the siren calls outside
they want to kill us all
innocents, wounded souls
full of rage
nowhere to go
consequences be they may
I resolve to never change
I so vow to never yield

can I give my old heart TO YOU?

cause when this feeling starts
that’s when I blow it all away

“here, you’re born” they’ll say
“to die afraid, to lie awake”

it’s plain the wars have won
the days of judgement rise
for innocents, wounded souls
how could they know?
they’re burning cold
paranoias be they may
I resolve to never change

can I give my old heart TO YOU?

cause when this feeling starts
that’s when I rip it all apart

alright!
the end’s in sight
we’re born to die
one thousand times

I’m just one wish away
I’m just one wish away from you kid
I’m just one wish away
I’m just one wish away from you kid
I’m not so innocent
I’m not so innocent now kid

can I give my old heart TO YOU?
my old heart…



Lyrics submitted by [starla]

Mina Loy (M.O.H.) song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

16 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think this is my absolute favourite song on Billy's album. In an interview he said he didn't want any rage on his album, he wasn't sure if he would use it on his album. 'There would have been a muteny if I didn't'. I agree with the people who worked together with him. This song is really too good to NOT put on an album. The meaning behind the lyrics is really clear (though he did explain it) and the sound is (as usual) amazing! Billy is such an amazing artist.

    lunaofthegrayskieson July 02, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    In my enthousiasm i forgot to say that billy almost didn't put Mina Loy on his album, which almost caused the mutany. sigh haven't slept very long...

    lunaofthegrayskieson July 02, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    When I first got the pre-released Mina Loy from Billy’s new album I couldn’t wait to hear it, not only because I’m a massive fan of Billy and the Pumpkins but also because I had studied art in high school and could remember hearing the name previously. I have finally got around to analysing this amazing song and its many layers of history, love and Futurism.

    Mina Loy was a Futurist in the late 19th and early 20th century. Futurists were people who explored all mediums in the arts - painting, poetry, music, acting etc. They defined the new artistic and literary styles that emerged in the decades before the early 1900’s as artists who rebelled against the late 19th century norms of depiction and literary form, in an attempt to present what they regarded as an emotionally truer picture of how people really feel and think, (much the same as Billy and the Pumpkins.) She received most recognition for her modernist poetry after her death.

    This explains the name behind the album TheFutureEmbrace, in reference the Futurism and Modernism. Knowing this, there are so many ways you could look at this song. Now a poet himself Billy obviously studied or admires Loy’s poetry and it is as if he is paying tribute to her and the other Futurists. Reading the lyrics I think Billy is either writing as though he has placed himself in that time period, as if he too were a Futurist, or from the perspective of Mina Loy herself. In my opinion it’s the former.

    “They want to kill us all, innocents, wounded souls” refers to Futurists often being criticised and ridiculed in earlier years for their revolutionary work, people resented and hated futurists and their principals, which included a passionate loathing of ideas from the past, especially political and artistic traditions. They espoused a love of youth, speed, power and technology. The car, the plane, the industrial town were all legendary for the Futurists, because they represented the technological triumph of man over nature.

    “I resolve to never change, I so vow to never yield” obviously refers to the Futurists vowing to never change or yield to pressure. “Can I give my old heart to you?” Could be interpreted a few ways, I get the impression that it is a question Mina Loy is asking of Billy, I also get this impression from the line “I’m just one wish away from you ‘kid’” as if Mina is saying this to Billy. It is hard to explain, but to me it is almost as if Billy has conceived an imaginary relationship with Mina Loy. However, I also read that she did have a husband so it could also refer to him.

    Almost fanatical, Futurists glorified modern warfare as the ultimate artistic expression and their intense nationalism, which is evident throughout the second verse:

    “Its plain the wars have won” more glorification of the World Wars, specifically World War One. “The days of judgement rise, For innocents, wounded souls” Futurists called the love of the past "pastism", and those who advocated it "pastists", it was even said they attacked these people at their exhibitions. This refers to the pastists demise. “How could they know? They’re burning cold” I think here Billy is saying that those who are stuck in the past are ignorant of Futurists ways. “Paranoias be they may” They hold the Futurists in contempt and have an extreme, irrational distrust of them. “I resolve to never change” despite all this they will never change their ways.

    Yeah… that’s enough, lol. Well if u read all that well done, I personally think it is pretty interesting and crazy to think that people used to think like this, and it demonstrates Billy’s genius in his ability to incorporate it into a song. There’s lots of other ways you could look at it, but this is just some good background info to get people started, as like so many of Billy’s songs, this one has many levels and meanings behind it.

    chuck_norrison July 04, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Hmm that was insightful, thanks for posting it all. ^^

    [starla]on July 05, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    thank god there are people who study that kind of stuff to inform the people who not know. Two meanings behind this song: the 9/11 disaster and futurism. I guess i love songs more when i know more of their background. =)

    lunaofthegrayskieson July 07, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yesterday i was watching 'the FutureEmbrace film' (the one that's 18 mins long) and...there's a scene where Billy's on the ground, kinda lost looking, when a woman appears in front of him and hands him a box with m.o.h on it (my old heart)....and thinking of what chuck had posted above...that could be THE Mina Loy...another thing solved. If you watch closely you can see Jimmy going by a few times as well ;)

    lunaofthegrayskieson July 11, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Billy said that the song was inspired by the fear of Chicago being hit by terrorism.

    Songmeaningsuseron July 18, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    dosent that mean corgan is a pastist then?

    saturninerockson August 02, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think.. The song sounds and is sung great.. no idea on the meaning though

    BlinkMeon September 13, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i love the line 'we're born to die one thousand times'. i think it means that everytime someone hurts you, you die a little inside, so billys saying we'r all born to die over and over billy = god

    i-fell-into-fantasyon September 27, 2005   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Album art
Midnight
Ed Sheeran
“Midnight” is a song about finding a love that is so true that it provides a calming feeling through every storm. Ed Sheeran reflects on his good fortunes in landing someone with such peace and support and speaks of not fearing the dark days because he knows they’ll all end in the safety nets of her arms. “Well, good morning there / What a way to start the day / With everything laid bare,” Ed Sheeran sings in the first verse, enthusiastic to be waking up beside his woman. He apologizes for missing her calls in the second verse and promises to return them because for him, speaking to her is the most important thing. “Well, I get lost inside my head / In this chaos, you’re my calm / And I will find my feet again / ‘Cause еven the worst days of my life will always еnd / At midnight in your arms,” sings Ed Sheeran in the chorus, revelling in his good luck.