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.
Strive, strive, surmount the obstacles
Become the essence of your goals
Hereditary dream
Pray that you may attain that destiny
Fall into the coveted line
Where life is but a theme
Of pretense in lustrous guise
Claims and values
Charts of means and status
Plaques to show your strife
Do your neighbour clones approve
Picture perfect illustration
Imitation of life
Where the path is evened out
All obstructions removed
Great viable citizen
Are you happy now?
Then praise your God and bow
Shimmering surface
The gleam of blinding lies
Become the product
The thing you so desire
To what length would you go to reach your goals?
What mantra will you use to justify your means?
Who will you betray to secure your dream?
What sins will you commit to avoid your sins be seen?
Do not look down
Do not look down
Or the abysmal beast of non-conformity
Might stare some unpleasant truth
Into your desensitized mind
Shimmering surface
The gleam of blinding lies
Become the product
The thing you so desire
Become the essence of your goals
Hereditary dream
Pray that you may attain that destiny
Fall into the coveted line
Where life is but a theme
Of pretense in lustrous guise
Claims and values
Charts of means and status
Plaques to show your strife
Do your neighbour clones approve
Picture perfect illustration
Imitation of life
Where the path is evened out
All obstructions removed
Great viable citizen
Are you happy now?
Then praise your God and bow
Shimmering surface
The gleam of blinding lies
Become the product
The thing you so desire
To what length would you go to reach your goals?
What mantra will you use to justify your means?
Who will you betray to secure your dream?
What sins will you commit to avoid your sins be seen?
Do not look down
Do not look down
Or the abysmal beast of non-conformity
Might stare some unpleasant truth
Into your desensitized mind
Shimmering surface
The gleam of blinding lies
Become the product
The thing you so desire
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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,
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Page
Ed Sheeran
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Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Here they are basically eviscerating the idea of corporatism or being a "company man." You give up a large part of yourself to attain somebody else's definition of success. The life of a person who gives up their individuality to attain that kind of life is the "imitation of life." Then when you look back and think what you could have done with that life, the "abysmal beast of non-conformity" will stare back at you and you will realize just how much you gave up to gain something that is so ultimately meaningless.
Definitely in the running for "best metal song on planet freaking earth."
@nh I agree completely with this interpretation, I think it also touches upon the pressure to carry on the path of predecessors who have also led lives of conformity.
I think this song is about what happens to people when they become so obsessed with financial and social success that they lose their humanity. It truly is a sickness. I've witnessed it firsthand. Some of the most financially successful people that I know have gotten there with an equal amount of hard work and inferiority complexes. They are defined only by their assets and can only relate to those who are defined by the same They have the emotional quotient of a concrete block and the attention span of a fruit fly. The song title is great. By not looking down at your own humanity, you can convince yourself that all that matters in life is the plaques on your wall and the amount of money in your 401K.