So this has been.my favorite song of OTEP's since it came out in 2004, and I always thought it was a song about a child's narrative of suffering in an abusive Christian home. But now that I am revisiting the lyrics, I am seeing something totally new.
This song could be gospel of John but from the perspective of Jesus.
Jesus was NOT having a good time up to and during the crucifixion. Everyone in the known world at the time looked to him with fear, admiration or disgust and he was constantly being asked questions. He spoke in "verses, prophesies and curses". He had made an enemy of the state, and believed the world was increasingly wicked and fallen from grace, or that he was in the "mouth of madness".
The spine of atlas is the structure that allows the titan to hold the world up. Jesus challenged the state and in doing so became a celebrated resistance figure. It also made him public enemy #1.
All of this happened simply because he was doing his thing, not because of any agenda he had or strategy.
And then he gets scourged (storm of thorns)
There are some plot holes here but I think it's an interesting interpretation.
I was full by your count
I was lost but your fool
Was a long visit wrong?
Say you are the only
So many foreign worlds, so relatively fucked
So ready for us, so ready for us
The creature fear
I was teased by your blouse
Spit out by your mouth
I was loud by your lowered
Seminary sold
Tear on, tail on
Take all on the wind on
The soft bloody nose
Sign another floor
So many territories, ready to reform
Don't let it form us, don't let it form us
The creature fear
So did he foil his own? Is he ready to reform?
So many Torahs, so many for us
The creature fear
I was lost but your fool
Was a long visit wrong?
Say you are the only
So many foreign worlds, so relatively fucked
So ready for us, so ready for us
The creature fear
I was teased by your blouse
Spit out by your mouth
I was loud by your lowered
Seminary sold
Tear on, tail on
Take all on the wind on
The soft bloody nose
Sign another floor
So many territories, ready to reform
Don't let it form us, don't let it form us
The creature fear
So did he foil his own? Is he ready to reform?
So many Torahs, so many for us
The creature fear
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Ave Grave
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Love in a Vacuum
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Well, in my opinion this song is about being a young & maybe a little naive &/or introverted girl and finding yourself loving a man who is at first very charming, carefree & outgoing, and seems at first to be without limits, as in
"There was a time
you opened up every doorway
you didn't mind if everything
wasn't your way"
then that man starts to gradually become more introverted & shows their more possessive/obsessive side to you as the relationship progresses, even while they keep up the appearance of being carefree & outgoing to everyone else,
"Don't pull away
that goes against what you told me
I look in your eyes
I realize what you've sold me
is love in a vacuum"
so you confront them about the way they're acting and of course they deny it,
"I think you've changed
but you insist that
that's not true"
quite possibly they are an addict of some sort, my guess would be cocaine, &/or showing very obsessive behavior towards you (early on in the video for this song we see the man hanging a picture up, it is a very large portrait of Aimee & it is prominently displayed in his/their apartment for the duration of the song), thus their "love in a vacuum",
"You look so strange, so distant
that you're hardly you
Now I can see
how you have been acting different
You say it's me
but I know
that it isn't
it's love in a vacuum"
but still you are in love with them and don't want to leave them and you know that they are truly in love with you and they don't want you to leave them either, maybe they are convinced you can save them from themself, maybe they are so broken that the possibility of an overdose &/or suicide attempt is very real and you want to get through to them that their behavior not only dangerous but it is also just pissing you off and if they don't wise up they run the risk of loosing you, as in the lines
"You will be lonely
if you leave me alone", so you want to save them but can't get through to them due to the addiction &/or emotional problems they have,
"Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
love in a vacuum
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
You will be lonely
if you leave me alone
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough"
you want them to understand that the love they are giving you is not enough when it is filtered through the vacuum of their drug addiction &/or emotional impairment,
"You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough
and just wait
you will be lonely
Love in a vacuum
Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
Love in a vacuum".
'Love In A Vacuum' for me is a hauntingly truthful acute argument on the loneliness of obsession and almost inevitable loss of love that follows people who are broken in some way or another; the obsessives, the coke heads, the drunks, addicts or the just-plain-old emotionally broken; a razor sharp, lyrically driven, deceptively poppy, yet ultimately-depressing-in-the-best-way song.
Quintessential Aimee Mann.
Jesse with the long hair....
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
Classic love story true to his western tx roots. One of my favorites as a story, but I think there are alot of songs that are amazing not even listed on this site. I guess I should figure out how to add them, because I have about 8 REK cd's.
when rules change
Life in Your Way
Life in Your Way
High life
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
The 'anonymous' creature metaphor is something I've seen pop up in multiple lyrics before, and the lyrics often revolve around the same interpretation of this creature. In this song, I think of this creature as being the collective subconscious. It's the inner self within us that we don't want to reveal to others out of fear of becoming too vulnerable, so we spend our entire lives mastering the different masks we put on to influence people in ways that are favorable to us. In this regard, this creature could be thought of as this powerful consciousness within us that wants to break out and evolve out of the suffering that has binded the world for so long, but instead we hold back in fear and quarantine ourselves from such madness.
A metaphoric wonderment ...
I think it is more simple. He lived in a wood cabin in Wisconsin for three months. He got scared of the wild animals.
This is either the stupidest or the most clever interpretation of a Bon Iver song I've come across. I can't quite decide which one it is, but now the thought of this comment makes me smile every time I listen to it.
I'm not sure if these are right. Maybe they are and I'm hearing things but it sounds like:
I was full by your count I was lost but your fool Was a long visit wrong? Say you are the only
So many foreign worlds So ready to be full So ready for us So ready for us, A creature fear
I was teased by your blouse Spit out by your mouth I was lulled by your low Seminary song
Tear on tear on Take all on the wind on Soft bloody nose Send another form
So many territories Ready to reform Don't let it form us Don't let it form us A creature fear
So did he foil is 'own? Is he ready to reform? So many tourists So many forests A creature fear
eneyeseekaywhy: Interpreting a song is completely subjective. People will take whatever they want from it, regardless of the artists intention. There is no "wrong" interpretation and I fail to see how someone finding parallels between this song and current events is anymore juvenile than chastising someone in an internet forum for having an interpretation of completely subjective material contrary to yours. Furthermore, if any form of interpretation is over used on this website, it's interpreting the song in the context of a relationship. By your logic we should condemn your attempt to simplify these lyrics down into a love song.
Anywho...when SongMeanings sends out the memo informing the rest of us morons that we're no longer entitled to a free thought and the your almighty opinion is the only acceptable way to interpret completely subjective art, I'll be sure to forward it along to the rest of the morons. Until then, STFU.
I was full by your count
I was lost but your fool
Was a long visit wrong?
Say you are the only
You thought I was great or something I wasn't really feeling it but enjoyed playing the role I'm unsure if this is real reassure me
So many foreign worlds
(So relatively fucked)
So ready for us
So ready for us,
The creature fear
The possibilities of the future for us is endless, and many of them are pretty shitty, and they're coming fast, it seems inevitable
I call this concept creature fear
Teased by your blouse
Spit out by your mouth
I was loud by your lowered
Seminary sold
Seduced or something Ridicule of some kind I responded to something know as "lowered" (perhaps expectations or lowered standards of behaviour) Either I'm done preaching or done listening to your preaching
Tear on tail on
Take all on the wind on
The soft bloody nose
Sign another floor...
I love this verse
Basically, go ahead, dive into a new life, "new tail" or "tale"? either way, sounds great and all, until you autograph the fucking floor with your blood (fall on your face)
The so many territories
Ready to reform
Don't let it form us
Don't let it form us
The creature fear
Maybe don't let the fear of the future create the future? Or don't let your rules or per-conceveived notions define us
So did he foil is 'own?
Is he ready to reform?
So many torahs
So many for us
The creature fear
Did I fuck up my own plan? Am I ready to change to fit your previously mentioned vision of who I am? I see this as being restrictive rules for our relationship which is what bothered me in the first place
Beautiful translation. Well done.
@BOOMREASONBOOMEMOTION <br /> I loved! your interpretation of soft bloody floor, sign another floor. So good! I was puzzled completely and that observation makes it some elegant poetry. Thank you!<br /> I'd like to add that It has glimmerings of the State of Israel and the quandary it is (always) in.
no marculatroen, i think that creature fear refers to the innate fear in animals that has evolved as a survival mechanism. in humans it can hold us back for fear of failure or embarrassment
it's torahs. it's in the lyrics in the liner notes on For Emma.
there are many meanings to us, because we are each individuals.that's the beauty of art.
(however i think that only4you is closest to bon justin's perspective)
this is what it sounds like hes sayin and what it sounds like it means TO ME. i started listening to this ablum from the beginning to end of a 2 1/2 year relationship (we were still so young.). mainly the breakup lol fuck you if you dont like it, i get emotional to his shit. this is what ive never questioned it meant, cuz it MEANT to me. enjoy
I was full by your count I was lost but your fool Was a long visit wrong? Say you are the only
(probably about love, being full by someones count, your completely satisfied with what they have to offer. but getting so lost in yourself and becoming somebodys fool. then-in my experience- was a long visit wrong? or should i have even visited then at all. please, say you are my only) very retrospective
So many foreign worlds (So relatively fucked) So ready for us So ready for us, The creature fear
(there were so many foriegn roads, distance places, the fucking future, so amazing (so relativley fucked) so ready for us. the creature fear is almost a tool to me, depending on whats goin on it can be and should be versitile)
I'sd Teased by your blouse Spit out by your mouth I was loud by your lowered Seminary sold
(I was brought in, decieved, even, by your beauty, then spit out by your mouth, you tell me to be quiet, i got loud, and now, {seminary has an origin which means "plot where plants are raised from seeds," so your birthing ground, your rock, or everything you have worked for is sold, or taken away from you)
Tear on tail on Take all on the wind on (if you really wanna go, then tear on, tail on, and take all on the wind on) The soft bloody nose seminary flow (seniary also means school, or a higher learning, so your scarred but you've learned from it)
The so many territories Ready to reform Don't let it form us Don't let it form us The creature fear (everyone and everything is always changing, and being scared of change)
So did he foil is 'own? Is he ready to reform? So many torahs So ready for us The creature fear
(did he block his own shot? now is he ready to change? torahs, books to live by, i guess so many lessons we have to learn, and soooo ready, its (the creature fear) Life
Goodness.
How do you guys even begin to fathom the meaning of the song when the lyrics are wrong in the first place?
lol.