The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
In the city I wander
worms get smashed under
all those people are busy with things
And here I go crazy
and there I get lazy
like a calf that is growing six legs
My body's slowly
figuring out how
it fits in the moments of missing
Steady in my thoughts
I soften the tight knots
My stomach's alright, though it's twisting
On a beautiful surf
I found a seaweed person
in hot light reflected green on the sand
I was a little uncertain
that some things might hurt me
in the night I hid my eyes with my hand
Then off of the breeze
I heard a sudden burst and
in fright imagined thumps on the land
There is a house on the trees
where all the shadows work and
they don't make their plans your plans
And maybe I'm naive
to say you should just breathe
and float out of pain when it's hissing
'Cause here I sit crying
and she's not here, I am
I can't handle a moment she's missing
Then I eat with my people
and I laugh at the steeples
'cause Hell is my own bad thinking
I know that the rain moves
and enters the dream pools
and diamonds are days with fire
And you help the sneeze
for as long as you could
just to cast it to the sneezing void
I think I have a disease
that makes my hearing imperfect
but at least I make some wonderful noise
And back in the trees
I saw a shadow's birth, but
no one said it's a girl or a boy
You can take all you want
from another person
In the end you find you lose your voice
In the city I wander
worms get smashed under
the streets where all those people are busy
Here I go crazy
but there I feel lazy
like a calf that is growing six legs
My body's slowly
figuring out how
it fits into moments of missing
worms get smashed under
all those people are busy with things
And here I go crazy
and there I get lazy
like a calf that is growing six legs
My body's slowly
figuring out how
it fits in the moments of missing
Steady in my thoughts
I soften the tight knots
My stomach's alright, though it's twisting
On a beautiful surf
I found a seaweed person
in hot light reflected green on the sand
I was a little uncertain
that some things might hurt me
in the night I hid my eyes with my hand
Then off of the breeze
I heard a sudden burst and
in fright imagined thumps on the land
There is a house on the trees
where all the shadows work and
they don't make their plans your plans
And maybe I'm naive
to say you should just breathe
and float out of pain when it's hissing
'Cause here I sit crying
and she's not here, I am
I can't handle a moment she's missing
Then I eat with my people
and I laugh at the steeples
'cause Hell is my own bad thinking
I know that the rain moves
and enters the dream pools
and diamonds are days with fire
And you help the sneeze
for as long as you could
just to cast it to the sneezing void
I think I have a disease
that makes my hearing imperfect
but at least I make some wonderful noise
And back in the trees
I saw a shadow's birth, but
no one said it's a girl or a boy
You can take all you want
from another person
In the end you find you lose your voice
In the city I wander
worms get smashed under
the streets where all those people are busy
Here I go crazy
but there I feel lazy
like a calf that is growing six legs
My body's slowly
figuring out how
it fits into moments of missing
Lyrics submitted by Wels
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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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,
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.
My interpretation, (chill out before you flame me, it's an opinion), enjoyyourroots, i don't think it's better than sex, though it is something.
I think it's just amazing what Avey can think of and write down. His voice is perfect for this as well as the guitar playing. I think this is one song I'm glad he didn't do with the rest of Animal Collective and let Panda do the vocals. Overall, I think the song is just about interaction with people, and what happens around your life as everything moves. People move around all the time, and depending on your mood/memories/thoughts, you'll feel differently at every moment. I love this verse:
"There is a house on the trees where all the shadows work and they don't make their plans your plans"
I think Avey is talking about people you don't see doin' work for you/community/the world. They don't tell you about it, but the work gets done, and they don't bother you about it. It's just about you. The shadows could be your own shadow (maybe your tax money? nah, sounds lame), or shadows compared to your physical person/psyche.
"Then I eat with my people/and I laugh at the steeples/'cause Hell is my own bad thinking"
I think this literally means, Hell is made up in his mind, and that there really isn't anything to fear (the whole idea that Hell was created just so that people would be good, morally). Whatever.
"I know that the rain moves/and enters the dream pools/and diamonds are days with fire"
I don't know. What is rain anyway? This is just another way of telling a story. Raindrops are our memories or ideas bouncing in and out of our minds. One or two raindrops enter our minds and really dig in there--can only be pushed out by our dreams. Diamonds are days with fire, compression of matter? (where am i?). Whatever, I dont know?
What a great song.
"You can take all you want from another person In the end you find you lose your voice" <-- this needs no explanation.
i just listened to this forever i think
i can't begin to disect this it's like something's swelling in the air or your belly but you really can't tell because it's everywhere i have a blurry shit thing in my imagined vision
i found a seaweed person!
this makes me want to cry
this song is just so divine.
that was better than sex
This song is so wonderful. I know a lot of people get turned off by the fact that the album was released backwards, but it seems like a shame that so few people have been able to hear these songs. The was it was released doesn't actually sound awful, but you can't hear the lyrics on it. They're too good to have been reversed so you can't understand them!
hahaha. nominal. it was a joke....
and your interpretation is very shallow.
this song is so peaceful & joyous. those high notes just fill me.
nobody heard that so i shit on her tears??
this song is depressing as fuck...
I think that "Sasong" is meant to be a "Sad Song." The lyrics seem to be about a sad time, when Avey is recovering from a breakup and looking out at the sad things in the world. The "worms" could be symbolic of people that get stepped on, the "calf that is growing six legs" a representation of the people who just don't fit in.
it's absolutely a sa[d]song about a break-up. it's about a period of life marked by absence. shadows, moments of missing, and unbearable emptiness that affects you on a visceral level. "a disease that makes my hearing imperfect" and "i hid my eyes with my hand." but at least he makes some wonderful noise!
I think it sounds like it's about having anxiety, or being an introvert. Living in your mind a lot.