This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
You see the world through your cynical eyes
You're a troubled young man I can tell
You've got it all in the palm of your hand
But your hand's wet with sweat and your head needs a rest
And you're fooling yourself if you don't believe it
You're kidding yourself if you don't believe it
Why must you be such an angry young man
When your future looks quite bright to me
How can there be such a sinister plan
That could hide such a lamb, such a caring young man
You're fooling yourself if you don't believe it
You're kidding yourself if you don't believe it
Get up, get back on your feet
You're the one they can't beat and you know it
Come on, let's see what you've got
Just take your best shot and don't blow it
You're fooling yourself if you don't believe it
You're killing yourself if you don't believe it
Get up, get back on your feet
You're the one they can't beat and you know it
Come on, let's see what you've got
Just take your best shot and don't blow it
You're a troubled young man I can tell
You've got it all in the palm of your hand
But your hand's wet with sweat and your head needs a rest
And you're fooling yourself if you don't believe it
You're kidding yourself if you don't believe it
Why must you be such an angry young man
When your future looks quite bright to me
How can there be such a sinister plan
That could hide such a lamb, such a caring young man
You're fooling yourself if you don't believe it
You're kidding yourself if you don't believe it
Get up, get back on your feet
You're the one they can't beat and you know it
Come on, let's see what you've got
Just take your best shot and don't blow it
You're fooling yourself if you don't believe it
You're killing yourself if you don't believe it
Get up, get back on your feet
You're the one they can't beat and you know it
Come on, let's see what you've got
Just take your best shot and don't blow it
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
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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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Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
This is also one of my favorite Styx songs. The intro is great but I think it's a little long (it's just over 1 and a half minutes). I really doubt the masterbation metaphor was intentional. "You've got it all in the palm of your hand But your hand's wet with sweat and your head needs a rest " - he's simply describing someone who has worked themself to exhaustion, and in the context it's used, he's not talking about masterbation. "You're the one they can't beat and you know it" - again he's saying that you are the best at whatever you do and you know it. Nothing more to it.
The song is about getting yourself back on your feet after failure or stressful times. "Just take your best shot and don't blow it" - give life another shot and learn from your mistakes.
I've always loved this song and use it whenever I need inspiration to keep going.
I can't be certain of this, but I think Tommy Shaw once said in an interview that Dennis DeYoung was the inspiration for this song. It seems that Dennis was a perfectionist & was getting himself too wound up. So the song was Tommy's way of telling him to lighten up & not be so hard on himself. It makes sense to me. This is one of my favorites by Styx. Love the intro & the synth solos.
[Intro: Dennis DeYoung] Relax, take it easy
[Verse 1: Tommy Shaw] You see the world through your cynical eyes You're a troubled young man I can tell You got it all in the palm of your hand But your hand's wet with sweat, and your head needs a rest
[Chorus] And you're fooling yourself if you don't believe it You're kidding yourself if you don't believe it
[Verse 2: Tommy Shaw] Why must you be such an angry young man When your future looks quite bright to me And how can there be such a sinister plan That could hide such a lamb, such a caring young man
[Chorus] And you're fooling yourself if you don't believe it You're killing yourself if you don't believe it Get up, (Get up! Get back on your feet) (You're the one they can't beat, and you know it) Yeah, come on, (Come on! Let's see what you've got) (Just take your best shot and don't blow it) (Whoa whoa whoa whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh)
[Keyboard Solo]
[Outro] And you're fooling yourself if you don't believe it You're killing yourself if you don't believe it Get up, (Get up! Get back on your feet) (You're the one they can't beat, and you know it) Oh, come on, (Come on! Let's see what you've got) (Just take your best shot and don't blow it) (Whoa whoa whoa whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh)
Definitely one of my favourite Styx songs. The keyboard with guitar intro is a masterpiece.
A masterpiece indeed, and good advice to a lot of musicians these days.
Yes i love it as well
Gillusion, you perv! Anyhoo, I didn't like it at first because it made me think of those annoying "think positive" optimists...but now I listen to this song whenever I'm in a bad mood, and need inspiration...
Gillusion nice thinking there and flatland the intro isn't long enough for me..
I guess after listening to Pink Floyd so much this intro doesnt seem so long. I think it just helps to aptly set the tone
The masturbation metahpor might be a stretch but this song does do a great job of describing social frustration associated with teenage males and how they can feel trapped or needing to make a mark...often leading to a destructive path
its definitely not about masturbation. how could a young man be angry about masturbating?