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Author Topic:   Favourite Song Interpretation!
nator
Member (Idle past 2169 days)
Posts: 12961
From: Ann Arbor
Joined: 12-09-2001


Message 16 of 23 (350253)
09-19-2006 10:33 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Jon
09-18-2006 3:44 AM


two from one of my favorite lyricists
Sting
I Burn For You
Now that I have found you
In the coolth of your evening smile
The shade of your parasol
And your love flows through me
Though I drink at your pool
I burn for you, I burn for
You and I are lovers
When night time folds around our bed
In peace we sleep entwined
And your love flows through me
Though an ocean soothes my head
I burn for you, I burn for
Stars will fall from dark skies
As ancient rocks are turning
Quiet fills the room
And your love flows through me
Though I lie here so still
I burn for you, I burn for you
I burn...
All This Time
I looked out across
The river today
I saw a city in the fog and an old church tower
Where the seagulls play
I saw the sad shire horses walking home
In the sodium light
I saw two priests on the ferry
October geese on a cold winter's night
And all this time, the river flowed
Endlessly to the sea
Two priests came round our house tonight
One young, one old, to offer prayers for the dying
To serve the final rite
One to learn, one to teach
Which way the cold wind blows
Fussing and flapping in priestly black
Like a murder of crows
And all this time, the river flowed
Endlessly to the sea
If I had my way I'd take a boat from the river
And I'd bury the old man,
I'd bury him at sea
Blessed are the poor, for they shall inherit the earth
Better to be poor than a fat man in the eye of a needle
And as these words were spoken I swore I hear
The old man laughing
'What good is a used up world and how could it be
Worth having'
And all this time the river flowed
Endlessly like a silent tear
And all this time the river flowed
Father, if Jesus exists,
Then how come he never lived here
The teachers told us, the Romans built this place
They built a wall and a temple, an edge of the empire
Garrison town,
They lived and they died, they prayed to their gods
But the stone gods did not make a sound
And their empire crumbled, 'til all that was left
Were the stones the workmen found
And all this time the river flowed
In the falling light of a northern sun
If I had my way I'd take a boat from the river
Men go crazy in congregations
But they only get better
One by one
One by one...

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Jon, posted 09-18-2006 3:44 AM Jon has not replied

  
Dan Carroll
Inactive Member


Message 17 of 23 (350269)
09-19-2006 11:20 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Jon
09-18-2006 3:44 AM


Toss up between two right now:
Masterfade - Andrew Bird
Well you sure didn't look like you were having any fun
With that heavy-metal gaze they'll have to measure in tons
And when you look up at the sky
All you see are zeros
All you see are zeros and ones
You took my hand and led me down to watch the kewpie doll parade
We let the kittens lick our hair and drank our chalky lemonade
It's not that I just didn't care I must admit I was afraid
And I'm awfully glad my finger's resting gently on the masterfade
Masterfade
I coulda played along
Masterfade
I coulda played Mah Jongg
But it just takes too long
And I just can't remember
Which way the east wind blows does it matter?
If we're all matter
What's it matter does it matter
If we're all matter when we're done?
When the sky is full of zeros and ones
I saw you standing all alone in the electrostatic rain
I thought at last I'd found a situation you can't explain
With GPS you know it's all just a matter of degrees
Your happiness won't find you underneath that canopy of trees
If the green grass is 6 the soybeans are 7
The junebugs are 8 the weeds and thistles are 11
And if the 1s just hold their place the 0s make a smiley face
when they come floating down from the heavens
You took my hand and led me down to watch a papillon parade
We let the kittens lick our hair and drank our chalky lemonade
You squeezed my hand and told me softly that I shouldn't be afraid
'Cause all the while your finger's resting gently on the masterfade
Masterfade
I coulda played along
The masterfade
I coulda played Mah Jongg
But it just takes too long
And I just can't remember
Which way the east wind blows
When you're lying on the ground staring up at that inverted compass
I mean Christ, who knows?
Just strikes me as a very romantic song, full of imagery of vulnerability and excitement.
No Children - The Mountain Goats
I hope that our few remaining friends
Give up on trying to save us
I hope we come up with a failsafe plot
To piss off the dumb few that forgave us
I hope the fences we mended
Fall down beneath their own weight
And I hope we hang on past the last exit
I hope it's already too late
And I hope the junkyard a few blocks from here
Someday burns down
And I hope the rising black smoke carries me far away
And I never come back to this town
Again in my life
I hope I lie
And tell everyone you were a good wife
And I hope you die
I hope we both die
I hope I cut myself shaving tomorrow
I hope it bleeds all day long
Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises
We're pretty sure they're all wrong
I hope it stays dark forever
I hope the worst isn't over
And I hope you blink before I do
Yeah I hope I never get sober
And I hope when you think of me years down the line
You can't find one good thing to say
And I'd hope that if I found the strength to walk out
You'd stay the hell out of my way
I am drowning
There is no sign of land
You are coming down with me
Hand in unlovable hand
And I hope you die
I hope we both die
The exact opposite reason. The way Darnielle introduces this at concerts is, "If you've never had reason to understand this song, you will. At some point. And you'll be glad you heard it."
Edited by Dan Carroll, : formatting

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Jon, posted 09-18-2006 3:44 AM Jon has not replied

  
sidelined
Member (Idle past 5907 days)
Posts: 3435
From: Edmonton Alberta Canada
Joined: 08-30-2003


Message 18 of 23 (350278)
09-19-2006 11:35 AM


Changing of the guard
Father and Son by Cat Stevens
Father
It's not time to make a change,
Just relax, take it easy.
You're still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to know.
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy.
I was once like you are now, and I know that it's not easy,
To be calm when you've found something going on.
But take your time, think a lot,
Why, think of everything you've got.
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.
Son
How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again.
It's always been the same, same old story.
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen.
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.
Father
It's not time to make a change,
Just sit down, take it slowly.
You're still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to go through.
Find a girl, settle down,
if you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy.
Son
All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
It's hard, but it's harder to ignore it.
If they were right, I'd agree, but it's them you know not me.
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.
I first heard this song in the 70's when I was the son and now that I am the father I have learned the truth of the relationships between myself and my Dad and just how much I did not know. This song touches deep in me and the life lesson it contains is priceless.
Then there is the song which I think describes the real state of life for most of us and the great accounting it makes of what it means to be human
The Hard Way Every Time
Written by - Jim Croce
Yeah, I've had my share of broken dreams
And more than a couple of falls
And in chasin' what I thought were moonbeams
I have run into a couple of walls
But in looking back at the places I've been
The changes that I've left behind
I just look at myself to find
I've learned the hard way every time
'Cause I've had my share of good intentions
And I've made my share of mistakes
And I've learned at times it's best to bend
'Cause if you don't well those are the breaks
Should have listened to all the things I was told
But I was young and too proud at the time
Now I look at myself to find
I learn the hard way ev'ry time
But in looking back at the lessons I've learned
And the mountains I wanted to climb
I just look at myself to find
I've learned the hard way ev'ry time
'Cause I've had my share of broken dreams
And more than a couple of falls
And in chasin' what I thought were moonbeams
I have run into a couple of walls
But in looking back at the faces I've been
I would sure be the first one to say
When I look at myself today
Wouldn'ta done it any other way
And last but not least the song which ,for most Canadians of my generation, is both a tribute to those who built this country and a reminder to us of the meaning of sacrfice for the greater good.
Canadian Railroad Trilogy
There was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run
When the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun
Long before the white man and long before the wheel
When the green dark forest was too silent to be real
But time has no beginnings and hist'ry has no bounds
As to this verdant country they came from all around
They sailed upon her waterways and they walked the forests tall
And they built the mines the mills and the factories for the good of us all
And when the young man's fancy was turnin' to the spring
The railroad men grew restless for to hear the hammers ring
Their minds were overflowing with the visions of their day
And many a fortune lost and won and many a debt to pay
For they looked in the future and what did they see
They saw an iron road runnin' from sea to the sea
Bringin' the goods to a young growin' land
All up through the seaports and into their hands
Look away said they across this mighty land
From the eastern shore to the western strand
Bring in the workers and bring up the rails
We gotta lay down the tracks and tear up the trails
Open 'er heart let the life blood flow
Gotta get on our way 'cause we're movin' too slow
Bring in the workers and bring up the rails
We're gonna lay down the tracks and tear up the trails
Open 'er heart let the life blood flow
Gotta get on our way 'cause we're movin' too slow
Get on our way 'cause we're movin' too slow
Behind the blue Rockies the sun is declinin'
The stars, they come stealin' at the close of the day
Across the wide prairie our loved ones lie sleeping
Beyond the dark oceans in a place far away
We are the navvies who work upon the railway
Swingin' our hammers in the bright blazin' sun
Livin' on stew and drinkin' bad whiskey
Bendin' our old backs 'til the long days are done
We are the navvies who work upon the railway
Swingin' our hammers in the bright blazin' sun
Layin' down track and buildin' the bridges
Bendin' our old backs 'til the railroad is done
So over the mountains and over the plains
Into the muskeg and into the rain
Up the St. Lawrence all the way to Gaspe
Swingin' our hammers and drawin' our pay
Drivin' 'em in and tyin' 'em down
Away to the bunkhouse and into the town
A dollar a day and a place for my head
A drink to the livin' and a toast to the dead
Oh the song of the future has been sung
All the battles have been won
O'er the mountain tops we stand
All the world at our command
We have opened up the soil
With our teardrops and our toil

  
Jon
Inactive Member


Message 19 of 23 (350405)
09-19-2006 4:31 PM
Reply to: Message 15 by mike the wiz
09-19-2006 9:52 AM


Jimi Hendrix, "Castles Made of Sand"
Down the street you can hear her scream "you're a disgrace"
As she slams the door in his drunken face,
And now he stands outside and all the neighbours start to gossip
and drool.
He cries "Oh girl, you must be mad,
What happened to the sweet love you and me had?"
Against the door he leans and starts a scene,
And his tears fall and burn the garden green.
And so castles made of sand, fall in the sea, eventually.
A little Indian brave who before he was ten, played war games
in
the woods with his Indian friends, and he built a dream that
when he
grew up, he would be a fearless warrior Indian Chief.
Many moons passed and more the dream grew strong, until
tomorrow
He would sing his first war song,
And fight his first battle, but something went wrong,
Suprise attack killed him in his sleep that night
And so castles made of sand, melts into the sea eventually.
There was a young girl, whose heart was a frown,
Because she was crippled for life, and couldn't speak a
sound
And she wished and prayed she would stop living, so she decided
to die.
She drew her wheel chair to the edge of the shore, and to her
legs she smiled
"You won't hurt me no more."
But then a sight she'd never seen made her JUMP AND SAY
"Look, a golden winged ship is passing my way"
And it really didn't have to stop...it just kept on going.
And so castles made of sand slips into the sea,
Eventually
This isn't my favourite of all songs (I don't think I have one), but it is really good.
The first two versus are rather obvious I think. A relationship not built on love has fallen. The second, a person with dreams that weren't built on reality has died. I've heard people make an attempt at the third verse... but never heard a decent interpretation of it (except for my own), which is, that without her base (feet/legs) the girl cannot stand, and so has lost all hopes.
So, it's like the castles made of sand, which fall into the sea.
Then again... maybe it's just some words sung to some pretty nice music.
Jon

This message is a reply to:
 Message 15 by mike the wiz, posted 09-19-2006 9:52 AM mike the wiz has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 20 by mike the wiz, posted 09-19-2006 6:51 PM Jon has not replied
 Message 21 by Archer Opteryx, posted 09-19-2006 10:10 PM Jon has seen this message but not replied

  
mike the wiz
Member
Posts: 4752
From: u.k
Joined: 05-24-2003


Message 20 of 23 (350460)
09-19-2006 6:51 PM
Reply to: Message 19 by Jon
09-19-2006 4:31 PM


I agree with your intepretation of that final bit. I enjoyed that bit most. I like JH music. Not a huge fan but I do like it.
I don't quite get the last line or two.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 19 by Jon, posted 09-19-2006 4:31 PM Jon has not replied

  
Archer Opteryx
Member (Idle past 3597 days)
Posts: 1811
From: East Asia
Joined: 08-16-2006


Message 21 of 23 (350506)
09-19-2006 10:10 PM
Reply to: Message 19 by Jon
09-19-2006 4:31 PM


Hendrix
Jon:
without her base (feet/legs) the girl cannot stand, and so has lost all hopes.
Yes, and then she is surprised to find hope.
The woman's sand castle is her dream of self-destruction. It washes away just as, earlier, unrealistic dreams of love and power washed away. In the first two cases the loss left people broken. The irony in this third case is that someone finds healing. In losing her bitter dream the woman discovers something stronger and more enduring than that sand castle. She finds herself--the thing she didn't value--and the beauty she can now see in the world. She can live.
It really didn't have to stop. It just kept on going.
.
Edited by Archer Opterix, : HTML.

Archer
All species are transitional.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 19 by Jon, posted 09-19-2006 4:31 PM Jon has seen this message but not replied

  
Archer Opteryx
Member (Idle past 3597 days)
Posts: 1811
From: East Asia
Joined: 08-16-2006


Message 22 of 23 (350520)
09-19-2006 10:43 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Jon
09-18-2006 3:44 AM


Heavenly Cities
Here are two songs I enjoy that use the prophetic image of The Heavenly City as a vision for one's own country.
First came this favorite song of English choirs. It alludes to a legend that Christ had made a visit to the British Isles as a young man.
quote:
'Jerusalem'
- William Blake / Hubert Parry
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic mills?
Bring me my bow of burning gold:
Bring me my arrows of desire:
Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire.
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.
Then, with one eye on Blake, came this rock-gospel vision for America.
quote:
'Let the River Run'
- Carly Simon
Let the river run.
Let all the dreamers wake the nation.
Come, the New Jerusalem.
Silver cities rise.
The morning lights
The streets that meet them
And sirens call them on with a song.
It's asking for the taking: trembling, shaking.
Oh, my heart is aching--
We're coming to the edge, running on the water,
Coming through the fog, your sons and daughters:
We, the great and small
Stand on a star
And blaze a trail of desire
Through the darkling dawn.
It's asking for the taking: trembling, shaking.
(Come run with me now--the sky is the color of blue
You've never even seen in the eyes of your lover!)
Oh, my heart is aching--
We're coming to the edge, running on the water,
Coming through the fog, your sons and daughters:
Let the river run.
Let all the dreamers wake the nation.
Come, the New Jerusalem.
Edited by Archer Opterix, : HTML.

Archer
All species are transitional.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Jon, posted 09-18-2006 3:44 AM Jon has not replied

  
Minnemooseus
Member
Posts: 3941
From: Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. (West end of Lake Superior)
Joined: 11-11-2001
Member Rating: 10.0


Message 23 of 23 (350548)
09-20-2006 12:25 AM


Moose's 2nd favorite tune -- Heptone - Book of Rules
The Heptones - Book of Rules
Isn't it strange how princesses and kings
in clown-ragged capers in sawdust rings
while common people like you and me
we'll be builders for eternity
each is given a bag of tools
a shapeless mass and the book of rules
each must make his life as flowing in
tumbling block on a stepping stone
while common people like you and me
we'll be builders for eternity
each is given a bag of tools
a shapeless mass and the book of rules
look when the rain has fallen from the sky
you know the sun will be only with us for a while
while common people like you and me
we'll be builders for eternity
each is given a bag of tools
a shapeless mass and the book of rules
Source
From another page (also some interesting commentary there):
Isn't it strange how princesses and kings
Can clown their capers in sawdust rings, just like
Poor people like you and me
Will be builders for eternity
Each is given a bag of tools
Shapeless lives and a book of rules
Each must make his life as flowing ink
Tumbling back on a stepping stone, just like
Poor people like you and me
Will be builders for eternity
Each is given a bag of tools
Shapeless lives and a book of rules
Pow wa pow pow, pow wa pa pa pow pow
Wa pa pa pow pow, wa pow pa pow pow pow
And I say small people like you and me
Will be builders for eternity
Each is given a bag of tools
Shapeless lives and a book of rules
Look where the rain is fallen from the sky
I know the sun will be only missing for awhile
And I say small people like you and me
Will be builders for eternity
Each is given a bag of tools
Shapeless lives and a book of rules
Pow wa pow pow, pow wa pa pa pow pow
Wa pa pa pow pow, wa pow pa pow pow pow
And I say small people like you and me
Will be builders for eternity
Each is given a bag of tools
Shapeless lives and a book of rules
Pow wa pow pow, pow wa pa pa pow pow
Wa pa pa pow pow, wa pow pa pow pow pow
Pow wa pow pow, pow wa pa pa pow pow
Wa pa pa pow pow, wa pow pa pow pow pow
Pow wa pow pow, pow wa pa pa pow pow
Wa pa pa pow pow, wa pow pa pow pow pow
Pow wa pow pow, pow wa pa pa pow pow
Wa pa pa pow pow, wa pow pa pow pow pow
RealAudio of song
Moose
Edited by Minnemooseus, : No reason given.

Professor, geology, Whatsamatta U
Evolution - Changes in the environment, caused by the interactions of the components of the environment.
"Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and will piss on your computer." - Bruce Graham
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." - John Kenneth Galbraith
"I know a little about a lot of things, and a lot about a few things, but I'm highly ignorant about everything." - Moose

  
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