Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam

Unsealed on a porch a letter sat.
Then you said, "I wanna leave it again."
Once I saw her on a beach of weathered sand. And on the sand I wanna leave it again. Yeah.
On a weekend I wanna wish it all away, yeah.
And they called and I said that "I want what I said" and then I call out again.
And the reason oughta' leave her calm, I know.
I said "I know what I wear not the boxer or the bag."

Ah yeah, can you see them out on the porch? Yeah, but they don't wave.
But I see them round the front way. Yeah.
And I know, and I know. I don't want to stay.
Make me cry...

I see... Ooh I don't know why there's something else.
I wanna drum it all away...
Oh, I said, "I don't, I don't know whether It was the boxer or the bag."

Ah yeah, can you see them out on the porch? Yeah, but they don't wave.
But I see them round the front way. Yeah.
And I know, and I know. I don't wanna stay at all.
I don't wanna stay. Yeah.
I don't wanna stay. (x2)
I don't... Don't wanna, oh... Yeah. Ooh... Ohh...

This is a very different song. Eddie Vedder (lead vocalist) Jeff Ament (bassist) and And Mike McCready (guitarist). It is named after Vedder's friend named Tim Ledbetter. The song was mostly improvised. They had the many idea of the song but not all the lyrics so Vedder just made them up as he went. In each recording or live version the song has many different lines and sounds completely different. So these lyrics are actually not the ones I hear when I listen to the version I have but I did not write down the ones I have seeing as there are some lines you can barely understand. The way I see it is that Vedder's voice was just another instrument not just the vocals. The song was written though during the Gulf war. One of Vedder's friends brother had gone to war and died and had got a "Yellow Letter". Ah yeah, can you see them out on the porch? Yeah, but they don't wave. But I see them round the front way" Vedder and his friends were walking and the friend was described as some what grungy looking. He saw a flag out side someones house and turn to it as if to salute at it and the people on the porch just glared. Oh, I said, "I don't, I don't know whether It was the boxer or the bag." The friend was saying his brother was sent to fight for that flag but he hope he doesn't come back in a box or a bag implying he didn't read the letter. Theres not really much of a way to interpret the song. It is an amazing song in my opinion but figured Id write this out seeing as I did not know anything about it till recently. The chords are in a I-V-IV progression and mimics Jimi Hendrix style of playing.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Samson by Regina Spektor

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth
I have to go, I have to go
Your hair was long when we first met

Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
He ate a slice of wonder bread and went right back to bed
And history books forgot about us and the bible didnt mention us
The bible didnt mention us, not even once

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first , I loved you first
Beneath the stars came falling on our heads
But they're just old light
They're just old light
Your hair was long when we first met

Samson came to my bed
Told me that my hair was red
Told me I was beautiful and came into my bed
I cut his hair myself one night
A pair of dull scissors and the yellow light
He told me that I'd done alright
and kissed me till the morning light the morning light
and he kissed me till the morning light

Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
Ate a slice of wonder bread
and went right back to bed
We couldn't break the columns down
No, we couldn't destroy a single one
and the history books forgot about us
and the bible didn't mention us
not even once

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first

This song uses the story of Samson and Delilah. Samson was given great strength by god and it lied with in his hair. He fell in love with Delilah. 3000 philistine men were after Samson they came to Delilah and bribed her with 1100 gold pieces each if she could discover and take away Samson strength. Samson taunts her with this joking around giving her false answers. He finally tells her and she then has his hair cut. This broke the oath and god takes Samson's strength. The philistines come and cut his eyes out and take him to prison. He is then to be sacrificed and when he died he pulled the two pillars he was tied to in, killing himself and all the philistines this is referred to in the song "We couldn't break the columns down No, we couldn't destroy a single one" but not in the same way. The song presents the story completely different though it is only using it as a image you could say. This song is a love story. It presents the idea of true unconditional love. "You are my sweetest downfall I loved you first, I loved you first" She is his sweetest downfall because she took his strength and yet he still loves her. "I cut his hair myself one night A pair of dull scissors and the yellow light He told me that I'd done alright
and kissed me till the morning light the morning light" even after taking his strength he lies and says he likes his hair and then expresses his love for her. And then "And history books forgot about us and the bible didn't mention us
The bible didn't mention us, not even once" Even though they weren't amazing people their love was still great and meaningful their feelings still strong and beautiful.

Rime of the ancient Mariner by Iron Maiden

Hear the rime of the Ancient Mariner
See his eyes as he stops one of three
Mesmerizes one of the wedding guests
Stay here and listen to the nightmares
of the sea.

And the music plays on, as the bride passes by
Caught by his spell and
the Mariner tells his tale.

Driven south to the land of the snow and ice
To a place where nobody`s been
Through the snow fog flies on the albatross
Hailed in God`s name,
hoping good luck it brings.

And the ship sails on, back to the north
Through the fog and ice and
the albatross follows on

The mariner kills the bird of good omen
His shipmates cry against what he`s done
But when the fog clears, they justify him
And make themselves part of the crime.

Sailing on and on and North across the sea
Sailing on and on and North `til all is calm.

The albatross begins with its vengeance
A terrible curse a thirst has begun
His shipmates blame the bad luck on the Mariner
About his neck, the dead bird is hung.

And the curse goes on and on and on at sea,
And the thirst goes on and on for them and me.

`Day after day, day after day,
we stuck nor breath nor motion
As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean
Water, water everywhere and
all the boards did shrink
Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink.`

There, calls the Mariner,
there comes a ship over the line
But how can she sail with no wind
in her sails and no tide.

See...onward she comes
Onward she nears, out of the sun
See...she has no crew
She has no life, wait but there`s two

Death and she life in Death,
they throw their dice for the crew
She wins the Mariner and he belongs to her now.
Then...crew one by one
They drop down dead, two hundred men
She...She, Life in Death,
She lets him live, her chosen one.

`One after one by the star dogged moon,
too quick for groan or sigh
each turned his face with a ghastly pang,
and cursed me with his eye
four times fifty living men
(and I heard nor sigh nor groan),
with heavy thump, a lifeless lump,
they dropped down one by one.`

The curse it lives on in their eyes
The Mariner he wished he`d die
Along with the sea creatres
But they lived on, so did he.

And by the light of the moon
He prays for their beauty not doom
With heart he blesses them
God`s creatures all of them too

Then the spell starts to break
The albatross falls from his neck
Sinks down like lead into the sea
Then down in falls comes the rain.

Hear the groans of the long dead seamen
See them stir and they start to rise
Bodies lifted by good spirits
None of them speak
and they`re lifeless in their eyes.

And revenge is still sought, penance starts again
Cast into a trance and the nightmare carries on.

Now the curse is finally lifted
And the Mariner sights his home
Spirits go from the long dead bodies
Form their own light and
the Mariner`s left alone.

And then a boat came sailing towards him
It was a joy he could not believe
The pilots boat, his son and the hermit.
Penance of life will fall onto Him.

And the ship sinks like lead into the sea
And the hermit shrieves the Mariner of his sins.

The Mariner`s bound to tell of his story
To tell his tale wherever he goes
To teach God`s word by his own example
That we must love all things that God made.

And the wedding guest`s a sad and wiser man
And the tale goes on and on and on

Originally a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The Mariner tells the story of his voyage to a guest at a wedding as the wedding is going on. He tells of how a storm took the ship south to Antarctica and then a Albatross apears and guides them out. The Mariner then shoots the Albatross. The crew is angered by this. They became stuck in the middle of the ocean with no wind so they could not move and were running out of fresh water "Water, water every where but not a drop to drink" Then comes a ship with no crew. It is Life and death. They gamble the lives of the crew Life gets the Mariner and Death the crew."She wins the Mariner and he belongs to her now. Then...crew one by one They drop down dead, two hundred men She...She, Life in Death, She lets him live, her chosen one." He then makes his way home. He sees a ship coming on it his son and a hermit. the ship sinks and is the payment for the Mariners sins. The moral behind the story was to cherish all the creatures of the earth. And now the tale goes on and on told by the now sad but wiser wedding guest. I recommend reading the poem its a lot more in depth and explains a lot more of the story.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Milk Thistle By Conor Oberst

Milk thistle, milk thistle
Let me down slow
Help me go slow
I've been carrying on
I'm not scared of nothing
I'll go pound for pound
I keep death on my mind
Like a heavy crown
If I go to heaven
I'll be bored as hell
Like a little baby
At the bottom of a well

Fair child, fair child
How are you man?
Did you fix that storefront?
Did you start that band?
Don't be scared of nothing
You go pound for pound
You bring peace to midnight
Like a spotted owl
I'll be rooting for you
Like my favorite team
If somebody sweats you
You just point them out to me

All the sights and sounds
This little world's too crowded now
And there's only one way out
An elevator ride
Through the tunnel towards the light
And I'm nowhere bound
Keep going up and down
Up and down

Newspaper, newspaper
Can't take no more
You're here every morning
Waiting at my door
I'm just trying to kiss you
And you stab my eyes
Make me blue forever
Like an island sky
And I'm not pretending
That it's all okay
Just let me have my coffee
Before you take away the day

Lazarus, Lazarus
Why all the tears?
Did your faithful chauffeur just disappear?
What a lonesome feeling
To be waiting around
Like some washed up actress
In a Tinseltown
But for the record
I'd come pick you up
We'll head for the ocean
Just say when you've had enough

All the light and sound
This little world's too fragile now
And there's only one way out
But if you let me slide
I'll do my best to make things right
And I'm nowhere bound
Just going up and down
Up and down

Milk thistle, milk thistle
Let me down slow
Just help me go slow
I've been hurrying on
I was poised for greatness
I was down and out
I keep death at my heels
Like a basset hound
If i go to heaven
I'll be bored as hell
Like a crying baby
At the bottom of a well


Milk thistle is used for liver health. Such as in to fix the problems caused by the excessive use of alcohol on your liver. "Milk thistle, let me down slow, help me go slow" Knows they have caused great harm to their body and now hope to slow the effects of this. "If I go to heaven I'll be bored as hell Like a little baby At the bottom of a well" Heaven is gives the image of a perfect place where you will always be happy and good, But without bad how does one know what good is? Wheres the challenge in it. We enjoy our lives now and don't want to die but expect for their to be this utopia afterward. "And there's only one way out An elevator ride
Through the tunnel towards the light And I'm nowhere bound Keep going up and down" Only one way out of this crowded world and that's to die, but they don't believe that it will take them anywhere but out. "Newspaper, newspaper Can't take no more
You're here every morning" Then comes this verse. It refers to the negative message that the media always presents. They state that they read it every day despite the fact they know it will just make their day that less enjoyable. "Lazarus, Lazarus
Why all the tears? Did your faithful chauffeur just disappear?" Lazarus was the brother of Martha and Mary. They sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick. Jesus waited intentionally 2 days before he left to go see Lazarus. When he arrived Lazarus had been dead for 4 days already. And then said "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die" Therefore ending Lazarus life when he could have healed him. "I'll do my best to make things right And I'm nowhere bound Just going up and down" Now they will do what they see needed to help fix this world. But in the end they will still end up going nowhere. Add to this one please!!!!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Glycerine by Bush

It must be your skin I'm sinking in
Must be for real 'cause now I can feel
And I didn't mind, it's not my kind
It's not my time to wonder why

Every thing's gone white and every thing's gray
Now you're here, now you're away
I don't want this, remember that
I'll never forget where you're at

Don't let the days go by, Glycerine, Glycerine

I'm never alone, I'm alone all the time
Are you at one or do you lie
We live in a wheel where everyone steals
But when we rise, it's like strawberry fields

If I treated you bad, you bruise my face
Couldn't love you more, you got a beautiful taste
Don't let the days go by
Could have been easier on you

I couldn't change though I wanted to
Should have been easier by three
Our old friend 'Fear' and you and me
Glycerine, Glycerine

Don't let the days go by, Glycerine
Don't let the days go by, Glycerine, Glycerine
Glycerine, Glycerine

Bad mood whine again
Bad mood whine again
As she falls around me

I needed you more when we wanted us less
I could not kiss, just regress
It might just be clear, simple and plain
Well, that's just fine, that's just one of my names

Don't let the days go by
Could have been easier on you, you, you
Glycerine, Glycerine, Glycerine, Glycerine

Ok well first off Glycerine is described as tasting sweet. Pretty much the way I see it is this song is a contradiction and story of a bittersweet love. Each verse a new contradiction appears. The first lines say "It must be your skin cause I'm sinking in, it must be for real cause now I can feel" Glycerine attracts water very well. If left on the skin it will soak into it with in a short period of time. "I treated you bad, You bruised my face, Couldn't love you more. You've got a beautiful taste" Its a destructive relationship. He wants her but she doesn't really want him but they stay in the relationship anyways. No they are both hurt "I could have been easier on you, Couldn't change if I wanted to" He is stuck with her. "Could have been easier by 3, our old friend fear,you and me" I see this as saying if they wouldn't have got into the relationship and fell in love like they knew they shouldn't have in the first place then they would saved themselves the hurt and the fear of change. "I needed you more when you wanted us less" He the relationship failed because he got what he wanted and realized the only reason he wanted her before was because he could not have her and at one point that changed and now hes stuck. Gavin Rossdale Bush's lead singer said he wrote this about his girlfriend, but he didn't say more then that because he enjoys the idea of interpreting it for yourself. And so I did..

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Rape Me by Nirvana

Rape me
Rape me my friend
Rape me
Rape me again

I'm not the only one
I'm not the only one
I'm not the only one
I'm not the only one

Hate me
Do it and do it again
Waste me
Rape me my friend

I'm not the only one
I'm not the only one
I'm not the only one
I'm not the only one

My favorite inside source
I'll kiss your open sores
Appreciate your concern
You'll gonna stink and burn

Rape me
Rape me my friend
Rape me
Rape me again

I'm not the only one
I'm not the only one
I'm not the only one
I'm not the only one

Rape me
Rape me
Rape me

Very repetitive but depending on what message you take from it, it does have a strong point. You could say Kurt Cobain wrote it describing his feelings toward the media. Wanting to be left alone and it never happens and he accepts that he just has to take it. Also when you think about it, it could be referring to being used by someone and realize you don't mind seeing as we use each other and are always using someone in some way. And it can also be taken the exact opposite of the way it sounds and be seen as a statement for women against violence toward women. which by songfacts.com account is what Kurt was trying to get across.

Lightning Crashes by Live

Lightning crashes, a new mother cries
Her placenta falls to the floor
The angel opens her eyes, the confusion sets in
Before the doctor can even close the door

Lightning crashes, an old mother dies
Her intentions fall to the floor
The angel closes her eyes, the confusion that was hers
Belongs now, to the baby down the hall

Oh now feel it comin' back again
Like a rollin' thunder chasing the wind
Forces pullin' from the center of the earth again
I can feel it

Lightning crashes, a new mother cries
This moment she's been waiting for
The angels open her eyes, pale blue colored iris
Presents the sun and puts the glory out to hide, hide

Oh, now feel it comin' back again
Like a rollin' thunder chasing the wind
Forces pullin' from the center of the earth again
I can feel it

Well if you go to songfacts.com it says the band wrote this for a high school friend that died in a car accident and donated her body parts. But time I have read through the lyrics all I can see is the cycle of life. The baby is born by the new mother. The old mother dies and now the new baby takes her place. And on goes the cycle. The song is played very emotionally though one of those songs that has always given me shivers while listening to.