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.
As I look at the morning sky
Today the wind is blowing hard
See that bird has flown too high
Pretty soon it will be tired
I spent a day all by myself
A rich man without his wealth
Sometimes I get it wrong
But I'm not the only one
The afternoon was very clear
The sun was beating down on me
I got thirsty for a beer
That I had to go to sea
The sea was very rough
It made me feel sick
But I like that kind of stuff
It beats arithmetic
I don't want the world to change
I like the way it is
Just give me one more wish
I can't get enough of this
When it gets to be alive
And not just still survive
To hit and not to miss
I can't get enough of this
The early evening mist
Looked beautiful to me
Was sweeter than a kiss
I wish you all could see
I'm a long long way from home
But this photograph of you
Even though it's monochrome
Tells me what I should do
So I got up on my feet
And I knew it would be alright
For my clothes were looking beat
In the middle of the night
I don't want the world to change
I like the way it is
Just give me one more wish
I can't get enough of this
When it gets to be alive
And not just still survive
To hit and not to miss
I can't get enough of this
I don't want the world to change
I like the way it is
Just give me one more wish
I can't get enough of this
When it gets to be alive
And not just still survive
To hit and not to miss
I can't get enough of this
I can't get enough of this
I can't get enough of this
I can't get enough of this
I can't get enough of this
I can't get enough of this
I can't get enough of this
I can't get enough of this
I can't get enough of this
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Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"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.
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[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.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
Great song, that commercial reminded me of how much I dont like decent music being used in ads.
Fucken aswome song, very soothing and up rising at the same time
I had forgotten how good this song was.
In Australia, I think they used this for a car commercial.
Yeah, it was used for a Ford commercial. It reminded me how much I liked the song on that commercial :-).
lol here's the ad on YouTube: youtube.com/watch
This song makes me feel badass for some reason. Try driving and singing the chorus haha
Thanks for the effort, Poprock. I would like to make a couple minor changes: "...see that bird has flown too high..." and "...what it is to be alive, and not just too survive..." That is how I hear it anyway. Of course, I'm too lazy to type out more than a couple lines, so again, thanks for doing the rest.
hehe and I even messed up my "too, to, and two". Let me try again. The second part of the chorus is: "what it is to be alive, and not just to survive." You may now commence the obligatory desparaging comments on my grammar. :)
This song is obviously about a (hypo)manic episode.
"See that bird has flown too high Pretty soon it will be tired"--> the down after a up
"A rich man without his wealth" --> protecting and managing your wealth is very stressful, and he doesn't feel that burden any more.
"Sometimes I get it wrong But I'm not the only one" --> Rationalizing your mistakes, as for in former depression as your manic episodes.
"got thirsty for a beer, that I had to go to see" --> coupling too completely seemingly unrelated things in impulsive behaver.
"The see was very rough It made me feel sick But I like that kind of stuff It beats arithmetic" --> experiencing even the lesser thins as not bad, because it's better than the common logic that the human mind can handle
the course is pretty clear to all of us i seem. and i can go on and on with seeing these hypo(mania) aspects of this song. but I'll just take one more example because my coffee is getting cold an I'm hungry for a cigarette:
"The early evening mist Looked beautiful to me Was sweeter than a kiss I wish you all could see" ---> It's very common when you are in a mania you feel pity for the people that can't enjoy the beauty of your surroundings as much as you. And not just pity, you really want people to feel like it feels to experience everything so good, perfect, pure and sometimes soothing.
"I'm a long long way from home But this photograph of you Even though it's monochrome Tells me what I should do" --> this is more to the, (I hate the load that the word buries) psychotic side. also common in a manic episode. Or even a way to define it. Getting information out of a thing that cannot give you that specific information, connecting dots al the way through.
I hope to get some thought from you guys on this. :)
peace!