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 want love, but it's impossible
A man like me, so irresponsible
A man like me is dead in places
Other men feel liberated
I can't love, shot full of holes
Don't feel nothing, I just feel cold
Don't feel nothing, just old scars
Toughening up around my heart
But I want love, just a different kind
I want love, won't break me down
Won't brick me up, won't fence me in
I want a love, that don't mean a thing
That's the love I want, I want love
I want love on my own terms
After everything I've ever learned
Me, I carry too much baggage
Oh man I've seen so much traffic
But I want love, just a different kind
I want love, won't break me down
Won't brick me up, won't fence me in
I want a love, that don't mean a thing
That's the love I want, I want love
So bring it on, I've been bruised
Don't give me love that's clean and smooth
I'm ready for the rougher stuff
No sweet romance, I've had enough
A man like me is dead in places
Other men feel liberated
But I want love, just a different kind
I want love, won't break me down
Won't brick me up, won't fence me in
I want a love, that don't mean a thing
That's the love I want, I want love
I want love, just a different kind
I want love, won't break me down
Won't brick me up, won't fence me in
I want a love, that don't mean a thing
That's the love I want, I want love
A man like me, so irresponsible
A man like me is dead in places
Other men feel liberated
I can't love, shot full of holes
Don't feel nothing, I just feel cold
Don't feel nothing, just old scars
Toughening up around my heart
But I want love, just a different kind
I want love, won't break me down
Won't brick me up, won't fence me in
I want a love, that don't mean a thing
That's the love I want, I want love
I want love on my own terms
After everything I've ever learned
Me, I carry too much baggage
Oh man I've seen so much traffic
But I want love, just a different kind
I want love, won't break me down
Won't brick me up, won't fence me in
I want a love, that don't mean a thing
That's the love I want, I want love
So bring it on, I've been bruised
Don't give me love that's clean and smooth
I'm ready for the rougher stuff
No sweet romance, I've had enough
A man like me is dead in places
Other men feel liberated
But I want love, just a different kind
I want love, won't break me down
Won't brick me up, won't fence me in
I want a love, that don't mean a thing
That's the love I want, I want love
I want love, just a different kind
I want love, won't break me down
Won't brick me up, won't fence me in
I want a love, that don't mean a thing
That's the love I want, I want love
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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.
Beautiful song....so raw, and as always with Elton, it's all in the delivery. He really makes you believe it. To the people who think this song is about being gay: grow up. We all know Elton's gay, if your only point in commenting is to find a way to bring that up, find a more constructive hobby. The theme is so universal, it transcends all that, anyway. I agree Boccalatti whole heartedly- I think it's about someone who is obviously at heart very sensitive- and has been through the trenches, emotionally. This has left them- both scarred and emotionally closed off, but also yearning-deeply- for something more real and lasting. He's a realist in that he knows perfect love doesnt exist, and he knows how badly he's been hurt and the flaws that's left him with. But at the same time- he can't completely give up the fight- and he's ready for something honest, imperfect, flawed, devstatingly painful, if need be. And he's quite a paradox- both jaded and hardened, but still searching, still believing it's out there.
@csuzanne I couldn't agree more, some 9 years later! This is what I've always felt the lyrics eluded to. And the part where he says "I want love that don't mean a thing" people take incorrectly. It could sound like all he wants is sex, which we all know isn't equivalent with love anyway, but only a part of it, and that's only romantic love. there are all kinds! I think he means he wants a love that doesn't "mean" he has to be somebody he's not, give up friends, or mean that he has to be velcroed to his significant other or live by someone else's rules who aren't exactly fair. I don't think he means he wants a "love" where he can jus do whatever he wants whenever he wants with anyone else. I think, to put it briefly, he wants trust....mutual trust. And he realizes that real long lasting relationships and real love are full of pain and sorrow, kind of like life is but he wants to transcend all that and stick it all out with another person, who wants to stick with him and vice versa, NO MATTER WHAT!! And just like you said, he hasn't completely given up that it might be out there. I get it bc I was in a 23 marriage where there were all sorts of expectations and limitations placed on me, but I had monetarily everything I wanted. I'm a woman so I'm looking at this from a lady's perspective, but many women would feel liberated in a situation such as I was in. A very well off extremely handsome husband, but was for me false.I felt dead bc I couldn't be who I was.
Too much hurt and too much pain from relationships make a person cold and unreachable by any normal person.
justin timberlake? try robert downey jr.
perfection.
Justin Timberlake was in the video for "This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore". Anyway, I never thought this song was about coming out of the closet. I thought it was about wanting a relationship that was more about physicality than emotion, like a fling. The chorus says, "I want love, just a different kind / I want love that won't break me down, won't brick me up, won't fence me in / I want love that don't mean a thing / That's the love I want." It sounds to me like he wants to avoid the emotional part of being with someone. I really don't think it has anything to do with being gay except that he wants this other kind of love from men, not women. He says things like, "No sweet romance, I've had enough" and "And I can't love, been shot in places" that seem, to me, like he has been hurt so badly that he wants to keep things purely sexual. You can't get hurt if you don't feel anything, right?
LOL it's nothing to do with him being gay. He didn't write the song, anyway, it was probably Benie Taupin who wrote it.
This song always kind of confused me... because it seems to be about him saying that he wants love without the emotional part of it when he says "I want love, won't break me down, won't brick me up, won't fence me in. I want a love, that don't mean a thing" and in other parts of the song he talks about how he been hurt before and how he's been "shot full of holes", but then later in the song he says "So bring it on, I've been bruised. Don't give me love, that's clean and smooth. I'm ready for the rougher stuff, No sweet romance, I've had enough."... It seems to be a contradiction.
well, i like this song very much, but i wonder if it is the "coming out" of elton john...
I just can't get the song, "Levon" out of my mind. What does it mean? Is it a religious metaphor? You know, He was born on a Christmas day, when the New York times said "God is dead"; and he called his son Jesus, cause he must have liked the name. It goes on to say,"Ye or You shall be Levon (believe on?) And who is Alvin Tolstig(Alvin Tolstig has a son today)? Any thoughts on this song, please reply. I keep this song in my head all the time, and I need to know what meaning Elton John meant to present. Thanks, Analyzer2no
BEAUTIFUL SONG. every verse just hits closer and closer to home. weve all been burned and it is ahrd to open up to someone again when your afraid of being hurt. but we all want love...just a different kind...
To all you people who think that elton wrote this about coming out of the closet. That statement is wrong on so many levels. First of all, long time lyracist Bernie Taupin wrote the f'in lyrics and second of all ej came out of the closet about 20 years ago, and this song was made about 3 years ago. Third of all very few songs are written about ej (someone saved my life tonight, captain fantastic) most are in relevance to bernie's life, the bad ass that he was.
And to the Levon Lover: I don't know why you posted that here, just go to the levon site it gives excellent explanation. But I agree, levon just might be most mysterious lyrics written by taupin. But I dont think he was referring to religion as much as you think.
The -born on Christmas Day, when God was Dead- line is saying that 'when there was no hope' The -he called his son Jesus, because he liked the name- line just means he cares sooo much for his son he gave him the best life he could give. Alvin Tostig is just the name of Levon's father, the song is just acknowledging Levon as a great father, Bernie Taupin wrote a lot of his songs about his father, he must have been a very important peron in his life.