all shiny.
A tawny gypsy girl, sleeping blanketed by stars beneath the tilt-a-whirl where we were coyly caught alone all fumbling with your blouse.
Tell me why you lied and what it is you do to keep your eyes all shiny.
In the rollercoaster din, by the parachutes in saddle shoes you break your shin. But I have never seen two eyes so shiny.
And the sullen beery swine who try to tangle you in sullen beery balls of twine, have they ever seen two eyes so shiny?
The boys in denim vest, smoking cigarettes between their bootblack fingertips, sweetly tipsy by the half-light. The light and the half-light.
Tell me why you lied and what it is you do to keep your eyes so shiny
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More Featured Meanings
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
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.
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Zombie
Cranberries, The
Cranberries, The
"Zombie" is about the ethno-political conflict in Ireland. This is obvious if you know anything of the singer (Dolores O'Riordan)'s Irish heritage and understood the "1916" Easter Rising reference.
"Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken
-
Another mother's breaking
Heart is taking over"
Laments the Warrington bomb attacks in which two children were fatally injured on March 23rd, 1993. Twelve year old Tim Parry was taken off life support with permission from his mother after five days in the hospital, virtually braindead.
"But you see it's not me
It's not my family"
References how people who are not directly involved with the violence feel about it. They are "zombies" without sympathy who refuse to take action while others suffer.
The song is about a boy falling in love for the first time at a carnival, and he believed at first that his lover was just as inexperienced as he was, but she isn't. All the "beery boys" know her too well. She lied by saying she was innocent. The shine he speaks of is the light of innocence in her eyes. How can someone have such innocent eyes and clearly be so worldly.
The whole song is a tribute to the loss of innocence. How things and people that appear to be so fun, bright, and childlike (like carnivals) can, as you grow older, prove to be just a facade.
I've always thought of the shininess of her eyes as being a reference to drug use... but after looking up the whole "eye dilation" thing in relation to when you find a person attractive, suddenly I hear this song in a new way!
you see, when you view a person you are interested in, your eyes will automatically dilate, and sometimes become covered in a thin layer of tears, giving your eye a shiny, wide look. this is something you can't control, so if you really dig someone, they'll be able to tell -- if they know what to look for. so, deny your feelings all you want, but your eyes will give away your lies every time.
so now, whenever I hear this song, I think of it as the narrator being involved with this girl, and they have a fling during a summer circus or fair, and she winds up leaving the guy, claiming never to have felt anything serious towards him, but he finds himself reflecting on their time together, and the way her eyes always seemed to shine... which leads him to believe she was lying about not feeling the same way he did.
... although, I figure the song really is about drug-use induced eye shininess, but my theory is at least an interesting new take on it. =P
My personal interpretation is somewhat (entirely, really) different than everyone else’s, apparently. The way I see it, the narrator is an army man, and is obviously romantically involved with one of the other men in his regiment. The song just doesn’t make any sense to me, otherwise. The two get up to something in a carnival/fairground, and the tawny gypsy girl sees them from where she is sleeping and alerts the authorities, who, naturally, come running and arrest the two (I suppose they’re in some place/time where their actions would illicit such a reaction). The other boy lied, and now our narrator is fulfilling the consequences; maybe he is in jail or somewhere similar, being punished, and thinking about how the fellow he loved (or at least trusted) betrayed him. Or perhaps the other boy lied and took it upon himself, and the narrator is remembering his eyes as shiny, or perhaps visiting him in his penitentiary or something [I am sure you all get the idea].
As well, it does not make sense that the narrator would switch subjects from his brother-at-arms to the gypsy girl halfway through the third verse. He begins the stanza by discussing the girl, but then doesn’t seem to mention her again.
I find it funny that it never occurred to me that this could’ve been his relationship with the girl, or any girl in general. It just seems like such a strange way to go about phrasing it, if that is indeed the intention of the song.
Maybe I’m just thinking about it too literally. Either way, it’s my point of view and I like it. Cheers!
Wow, I always thought this song was about rape? In the first verse, where he talks about "I may have gone too far, may have gone too much too long I'm a dull and witless boy"... thought this illustrated rape. Also, in the second verse, he talks about 'fumbling with her blouse'; this also fed into my personal interpretation. And that, coupled with the "Tell me why you lied, and what it is you do to keep your eyes so shiny" - I always figured she was lying about what really happened between them, maybe she said he raped her when he didn't, and he doesn't understand why, but she is able to keep an innocent face/ those innocent eyes.
I agree with you, but I could also believe that it's about a girl cheating on the boy. However, my initial reaction was that it was about rape.
This song sounds like a confrontation with the "Tawny Gypsy Girl", maybe at a carnival. He fell in love with her.
The Shiny reference is a reference to watery eyes or weeping. I think he's confronted her about cheating because of the flirting with the Sullen Beery Swine and the Boys in Denim Vests. And he's afraid it could all be in his head, referenced by calling himself a dull and witless boy.
He's just not sure if she's really crying or faking it.
That's my take.
Beautiful song either way.
wow im surprised no comments, such a beautiful song.
My favorite song of the moment, absolutely amazing
I love their lyrics...so much. :)
Makes me want to learn to play the accordian.
i want to be a tawny gypsy girl. haha.