In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
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.
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.
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.
Great instrumental song. Its about these trapped minors who requested for an ipod full of foo fighters songs be sent down till they got out. I heard that Dave Grohl even gave them free tickets to a gig.
Go Aussies!
Yeah, one of the trapped miners was a giant Foo Fighters fan, so they sent down an iPod full of their tunes. Grohl heard about it and offered them tickets to their acoustic show in Sydney. After the show, they went and got plastered in a bar, where Grohl promised the guy he would put a song for them on the new album. I think he came up with this on the night, or soon after.
Even though this song has no lyrics, the song has been dedicated to a group of miners who were caught in a tunnel collapse and while being rescued they asked for an iPod full of Foo Fighters songs.
thats an awesome story!
Awesome song
The sound of this song is heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin's 'White Summer, Black Mountain Side'. It's beautiful, so so beautiful.
Are you serious? That's awesome! This is a neat song.
this song is great! ive never listened to an instrumental this much and still liked it:P
Ya, adding to what James water said. youtube.com/watch ^^If you check this out, it's an interview on "the Hour" in which Dave and Taylor talk about some of the meanings of the songs off of the "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace", especially talking about Kurt and the start of the Foo Fighters careers. "For the longest time I wouldn't write lyrics that would be associated to something like that," refering to the death of Kurt. But he later goes in to explaining that now he isn't afraid to talk about it and write about it.
But now about the Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners...
The song is about a group of miners who were in a mine collapse in Tazmania, in a town called Beaconsfield. When rescuers reached them with a drill, they could only give them small items. One of the miners (Brant Webb) asked for a I-pod with the Foo Fighters latest record on it (which was In Your Honor). Dave Grohl heard this story later and was playing in the area, so he invited the miner to come see the show and have a couple beers with the band afterwards. Well during the concert he played a little acoustic piece, which happened to be "The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners". Well, after the show, Dave had "a few to many beers" and promised to put it on the record, so he put it on the record. This is the true story, Dave said it himself.
Watch the video, it probably explains it better than I did, and it's an intresting video to any Foo Fighters fan.
TASMANIA. and well look at the name of the album? do you know how long they were trapped? there were only two miners, their mate and colleague had been killed by the same rock fall that had them trapped. ECHOES, SILENCE, PATIENCE AND GRACE.
buried for 14 nights with nothing but water and FOO
Kaki King plays on this song.
She is awesome. The best guitarist in the world
I saw her live several years ago. She is awe-inspiring. However, her stage banter makes her seem conceited.