Let's discuss the meanings of songs!

[Failinhearts]

Sometimes when I listen to music, I wonder about the message it's trying to convey. If I find a song that I feel that it might relate to me, I try to search up its meaning to see if my interpretation is true. Anyone get that feeling?

Anyway, I thought we could all get together here and talk about song meanings. Is there a song that speaks to you but you want to verify that it really is? Do you want to know other people's interpretation on a song's message? Do you just wanna debate on a song? Then this is the topic for you!

I'll start, there is a Vocaloid song I've listened to recently, and I feel like it's speaking to me but I just can't find any discussion on it. Maybe you guys can narrow something down. (And sorry for the horrible Vocaloid english singing...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgvIaBHYd6k

The song in my eyes (or ears) is talking about someone going through torment regarding society and isolation, breaking down and questioning itself and it's purpose. No matter how much one is trying to forget about it's problems, it can't stop coming into one's mind.

Well, have fun discussing!

[Sami]

Cool thread idea.

 

Gonna start with Casker because they're the best and I adore them. 

 

 

tell me, you're way too beautiful
just like the scent of the sun on a dry day
tell me, you're way too beautiful
just like the day you hugged me when I was so dry

it's okay if you tell me a lie
tell me that you only love me
whisper those words to my empty heart
you're wonderful

I know how easily you speak of love
but I'm going to pretend like I don't know
just consider me one more time
you're wonderful

show me, you're way too sorrowful
just like the cloud on a dark day
show me, you're way too sorrowful
just like the moisture of your dark heart

when I look around everyone feels the same
they're lonely and need someone to lean on
to you, I hope I'm the one, I hope I'm the one
I'm the one, I am

 

Very deceptively cheery tune, haha. I was a bit shocked to see what she was actually saying. It seems clear to me that the singer is speaking to her lover - someone she knows is cheating on her, and doesn't appreciate her like he should. She doesn't care though. He's wonderful. She wants to prove to him that she's the one, to take solace in the empty words he feeds her, because she wants him to see her as she sees him. 

 

It's sad on a very relatable, human level. Our pursuit for love and companionship makes us irrational.

[Lisbon]

I would go out and discuss a song with less direct lyrics, but I want to discuss some of my favorite lyrics of all time in "John the Fisherman" by Primus.

 

If you're unfamiliar with Primus, they're an oddity of a band to say the least. However, they're also incredibly talented at their instruments and the combination of that with their unique sound will more often than not overpower the lyrical content of their songs. Their lyrics are often rather grim, actually, and will often depict scenarios of people who don't deserve it having to suffer and even death. It's kind of scary when I look at songs like this or "Jerry Was a Racecar Driver." It never feels like too much, though, and it always comes across like more or less telling a dark story than trying to be emo and depressing. The best example of this is in "John the Fisherman" - which depicts a boy who grows up alienated and ridiculed finding enjoyment in fishing, only for his passion to end up being his tragic end later in life.

 

Take a look:

 

 

When he was young you'd not find him doing well in school,

His mind would turn unto the waters.

Always the focus of adolescent ridicule,

He has no time for farmer's daughters.

Alienated from the clique society,

A lonely boy finds peace in fishing.

His mother says John this is not the way life's supposed to be.

Don't you see the life that you are missing?

And he says

When I grow up I want to be,

One of the harvesters of the sea.

I think before my days are done,

I want to be a fisherman.

Now years gone by we find man that rules the sea.

He sets out on a dark May morning .

To bring his catch back to this small community.

He doesn't see the danger dawning.

Four hours up, oh the ocean swelled and swelled,

The fog rolled in it started raining.

The starboard bow. Oh my God we're going down!

They do not hear his frantic mayday.

And he says

When I grow up I want to be,

One of the harvesters of the sea.

I think before my days are done,

I want to be a fisherman.

I'll live and die a fisherman.

Calling John the fisherman.

 

 

[Lisbon]

One of my favorite songs to try to interpret is "Ziggy Stardust" by David Bowie.

 

The meaning of this song is quietly polarizing, with many arguing that it's about Jimi Hendrix or, the most common belief, that it's about David Bowie's alter ego. Personally, though, I'm in the camp that this song is about Paul McCartney.

 

I've reached the conclusion that the lyrics simply don't fit Bowie's alter ego, but describe his fellow Brit Paul McCartney to a T. Althought McCartney was primarily a bassist, he did play guitar on a significant amount of Beatles songs. "Weird" would be John Lennon, "Gilly" is George Harrison. The Spiders from Mars is a parody of the Beatles insect-sounding name, and Paul is left handed while Bowie is not.

 

These are just the minor things, too - the other Beatles have said in many interviews that Paul was not an easy person to collaborate with. Lennon dislike Paul's constant prodding and pushing him to write and record, and George and Ringo resented Paul for constantly telling them what to play and what not to play on their studio recordings. It's even widely considered that one of (admittedly many) reasons that the Beatles broke up was the fact that John, Ringo, and George felt that Paul treated them more as sidekicks than as equals, hence the line "Ziggy's band."

 

He also describes McCartney's stage presence with the lines "Ziggy really sang, screwed up eyes and screwed down hairdo, like some cat from Japan, he could lick 'em by smiling, he could leave 'em to hang. He came on so loaded man, well hung and snow white tan." Searching Google Images of Paul McCartney I found this:

 

 

Kinda fitting, I'd think.

 

Anyway, here's the lyrics and the song. It's a really difficult song to interpret because it could be talking about many people and I find the arguments from all sides to be sound, but I gotta go with Paul being the catalyst for Ziggy Stardust when I think about it.

 

 

 

Ziggy played guitar, jamming good with Wierd and Gilly,
And The Spiders from Mars.
He played it left hand, but made it too far,
Became the special man,
Then we were Ziggy's Band.

Ziggy really sang, screwed up eyes and screwed down hairdo
Like some cat from Japan, he could lick 'em by smiling
He could leave 'em to hang
Here came on so loaded man, well hung and snow white tan.

So where were the spiders while the fly tried to break our balls?
Just the beer light to guide us.
So we bitched about his fans and should we crush his sweet hands?

Ziggy played for time, jiving us that we were Voodoo
The kids was just crass,
He was the naz
With God given ass
He took it all too far
But boy could he play guitar.

Making love with his ego Ziggy sucked up into his mind
Like a leper messiah
When the kids had killed the man
I had to break up the band

Ziggy played guitar

 

 

 

[Yoko/葉子]

 

I believe Chopin composed this piece to express his frustration with the war between Poland and Russia going on at the time. He may have died before music recordings were possible, but one can literally hear his pain. I think I also hear the tragedies of war in this piece.