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,
You're my water
You're my wine
You're my whiskey
From time to time
You're the hunger
On my bones
All the nights
I sleep alone
Sweet intoxication
When your words
Wash over me
Whether or not
Your lips move
You speak to me
Like an ocean
Without waves
You're the movement
That I crave
And in that motion
I long to drown
And be lost not to be found
You're my water
You're my wine
You're my whiskey
From time to time
You're my wine
You're my whiskey
From time to time
You're the hunger
On my bones
All the nights
I sleep alone
Sweet intoxication
When your words
Wash over me
Whether or not
Your lips move
You speak to me
Like an ocean
Without waves
You're the movement
That I crave
And in that motion
I long to drown
And be lost not to be found
You're my water
You're my wine
You're my whiskey
From time to time
Lyrics submitted by SiberiansGrowl
Drunkard's Prayer Lyrics as written by Linford Detweiler Karin Bergquist
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
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/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
i definitely don't get such a strong biblical feel from this song. yeah its about a prayer, but i think its more describing the way you can feel about someone, and OTR are using the drunkards metaphor to how they feel about booze to how one can feel about another person. oh i guess that could mean God to some.
@think-carpe-diem
All songs don't have to be about God. In fact, I think it's really lame when everything in the world is about Mr. All Mighty.
Why can't this be a simple love story? Why can't she be singing about the beauty of her love?
When everything in life is about God, honestly, it cheapens life.
Hmm, interesting, I would say that if everything in life is about God, honestly, it enriches life. <br /> <br /> But anyway, if you look at the lyrics, you'll find a lot of metaphors that are quite similar to the metaphors found in the Bible. So even though this song can definitely be interpreted as a love song to another person, it is very likely, or at least not unthinkable, that this song is written to God. Especially since, you know, Linford and Karin are christians and all.
Curious how song meanings change when we apply context to what was going on behind the album: They were separated and working on their marriage. They got back together and released this album. Now discuss.
I believe she's uses the opposite of usual metaphors to describe what she's thinking.
where usually we hear that God/Jesus fill us, she talkes about hour she hungers, and the hunger is deep "on my bones".
she starts out using biblical metaphores "your my hunger, your my wine" and then goes on to say"your my whiskey from time to time" and I think she says 2 things here. One that God/Jesus are more then the few metaphors described in the bible to help us understand them, but once you understand them you see them in other things. For her, like whiskey is a source of comfort and alcohol a lifestyle for a drunk, so is God to her.
The second verse talks about how she yearns for God, and He's the hunger she has, and she's lonely with out Him.
Then she goes on to talk about "Truth" and His "Word"(bible) and how they relate to being intoxicated because your so caught up in it and it effects your mental state, decision making, and is obvious to those around you what's happening to you.
Then of course she shows us that the words she's describing aren't a physical thing, but an internal thing.
Then she goes on to say that she "craves" "movement" in her life, but the movement is His movement, or His influence. She's also saying that right now she's feeling low, and lonely, and hungry for Him.
Then she goes on to say that in the "motion" or in Him, she wants to "down, and be lost not to be found" which this is usually a term we use to describe someone who doesn't know God, but she seeks to know God so much, be so close to him that to those she knows, and even her previous self to "drown" in Him, and be "Lost" in Him.
Then she finishes with the first verse, to emphasize how it's God that fills her thirst, even when the thirst is a desperate one from time to time.
when I said the bit about to those she knows and her previous self, I meant to say that it would seem she was drowning and forever lost in Him, but for some reason I skipped the middle of my sentence.
Also, she could be compared to a non-beleiever in the "darkness" because she yearns for God so much that she wants to be that desperately caught up in Him.