He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
(La-la-la la la la la la la la)
(La-la-la la la la la la la la)
(There's a rose in Black and Spanish Harlem)
(A rose in Black and Spanish Harlem)
It is the special one
It never sees the sun
It only comes up
When the moon is on the run
And all the stars are gleaming
It's growing in the street
Right up through the concrete
But soft, sweet and dreamy
(There is a rose in Spanish Harlem)
(A rose in Black and Spanish Harlem)
With eyes as black as coal
That look down in his soul
And start a fire there and then he looses control
I'm gonna beg his pardon, yeah
He's going to pick that rose
And watch her as she grows
In his garden
(There is a rose in Spanish Harlem)
(A rose in Black and Spanish Harlem)
With eyes as black as coal
That look down in his soul
And start a fire there and then he loses control
And I'm beg his pardon
He's going to pick that rose
And watch her as she grows
In his garden
(La-la-la- la la la la la la la)
(La la la-la-la la-la-la la)
(La la la-la-la la-la-la la)
(La la la-la-la la-la-la la)
(La-la-la la la la la la la la)
(There's a rose in Black and Spanish Harlem)
(A rose in Black and Spanish Harlem)
It is the special one
It never sees the sun
It only comes up
When the moon is on the run
And all the stars are gleaming
It's growing in the street
Right up through the concrete
But soft, sweet and dreamy
(There is a rose in Spanish Harlem)
(A rose in Black and Spanish Harlem)
With eyes as black as coal
That look down in his soul
And start a fire there and then he looses control
I'm gonna beg his pardon, yeah
He's going to pick that rose
And watch her as she grows
In his garden
(There is a rose in Spanish Harlem)
(A rose in Black and Spanish Harlem)
With eyes as black as coal
That look down in his soul
And start a fire there and then he loses control
And I'm beg his pardon
He's going to pick that rose
And watch her as she grows
In his garden
(La-la-la- la la la la la la la)
(La la la-la-la la-la-la la)
(La la la-la-la la-la-la la)
(La la la-la-la la-la-la la)
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Corpse I Fell In Love With
Gadjits, The
Gadjits, The
The Spy
Doors, The
Doors, The
Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
Grand Theft Auto
Insane Ian
Insane Ian
The way this song speaks to me🥺🥺when I sing it I feel like I relate
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.