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Gotta Knock A Little Harder Lyrics
Happiness is just a word to me
And it might have meant a thing or two
If I'd known the difference
Emptiness, a lonely parody
And my life, another smokin' gun
A sign of my indifference
Always keepin' safe inside
Where no one ever had a chance
To penetrate a break in
Let me tell you some have tried
But I would slam the door so tight
That they could never get in
Kept my cool under lock and key
And I never shed a tear
Another sign of my condidtion
Fear of love or bitter vanity
That kept me on the run
The main events at my confession
I kept a chain upon my door
That would shake the shame of Cain
Into a blind submission
The burning ghost without a name
Was calling all the same
But I wouldn't listen
The longer I'd stall
The further I'd crawl
The further I'd crawl
The harder I'd fall
I was crawlin' into the fire
The more that I saw
The further I'd fall
The further I'd fall
The lower I'd crawl
I kept fallin' into the fire
Into the fire
Into the fire
Suddenly it occurred to me
The reason for the run and hide
Had totaled my existnce
Everything left on the other side
Could never be much worse that this
But could I go the distance
I faced the door and all my shame
Tearin' off each piece of chain
Until they all were broken
But no matter how I tried
The other side was locked so tight
That door it wouldn't open
Gave it all that I got
And started to knock
Shouted for someone
To open the lock
I just gotta get through the door
And the more that I knocked
The hotter I got
The hotter I got
The harder I'd knock
I just gotta break through the door
Gotta knock a little harder
Gotta knock a little harder
Gotta knock a little harder
Break through the door (x4)
Gotta knock a little harder
Gotta knock a little harder
Gotta knock a little harder
Break down... the door
And it might have meant a thing or two
If I'd known the difference
And my life, another smokin' gun
A sign of my indifference
Where no one ever had a chance
To penetrate a break in
But I would slam the door so tight
That they could never get in
And I never shed a tear
Another sign of my condidtion
That kept me on the run
The main events at my confession
That would shake the shame of Cain
Into a blind submission
Was calling all the same
But I wouldn't listen
The further I'd crawl
The further I'd crawl
The harder I'd fall
I was crawlin' into the fire
The further I'd fall
The further I'd fall
The lower I'd crawl
I kept fallin' into the fire
Into the fire
Into the fire
The reason for the run and hide
Had totaled my existnce
Could never be much worse that this
But could I go the distance
Tearin' off each piece of chain
Until they all were broken
The other side was locked so tight
That door it wouldn't open
And started to knock
Shouted for someone
To open the lock
I just gotta get through the door
The hotter I got
The hotter I got
The harder I'd knock
I just gotta break through the door
Gotta knock a little harder
Gotta knock a little harder
Break through the door (x4)
Gotta knock a little harder
Gotta knock a little harder
Break down... the door
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A friend shared this with me today and I gave it another listen tonight.
I like that the speaker's success or failure is left open-ended, a nice touch for story's sake.
I hear the repetition at the tail and interpret the call to "break down the door" as having double meaning ( my forte ). In one case the speaker is addressing his or her self (or others in similar circumstances) to break down their own barriers. It is a mandate of self-determination.
The other interpretation is that it is a plea to others. The speaker has reached out for the first time and is asking for help from outside,only now realizing that the task is impossible on their own. They are asking others to not give up on them, even in the face of the enormity of the task ( breaking through to that long sealed room behind the door ). Perhaps the change in the final verse is the breaking point, turning that energy from within to without, breaking down and asking for help from outside. "break through" is repeated, but eh single "break down the door"? "Breaking down" a door is a violent act, a measure of last resort in an emergency (which this certainly is). In this aspect, in this potential interpretation, the vocalist's urgency serves to make this plea all the more heartbreaking. Powerful stuff, especially if you've ever found yourself isolated and discovered that you were the one who had locked the door.
I'm reminded of the titular idea in Pink Floyd's concept album, "The Wall". But, hoo-boy, that's another book.
I just realized that I said the speaker was "breaking down" and asking for help in "breaking down" the door... christamighty. See? multiple meanings pursue me like a pack of black hounds. I can not shake them.
I just realized that I said the speaker was "breaking down" and asking for help in "breaking down" the door... christamighty. See? multiple meanings pursue me like a pack of black hounds. I can not shake them.
@warmPhase Sadly Once you're in that room you're never fully out of it even if you break down the door.
@warmPhase Sadly Once you're in that room you're never fully out of it even if you break down the door.
I absolutely LOVE this song--one of my favorites I adore everything about it, and it's the perfect fit to the themes within Cowboy Bebop:KOHD movie (which is by the way one of the greatest anime series + movies ever).
I love all of Yoko Kanno's lyrics. So descriptive, so much punch, while (at first glance) so deceptively simple...
Contrary to the popular believe the song was not written by Yoko Kanno but composed, the song writer is actually Tim Jensen.
I personally find the meaning of the song that of spiritual endeavor. A person has finally has come face to face with him or her self and step up to the batting plate of life on their own two feet. This is a very hard thing to do for any human and that which most of us humans experience. That is why I think it so appealing to many people who listen to it, especially the ones who have gone or going through the same process in their lives. For such people, this song becomes more then just a song, but also a piece of art work that gives hope.
I just realize, I probably completely failed to relate what I was trying to. :( (That is why kids you should always proof read before you post)
YouTuber Victor X has summed this song up perfectly:
"The singer is suffering from loneliness, apathy, and possibly depression because she locks herself away from the rest of the world, creating a "door" to separate herself from the world. Everything inside her tells her that this is bad for her, but she keeps "stalling" and "crawling" into self-destruction (the fire). Eventually midway she realizes that she needs to confront the world and deal with the problem. So she summons all her strength and courage to break through that 'door'"