1492 Lyrics
Impersonating African Jamaican What I want to be is an Indian
I'm gonna be a cowboy in the end
I guess I bought a gun
because it impresses all the little girls I see
and then they all wanna sleep with me
Oh whre did we disappear
into the silence that surrounds us and then drowns us in the end
Where these people who impersonate our friends
Say come again come again come again
Into the dark Italian underground
with disco lights and disco sounds and skinny
girls who drink champagne
Then they take me on their knees again,
and pull me up and out the door
past railway cars and tranny-whores
And mornings spreading out across the feathered thighs of angels
Oh were did we disappear to
the silence that surrounds us and then drowns us in the end
Will they try to get you out to pull you in
And all these people, they've been come again
In fourteen-hundred ninety two Columbus sailed the ocean blue
In fourteen-hundred ninety three he came home across the deep blue sea
In fourteen-hundred ninety four he did it with the girl next door
In fourteen-hundred ninety five, barely made it out alive
In nineteen-hundred sixty four three sailors left me at the door
In nineteen-hundred seventy some people got their hands on me
Now I'm the king of everything
I'm the king of nothing now
I am the king of everything
I am the king of nothing
Oh where did we disappear
to the silence that surrounds us and then drowns us in the end Where these people
who impersonate our friends Say come again come again come
come again Oh where did we disappear
to the silence that surrounds us and then drowns us in the end When they try to push you out to get you in
and all these people who impersonate our friends Say come again come again come
come again come again come again
best song ever to include reference to tranny-whores. I think this is another one of those CC songs about totally losing yourself. Its a very unhealthy sort of song.
isnt this a really old crows song?
must be the fastest song of theirs to be on a studio album; it kicks up a better pace even than Angels of the Silences.
Interesting...does A.D. really have a Russian-Jewish background? Just assumed it was Polish...
yeah, he has russian/jewish background he's "impersonating african jamaican" because he has dreadlocks (that are really hair extensions)
yeah, he has russian/jewish background he's "impersonating african jamaican" because he has dreadlocks (that are really hair extensions)
I'm so glad Adam fought to keep this on "Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings" I've loved it since the first time I heard it, and really think the album wouldn't be the same without it.
Teebs... last time I checked there was racism WELL before 1492. Check out when the Europeans went into Africa/India/etc. Slaves existed during (and before) the Roman Empire. America has never had a monopoly on racism.
I think its about how with columbus discovering america it led to the creation of american culture, or the melting of all cultures into one American culture
Mean's health did an interview with Adam Duritz about his life and he said: I listened to some of our new music, specifically a song called "1492." It's about dissolution, a disintegrated life, where I was, where I thought I might be headed. Things really weren't much better early in 2007. I had a certain determination about things, some progress, but I knew I needed to stay home and get better. But I couldn't stop thinking about that song...so that's what it is about!
in rolling stone he said
"I had been listening to "1492" a lot, and I got this idea for a record. And there was this harder music we'd been playing with while we'd been gigging during these years — but I had no words in me. I lost the ability to read. Some of the medications made it so it was hard to find words, so I couldn't write.
I needed to write a song that was really not hinting at, but truly about insanity. I had written about disillusion. I had written about disintegration. And I had written about losing faith and betrayal. There had to be something that talked about how horrifying and scary it was. Nowadays everybody says, wow, we're all crazy. Everybody's on some fuckin' pill. It's not — they're not like that, not like this was. And I needed that, a song that really said, like, this is horrible."
thats pretty interesting because to me the chorus to this song is the kind of mental nonsense a person uses to distract themselves from the craziness of their lives. i cant say it as well as adam did but that is what i get from the song and, now that ive read his comments, i dont think im far off the mark. we all have coping mechanisms. hysterical fits of laughter,for example, is often a mask for something worthy of being very afraid of if it were ever brought to the surface. thats what adams doing here, to me. "My life...
thats pretty interesting because to me the chorus to this song is the kind of mental nonsense a person uses to distract themselves from the craziness of their lives. i cant say it as well as adam did but that is what i get from the song and, now that ive read his comments, i dont think im far off the mark. we all have coping mechanisms. hysterical fits of laughter,for example, is often a mask for something worthy of being very afraid of if it were ever brought to the surface. thats what adams doing here, to me. "My life is a crazy contradiction and i ignore that with this silly rhyme"
I can't completely pull if this song was about anything deeper. But I just always feel like it's about being totally lost. When I listen to it I just always feel like he's talking about being lost in the world and in yourself. And about how everyone is lost, not just himself. Which I guess is pretty much what he said. haha.
1492 is the year Columbus arrived in America and ultimately the creation of Racism.
Creation of racism? Bull. Racism was not created by Christopher Columbus coming to America.
Creation of racism? Bull. Racism was not created by Christopher Columbus coming to America.
Sure, his arrival led to the decimation of an entire nation of peoples and cultures, (no, not the Africans, that wasn't until the Dutch brought them over way later...Spaniards used Natives as slaves and didn't treat them nearly as well as blacks were treated.) At least Africans are still around to complain about their treatment. 99% of all Natives have been wiped out completely, a more efficient genocide has never been duplicated elsewhere.
Sure, his arrival led to the decimation of an entire nation of peoples and cultures, (no, not the Africans, that wasn't until the Dutch brought them over way later...Spaniards used Natives as slaves and didn't treat them nearly as well as blacks were treated.) At least Africans are still around to complain about their treatment. 99% of all Natives have been wiped out completely, a more efficient genocide has never been duplicated elsewhere.
Either way, racism was around LONG before Columbus. You could not be further...
Either way, racism was around LONG before Columbus. You could not be further wrong, in that aspect. If you want proof, look at Egyptian history.