picker Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 There are a number of songs that I have heard over the years, some(not all) of which I even liked a lot, but have never known what they're about. The ones that come to mind right now are All The Young Dudes Michael, Row The Boat Ashore Can anyone tell me what these songs actually mean? Are there others of you out there in the same boat with some songs? Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard W Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Sheesh, there are thousands of songs I love that I have no idea what they're about--anything by Yes comes to mind. As for All the Young Dudes, when that came out (and I was a teenager), the word was it had something to do with homosexuality, which made it a source of great hilarity and insult among my friends (hey, it was 30+ years ago. I've evolved since then.) As for Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore, isn't that vaguely religious? This dude Michael's in a boat and I think he sees Jesus on the shore and is supposed to row toward Him, or something like that. Could be wrong. "Everyone wants to change the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves." Leo Tolstoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul K Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 --anything by Yes comes to mind. And the only Yes exception is "Don't Kill The Whale", which is my least favorite Yes song of all time. Things are just the way they are, and they're only going to get worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamy ALB Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 All the Young Dudes from what I can tell is about being disaffected youth in the late 60's/ early 70's and dealing with a lot of the issues faced by growing up at that time. Michael Row the Boat ashore is to me a come in from the cold religious song. I love songs that do have some kind of thought in the lyrics its great to get where a writer is coming from and how they use metaphor. http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Little-Bitter/185235472447 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenstrum Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 STP - Tripin on a hole in a paper heart One of my favorite songs by them, but the lyrics are pure nonsense. Tenstrum "Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face." Harry Dresden, Storm Front Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard W Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 And the only Yes exception is "Don't Kill The Whale", which is my least favorite Yes song of all time. +1. "Everyone wants to change the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves." Leo Tolstoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 The only time I ever even wanted to kill a whale was right after the first time I heard Don'k Kill The Whale. You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 STP - Tripin on a hole in a paper heart One of my favorite songs by them, but the lyrics are pure nonsense. You've just described the lyrics to EVERY STP song. And I LIKE that band. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenstrum Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 You've just described the lyrics to EVERY STP song. And I LIKE that band. Well maybe not every STP song, but the vast majority for sure... STP is one of my favorite bands. Seen them 5 times. Tenstrum "Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face." Harry Dresden, Storm Front Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 I like STP. While I haven't studied the lyrics, I think I get Sour Girl. In fairness to lyricists everywhere, I often lack the poetic vision to see what they mean. One of my guitarists loves Hendrix lyrics and their imagery/poetry/etc. I like it, but I don't pretend to understand it. I've Seen All Good People? All The Young Dudes - I think Seamy had it right, but they also poked fun. "is that concrete all around, or is it in my head" is fabulous. Reminds me of 60s Mothers Of Invention songs where they criticized every different viewpoint - all in the same song. Lots I don't get. To me what is worse is when I get it and love the music, but find the theme/message distasteful. This was especially difficult in the 60s. I love the lyrical "feel" of some Iron Butterfly or Traffic songs that seem little more than drug-induced rambling. Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 REM lyrics are often puzzling. Thanks. Peace. --s-uu spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu Fhtagn Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Smells Like Teen Spirit, anyone? Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Smells Like Teen Spirit, anyone? Same can be said for any Nirvana tune... A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu Fhtagn Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Yeah, but SLTS moreso than the rest. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Yeah, but SLTS moreso than the rest. Really? There are at least hints at sullen teen angst in that one. I'm thinking along the lines of "Lithium"... A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu Fhtagn Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Lemme get this straight ... Nirvana had more than one song? Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Yes, and shockingly, some of them were quite good. A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu Fhtagn Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I knew there was a reason I bought that CD ten years ago. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Well, if you mean Nevermind, then I have no idea what that reason would be. If you meant Bleach or In Utero, then yeah. A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu Fhtagn Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Lemme get this straight ... Nirvana had more than one album? Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddiePlaysBass Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 What I find worse is when I think I understand what a song is about, and then hear the artist explain it. I swear, one particular Queen song will never be the same since I heard Brian May explain that it involves spaceships "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu Fhtagn Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Never ask an artist to explain their work. It like looking at a magnificent impressionist painting that leaves you fulfilled and light-hearted and you meet the artist who is all dressed in black with black nail polish and the whole goth thing and you talk about the painting and he starts in with the painting represents the lies to society and then yammers on about toxic waste sites, or cancer, or deregulation of the insurance industry, or something. Sometimes, it best to not know. Sometimes, a song should be a song. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul K Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Lemme get this straight ... Nirvana had more than one album? Things are just the way they are, and they're only going to get worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butcherNburn Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Sometimes it's just a song. Lyrics began as a scribble on a scrap of paper in the middle of the night and later the pieces were put together and other words were put in because they fit or rhymed. That one little idea maybe a snapshot in time for the writer put on a rollercoaster piloted by six different minds. Sometimes it's enough of a battle to get the lyrics right let alone understood. Imagine asking a classical composer of yesteryear what he meant when he wrote a twenty minute piece and he says "Lunch". If you think my playing is bad, you should hear me sing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenfxj Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 What I find worse is when I think I understand what a song is about, and then hear the artist explain it. I swear, one particular Queen song will never be the same since I heard Brian May explain that it involves spaceships 39? Wow. I thought that song became MUCH better when I realized (alright, my wife tipped me off) that it was set in the future and involved time-space compression. Push the button Frank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Wow, really? It has always been obvious to me that that's what 39 is about. (I even had to clue in the keyboardist in a fromer band.)Travelers through space and time, realizing their own fates and those of those they love through journeys through space and time.This from Brian May, the band's resident astrophysicist.You guys didn't get it? Peace, wraub p.s. Wow. Really? I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddiePlaysBass Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 What I find worse is when I think I understand what a song is about, and then hear the artist explain it. I swear, one particular Queen song will never be the same since I heard Brian May explain that it involves spaceships 39? Wow. I thought that song became MUCH better when I realized (alright, my wife tipped me off) that it was set in the future and involved time-space compression. To each his own, I guess For me it has never been the same, but it remains one of my all-time favourite songs. Fun Wiki fact: Counting all of the original songs in album order, starting with Keep Yourself Alive (on the first Queen album) all the way through to '39, this song falls 39th in chronological order. "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Iverson Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 There's an old saying: "What's too silly to be said can be sung." If I like a song and don't understand the lyrics, it usually doesn't bother me. Sometimes the artist is singing some personal experience I can't relate to or whatever. Or it's more about painting a picture than linear logic - some of Dylan's lyrics fall in this category. Or would one try to analyze "I Am The Walrus"?? Or some of Yes' lyrics? Why did Michael row the boat ashore, anyway? Was it the same reason that the chicken crossed the road? Or are we getting too philosophical here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Why did this old man, he played knick knack on my thumb? [video:youtube] Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddiePlaysBass Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 This from Brian May, the band's resident astrophysicist. You guys didn't get it? *LOL* In my defence, I was 12 when I started listening to Queen and buying their albums. I had no clue about astrophysics (really) nor that Brian May was into that stuff. Did not know that until now, by the way. I guess the "39" and the ship coming in from the blue, I associated it - like loads of people, apparently - with the settlers and all that jazz. Granted, the part about everyone else being dead and buried and only one year going by never made much sense, but I figured it was artistic freedom on May's part :grin: "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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