serenades are typically sweet and soft, but the narrator would rather have rocks-- rocks symbolizing the truth, maybe, or being stoned to death
<i>No lullabies through the locks, love</i>
lullabies are sung sweetly and softly, like a mother crooning to her child, but again, the narrator is shutting 'love' out (could also be a reference to locks of hair, as when holding someone smaller close)
<i>I locked myself in with the band</i>
again, shutting everything else out
<i>But the music's never loud enough</i>
he can't drown out the truth, or/and he can't get the beat to the dance (turning the volume up so people can feel the beat is done for dancing, especially difficult dances)
i'd rather destroy the implements of music than have to continue on like this
<i>But the music's never loud enough</i>
see above
Chorus: <i>So you're gonna have to show me</i>
the narrator is admitting he can't do this on his own
<i>How that dance is done</i>
dances are typically performed with partners, but...
<i>The one where somebody leaves someone</i>
this particular 'dance' is supposed to be done alone, and the narrator doesn't understand it or know it well enough to perform it
<i>My orchestra is gigantic</i>
the larger the orchestra, the more difficult it is for them to play together and/or play quietly
<i>This thing could sink the Titanic</i>
iceberg/Titanic reference: Titanic was referred to as unsinkable until something unexpected happened (the iceberg) and then the structure of the Titanic contributed to its own downfall
this line could be referencing the size of the orchestra, and probably is, but it could also have a double-meaning, which seems likely: the impact of the relationship's ending was something unexpected, cold, and quite possibly abetted by the structure of the individuals
in addition, the relationship ending is compared to a large scale tragedy
<i>And the string section's screaming</i>
a la <u>Psycho</u>, where just the soundtrack is enough to explain that something awful has happened
<i>Like horses in a barn burning up</i>
the listeners don't really need this horrific image, but it adds to the tragedy: a horse's scream is gutteral and very, very sad
<i>He plays pianos with fistfuls</i>
at this point in time, the narrator shifts to third person—possibly trying to distance himself, or a sign that the narrator has shifted because the original narrator is incapable of describing these events
<i>Of broken Belvedere crystal</i>
Belvedere is a pattern used in antique dinnerware, generally heirlooms which can be emotionally significant—the narrator's implying that this ending is worse than destroying a precious heirloom, or at least equivalent
the two lines taken together seem to show that 'he' is so distraught that even though the crystal would be cutting his hands, and you can't play piano properly with fists (dissonant chords, not really musical), it doesn't matter because all that 'he' wants is to play loud enough to forget what happened or at least stop thinking about it, which is exactly what the next two lines indicate:
<i>And he's trying to forget you
But the music's never loud enough</i>
[chorus]
<i>He's impaling the front row</i>
the sound is so dramatic that it's traumatic
<i>Fighting fires with arrows</i>
fire—desire? love? or tragedy?
arrows—Cupid's arrow? or murder weapon?
the ambiguity in this line is what's most prominent: you can't fight literal fires with arrows, so what is he trying to destroy?
<i>And he'll act like he forgot you</i>
'he' will <u>act</u> like it, which obviously means it isn't true—people don't have to pretend that they feel something if it's the truth
<i>But the music's never loud enough</i>
'he' can't forget, all of his old coping mechanisms aren't working
<i>Serenade me with rocks, love</i>
serenades are typically sweet and soft, but the narrator would rather have rocks-- rocks symbolizing the truth, maybe, or being stoned to death
<i>No lullabies through the locks, love</i>
lullabies are sung sweetly and softly, like a mother crooning to her child, but again, the narrator is shutting 'love' out (could also be a reference to locks of hair, as when holding someone smaller close)
<i>I locked myself in with the band</i>
again, shutting everything else out
<i>But the music's never loud enough</i>
he can't drown out the truth, or/and he can't get the beat to the dance (turning the volume up so people can feel the beat is done for dancing, especially difficult dances)
<i>Decibels in the belfry</i>
reference to 'bats in the belfry' ( http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/bats-in-the-belfry.html ) and of course 'decibels' is a term for how loud something is—being able to hear something from the top of a church tower
<i>Hey what the hell if it helps me</i>
i'd go crazy if it would help
<i>I put a whip to the kick drum</i>
i'd rather destroy the implements of music than have to continue on like this
<i>But the music's never loud enough</i>
see above
Chorus: <i>So you're gonna have to show me</i>
the narrator is admitting he can't do this on his own
<i>How that dance is done</i>
dances are typically performed with partners, but...
<i>The one where somebody leaves someone</i>
this particular 'dance' is supposed to be done alone, and the narrator doesn't understand it or know it well enough to perform it
<i>My orchestra is gigantic</i>
the larger the orchestra, the more difficult it is for them to play together and/or play quietly
<i>This thing could sink the Titanic</i>
iceberg/Titanic reference: Titanic was referred to as unsinkable until something unexpected happened (the iceberg) and then the structure of the Titanic contributed to its own downfall
this line could be referencing the size of the orchestra, and probably is, but it could also have a double-meaning, which seems likely: the impact of the relationship's ending was something unexpected, cold, and quite possibly abetted by the structure of the individuals
in addition, the relationship ending is compared to a large scale tragedy
<i>And the string section's screaming</i>
a la <u>Psycho</u>, where just the soundtrack is enough to explain that something awful has happened
<i>Like horses in a barn burning up</i>
the listeners don't really need this horrific image, but it adds to the tragedy: a horse's scream is gutteral and very, very sad
<i>He plays pianos with fistfuls</i>
at this point in time, the narrator shifts to third person—possibly trying to distance himself, or a sign that the narrator has shifted because the original narrator is incapable of describing these events
<i>Of broken Belvedere crystal</i>
Belvedere is a pattern used in antique dinnerware, generally heirlooms which can be emotionally significant—the narrator's implying that this ending is worse than destroying a precious heirloom, or at least equivalent
the two lines taken together seem to show that 'he' is so distraught that even though the crystal would be cutting his hands, and you can't play piano properly with fists (dissonant chords, not really musical), it doesn't matter because all that 'he' wants is to play loud enough to forget what happened or at least stop thinking about it, which is exactly what the next two lines indicate:
<i>And he's trying to forget you But the music's never loud enough</i>
[chorus]
<i>He's impaling the front row</i>
the sound is so dramatic that it's traumatic
<i>Fighting fires with arrows</i>
fire—desire? love? or tragedy? arrows—Cupid's arrow? or murder weapon?
the ambiguity in this line is what's most prominent: you can't fight literal fires with arrows, so what is he trying to destroy?
<i>And he'll act like he forgot you</i>
'he' will <u>act</u> like it, which obviously means it isn't true—people don't have to pretend that they feel something if it's the truth
<i>But the music's never loud enough</i>
'he' can't forget, all of his old coping mechanisms aren't working
[chorus]