Lyrics , specific lines defined.

[strat2]

This is a thread for identifying what a given lyric might actually mean.

Some make no sense till explained, or maybe we're not hearing the lyric correctly.

Some, obviously are just to catch a rhyme or cadence.

So if you know the difference and aren't just paroting common knowledge...

 

I'll start with a couple that throw me.

 

From 'Horse with no name'(America)

"...there were plants and birds and rocks and things,

there was sand and hills and (rings?) ".

What the Hell are the rings about?

 

From 'Love her madly' (Doors)

"... Seven horses seem to be on the (mark?)" .

What did he mean by on the 'mark', and why seven?

 

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[JBJ]

as hard as it was to get my ex girlfriend/ ex band lyricist to grasp, not all lyrics need to be deeply profound and meaningful...........

[THB]

When it's live it just has to rhyme.

 

[Knottyhed]

I'm pretty convinced some of Radio Head's lyrics are complete nonsense and don't have a hidden meaning at all. Maybe i'm just not very deep

[JLo]

What about the last section of "Hook" by blues traveler. That never has made 100% sense to me

 

 

 

it in suck it in suck it in

If you're Rin Tin Tin or Anne Boleyn

Make a desperate move or else you'll win

And then begin

to see

What you're doing to me this MTV is not for free

It's so PC it's killing me

So desperately I sing to thee of love

Sure but also rage and hate and pain and fear of self

And I can't keep these feelings on the shelf

I tried, well no in fact I lied

Could be financial suicide but I've got too much pride inside

To hide or slide

I'll do as I'll decide and let it ride until I've died

And only then shall I abide this tide

Of catchy little tunes

Of hip three minute ditties

I wanna bust all your balloons

I wanna burn all of your cities to the ground

I've found I will not mess around

Unless I play then hey

I will go on all day hear what I say

I have a prayer to pray

That's really all this was

And when I'm feeling stuck and need a buck

I don't rely on luck because

 

 

 

[Knottyhed]

Originally posted by JLo What about the last section of "Hook" by blues traveler. That never has made 100% sense to me it in suck it in suck it in If you're Rin Tin Tin or Anne Boleyn Make a desperate move or else you'll win And then begin to see What you're doing to me this MTV is not for free It's so PC it's killing me So desperately I sing to thee of love Sure but also rage and hate and pain and fear of self And I can't keep these feelings on the shelf I tried, well no in fact I lied Could be financial suicide but I've got too much pride inside To hide or slide I'll do as I'll decide and let it ride until I've died And only then shall I abide this tide Of catchy little tunes Of hip three minute ditties I wanna bust all your balloons I wanna burn all of your cities to the ground I've found I will not mess around Unless I play then hey I will go on all day hear what I say I have a prayer to pray That's really all this was And when I'm feeling stuck and need a buck I don't rely on luck because

Makes sense to me - it's about the comercialism and blandness of the 'main-stream' music industry i'd say... he's basically saying he can't make money writing songs that don't fit the 'mould'. That's my interpretation anyhoo...

 

I've no real idea about this though:

 

Her green plastic watering can for her fake chinese rubber plant

In the fake plastic earth.

That she bought from a rubber man in a town full of rubber plans

To get rid of itself,- it wears her out.

 

She lives with a broken man,

A cracked polystyrene man who just

Crumbles and burns.

He used to do surgery for girls in the eighties but gravity always

Wins and it wears him out.

 

She looks like the real thing.

She tastes like the real thing,

My fake plastic love.

 

But I can

[THX1138]

How bout "TIN ROOF.... rusted".

 

wtf?

[fastplant]

Originally posted by THX1138 How bout "TIN ROOF.... rusted". wtf?

 

The 'love shack' where they wrote the song had a rusted tin roof.

[ShoNuf]

If you want lyrics to interpret listen to The Mars Volta. The lyrics are what I imagine that the voices in Andy Warhol's head say, or said for that matter.

 

From ~Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)~

 

"Transient jet lag ecto mimed bison

This is the haunt of roulette dares

Ruse of metacarpi

Caveat emptor....to all that enter here"

 

Yes, those are the first four lines of the song.

 

I think you all get my point...

[Knottyhed]

 

Originally posted by ShoNuf If you want lyrics to interpret listen to The Mars Volta. The lyrics are what I imagine that the voices in Andy Warhol's head say, or said for that matter. From ~Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)~ "Transient jet lag ecto mimed bison This is the haunt of roulette dares Ruse of metacarpi Caveat emptor....to all that enter here" Yes, those are the first four lines of the song. I think you all get my point...

 

 

LOL - you win

[Bruther_Bill72]

I've no real idea about this though:

 

"Her green plastic watering can for her fake chinese rubber plant

In the fake plastic earth.

That she bought from a rubber man in a town full of rubber plans

To get rid of itself,- it wears her out.

 

She lives with a broken man,

A cracked polystyrene man who just

Crumbles and burns.

He used to do surgery for girls in the eighties but gravity always

Wins and it wears him out.

 

She looks like the real thing.

She tastes like the real thing,

My fake plastic love.

 

But I can

[JBJ]

i think fake plastic trees is basically about cosmetic surgery and people trying to beat age and how futile it is in the end...

 

no one got face lifts 50 years ago y know....

 

that reminds me yet again that i really need to get the bends again.

[tin whistle]

Lyrics can mean nothing or are meant to be taken literally and everything in between depending on the songwriter.

Some artists like Bowie would just cut up words and sentences from various sources and string them together by chance..sort of I Ching. Now they use a computer program that emulates the process.

Words can be strung together that is essentially meaningless except for the imagery evoked in the listeners mind..its all individual interpretation.

Others will write with a specific storytelling in mind and is meant to be taken at its literal word...some from personal experience, or a common social issue that everyone can relate to.

Some artists may get a bit freaked out when fans go overboard in reading way too much into their lyrics and get crazy. These artists may have simply strung together some nice sounded phrases with no other meaning in mind.

The beatles and bob dylan come to mind, for example.

[strat2]

 

Originally posted by fastplant The 'love shack' where they wrote the song had a rusted tin roof.

 

 

Thats a good explanaition, and I thought that line was "...I'm Busted! "

Ha.

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[Terry Allan Hall]

Originally posted by strat2 This is a thread for identifying what a given lyric might actually mean. Some make no sense till explained, or maybe we're not hearing the lyric correctly. Some, obviously are just to catch a rhyme or cadence. So if you know the difference and aren't just paroting common knowledge... I'll start with a couple that throw me. From 'Horse with no name'(America) "...there were plants and birds and rocks and things, there was sand and hills and (rings?) ". What the Hell are the rings about? The wind makes rings in the sand in a desert, sometimes... From 'Love her madly' (Doors) "... Seven horses seem to be on the (mark?)" . What did he mean by on the 'mark', and why seven? On the mark...get set...go. The "mark" is where the horse race starts. - -

 

[strat2]

 

Originally posted by Terry Allan Hall

 

 

Thanks Terry Allan Hall,

 

Makes enough sense to me , especially on the rings.

 

The on the mark I'd sorta figured , except the 'seven' throws it off for me a bit unless there are some standard horse races where seven are involved.

I googled up, and it looks like there might be a few standard races involving seven horses.'March' has a better singable ring to it , so maybe I'll fudge that word a bit, and I liked the possibility that seven horse on the 'march' might have had a cool significance to it,from some time long past.

 

Thanks

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[UncleDig]

Someone take a shot at this, from Yes' "Close to the Edge:"

 

====

 

A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace

And rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace

And achieve it all with music that came quickly from afar

Then taste the fruit of man recorded losing all against the hour

 

And assessing points to nowhere, leading ev'ry single one

A dewdrop can exalt us like the music of the sun

And take away the plain in which we move

And choose the course you're running

 

Down at the edge, round by the corner,

Not right away, not right away.

Close to the edge, down by a river,

Not right away, not right away.

 

Crossed the line around the changes of the summer

Reaching to call the color of the sky

Passed around a moment clothed in mornings faster than we see

 

Getting over all the time I had to worry

Leaving all the changes far from far behind

We relieve the tension only to find out the master's name

 

Down at the end, round by the corner.

Close to the edge, just by a river.

Seasons will pass you by.

I get up, I get down.

Now that it's all over and done,

Now that you find, now that you're whole.

[MDLMUSIC]

Way back in the early 1970's (could've even been late 1960's) Merv Griffin had a talk show with British actor Arthur Treacher as his co-host. One of their funniest bits was when they'd do a dramatic reading of popular song lyrics. I especially remember their presentation of the Beatles "Hello Goodbye". The ending part where Arthur intones "Heba heba hello ah" was hilarious.

[strat2]

 

Originally posted by MDLMUSIC Way back in the early 1970's (could've even been late 1960's) Merv Griffin had a talk show with British actor Arthur Treacher as his co-host. One of their funniest bits was when they'd do a dramatic reading of popular song lyrics. I especially remember their presentation of the Beatles "Hello Goodbye". The ending part where Arthur intones "Heba heba hello ah" was hilarious.

 

 

I've don't remember that bit but it reminds me of Victor Borga stuff.

Hilarious is right. I'll buy them old Merv shows if I ever see em advertised, same as Johnny Carson shows.

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[Green House]

Originally posted by JLo What about the last section of "Hook" by blues traveler. That never has made 100% sense to me it in suck it in suck it in If you're Rin Tin Tin or Anne Boleyn Make a desperate move or else you'll win And then begin to see What you're doing to me this MTV is not for free It's so PC it's killing me So desperately I sing to thee of love Sure but also rage and hate and pain and fear of self And I can't keep these feelings on the shelf I tried, well no in fact I lied Could be financial suicide but I've got too much pride inside To hide or slide I'll do as I'll decide and let it ride until I've died And only then shall I abide this tide Of catchy little tunes Of hip three minute ditties I wanna bust all your balloons I wanna burn all of your cities to the ground I've found I will not mess around Unless I play then hey I will go on all day hear what I say I have a prayer to pray That's really all this was And when I'm feeling stuck and need a buck I don't rely on luck because

 

I always assumed they were using this part to demonstrate what they meant by a "hook".

[THB]

Originally posted by strat2 I've don't remember that bit but it reminds me of Victor Borga stuff. Hilarious is right. I'll buy them old Merv shows if I ever see em advertised, same as Johnny Carson shows. - -

 

Victor Borga put on incredible concerts. One of the best things my parents ever did was take me to see him when I was about 15 or so. It was hilarious and changed my attitude towards classical music for the better. I saw him again with my wife years later. Brilliant.

 

[THB]

Originally posted by Green House I always assumed they were using this part to demonstrate what they meant by a "hook".

 

 

In harmony, no less!

 

 

[MDLMUSIC]

Originally posted by THB Victor Borga put on incredible concerts. One of the best things my parents ever did was take me to see him when I was about 15 or so. It was hilarious and changed my attitude towards classical music for the better. I saw him again with my wife years later. Brilliant.

 

I've picked up a bunch of Vicotr Borge's DVD's at swap meets and thrift stores. The guy was a genius. Some of the routines, like the page-turner and inflated language crack me up everytime I watch them.

[strat2]

 

Originally posted by MDLMUSIC I've picked up a bunch of Vicotr Borge's DVD's at swap meets and thrift stores. The guy was a genius. Some of the routines, like the page-turner and inflated language crack me up everytime I watch them.

 

 

I like the bit he did wtih that opera singer, he kept telling her to keep her hands off the piano, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to coach her on her singing as well, don't remember for sure.

Priceless bits.

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