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.
What a drag it is, the shape I'm in
Well, I go out somewhere, then I come home again
I light a cigarette 'cause I can't get no sleep
There's nothing on the TV, nothing on the radio
That means that much to me
All my life
Watching America
All my life
There's panic in America
Oh oh oh, oh, there's trouble in America
Oh oh oh, oh
Yesterday was easy, happiness came and went
I got the movie script but I don't know what it meant
I light a cigarette 'cause I can't get no sleep
There's nothing on the TV, nothing on the radio
That means that much to me
There's nothing on the TV, nothing on the radio
That I can believe in
All my life
Watching America
All my life
There's panic in America
Oh oh oh, oh, there's trouble in America
Oh oh oh, oh, there's panic in America
Oh oh oh, oh
Yesterday was easy
Yes, I got the news
When you get it straight, but stand up you just can't lose
Give you my confidence, all my faith in life
Don't stand me up, don't let me down
I need you tonight
To hold me, say you'll be here
To hold me, say you'll be here
To hold me, say you'll be here
To hold
All my life
Watching America
All my life
There's panic in America
Oh oh oh, oh, she's lost in America
Oh oh oh, oh
Tell me how does it feel
Tell me how does it feel
Tell me how does it feel
Tell me how does it feel
Well, I go out somewhere, then I come home again
I light a cigarette 'cause I can't get no sleep
There's nothing on the TV, nothing on the radio
That means that much to me
All my life
Watching America
All my life
There's panic in America
Oh oh oh, oh, there's trouble in America
Oh oh oh, oh
Yesterday was easy, happiness came and went
I got the movie script but I don't know what it meant
I light a cigarette 'cause I can't get no sleep
There's nothing on the TV, nothing on the radio
That means that much to me
There's nothing on the TV, nothing on the radio
That I can believe in
All my life
Watching America
All my life
There's panic in America
Oh oh oh, oh, there's trouble in America
Oh oh oh, oh, there's panic in America
Oh oh oh, oh
Yesterday was easy
Yes, I got the news
When you get it straight, but stand up you just can't lose
Give you my confidence, all my faith in life
Don't stand me up, don't let me down
I need you tonight
To hold me, say you'll be here
To hold me, say you'll be here
To hold me, say you'll be here
To hold
All my life
Watching America
All my life
There's panic in America
Oh oh oh, oh, she's lost in America
Oh oh oh, oh
Tell me how does it feel
Tell me how does it feel
Tell me how does it feel
Tell me how does it feel
Lyrics submitted by bing_redboy
America Lyrics as written by Andy Burrows Johnny Borrell
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
I think this song is about beeing seperated from the one person you love and how your life is boring and somehow worthless and all you do is focus on her and how things are for her. and he is waiting and grasping for every little bit of news he gets from her. and he wants her to come back and stay with him. He is looking for something that could make him forget about loneliness and seperation but he can't find a thing that means as much to him so he could forget and he can't even sleep because of his longing for her.
I wonder if The Borrell's attempting use of 'America' in a sort of Simon & Garfunkel manner, aka. the ideal? He talks about restlessness and unhappiness and how it's parallel to the 'trouble in America', and all that. And it also works literally speaking, I suppose, though while being really rather simple.
(Of course, this IS Razorlight, so it could just be a load of gobshite, really.)
This song is about a couple of things. First, it's a commentary on the media- in England, most of the news we get about America is bad stuff- it seems like that's all that ever happens. What with 9/11 (loath as I am to bring it up) terrorism,hurricane katrina and so on, it seems like all we ever see in the news is America. When this album was being written, Razorlight were touring America- "There's nothing on the TV nothing on the radio That means that much to me " Everything about this song is lonliness, and isolation. When you're sat in hotel room after hotel room, with nothing to do but watch TV, missing everyone you love.
I agree with Skarlett, very much about watching American TV, news or movies that are very fast paced and conveniently pakaged and, dare I say, in the most part lacking any thought provocation and then thinking 'what relevance has that to do with me living here in UK, or wherever you may be?' The 'panic'? Well just watch CNN (if you ever get stuck in a hotel with no other English channel available) trying to make out what a big deal some trivial headline is, on a no news day.
i LOVE this song! it's my fav razorlight song out of all of them, because of the lovely guitar part to it I think it is making a point about america... how all his life there has always been panic and trouble in america, and he doesn't get why because there's been so much stuff about america that it doesn't mean anything to him any more or it could mean nothing, i mean the beauty of a song like this, if it is meaningless, is interpreting it how you want, and relating it to your own personal experience, isn't it?
I had never heard of Razorlight till I heard this song and it prompted me to listen to their other stuff (which I found to be better than this).
I enjoyed this song though. I've read the comments above but I'll stick with my initial interpretation: it's about the disillusionment of growing up.
In this case, he grows up (as many of us do) with an image of america being the best place in the world, the wellspring of all things good. This, like many other childhood illusions, is replaced by a sadder but more pragmatic view as we get older and learn the truth.
We learn that everywhere is basically the same, we all have the same problems, there is no promised land, there is no light at the end of the rainbow. Welcome to adulthood.
I don't really know what the song means, but it always reminds me of being in Iraq, in the boiling hot sand. I always reminisce when i hear it of that time, and also how i missed the girl i loved. So i think i found my meaning to it in the loneliness part from missing her. And also i guess she went on holiday to America when i was out there, so it all links up somehow. Don't particularly rate razorlight but thats an outstanding song. And when i can't sleep forsome reason it always pops into my head and i go out for a cigarette, like tonight in fact! I enjoyed reading everyone elses interpretations on the song, and others memories.
I think it's an outstanding song too. I listened that song on the radio many times in France without knowing exactly the meaning of it. But somehow I felt connected to that song and now I know why. I met that wonderful american girl in France and I think she just changed everything in my life. when I am not with her in France, life has no sense. I look back and I see that without her, my life coud have been simple like a predictable movie script. When I look at America I can see a life intense but also so different. That is the panic I feel. <br /> I really love this song <br /> I enjoyed reading your own interpretations too. <br /> <br /> <br />
I think the song is about feeling isolated, also i think it's the type of song that reminds you of something, maybe a time in your life. I totally disagree with the nay sayers of this song, the lyrics are magic and the guitar melody maybe the most beautiful of all time.
America is a metaphor for power and status. The song is about doomed love between a decent poor guy who met and fell in love with someone who is attached, much higher status and ultimately unavailable.
I like this actually, its very different to the last Razorlight stuff, I think anyway About the media? but im not really sure what else....