@[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.
Hold me down
I am floating away
Into the overcast skies
Over my home town
On election day
What is it about Birmingham?
What is it about Buffalo?
Did the hate filled want to build bunkers
In your beautiful red earth
They want to build them in our shiny white snow
And now I've drawn closed the curtains
In this little booth
Where the truth has no place to stand
And I am feeling oh so powerless
In this stupid booth
With this useless little lever in my hand
And outside
My city is bracing
For the next killing thing
Standing by the bridge
And praying for the next Doctor Martin Luther King
It was just one shot
Through the kitchen window
Just one or two miles from here
If you fly like a crow
A bullet came to visit a doctor
In his one safe place
A bullet ensuring the right to life
Whizzed past his kid and his wife
And knocked his glasses right off of his face
And the blood poured off the pulpit
Yeah the blood poured down the picket lines
And the hatred was immediate, yeah
And the vengeance was divine
So they went and stuffed God down the barrel of a gun
And after him they stuffed his only son
Hello Birmingham; it's Buffalo
I heard you had some trouble down there again
Just calling to let to know
That somebody understands
I was once escorted
Through the doors
Of a clinic
By a man
In a bulletproof vest
And no bombs
Went off that day
So I am still here to say
Birmingham
I'm wishing you all of my best
Oh Birmingham
I'm wishing you all of my best
Oh Birmingham
I'm wishing you all of my best
On this election day
I am floating away
Into the overcast skies
Over my home town
On election day
What is it about Birmingham?
What is it about Buffalo?
Did the hate filled want to build bunkers
In your beautiful red earth
They want to build them in our shiny white snow
And now I've drawn closed the curtains
In this little booth
Where the truth has no place to stand
And I am feeling oh so powerless
In this stupid booth
With this useless little lever in my hand
And outside
My city is bracing
For the next killing thing
Standing by the bridge
And praying for the next Doctor Martin Luther King
It was just one shot
Through the kitchen window
Just one or two miles from here
If you fly like a crow
A bullet came to visit a doctor
In his one safe place
A bullet ensuring the right to life
Whizzed past his kid and his wife
And knocked his glasses right off of his face
And the blood poured off the pulpit
Yeah the blood poured down the picket lines
And the hatred was immediate, yeah
And the vengeance was divine
So they went and stuffed God down the barrel of a gun
And after him they stuffed his only son
Hello Birmingham; it's Buffalo
I heard you had some trouble down there again
Just calling to let to know
That somebody understands
I was once escorted
Through the doors
Of a clinic
By a man
In a bulletproof vest
And no bombs
Went off that day
So I am still here to say
Birmingham
I'm wishing you all of my best
Oh Birmingham
I'm wishing you all of my best
Oh Birmingham
I'm wishing you all of my best
On this election day
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Holiday
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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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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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This song is about violence against abortion providers: the shooting of Dr. Bernard Slepian in Buffalo, Ani's hometown, and the bombing of a clinic in Birmingham, Alabama. Both of these incidents happened in 1998, the year before this album came out. The first verse about election day is about the fact that this kind of violence can't be stopped by lawmakers, because it's already illegal; it has to be stopped by changing people's minds.
I've been listening to this song today on repeat.
RIP Dr. George Tiller
You weren't the only one. It's a shame that such a thing happened again.
yes it was indeed a shame. he was a hero and a wonderful human being. i keep thinking about how his family's lives are destroyed now, women have one less person standing up for their reproductive rights, and the clinic in Wichita is closed now thus making it more difficult to obtain an abortion. All from a bullet and hatred.<br /> <br /> <br /> RIP Doctor George Tiller.
this is about all diffeent things.. and, everything is obvious.. dr. slepian, (or however you spell it) etc.. i am from buffalo ! ohhh yeah! and its great cuz ani actually hangs out at some places around here, but, I never catch her, everyone else does. this is a good song
Her lack of faith in religion, anti-gun stance, pro-choice feminism, it's all mildly apparent here. Dr. Slepian was an abortion provider (or something along those lines) who was murdered. The song sort of alludes to her own abortion as well as to Slepian's death at the hands of a sniper. Lots of ironies and a great blend of her political fervor and personal feelings. Lovely song.
ad Everyone should get her DVD, "Trust". It was shot at my hometown, Washington DC. /ad
One of the best songs ever written. Ever. I only wish the sad truths in the songs were not real, this song makes me so angry. "a bullet ensuring the right to life whizzed past his kid and his wife and knocked his glasses right off of his face And the blood poured off the pulpit, Yeah, and the blood poured down the picket lines, And the hatred was immediate, Yeah, and the vengeance was divine, And they went and stuffed God down the barrel of a gun, and after him they stuffed his only son" -my blood boils whenever it gets to this part, for so many reasons, the crescendo makes it feel like a Crusade is being unleashed again and all of us non-violent Christians have to bury our faces in our hands in embarrassment because we would never do that shit. also the sort of juxtaposition of ineffective voting and MLK is pretty powerful, given that he called out the government for promoting violence and ended up dying for advocating peace. Seriously, what can men do against such reckless hate.