Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
I don't know how I'm gonna tell you
I can't play with you no more
I don't know how I'm gonna do what mama told me
My friend the boy next door
I can't believe what people saying
You're gonna let your hair hang down
I'm satisfied to sit here working all day long
You're in the darker side of town
And when I'm out I see you walking
Why don't your eyes see me?
How could it be you've found another game to play?
What did mama say to me?
That's the way
Oh, that's the way it ought to be
Mama say that's the way it ought to stay, yeah, yeah, oh oh
And yesterday I saw you standing by the river
And weren't those tears that filled your eyes
And all the fish that lay in dirty water dying
Had they got you hypnotized?
And yesterday I saw you kissing tiny flowers
But all that lives is born to die
And so I say to you that nothing really matters
And all you do is stand and cry
I don't know what to say about it
When all you ears have turned away
But now's the time to look and look again at what you see
Is that the way it ought to stay?
That's the way
That's the way it oughta be
Oh don't you know now
Mama said, mama said, that's the way it's gonna stay, yeah, oh oh
I can't play with you no more
I don't know how I'm gonna do what mama told me
My friend the boy next door
I can't believe what people saying
You're gonna let your hair hang down
I'm satisfied to sit here working all day long
You're in the darker side of town
And when I'm out I see you walking
Why don't your eyes see me?
How could it be you've found another game to play?
What did mama say to me?
That's the way
Oh, that's the way it ought to be
Mama say that's the way it ought to stay, yeah, yeah, oh oh
And yesterday I saw you standing by the river
And weren't those tears that filled your eyes
And all the fish that lay in dirty water dying
Had they got you hypnotized?
And yesterday I saw you kissing tiny flowers
But all that lives is born to die
And so I say to you that nothing really matters
And all you do is stand and cry
I don't know what to say about it
When all you ears have turned away
But now's the time to look and look again at what you see
Is that the way it ought to stay?
That's the way
That's the way it oughta be
Oh don't you know now
Mama said, mama said, that's the way it's gonna stay, yeah, oh oh
Lyrics submitted by kevin, edited by Mellow_Harsher
That's The Way Lyrics as written by Robert Plant Jimmy Page
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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More Featured Meanings
Techno Ted
Audioslave
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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"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.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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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,
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
It's not about a black boy. Do black boys let their "hair hang down"? Is that even possible? Is being black a new "game you found to play"? It's about a boy whose color doesn't matter one way or the other. But it's a boy that is being ostracized because people figured out he was gay. "Boy next door" is an interesting choice of words because it implies young love, as in "in love with the boy next door".
This is a tender love song, possibly the only one they ever did besides "All my Love" and "I'm going to Crawl". The heartfelt vocals are what set this apart from every other Led Zeppelin song, and it's because Robert Plant is singing straight from his heart. And he's not singing about mystical things, or the seasons of love, or the world of hobbitry, or the environmental movement, he's singing what he knows.
He's asking the boy, why can't you just play along and do what society demands, since being true to yourself only brings you so much sadness? Why can't you go without love? Is it worth the tears and rejection?
The last lyric shows frustration with people for being so closed minded ("when all your ears have turned away") and also shows what Robert Plant truly believes. "Is that the way it ought to stay?"
Open your mind up to this interpretation and, if you love this song already, it will become so much more beautiful because it's such a rare example of Plant opening and sharing his life with his audience.
@bigmike7 Amen brother. I think you nailed it.
@bigmike7 It’s clearly about racial discrimination. Why else would he mention that the kid lives in the darker side of town? Plus, I did not make the assumption that the child was gay. I just thought it was about two very young boys growing up on opposite sides of the tracks.
@bigmike7 It’s clearly about racial discrimination. Why else would he mention that the kid lives in the darker side of town? Plus, I did not make the assumption that the child was gay. I just thought it was about two very young boys growing up on opposite sides of the tracks.<br /> Btw - Your comment is very ignorant. Yes it is possible for some black children to let their hair down. Black people’s hair comes in a variety of textures, from fairly straight to very kinky. Besides, the kid could also be East Indian or Pakistani.
@bigmike7 <br /> Btw - Your comment is very ignorant. Yes it is possible for some black children to let their hair down. Black people’s hair comes in a variety of textures, from fairly straight to very kinky. Besides, the kid could also be East Indian or Pakistani.