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.
Carrie and Lowell
Such a long time ago
Like a dead horse
Meadowlark drive your arrow
Season of hope (after the flood)
Valentine, spurn my sorrow
Head on the floorboards (covered in blood)
Drunk as a horsefly
Climb on the mattress pad
Twist my arm
Under the pear tree
Shadows and light conspiring
Covered bridge, I scream
Cottage Grove shade invite me
I will bow down (Dido's lament)
Lord of the ancient waters
From the backyard (as far as she went)
Carrie surprised me
Erebus on my back
My lucky charm
Carried by stones
Fairyland all around us
Like a dead horse
Sign of your children's fever
Carrie, come home (Thorazine's friend)
Holding your hands with opal
Like a dead horse (shall we ascend)
Flight of the mayfly
Ephemera on my back
She breaks my arm
Such a long time ago
Like a dead horse
Meadowlark drive your arrow
Season of hope (after the flood)
Valentine, spurn my sorrow
Head on the floorboards (covered in blood)
Drunk as a horsefly
Climb on the mattress pad
Twist my arm
Under the pear tree
Shadows and light conspiring
Covered bridge, I scream
Cottage Grove shade invite me
I will bow down (Dido's lament)
Lord of the ancient waters
From the backyard (as far as she went)
Carrie surprised me
Erebus on my back
My lucky charm
Carried by stones
Fairyland all around us
Like a dead horse
Sign of your children's fever
Carrie, come home (Thorazine's friend)
Holding your hands with opal
Like a dead horse (shall we ascend)
Flight of the mayfly
Ephemera on my back
She breaks my arm
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
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"
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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.
Wow surprised no one has picked this apart yet. My favorite from the album, this is just loaded with symbolism. Here's some stuff I looked up that I think fits pretty well.
Dead horse: symbolizes something that once gave you strength but then failed you.
Meadowlark: messengers, bringers of change.
Horsefly: symbolizes masculinity? Couldn't find too much about this.
Pear tree: symbolizes motherhood and fertility.
Dido's lament: famous classic lament, sang before she dies
Erebus: darkness and death personified
Thorazine is a drug used to treat a lot of symptoms like vomiting or nausea
Opals: symbolize hope or inner change for the better
Mayfly: symbolizes inner change and growth, also childhood and innocence
Ephemera: it's a Latin name for a genus of mayfly
Broken arm: in dreams this symbolizes a perceived inability to help oneself or loved ones
So given all that, and the context of the album, it's pretty clear this song is an exploration of sufjan's mother's absence, sickness, return and death altogether.
@coolcrowe That's great! Thanks.
Thorazine is also an anti-psychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia.
I'm not sure about the scope of the song you paint there. Ephemera things that are enjoyed for only a short time.
It seems to me to be more directly about the relationship with his mother and the torment caused at her hands due to her condition. A longing to be with her, his mother, but suffering at her hands.
God this song is heartwrenching. Does anyone know if Carrie really did break Sufjan's arm?