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.
Boy was wrong
Was wrong in every cast
Was always told that make up
Would make things last
Boy would feel
Would feel like strange
Boneless
This town is all in hell
You know
You would always run
From here
Was wrong in every cast
Was always told that make up
Would make things last
Boy would feel
Would feel like strange
Boneless
This town is all in hell
You know
You would always run
From here
Lyrics submitted by TosMcGee
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Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
how has nobody commented on this song!? probably one of their best songs. No idea what it's about but it means alot to someone
i think he's talking about someone who feels out of place in their usual surroundings. a boy who's constantly seeing through the surface and feeling better than everyone around him, in a somewhat arrogant way (this town is all in hell). like he's better than everyone, pretty much wherever he goes. and yes, he could run from here, but he's afraid he'll end up (or be cast) in some place where he feels just the same.
what he means by 'boneless' sort of escapes me. i have some ideas, but i think it's pretty much open to interpretation.
The Panda Bear remix of this song sort of destroys the original for me... listen here --> youtube.com/watch
the remix far exceeds the original
To be honest, I'm just getting into this band -- I'm not really familiar with the bands's writing style, so I was a bit reluctant about writing this... Still, what harm can it possibly do? c:
Simply put, I think this is about someone who feels like an outcast in his town, because everyone else needs to pretend in order to feel happy and tells him he should do the same. But he doesn't really feel the need to do so, since he's "boneless" -- he can't feel as they do.
The only part that sort of confused my was the "This town is all in hell. You know you would always run from here" part. After some thinking, I thought maybe he meant that this person was tired of people telling him he had to pretend to feel the happiness they longed to feel. So he would always run away.
To sum up, I believe this about how people try to reach a state of happiness without realising how overrated happy is. But's just my take on it. c:
I also think this song is about being an outcast. Imagine not having bones, just meat, soft and tender, without structure. I think that's what they mean by boneless, maybe others call him that way. It's being sensitive, in tune with their emotions, unorganized (creative), like an artist type of person. "This town is all in hell" and "You'll always run from here" is just a way of saying he's tired of all of this, he dreams of escaping this little town, that he thinks, in his anger and frustration, that is full of closed minded people with no aspiration for something meaningful or beautiful and that celebrate mundanity and do not appreciate "the important things". Like the movie "Ghost World" or other songs from them like "Trashing Days" or "One Step In Doesn't Mean You'll Understand". It's a recurring theme with Notwist.