This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Look at me, what have I become
I am lost I was once a gentleman
But the thief came out in my London town
So I must leave you now
But I will remember the ups and the downs
Goodbye my friends
Goodbye to the money
Adieu to the fuckers that think that it's funny
I just want to turn the lights on
in these volatile times
I just want to turn the lights on
in these volatile times
Look at me in the apocalypse
My European guilt, expecting instant fix
I imagine all the brutal services
Of ancient infidels
Of all the wounded and the crying witches
Goodbye my friends
Goodbye to the money
Adieu to the fuckers that think that it's funny
I just want to turn the lights on in these volatile times
I just want to turn the lights on in these volatile times
I drove through countries like a marching funeral
In the search of fools and utopias
Along the lonely roads with all the empty human souls
Filling their heavy hearts
With slum religion and Coca-Cola
Every book is read and I'm paralyzed
Every fist is clenched, but I'm so tired
Goodbye my friends
Goodbye to the money
Adieu to the fuckers that think that it's funny
I just want to turn the lights on
in these volatile times
I just want to turn the lights on
in these volatile (volatile) times
I am lost I was once a gentleman
But the thief came out in my London town
So I must leave you now
But I will remember the ups and the downs
Goodbye my friends
Goodbye to the money
Adieu to the fuckers that think that it's funny
I just want to turn the lights on
in these volatile times
I just want to turn the lights on
in these volatile times
Look at me in the apocalypse
My European guilt, expecting instant fix
I imagine all the brutal services
Of ancient infidels
Of all the wounded and the crying witches
Goodbye my friends
Goodbye to the money
Adieu to the fuckers that think that it's funny
I just want to turn the lights on in these volatile times
I just want to turn the lights on in these volatile times
I drove through countries like a marching funeral
In the search of fools and utopias
Along the lonely roads with all the empty human souls
Filling their heavy hearts
With slum religion and Coca-Cola
Every book is read and I'm paralyzed
Every fist is clenched, but I'm so tired
Goodbye my friends
Goodbye to the money
Adieu to the fuckers that think that it's funny
I just want to turn the lights on
in these volatile times
I just want to turn the lights on
in these volatile (volatile) times
Lyrics submitted by voidbandit, edited by Flaredash
Volatile Times Lyrics as written by Christopher Corner
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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What a fantastic song from a great album! I believe this song has a strong message about uncovering truths, when he says "I just want to turn the lights on / In these volatile times".
It's a story of discovery, searching for meaning, searching for life but finding nothing more than artificial "slum religion". We do live in volatile times, and Chris has made references before to the superficial nature of the music business. I love this track!
I'm taking a little less modern approach to this particularly because of: 'My European guilt, expecting instant fix'. I believe this could be a song about the guilt of a European for the mistakes their ancestors have made. Ever heard the phrase, 'white guilt'? The person is angry to an unhealthy level. You shouldn't feel guilty because of what your ancestors/people did in the past, but this is how the person in the song feels. Perhaps the singer.
Yup, the first verse doesn't fit in with this theory. Except for this: 'I am lost I was once a gentleman'. The person thought they were good before but they have studied history and are drawn to the conclusion that their people (the Europeans) weren't so good after all, and thus, they are also awful. (Again, this isn't true, but this is how this person seems to feel).
'Goodbye my friends, goodbye to the money Adieu to the fuckers that think that it's funny' The person's pissed off at everyone because they don't share views and instead think it's a big joke. People like to make jokes about tragedies in the past and this person hates them for it and wishes to cut them out of their life. 'Friends' is used sarcastically here. Goodbye to the money gained through their European privileges.
'I just want to turn the lights on in these volatile times': Society is messed up and some people are treated unfairly, yaddah yaddah. The person wants to shed light on this and remind everyone about the mistakes of the past and that hateful crimes towards non-European people (especially non-white) go on because of the things done to them in the past. They want to throw this into the faces of the self-involved people that whine about small things while ignoring the pain of those not granted the same privilege in society.
The entire verse beginning with 'Look at me in the apocalypse' is self-explanatory of this theory.
'I drove through countries like a marching funeral' isn't actually in a car, but rather, describing exploration in the past. A marching funeral...walking through, killing everyone, taking over. The 'drove' part because it was a smooth ride for them throughout, easy as cruising through. The part about slum religion and coca cola...obviously back then, coca cola wasn't invented. But there is such a thing as globalization, as you see with McDonalds: they started off in America and are everywhere now. Europe is obviously not America but most Americans came from Europe at some point. Slum religion: they forced their religion upon these people, and Christianity at that point in time was corrupt enough that you could kill someone if they wouldn't convert. Convert or die was the mentality in those times.
'Every book is read and I'm paralyzed Every fist is clenched, but I'm so tired' I see this more literally; every book as in every textbook. History textbooks in particular. The person studied this for a long time and is horrified by the atrocities committed by their people even though it's not their fault. They're paralyzed with the horror of it all and also angry, but they cannot do anything about it. They're tired of hearing about these atrocities, so angry towards their ancestors that it exhausts them.
@bloodshadow64 I think I see where you're going with this. "European guilt" make more sense that way.
great song! i definitely think it's about the music industry, but also about society as a whole. the "i drove through countries" verse makes me think of someone searching for meaning, and then above that he talks about how hard it is to find 'meaning' in a society that expects an 'instant fix' for everything, and maybe a bit of wistfulness for when people were more... i don't know, true, or honest, or staunch in their ideals (the bit about infidels and slum religion made me think this).
anyways. i would love this song even if it didn't have all this meaning behind it, just for the 'adieu to the fuckers' line.