Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
When we fight and I want to talk it out
You won't say nothing, nothing at all
You just sit there, you won't open that pretty mouth
I think you like keeping my back up against the wall
Wages of sin, you keep me paying
Wages of sin for wrongs that I've done
Wages of sin, you keep me paying
Wages of sin, one by one
I walk in the apartment, there's clothes thrown all over the place
You're crouched in the corner with makeup running down your face
I don't want to believe what my heart keeps saying
You keep me on the line so you can keep me paying
Wages of sin, we keep paying
Wages of sin for the wrongs that we've done
Wages of sin, we keep paying
Wages of sin, that's how we have our fun
I remember when I was a little boy out where the cottonwoods grow tall
Trying to make it home through the forest before the darkness falls
Baby all the sounds I heard, even if they weren't real
I was running down that broken path with the devil snapping at my heels
I tried so hard, so hard in every way
Swore someday I'd grow up, just throw it all away
Cried all the tears, baby, that I could cry
Stomached all my fears 'til they came rushin' up inside
Darlin' I'm losin' and it's a mean game
Still I play on just the same
Wages of sin, I keep paying
Wages of sin for some wrong that I've done
Wages of sin, well I keep paying
Wages of sin, one by one
You won't say nothing, nothing at all
You just sit there, you won't open that pretty mouth
I think you like keeping my back up against the wall
Wages of sin, you keep me paying
Wages of sin for wrongs that I've done
Wages of sin, you keep me paying
Wages of sin, one by one
I walk in the apartment, there's clothes thrown all over the place
You're crouched in the corner with makeup running down your face
I don't want to believe what my heart keeps saying
You keep me on the line so you can keep me paying
Wages of sin, we keep paying
Wages of sin for the wrongs that we've done
Wages of sin, we keep paying
Wages of sin, that's how we have our fun
I remember when I was a little boy out where the cottonwoods grow tall
Trying to make it home through the forest before the darkness falls
Baby all the sounds I heard, even if they weren't real
I was running down that broken path with the devil snapping at my heels
I tried so hard, so hard in every way
Swore someday I'd grow up, just throw it all away
Cried all the tears, baby, that I could cry
Stomached all my fears 'til they came rushin' up inside
Darlin' I'm losin' and it's a mean game
Still I play on just the same
Wages of sin, I keep paying
Wages of sin for some wrong that I've done
Wages of sin, well I keep paying
Wages of sin, one by one
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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.
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
this song is amazing...i'm not sure what else to compare it to in bruce's massive catalogue of songs. it doesn't feel much like anything else he's ever done. right off the bat, the odd, almost dissonant unresolved guitar chords are out of character, and the whole song has this almost dreamlike quality to it. the recording date puts it at about the time of the electric "nebraska" album that we may never get to hear, but if there are more songs like this in the vaults i hope bruce decides to release it someday.
Has anyone ever heard Damien Jurado's version of this song? It's just as good. And while we are on the subject, any fans of the more sparse Springsteen would love Damien Jurado. Well worth a listen!