| Ween – The Fruit Man Lyrics | 7 months ago |
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I don't think it's a terribly deep song or an allegory for race relations. I suspect the song is a play on the trope of reggae songs talking generally about "da white mon" and "da black mon." So Ween introduce the China mon, and then let an absurd situation play out. My favorite part is the quote in the middle. A fish seller in a market immediately yelling at a customer that a fish is "not broken." How does a fish break? Love it, love it, love it. Then the idea of returning a caught fish to the ocean- you're just throwing a carcass in the water. I also like that his partner "consoles" him. It's a rather therapeutic word to use. Meanwhile the boatman stepped in to help out, too. Good role models in a Ween song. One loose end that doesn't get tied up... what's up with the axe? Is that how the boatman "explained" or am I reading in to it too much? One last theory to throw out there... This could be a fictionalized rendition of some altercation the band had on tour or something. Black man possibly Claude, but perhaps also Deaner since he's the fisherman and he is known for "My Own Bare Hands." The fruit man has guava, so possibly Gene or Dean. The man selling the axe could be selling a guitar. |
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| Ween – Push Th' Little Daisies (Album version) Lyrics | 1 year ago |
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I don't think the songs was composed to tell a complete narrative. The keys to understanding it for me are in the lines of the first verse. "When you lie..." seems to be an admission that the narrator ruined his relationship with a girl. Then there's some general advice on this topic. "The whole world smiles with you" might imply that everyone take's the girl's side in the situation between them. It could also just be about how great the girl is generally. "If you think I'm a loser.." seems to confirm that the girl has rejected him. "I'm a user of your love.." even though rejected he's still addicted, comparing her love to a drug ("I can't get enough.") The first chorus seems to be the narrator telling the girl to die. Pushing daisies is a common expression for being a buried corpse. Here it's used in the imperative voice, as a direct command, similar to "feed the fishes" or "let the worms devour you." I take this part of the song to be expressing the anger that comes from rejection. By the second verse, he's alternately making a comeback, asking for a fresh start, hoping things can click, but questioning love. He seems a bit more unhinged, less about advice and more about questioning the situation. By the second and third chorus, the exhortation to die/push daisies is likely directed at himself. You can hear at one point he gives another command, "watch them grow as I push the little daisies." It's entirely possible that these are just improvisations on the theme, but this is how I prefer to interpret it. So to recap: Ruminate on having messed up a relationship. Assert you know what it takes to be good. Get shut down. Lash out. Tell her to die. Find yourself unable to move on. Get confused. Want to die. |
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| Nirvana – They Hung Him on a Cross (Demo) Lyrics | 1 year ago |
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I believe Kurt chose Leadbelly songs in part for their dark themes. This was 1989 when they were still sometimes performing Paper Cuts, Scoff, Mr. Moustache, and Floyd the Barber. "Ain't It a Shame" is a sardonic take on spousal abuse and its ranking on a scale of shame. "In the Pines" is obviously about the aftermath of a murder. "They Hung Him on a Cross" could be about the miraculous coincidence of an abusive father being lynched, presumably by racists if we take a clue from its heritage. I know it only as a Leadbelly song, but musicologists show it as a traditional negro spiritual often titled "He Never Said a Mumblin' Word." Anyway, in my perspective the song is still about appreciating the gifts god bestows. But I don't think it's about the gift of Jesus. I think it's about the gift of your enemy killing your enemy. They hung him on a cross for me. I should be grateful. It's a dark fucking song to me. I can't unhear it. But even if I'm totally wrong and it's just a spiritual about the glory of Christ and the inspiring sacrifice He made for us, well, it's still a pretty perverse way to tell that tale. It's disturbing and I think whoever wrote it knew that and I think many who sang it picked up on that. |
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| Nirvana – Pennyroyal Tea Lyrics | 1 year ago |
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After hearing that pennyroyal was a centuries-old abortion method, I think it's totally fair to say that that line might reference abortion. Since his stomach problems are well known now and somewhat public when In Utero came out, it's certainly understandable to interpret the song through the lens of his medical issues. Yes he had bad posture and heroin addiction and had experienced withdrawals. My wife has given birth twice and her pregnancy had pretty much all these same things mentioned in the song, pain and posture and constipation and anemia. For this she drank herbal teas, took antacids, sat, and had to take her time. Sometimes I bet she had the feeling of just wanting an "out." So maybe he was aware of pregnancy and the ways women suffer to carry a child, and was able to relate it to his own life. With drinking pennyroyal tea perhaps he is trying to abort his addiction or himself or neither. Or perhaps it's just a soothing drink. But there is no doubt that Kurt was a staunch feminist, obsessed with female reproduction at that time, so a pregnant woman suffering (as with anemia) is certainly a queen to him. The mystery to me is the Leonard Cohen line. A notable musician with a broad poetic appeal, best known for "Hallelujah" by Kurt's time perhaps, but a man with many notable career highs and lows. I think the wordplay of "pennyroyal tea" and "penny royalty" wasn't lost on him, but he already rhymes it with royalty so it's not like a hidden message. |
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| Bush – Machinehead Lyrics | 2 years ago |
| I\'m most impressed with Jimbo\'s take on this song with specific lyrics matching the terminology and appearance of a typewriter.\n\nHowever, I will probably always hear the song as a man getting fellatio by an expert woman in a somewhat tortuous way, perhaps while driving. The unconscious blood of his erection, the fingers tied to the wheel, breath control and her mechanical "head" action. \n\nI\'ve got a perverted mind, but I also can\'t imagine Gavin isn\'t some sort of sleazeball at least at the time this song was written. | |
| Propagandhi – Allbright Monument, Bagdhad Lyrics | 2 years ago |
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@[tuenzo:39235] I wouldn't put it past them to have a more specific meaning, but what I guess is this: It's the abstract intersection of the strategies of military legends Constantine (who changed the empire to Christianity because it made it his warriors more successful) and George Washington (who valiantly fought off the British in the name of freedom while continuing to hold slaves and condoning the institution of slavery). |
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| Ween – She Wanted to Leave Lyrics | 2 years ago |
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Like some other Ween songs it's hard to tell if they're poking fun at the crass bigotry or celebrating it for its idiocy. The line that sticks out to me is "since you were a child." It doesn't say "since we were children" or something like that. I think they're pointing out that the traditional marriages of the sailors who sang these shanties might have been what we'd call "child trafficking" today. So yes at the end he's drinking with his mates to gear up for stealing her back. And in doing so he becomes a pirate himself. But to us he has been a villain all along. The deeply dark humor of Ween is that some poor fools out there are mistaking this for a love song. |
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| Nirvana – I Hate Myself and Want to Die Lyrics | 2 years ago |
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I've been listening to this song for twenty five years and I generally still hear this in the chorus: "In the 'someday,' what is the 'some'?" It's a clever way of saying "when" It probably has a personal meaning that is lost to time. But if it relates to the song title, it's a slam dunk. "Hey, you're always talking about suicide, but when are you going to get off your ass and actually do it?" I can see it as a dark, dark joke about depressed people lacking the motivation to commit suicide. |
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| Nirvana – Aerozeppelin Lyrics | 2 years ago |
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@[KIM04:37687] It was a collection of mostly previously released rarities, not a new recording. It was not heavily promoted and featured no new singles. While most of us heard these songs for the first time through Incesticide, it's still a stopgap release with hints of uneven production and nascent songwriting. That said, "Aneurysm" and "Dive" are among my favorites, and this album still surpasses most other group's best work. |
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| Ween – Slow Down Boy Lyrics | 2 years ago |
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@[Deka7X9:36979] There's the play on words "let him blow you (away)" and "don't get too far (o' head)" which makes this squarely in the ouevre of prurient double entendre Ween songs. Even without that, though, there's a camera still in the vehicle after the 'superstar' walks away. The narrator (or the camera man) is in the backseat watching the 'boy' cry after the superstar walks away. Both wanted more (presumably the superstar/winner wanted someone more attractive or who doesn't ejaculate prematurely, the loser/old boy is falling in love and wants a relationship or prolonged connection.) Given these clues in the lyrics, this sounds like a hot young gay man who is giving his first on camera porn performance in a car and must be a total natural. The old-timer is smitten. It's not clear who is fellating whom but the old boy finishes too quickly and causes disappointment. |
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| Faith No More – Everything's Ruined Lyrics | 3 years ago |
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I have always thought this was a literal song. A Ponzi scheme or some other Wall Street abstraction of corruption (sweat shops, pollution). In the beginning our "boy" the stockbroker or entrepreneur or stock itself looks great on paper. Everyone is proud. This becomes larger. Everyone (man, woman, and child) should invest in it. A penny won't do. We need millions. At a certain point our "boy" starts to lose his appetite for defrauding people, but he's caught in the game. Investors won't let him stop. In the end the inevitable truth is revealed, the investors lose their money (everything's ruined) and we find out our "boy" was a fraud/counterfeit. |
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| Ween – Mutilated Lips Lyrics | 3 years ago |
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After some consideration I think this song is about delaying gratification for the man during sex by focusing on cunnilingus. I don't think this is about anal sex. "Brown" is Ween's word for deeply weird or confusingly awesome or perhaps so-bad-it's-good. The skull of Hailee Salasse here probably just refers to finding the clitoris among the dreadlocks of pubic hair. Mutilated lips surely refers to the labia. The worm and the midget man probably refer to the penis. Tap shoes probably refers to using your fingers to stimulate around the vagina. The ugly girl is the vagina. The lover lady is not ugly. Next time you're trying to prolong your sexual encounter with your lady, try to recall this song. It's a guide to foreplay. Just let the lips of your lover's vagina briefly touch the "wrist" of your penis then return to your mouth and fingers to lick and tap. |
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| The Presidents of the United States of America – Lump Lyrics | 4 years ago |
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Considering many of the Presidents songs of this era are about creatures and critters, I suspect the literal meaning of this song is about a hippo or alligator or crocodile, some unattractive marsh-dwelling predator. (Anyone know which shares a habitat with piranhas?) It's possible this is used as a metaphor, describing a human character -- a girlfriend or a groupie or whatever. But in the world of wildlife, you could imagine how a lonely floating muddy female hippo would inspire a songwriter to wonder how she ever finds a mate. Especially expect this of a songwriter who personifies spiders and kitties and boll weevils and frogs and so on. |
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| Tool – Pneuma Lyrics | 4 years ago |
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I think this might be Maynard's crass humor. Penuma is a branded penile implant, mentioned occasionally on Joe Rogan experience where MJK has guested. Phrase "bound to flesh" laments how we are tied to our sexual endowments and base desires. After the operation, the "child" is urged to show it's growth, bestow its light. "Remember" may actually be "re-member" with member being a synonym for penis. It sounds on the surface like Jungian philosophy, but it's more Metallica's "One" in an extended dick joke. Oh, Tool, got us again! |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Transmission Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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This cover is a real beast. The song is in many ways rewritten, without disrespecting any of the genius of Joy Division, but making it a total classic SP rocker with dual guitars and ample room for all those psychedelic elements and big dynamics. The "rehearsal" version on the Adore deluxe reissue gave me chills. Curious if anyone knows who drummed on that version... Is it Aronoff, Walker, Chamberlin, or another great drummer? |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Jellybelly Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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I assume "jellybelly" is the popular diminutive pun for someone who is jealous. (mocking, "aw, what's the matter, baby, you jellybelly?") Combine that with the Inferno imagery of being in the belly of the beast and the songs starts to reveal itself. It's about feeling stuck in a jealous longing, and giving in to your "forevers," giving in to your feelings that you will never move on. In a jealous hell, the only things that last are memories of what never was. |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – In the Arms of Sleep Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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I read the majority of these comments, but I don't think anyone is seeing it as I have: I interpret this song to be a very sweet take on the urge for the sin of "surprise sex," of taking advantage of a partner while they sleep. The title "In the Arms of Sleep" is personifying Sleep, and expressing the narrator's jealousy that the lover has gone to be with Sleep instead. "I'll miss her wherever she goes" refers to the lover being away in dreamland, and that missing a sleeping partner can be as lonesome as their physical absence. The idea of "shadow moves" or ghost moves could mean that the narrator is so eagerly watching the still body, that he questions whether he actually saw the body move or not. And he "kisses" those shadow moves, probably trying to gently confirm if awake or not. By the end of the song, the longing is too great. While expressing conflicted feelings about it, willing to beg and pray as a "saint," to "do anything" if necessary, the narrator commands the lover to "suffer" his "desire." This indicates he's given into some impulse to take advantage of the lover or at least awaken the sleeping lover. "There are some things" he can "live without," but he needs the lover "right now." We can debate the implications of consent, but the sentiment is definitely there. This song's themes and tone seem similar to some of the explorations of dysfunctional female relationships you'd see Corgan bare later on 'Adore.' |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Mayonaise Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| @[songmeaningstom:26485] sorry for typos | |
| The Smashing Pumpkins – Mayonaise Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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I suspect the title "Mayonaise" falls into the category of Pumpkins songs named for the way the song sounds or is structured. I suspect the intro arpeggio and solo, with it's wah-wah effects and ostinato, suggest the saound fo the workd mayonaise, and possibly the shape of the letters M, Y, and N. This doesn't have to be "logical," just enough to be mnemonic enough for a setlist in a dark club. The meaning of this song to me is about the strained relationship with the narrator's mother, being unable to talk or return home, longing to connect again but being unable to overcome the pain hindering the communication. I particularly see this against the backdrop of other songs on the album, with denial of an abuse (see "Quiet"), drug use (see "Geek U.S.A."), escape (see "Rocket") and subverting the memory a dysfunctional home (see "Disarm") all within the arc. |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Silverfuck Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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When the band says the song title doesn't mean anything, it may be more about saying the song title isn't expected to mean anything to the fan. I think all song titles come from somewhere, no matter how silly. "Silverfuck" is one of the first song titles that bounced around nagging in my brain as a kid. It's profane, where the song's actual lyrics aren't. I thought for a long time it had something to do with the bug, silverfish. But probably not. Recently I've come to believe it means the second-place lover. The ex who was so close to having it all. Not gold, but silver. Not the lifelong lover, just a fuck. The song vacillates between empathy ("I feel your pain"), nostalgia ('she was my lover so sweet"), daydreamed vengeance ("bang bang, you're dead"), bitter resentment and mocking empathy (returning to "I hear what you want") which all seems to be the emotional path of second place ex. |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Geek U.S.A. Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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Seems the song may be two fused song ideas, one "Geek" and one "USA". "Geek" seems to use the story of Adam and Eve to describe a naive "lover" couple who venture off together in search of something dangerous. I interpret "geek" as a disguised perversion of 'gak,' a drug term I've heard used for snortable and shootable amphetamines, usually meth but also cocaine or a mixture of cocaine and opiates. These crystalized substances are the "diamonds." Others have mentioned 'geek' specifically as a drug term for amphetamine, too. The song describes the couple falling from grace together. While on the drug "shot full of diamonds", they are free from scorn as "the disappointed" (family, friends, coworkers, etc.) seem to "disappear," separated by exaggerated time/distance ("a million years"). They greet and welcome the experience ( they "kiss kiss" it). The "hiss" is a buzzing experience which users may describe as loud and enveloping. The feeling of "understanding what can not be understood" is a good way of approximating various trips. When he "sears" his thoughts of himself, it implies a burning of the self image. If they overdoes ("fail") it doesn't matter ("don't be so sad"). The couple of lovers is then conjoined at the wrist in a dream. This could just be dream logic, but I prefer to think that the wrist is important as an injection site, a place where chemicals would pass through the blood stream. The Adam & Eve theme returns as they can no longer return to "paradise," a naive, loving addiction-free relationship. Addiction extends past ritual into "disease" and "virus." Next I feel the song depart into what I consider the "U.S.A." part, in which a girl loves to "break," which i presume to be giving in to some vice, most liekly a drug. Her father is apathetic. Her mother is concerned but lacks strength. I sense "give it all away" has two menings, one that the girl gives up her body sexually, likely in some transactional way. Second that in the past tense, she "gave it all away" meaning either she died, or has completely ruined her life, her body, her mind, her sense. "We really love the U.S.A." is sarcastic. I get that the "Geek" and "U.S.A." parts may be about the same person but written from somewhat different perspectives, but definitely are thematically linked. The couple may actually be metaphoric, a good self and a bad self, or the innocent and his or her vice. |
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| Pantera – Strength Beyond Strength Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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Surprised to see so many comments that the song is "against legalization." Couldn't be further from the truth. The political argument here is that criminalization/prohibition has created a power void filled by dealers who become organized crime and purveyors of violence. It can be confusing, I guess, because much of the first person perspective could be interpreted as singer (Phil) in a metal band who became a success despite his elders putting him down and not having any opportunities. But the idea that this song is written mostly from the perspective of a criminal drug dealer directed at the police force and the government works throughout. The dealer is saying that the cops and government have created this problem because the draw of the illicit is so powerful, it even captures the cop's own son and daughter. Because the law prohibits the father cop from teaching and disciplining about drugs, with dope (marijuana) even illegal, the mob/dealer gets more power. The political argument I interpret is that if marijuana (possibly more drugs) were legalized, it would remove the power of the dealer to operate in a criminal sphere, remove the taxes that saddle citizens to "pay a cop's paycheck" and allow the cop to be a father at home with drugs that definitely needs parenting. The cop's death was in vain and could have been prevented if weed was legal in the first place. When the president succumbs to the terror that criminalization has brought on by literally having his hand cut off, then legalization would be inevitable. In the last stanzas is where I believe Phil is making the point that musicians who generally all want the legalization of marijuana (mostly harmless) would be on the same side as the government who would be wholly controlled by the criminal superorganization. "there would not be a choice but to take our side" I remember reading in maybe Thrasher in the 90s that Phil's father smoked pot with him the first time fishing when Phil was something like 12 or 13. His attitude about it was not "what a terrible father" but more along the lines of "I'm glad I wasn't so sheltered." It's been a long time since I read that so forgive me any foggy remembrance. Moral of the story: stop giving the strength of drugs to crime, before it's too late. |
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| Bob Dylan – Quinn the Eskimo (Mighty Quinn) Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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Dylan may have thought the drug references in this were too blatant. I am suprised so many think it's a religious or other song. "not my cup of meat" blends the idea of "cup of tea" as personal preference and "meat" as in what primarily drives and sustains you. It's a clever way of saying "I subsist on drugs but I prefer something else, though I know some people live for this." The idea that "some are building monuments, others jotting notes" probably refers to rolled cigarettes whether joints, laced joints, laced tobacco, etc. Jotting notes would be something narrow and a monument would be obnoxiously large. Eskimo ~ snow ~ cocaine. "Trees" likely refers to marijuana as well. The pigeons choose their perches, and when the man with the snow comes along they flock there instead of the trees. The connection between the actor and film could have a personal meaning to Dylan. Perhaps the actor Anthony Quinn resembled the dealer who inspired the song, or was around the scene either in person or on a poster, and was popularly associated with the archetype of the eskimo at that time and place. |
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| Boz Scaggs – Lido Shuffle Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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@[cmmumu:22307] This was probably the best interpretation. I only want to recommend that a "handle off the top" probably means that in addition to robbing the money from the bar, he also took a 'handle' (1.75 liters) "off the top" meaning both from the top shelf (most expensive liquors) and that this bonus "off the top" was skimmed from the total take in the robbery |
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| Mr. Bungle – The Bends Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| Many of the band members are great fans of cinematic scores, especially Ennio Morricone. Patton produced a compilation of Morricone works for his label Ipecac. Patton and Dunn have written and recorded film scores for real films. The most telling, though, might be Spruance's Secret Chiefs 3 satellite band Traditionalists concept album Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini - The Severed Right Hands Of The Last Men. That is a full length soundtrack album to a fictional B Movie. "The Bends" must be an early incarnation of this concept, an homage to the horror flick soundtrack album, including misleading cue names and abrupt edits. | |
| Foo Fighters – Wattershed Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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"Wattershed" spelled in homage to Mike Watt of the band The Minutemen, whose DIY hardcore records and van touring ethos represented a 'watershed moment' in independent rock music history. While the song may be stream-of-consciousness, the sentiment I get is that there's admiration bordering on envy for how the Minutemen made their career. Assuming this was written and recorded at a time when the release was to be on an independent label, likely Dave tucked this under the rug when the album was released in conjunction with a major. Watt was a tall, skinny, self-taught bass player who ran mail order records and cassettes from his San Pedro (near Long Beach) California home base along with the late great D Boon. Their influence was felt at Dischord records, where Dave once drummed for hardcore punk band Scream in DC. If I'm not mistaken one of the Minutemen played an instrument the wrong way (lefty playing right handed guitar?). Maybe I'm conflating that with Kurt Cobain's story. Either way they had unconventional playing techniques. I believe the line is "only wears the Ray-bans". "You were catching the black widow while we were watching Melrose" I am not convinced of these words or the meaning thereof. Melrose would likely refer to Melrose Ave in Los Angeles, which was a hub of independent stores and rock fashion throught the nineties (though now more commercialized). It could also refer to Melrose Place, a TV drama aimed at teens. "Black Widow" might refer to the 1990 Kyuss song, an independent rock band whose members formed Queens of the Stone Age. It could also refer to a negative girlfriend/wife, or anything small and fatal. I prefer to think this line is from the record label's perspective as "hey, Nirvana, while you were out making fatal mistakes in the wild, we were sitting here profitably watching the music trends on our front porch through the young ladies' street fashion." "Playing with my bad hand" I wrote about this above, but it could just as easily be a poker metaphor (entering a negotiation with insufficient leverage) or an injoke about an injury during writing or recording. "Pissed about the disc jam" could be a reference to CDs, and a preference for cassettes. I like to think it's aimed at radio DJs, though, and the pay-for-play corporate rock station cartel. "Pissed about the five 'am" could mean a lot. My favorite is that it's "5 M" as in the five major record labels of the era. Following on the radio rant, though, it could be about 5am call times for local radio interviews. "Pissed about the Green state" likely refers to the official nickname of Washington, the Evergreen State. "Listen to Flowerhead" the best conection I can draw is to a grunge/alt band named Flowerhead that released three albums between 1990 and 1995, but I would not be surprised if there is an 80s punk reference that fits here instead. |
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| Foo Fighters – Wind Up Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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I think @Changoon @destroyalltacoson @liv85on make good points. "I hope you never see me wind up" ends abruptly. The ambiguity of this phrase "wind up" leads me to believe we are meant to fill in the blank. I hope you never see me wind up [a has-been] I hope you never see me wind up [a junkie] I hope you never see me wind up [like so-and-so] I hope you never see me wind up [to hit somebody] I hope you never see me wind up [to hit you] I like the idea that it's both a threat (wind up to hit) and a vulnerability (wind up like) "Manimal" can only be a specific reference to the Germs song, and the feeling of doubt about Dave's own songwriting stacking up against that benchmark is undeniable. However, for this to be a direct dig at Pat Smear seems hypocritical to the second(?) verse ("I'll never tell; I'll bite the bullet; I'll take it all back"). It also seems out of character that Dave would vilify a bandmate on the album. There is a dispute referenced by proxy here, and could just as easily refer to any complaining musician including Kurt or Courtney. This from Wikipedia (not cited), but sounds right: Grohl described this song as such; "Wind Up is about the press [and] certain musicians who have nothing better to do than complain - people that can't feel fortunate for what they have been given. And if you don't want it, then just quit and get away from it. It drives me insane when I hear musicians that don't understand how fortunate they are that they don't have to go and pump gas for twelve hours a day. ... There are two sides; there's the reluctant rock star, and then there is the prying journalist that almost lives for the reluctant rock star. ... Every time I hear about "the hand you've been dealt," it drives me nuts. ... And 'paramania' is the joy of complaint." |
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| The Dead Weather – I Cut Like a Buffalo Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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This song is about hotboxing. I am amazed that no one has caught what I thought to be the unmistakable humor of this song. Large animals such as buffalo are known for their flatulence. Jack White has been traveling the world with co-ed musicians for his entire adult life. As a touring musician you do long car trips, planes, waiting rooms and green rooms together eating nasty food and drinking alcohol. This could be specifically about Meg, Allison, his ex-wife, any or all of them. But to me there is no mistake "I look like a woman / but I cut like buffalo / is that you choking? / or are you just joking?" is the bravado of a woman hotboxing a man with her farts. There is a playfully competitive spirit to the song. There may very well be a deeper feminist or sexual bravado intent behind the song, but I find no problem assigning each lyric to the hotboxing situation I described. |
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| The Beatles – Baby You're a Rich Man Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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Question: how does it feel to be one of the beautiful people? Pronouncement: baby, you're a rich man I don't think there's any disconnect int his song, and I don't think the zoo line is nonsense. Sure, Paul's very present absurdity sticks out in the refrain against Lennon's therapeutic conversation in the verses, but that's part of the magic of the Lennon-McCartney writing method. I suspect this is abstracted from a real encounter. Imagine a lovely young hippie (likely a woman) who has had plenty of experience with recreational drugs, but has one special experience where she realizes that she is beautiful, and this makes her life experience irrevocably distinct from those who are normal looking or less attractive. Then in this realization, we will equate beauty and wealth. Baby, you're a rich man. You have had this realization that you are rich in beauty (and how does it feel?) And what do you do with that beauty? Leave it unsecure and unattended in a cage full of animals? Throw it in a loose sundress and parade around at bars and clubs and festivals? You are rich and you shoudl be responsible. And thanks to your tripping, you've now had this experience where you realize your true worth. Now we're going to use some msuician's lingo to describe your critical juncture here: You are naturally tuned to E, the root note of standard tuning, one of the most powerful, foundational and naturally pleasing (but simple) keys. Then through your mind-expanding drug experience, you have experienced self awareness. Maybe you found that foundation that helps strip away low self esteem. You found a mind state where you can think more responsibly. So as a musician I ask you "what are you going to play?" now that you've found this new key. You realized you don't just have to play your beauty at its most common value... you can do more with it. Now that you know who you are, are you going to keep your beauty, your riches, your true value in the silliest place imaginable? Are you going to keep where they keep the sardines for bears in cages? Are you going to just be a snack for the predators in the system? Are you going to be more than a trophy wife to a corporate criminal? Use your beauty and enlightenment wisely, you're a rich man, too. |
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| Kelis – Milkshake Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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@[Mentat:4875] I think you misheard the lyrics. They're like "It's better than yours" This is common vernacular to attribute a quote (eg: He was like "I'm about to show them what's up," and we were like, "whatever, go ahead.") The chorus clearly states that the boys prefer Kelis's milkshake to that of the person she's addressing (you). It is a boast. |
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| Guided by Voices – Cut-Out Witch Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I could be wrong, but I assume the word cut-out refers to the record industry practice of using a saw to cut a notch in the corner of a batch of record albums or CDs to show that they don't count as sales and should be sold wholesale at clearance prices or otherwise dumped to retail outlets. You'll usually find these in local record stores' 99 cent bins. The cut-out witch could come in suddenly and make albums affordable to the compulsive record buyer. The cut-out witch could also markdown and write-off a band's remaining inventory, proving that band has under-performed on their record contract, and it would be a signifier that the record contract is ending. While it means the record company is taking a loss and the band is getting dropped, for some bands stuck in the major label contract this might be good news. From the point of view of |
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| Ween – Lullaby Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I guess I'm the only one who gets creeped out by this song? Whether it's "Fondle a donkey up" (group bestiality ritual?) or "Fawn lay donkey up" (incest) there is probably something weird going on in this song. Gener is a genius and he twists lyrics and has a mastery of accents and pronunciation. As far as I can tell the correct lyrics have not been brought to light, even among Ween's fanatical fanbase. So many listeners assume the whole song is gentle. Don't you guys know Ween is often twisted? Why do you think Aaron went and did all those subtly sick McKuen songs? He loves when there is one or two lyrics that unlock a hidden devastating, horrifying, or hilarious meaning. You could say FONDLE A DONKEY UP is phonetically camouflaged behind FONDLY DON'T GIVE UP. This song reminds me a bit of "Among His Tribe" from Quebec, a song I somehow assume is about cannibals or at least warring tribesmen. In both songs there seems to be genuine tenderness for the subject throughout, even atop something barbaric happening. Anyway, I've heard "Lullaby" two ways: 1. A tale of mother fantasizing and/or having sex with her soldier son. (sleeping in his mother's arms / shield her from the [gun]fire) 2. Some sort of voodoo ritual donkey-defiling/sacrifice. There are flowers for the rapture. There's a fire, something floating like a ghost. This might also explain the Creole(?) accent of the lyric "f'iends, 'dey are in light, f'iends 'dey are in heart". I could be completely wrong. My mind is sick. |
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| Ween – Blue Balloon Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I think a lot of people may be missing the darkness of this song. There's a beautiful twisted dick joke (and possibly worse) under the surface of seemingly serene environmentalism and childhood innocence. blue balloon = literally, an inflated child's toy, among life's simplest pleasures blue balloon = metaphorically, the earth floating through time and space blue = sad, gloomy, or depressed balloon = an impending economic crash, or something always on the verge of sudden collapse as impossible expectations meet their reality balloon = condom blue balls = a man's discomfort from lack of sex balloon = a common way heroin and some other drugs are smuggled and/or sold (refer to the song "Dirty Blue Balloons" by Failure) I suspect this is about the poor life of a sex worker, trying to get high or distract herself while having to perform oral sex on guys all day. It's so odd that she will accept any man. Her mouth slides over and down the shaft of his penis which is covered by a blue condom. She doesn't make eye contact (eyes defy every man). Meanwhile, men are building their own balloons, their impossible expectations, their own economic crash, and no one recognizes the emptiness of it. No one recognizes that the sum of our unfulfilled dreams and our eventual failure to achieve is going to resolve itself with emptying our sperm sacs into a brightly colored rubber receptacle. The sex worker is looking for her father's love; if she stays high all day (above the clouds) can she feel the affection she still craves? She bounces along the banks of BACCHANAL, which is not a mystical place, it is actually a word for a hedonistic party, or a partying state of mind, in honor of Bacchus, Greek God of wine, indulgence, and so forth. Only after beating along the paths (streets) and boulder caps (fat guys?) and icicles (thin guys?) she eventually dies, hardly noticed at all. She expires and her last breath is expelled. It returns to the central blue balloon (the earth/atmosphere). The refrain "Blue Balloon, my soul calls to you" I take to mean "You poor wretched walking cumbag, I extend my sympathy, and also I may be attracted to you. I yearn for you, Ms. Blue Balloon, reliever of blue balls." and also "I feel sorry for this whole Earth, this whole big inflated bag of hot air." |
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| Mr. Bungle – Squeeze Me Macaroni Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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My take on this song changed when I got a dog and started taking him for walks every day. I suspect the line "squeeze me macaroni" is about watching a dog's butthole waiting for the poo to emerge. "Slop your face with my bologna" makes me think of a dog licking his owner's face with its cold pink bologna tongue. If you're a dog owner you'll understand. The rest seems to be a fun fascination with scatological and food inuendos. I see these actually from the dog's perspective. The main refrain is "give your dog a bone, baby" but bone is really pronounced like boner. I think this is about how dogs get excited for food. Hold your leftovers out of reach and a dog gets downright orgiastic with anticipation. Then a few hours later that same dog is squeezing the food out as poo like a pasta maker. Then he licks himself. In the life of a dog, the joys of food, sex, and relieving himself are all so closely related. |
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| Mr. Bungle – Quote Unquote Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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CONTINUED In Travolta we definitely see a quadriplegic on display as if in some sort of circus sideshow. His only remaining senses are smell and limited motion, and all other senses are now in the language of scent (olfactory, stinking, crawling in the nose, nasal handicapable). I don't see any drug references, I think it is more about the possibility of hell/bliss/delusion if you were deprived of your limbs and your senses. It's plausible to me that the character is actually in some sort of waking coma or in traction or some other hospitalized nightmare. This could be related to a horrible accident after dancing at a party or disco. There is plenty here to suggest the character remembers dancing (silver ball, Travolta). In typical Bungle fashion, the lyrics don't really confirm or deny anything. There isn't much to tell us what's literal and what's surreal fiction. |
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| Mr. Bungle – Quote Unquote Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I have read on multiple occasions that Mike Patton generally does not write literal lyrics nor is he looking for deep interpretations. They are usually more sketches of things that have the right vowels, consonants and emphasis to serve the melody or more generally the atmosphere of the song. This one seems to be in line with much of Dunn's writing (Slowly Growing Deaf, Phlegmatics, Carry Stress in the Jaw which are about the body/senses) as well as Patton's odes to hospitalization (Air Conditioned Nightmare, Hare Lip, Vanity Fair). |
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| Ween – Back to Basom Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I am going to suggest a few corrections here. In addition I suspect this song is about the conflict of being in ween while trying to maintain sobriety. The first verse is nostalgic, as Gener tries to reconnect to his former self for the brown inspiration that drives his career, but as a "traveler" he wishes to visit only, not relapse. In the chorus he invokes the browner Gener to "come alive, let me fly". As an aside he asks himself, remembering you are what you eat, "should you care if what you are is cooked until it's done?" In the second verse he finds himself scouring memories of trips from his pre-sober life. Searching for the untapped moment of browness, the last traces of waste. As he finds one it taunts him by smiling. Or perhaps he is tripping again as jhe searches for elusive inspiration. Like a dancer whose career depended on legs, his career depended on getting high. Here he finds he finds himself "laughing along" in the company of others, but later finds sadness in the loss. I am not sure if Basom is a symbol of sobriety, a safe place. Or perhaps it is a location of drug-assisted inspiration to which his mind returns. This is likely personal to Gener and either way makes sense to me. Lastly, I can't help thinking pint of soul is a play on "Pine Sol" -- a cleaning product whose scent might remind one of a cabin in remote New York woodlands. |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Rhinoceros Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I think this song is from a man's perspective when he may have impregnated a girl by pretending to use a condom. The first few lines explain the incident... "planned a show" might have a double meaning; this is a rock band booking shows at local venues where they might meet fans and groupies. When combined with line 2, this now means that he was being ingenuine when you put a balloon (condom) on his tree (figure it out). "ice cream snow" could be more literal, setting up the winter time as the context for the incident. Then when he says "see you in june" that is now a few seasons away. I am not convinced "I would conceal / your way" is meant as one single statement. If it is, this could mean that by witholding the information about the ejaculation, he has concealed the girl's option of terminating the pregnancy. SHE KNOWS ... the nagging guilt and paranoia is getting to him. "After the moon, colors show" refers to the color of blood that shows after the month. The menstruation is a relief. "I should go" is a sentiment that comes after a couple bickers. Maybe he blew his cover due to the paranoia "Should have known I would reveal." "See you in June" sounds like something a touring musician might say. Or was that how many months would pass until the hypothetical baby is born? Whether you agree with this theory or not, you can't deny the song really effectively adresses the guilt of dishonesty in those two key words: SHE KNOWS |
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