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,
Somewhere in a lonely hotel room there's a guy
Starting to realize that eternal fate has turned its back on him
It's two A.M.
It's two A.M. (It's two A.M.)
Fear is gone (fear is gone)
I'm sitting here waiting
The Gun still warm (the gun still warm)
Maybe my connection is tired of taking chances
Yeah, there's a storm on the loose
Sirens in my head
Wrapped up in silence, all circuits are dead
Cannot decode, my whole life spins into a frenzy
Help, I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cold
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far? (Oh oh oh)
Help, I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being alone
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far?
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
I'm fallin' down a spiral, destination unknown
Double crossed messenger, all alone
Can't get no connection, can't get through
Where are you?
Well the night weighs heavy on his guilty mind
This far from the borderline
When the hitman comes
He knows damn well he has been cheated
And he says
Help, I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cold
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far? (Oh oh oh)
Help, I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being alone
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far?
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
Help, I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cold
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far? (Oh oh oh)
Help, I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being alone
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far?
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
Starting to realize that eternal fate has turned its back on him
It's two A.M.
It's two A.M. (It's two A.M.)
Fear is gone (fear is gone)
I'm sitting here waiting
The Gun still warm (the gun still warm)
Maybe my connection is tired of taking chances
Yeah, there's a storm on the loose
Sirens in my head
Wrapped up in silence, all circuits are dead
Cannot decode, my whole life spins into a frenzy
Help, I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cold
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far? (Oh oh oh)
Help, I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being alone
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far?
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
I'm fallin' down a spiral, destination unknown
Double crossed messenger, all alone
Can't get no connection, can't get through
Where are you?
Well the night weighs heavy on his guilty mind
This far from the borderline
When the hitman comes
He knows damn well he has been cheated
And he says
Help, I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cold
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far? (Oh oh oh)
Help, I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being alone
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far?
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
Help, I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cold
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far? (Oh oh oh)
Help, I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being alone
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far?
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
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More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
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.
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.
Some excellant observations Roger! Golden Earring has always been an all time favorite rock band of mine. Here's their web site: Golden Earring
I've always imagined the song was about some covert spy operation gone bad. Possibly in Turkey (ie: your observation about the moon and star), and possibly due to the "double cross messenger" spoken of.
Consider the following strings:
lonely hotel room fear The Gun's still warm my connection Is tired of taking chances Cannot decode My beacon's been moved Where am I to go now that I've gone too far? Double cross messenger Can't get no connection Can't get through This far from the borderline hitman
Spies use hotel rooms, guns, codes, locator beacons, hitmen, connections, and obviously live in fear.
It'd be nice to hear what the songs true meaning really is.
Paradigm