This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
It's the way he looks at you
That says to me
This isn't over
From the outside looking in
You see there's nothing sacred here
Nothing sacred
You can bend
But you can't break
For the reasons out of our control
You try to make it roll
Like a dice away
But you say that you're all empowered here
This is obviously not clear enough
To meYou can bend
But you can't break
Hey little girl keep dancing
Hey little girl keep dancing alone
'Cause there's not enough time in your day
To keep you here
The soldier's daughter
Did your daddy
Did your daddy hurt you
Did he make you feel bad
Did he poison your views
With the water he was raised on
Oh you father's son says hang on
Hang on
Hey little girl
Keep dancing
Hay little girl
Keep dancing alone
'Cause there's not enough time in your life
To stay here
So over the hills he'd climb
Just to see her there in time
Just to watch the sun shine through her dress
The sweet soldier's daughter
The sweet soldier's daughter
That says to me
This isn't over
From the outside looking in
You see there's nothing sacred here
Nothing sacred
You can bend
But you can't break
For the reasons out of our control
You try to make it roll
Like a dice away
But you say that you're all empowered here
This is obviously not clear enough
To meYou can bend
But you can't break
Hey little girl keep dancing
Hey little girl keep dancing alone
'Cause there's not enough time in your day
To keep you here
The soldier's daughter
Did your daddy
Did your daddy hurt you
Did he make you feel bad
Did he poison your views
With the water he was raised on
Oh you father's son says hang on
Hang on
Hey little girl
Keep dancing
Hay little girl
Keep dancing alone
'Cause there's not enough time in your life
To stay here
So over the hills he'd climb
Just to see her there in time
Just to watch the sun shine through her dress
The sweet soldier's daughter
The sweet soldier's daughter
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
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.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“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.
First of all, obviously this song is about a girl and her father. I think that thier relationship as father and daughter isnt too well because he doesn't give her the love that a father should and treat her the way hes suppose to. I think when he says that You can bend But you can't break that he means you can take a break from trying to work at the relationship, but don't give up. Keep dancing, even if you have to be alone for a while. And when he says- For the reasons out of our control You try to make it roll, Like a dice away- i think hes saying that she keeps working at it but her father still isn't understanding and getting it through his head. i could be totally off... i mean sinces its soldiers daughter then maybe hes gone all the time so he cant pay enoguh attention to her. I really not sure if im close at all. But i love the song, its so powerful and meaningful.... :)
I have to say, this is by far my favorite Tonic song. I almost cried the first time I heard it (and a few times since for that matter), and I can tell you exactly what it means in my head, which is what matters really ;p
This is a being sung by a man to his younger sister. They've both grown up, moved out, gone on with their lives, and then one day he realizes that all the crap from when they were young is still there. The relationship between his sister and his dad is still not right. She keeps wanting something, affection maybe, or just for him to say 'I'm proud of who you've become', and he's not giving it. Maybe he's oblivious, maybe he's just cruel. I don't think either of them know.
I love a couple of the lines; "You can bend/But you can't break." I get this picture of a palm tree, standing alone, completely unshielded from the winds off the water. And yet it stays standing, stays rooted in the ground, because instead of fighting the wind it's trunk bends, so low sometimes that it touches the sand, but it always stands up again when the wind stops blowing.
I had a friend tell me it's all about sexual abuse, but I don't get that from this song at all. I think he thought so because of the 'sun shin[ing] though her dress' bit. To me that's just this beautiful image, carried by the brother, of a time when they were kids and they'd play in the fields and she'd pretend to be a ballerina, dancing around in her sundress. It's a plea to not lose that completely, even though it was that innocence that allowed her to be hurt in the first place.
See, now I'm getting all teary again. Maybe I need to stop drawing parallels between song lyrics and my life. Or maybe that's the mark of a good song.
@falln_angel - your analysis is absolutely chilling. I could not agree more. This is also my favorite Tonic song for similar reasons. I think the story is of a brother's perspective of his sister's relationship and the abuse his sister sustained from their father. This is all he can do to try and give her the support she never received from the most important male figure in her life, coming from the 2nd most important male figure, to try and compensate for the love she didn't receive. Your analogy of the palm trees is beautiful and spot on. I hope you do not suffer from the same lack of support. Hugs to you when this song makes you cry.
This is one of my favorite Tonic song. I never quite figured out the backstory, but I think the above comments captured my assumptions and ideas about it. It's a really good song. Emerson Hart is an awesome song writer.
Got to agree with pretty much everything said here... a strained father/daughter relationship... Not quite sure I agree with the sexual abuse idea. I think the song title "soldiers daughter" suggests an overbearing father.
As for the last part...
"So over the hills he'd climb Just to see her there in time Just to watch the sun shine through her dress"
Looks like after all is said and done, the daughter has written off her father, only after his realization that he made mistakes in the past and wishes to repent.
"So over the hills he'd climb Just to see her there in time Just to watch the sun shine through her dress" Im sure this song is about a sexual abused girl in her chilhood
"did he poison your views with the water he was raised on"
This is about a girl who is trying to find herself. She has a bad relationship with her dad, but I don't think the song is dwelling on that. It seems to focus more on her life NOW!
"there's nothing sacred here" meaning, ON EARTH.
they are just saying, don't consume your head with hatred for someone who has done something wrong to you, instead, "keep dancing alone" because your life can still hold many great things/feelings before it's time to leave ...
"sweet soldiers daughter ... " is moving in a way that you have to be in the right mindset and in the right setting for it to REALLY touch your heart and sink into your brain. But the combination is overwhelming!
Don't think it's about sexual abuse...the imagery's too subtle. The 'watch the sun shine through her dress' line sounds like a symbol of womanhood. He wants to see the woman that his daughter has become.
I'm not sure what this song is about, if I could ask Emerson Hart one question, it would be to ask him what his inspiration was for this song. It is one of the most haunting yet beautiful songs that I have ever heard. It always makes me think of a girl, a very good friend of mine, who thankfully has now found true love.
I was thinking the song could be a bit darker. Not sure, but I was actually thinking it was about sexual abuse. The hint comes forth to me in the very first lines of the song It's the way he looks at you That says to me This isn't over From the outside looking in You see there's nothing sacred here
those lines are haunting and to me eluded to some sort of sexual molestation or abuse might have gone on between the father and the daughter and it's really messed up the girl and obviously cause a very weird relationship to be formed between them that wasn't able to be repaired and this is being talked about and observed in the song by either a relative of the soldiers daughter or a close friend
Just a quick thought:
"Did he poison your views With the water he was raised on"
The father is an alcoholic.