Can't Let It Go

i bet john's talking to his dad in this song

true goo fans: listen to the chorus and tell me otherwise "I was your anger And you were my fear Now that it's over Of course it's so clear But you were no angel And I was no sin Somehow I can't let you go I can't let you go again"

he can't let him go again because he wants to make peace with his father's memory...

i agree, even though he does actually say 'you', its probably still right. after reading it a few times, with that in my mind, i see that it is right.

but you could also relate to some parts with a lover or partner youve split up with, but somehow feel something for.

overall thought, id say its about his father.

*doesnt actually say 'you'

When I heard this I thought it was about John's dad too....the only thing I can't figure out is these 2 lines:

"Half the world is begging while the other half steals..."

AND

Half the world is sleeping while the other half dreams...."

Any imput???

Black Balloon

Those are two of my favourite lines. I can't put into words what I think they mean though.

Great song, and now that you mention it, it does sound like it's about his dad. Could be why he's said he doesn't like this song too much. It's personal for him.

This song has an AWESOME tune and lyrics. I think it is about his dad. Going back and reading the lyrics.

Johnny has such a awesome voice. I am in love with him he is so hot.

This is one of my favorites off of the new CD. It has a 'Black Balloon' feel to it, but I think that it has a different message. I kind of relate it to poverty, how half the world lives in poverty... while, us, here, have way too much, more than we need. And the, of course, there's always the War in Iraq. It's probably about some relationship or another, though, probably Johnny's dad. I kind of relate it more to that, but I do think that there's another feel to it... maybe a mix of the two?

Their new CD kind of feels like that... though Goo has always been/written for peace and love and whatnot.

Meh, I love them.

i think those two lines "half the world is sleeping..." and "half the world is begging..." are kind of comparing to his relationship to a girl. i know that some think its about his dad, and i totally see how that can be possible. but i listen to the chorus and the line "i know you feel so beautifully wronged" makes me feel like he had a relationship with a girl that was one-sided, mostly on her part. and after they broke up she kind of feel like he took advantage of her and he didnt love her the way she loved him. maybe she was a bit too young for him, i dont know. and now hes kind of apologizing and saying that he really did care, just not the way she did, and she wanted to be in the relationship too, so if he was older, it wasnt all his responsibility to end it when it got too far. ("you were no angel, and i was no sin"). i dont think the way i'm putting it makes much sense though.

For the line "half the world is begging while the other half steals" I think he is talking about how the dynamics of our society leave everyone wanting in some way, and because we don't know how to change the infrastructure of our relation to the world we have to beg, borrow or steal from one another just to fufill our basic emotional needs. I think he is using the analogy of begging and stealing from eachother to show the internal struggle in our society caused by social status ladders. It also shows how confused and uncomfortable we are knowing this and not being able to change the fact that inequality is abundant ("where did everything go wrong?").

For the line "half the world is sleeping while the other half dreams" I think he is enforcing the views he expressed in the first verse. People are "sleeping" as in people who are complete products of this society and don't recognise this constant struggle, therefore are unable to question it. While others are 'dreaming' as in they recognise the problem but feel insignificant and unable to do anything productive about it so they just wish it away (either turning a blind eye or expressing their frustration through their artwork, haha)

This is a large scale observation of these lyrics, but it can be brought down to smaller, related terms. For instance people in relationships (of many kinds) playing "tit for tat" and miscommunicating.

"And laughter is my soul's release But we're not smiling anymore"

means the world is a bad place where many people got that sinking feeling and doesn't feel very good.

"Can't we try to win this peace 'Cause we're never gonna win Never gonna win this war"

i think it's about giving up in a war to save all the people.. if no one's gonna win the war, why keep fighting? It would be a bit better to win the peace together.

i know, this doesn't make much sense.