Kelly D Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 QUOTE (danielmclark @ Oct 8 2011, 11:35 AM) QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Oct 7 2011, 11:31 AM) Neil has written some great lyrics (Limelight, 2112,Red Barchetta), some bad lyrics (Most of Test for Echo LOL) and some lyrics that to this day have me wondering what the hell he's talking about Here are my top songs I just don't get 1. Presto 2. Chain Lightning 3. Time and Motion 4. Ceiling Unlimited 5. Beneath, Between, and Behind I don't mind some though provoking lyrics here and there but those top 5 are a bit much Oh, easy. 1. Presto is about magic. 2. Chain Lightning is a reference to video games, where chain guns and lightning weapons are very common. 3. Time and Motion is about going on a boat cruise, where you're constantly in motion and it takes a long time to get anywhere. 4. Ceiling Unlimited is about a house that Neil used to live in that didn't have a roof. 5. Beneath, Between & Behind is sexual in nature. I won't explain further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lerxt1990 Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 QUOTE (presto123 @ Oct 8 2011, 03:51 AM) QUOTE (Kelly D @ Oct 7 2011, 09:20 PM) QUOTE (presto123 @ Oct 7 2011, 06:02 PM) QUOTE (Kelly D @ Oct 7 2011, 05:15 PM) QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Oct 7 2011, 12:31 PM) Neil has written some great lyrics (Limelight, 2112,Red Barchetta), some bad lyrics (Most of Test for Echo LOL) and some lyrics that to this day have me wondering what the hell he's talking about Here are my top songs I just don't get 1. Presto 2. Chain Lightning 3. Time and Motion 4. Ceiling Unlimited 5. Beneath, Between, and Behind I don't mind some though provoking lyrics here and there but those top 5 are a bit much I'll post a reply to the ones that you posted but the lyrics to "War Paint" confuse the hell out of me. So many different interpretations! Anyone have any idea? I think War Paint refers to the masks and fake personas we wear because we are afraid to be ourselves or feel we have to conform to the expectations of others and society in general.(we see what we want to see) Great freakin lyrics on that one and yes I did think about it many times back in the day. Face Up kind of deals with the subject in a roundabout way as well. Yeah I s'pose what trips me up the most is that it seems at times that the lyrics are positive but then they spin into a negative interpretation. . . I think he's talking about low self esteem issues. The positive you are talking about is how people build themselves up to be better than others(she can keep her fantasy if she can get away)(mistake conceit for pride) because they don't like themselves. The negative you're talking about(wounded pride on painted eyes...fill the night with battle cries) is a result of our fantasy or self delusion not matching up with reality. Our whole identity is tied up in fantasy because we don't like ourselves or don't feel worthy at heart. Paint the mirror black refers to be your real self and not your puffed up vanity self.(who you tell yourself you are or pretend to be) I can relate to this song personally. My whole self esteem has always been tied to having to be really good at something or most things I attempt. But that drive in some ways all stems from lack of self worth.(see what it is we lack) Wow my brain hurts now. I hope I at least got in the ballpark of what Neil was trying to convey. I wish I could discuss it personally with him(yeah right LOL) because it is one of my favs lyrically by Neil. To me this is easy. The mirror lies to the wise, because it can make you feel less than you really are. The mirror lies to the beautiful by telling them they are better than they really are. So paint it black and stop trying to put on appearances. Great song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lerxt1990 Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 QUOTE (danielmclark @ Oct 8 2011, 12:35 PM) QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Oct 7 2011, 11:31 AM) Neil has written some great lyrics (Limelight, 2112,Red Barchetta), some bad lyrics (Most of Test for Echo LOL) and some lyrics that to this day have me wondering what the hell he's talking about Here are my top songs I just don't get 1. Presto 2. Chain Lightning 3. Time and Motion 4. Ceiling Unlimited 5. Beneath, Between, and Behind I don't mind some though provoking lyrics here and there but those top 5 are a bit much Oh, easy. 1. Presto is about magic. 2. Chain Lightning is a reference to video games, where chain guns and lightning weapons are very common. 3. Time and Motion is about going on a boat cruise, where you're constantly in motion and it takes a long time to get anywhere. 4. Ceiling Unlimited is about a house that Neil used to live in that didn't have a roof. 5. Beneath, Between & Behind is sexual in nature. I won't explain further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presto123 Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 (edited) Edited October 8, 2011 by presto123 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 of the 7 Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 (edited) Good News First used to really trip me up until I realized who is saying what in this part: You used to feel that way (he's saying that the other person is admitting life's not all roses) The saddest words you could ever say (sad for her - her admitting she was wrong and therefore losing her innocence) But I know you'll remember that day And the most beautiful words I could ever say I think those last two lines mean something along the lines of him saying "well, now we agree, but just like you used to think everything was all good, on the other hand, it's not all bad either, so let's focus (together) on how we can use what good we have to counteract the bad." In other words, his telling her she was wrong all those times didn't mean she was TOTALLY wrong, and that there was NO hope, just that she was being unrealistic. I think the "beautiful words" are that there is still hope even though life is hard, which is even more impressive than having hope because you think everything is hunky-dory. And Kid Gloves - along with the peer pressure element, the song also speaks to me about how just about anyone is easily goaded into anger and irrationality, and how we think yelling and screaming and smacking each other around is the best way to deal with challenges, when in reality it's going to make them much worse. I always listen to this one when I'm on the verge of wanting to choke someone!!! That and Face Up - "I get so angry, but I keep my mouth shut"! Edited October 8, 2011 by 1 of the 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Digital Man Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Interesting to hear Neil explain the meaning of his own lyrics; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 QUOTE (clem @ Oct 7 2011, 10:05 PM) never really got what he meant by: "dreamers learn to hide in the gutter, and then look at the cars" or whatever. from "The Pass" Clem " All of us do time in the gutter, dreamers turn to look at the stars " Love the lyric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circumstantial tree Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 QUOTE (Phantom @ Oct 9 2011, 10:22 AM) QUOTE (clem @ Oct 7 2011, 10:05 PM) never really got what he meant by: "dreamers learn to hide in the gutter, and then look at the cars" or whatever. from "The Pass" Clem " All of us do time in the gutter, dreamers turn to look at the stars " Love the lyric except it is "dreamers turn to look at the cars", although your version sounds better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scars Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 (edited) Edited October 9, 2011 by Scars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeaveMyThingAlone Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 This is another WTF song I mean I get the general idea of the song....but not what a lot of the lyrics mean in relation to the rest of the tune The Color Of Right I don't have an explanation For another lonely night I just feel this sense of mission And the sense of what is right Take it easy on me now - I'd be there if I could I'm so full of what is right I can't see what is good It's a hopeless situation Lie awake for half the night You're not sure what's going on here But you're sure it isn't right Make it easy on yourself There's nothing more you can do You're so full of what is right You can't see what is true A quality of justice A quantity of light A particle of mercy Makes the color of right Gravity and distance Change the passage of light Gravity and distance Change the color of right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Can-Utility Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 QUOTE (New Digital Man @ Oct 9 2011, 06:22 AM) Interesting to hear Neil explain the meaning of his own lyrics; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Y8Y2O0dAM&feature=related Neil sounds like Kevin Spacey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowItIs Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Oct 9 2011, 08:57 PM) This is another WTF song I mean I get the general idea of the song....but not what a lot of the lyrics mean in relation to the rest of the tune The Color Of Right I don't have an explanation For another lonely night I just feel this sense of mission And the sense of what is right Take it easy on me now - I'd be there if I could I'm so full of what is right I can't see what is good It's a hopeless situation Lie awake for half the night You're not sure what's going on here But you're sure it isn't right Make it easy on yourself There's nothing more you can do You're so full of what is right You can't see what is true A quality of justice A quantity of light A particle of mercy Makes the color of right Gravity and distance Change the passage of light Gravity and distance Change the color of right Which ones specifically? I read this song as the way many of us feel about social justice. Often, it's a just feeling that something isn't right. Some people get so fixated on what is "right" they don't stop to think if it's good or true. The bridge section tells us what we can look for to see if something is truly right. And gravity (the gravity of the situation) and distance (the distance between us and the problem) change how we view things. For example - and I don't want this to start a political discussion please - my Hubby and I were listening to this song in the car and he said, "I'd like to have the President listen to this song." He (and I) feel that sometimes Mr. Obama is so full of what is right (for example, health care reform) that he is blinded to what is true (well, we saw what happened) and what is good (*cough* single-payer *cough*). This is used as an example only because it fit so well for us. So, please, let's not try to debate this. Let's stick to lyrics..... Does that help any? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilb1972 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 The line "All of us get lost in the darkness/Dreamers learn to steer by the stars/All of us do time in the gutter/Dreamers turn to look at the cars" alludes to Oscar Wilde's "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars" from his play Lady Windermere's Fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analog guy Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Ahhh yes to yes, to ahhh, to yes. Why the sun? Anarchist reactionary running dog revisionist, Hindu muslim catholic creation / evolutionist, etc, etc, etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 of the 7 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 QUOTE (analog guy @ Oct 10 2011, 04:03 PM) Ahhh yes to yes, to ahhh, to yes. Why the sun? This makes a lot more sense when you hear Pye Dubois read his original poem on which the song is based. The original line is "say yes, say yes, ahh, say yes to self-esteem": I think Neil is saying "yes to yes" as a poetic way of saying "yes to positivity", of which self-esteem is one facet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly D Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 QUOTE (analog guy @ Oct 10 2011, 04:03 PM) Anarchist reactionary running dog revisionist, Hindu muslim catholic creation / evolutionist, etc, etc, etc I love the fast-paced lyrics in the chorus of "You Bet Your Life." To me, it is Neil saying just how many things you can be in this world with your beliefs and actions- how you bet your life every day with the things you choose to believe in or do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rush Cocky Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Oct 7 2011, 01:31 PM) Neil has written some great lyrics (Limelight, 2112,Red Barchetta), some bad lyrics (Most of Test for Echo LOL) and some lyrics that to this day have me wondering what the hell he's talking about Here are my top songs I just don't get 1. Presto 2. Chain Lightning 3. Time and Motion 4. Ceiling Unlimited 5. Beneath, Between, and Behind I don't mind some though provoking lyrics here and there but those top 5 are a bit much To me, just about anything from Vapor Trails (outside of OLV, GR, VT & Freeze) qualifies as a mystery to me. I just don't get that album lyrically like some fans do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeddyRulz Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 QUOTE (rushgoober @ Oct 7 2011, 08:30 PM) I can't believe I'm the first one to mention Good News First. Those lyrics just don't work. Sounds like incomplete fragments at times. Supposedly there were a lot more lyrics and it got whittled down and the end product wasn't quite done. Or that's what I remember hearing. And that's certainly how it sounds. Catchy, but it just doesn't work. I think you nailed it. I swear I heard the same thing about that song: that it was one of those dealies where Neil presents the lyrics to Geddy and then Geddy uses only the stuff he likes. In this case, after Geddy edited it down, the resulting song was no longer entirely cohesive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly D Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 QUOTE (Rush Cocky @ Oct 11 2011, 08:06 AM) To me, just about anything from Vapor Trails (outside of OLV, GR, VT & Freeze) qualifies as a mystery to me. I just don't get that album lyrically like some fans do. Like what? Maybe I can help ya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New World Kid Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 I decided awhile ago that Presto was MY song, meaning I think, of any song I've ever heard ever, that it most represent who I am. But it's based on interpretation, so if there's a disagreement, let me know: QUOTE I am made from the dust of the stars And the oceans flow in my veins Here I hide in the heart of the city Like a stranger coming out of the rain The first two lines establish his belief in Atheism and evolution. He's a byproduct of the formation of the cosmos and the evolution of organisms from the oceans. The next two lines are about feeling alone in a big place. Like strangers coming in from the rain, any interaction with people is on a case-by-case basis. I imagine several people cramming into a lobby in a downpour, waiting for the weather to clear up. He's not close by choice to these people he finds himself with. QUOTE The evening plane rises up from the runway Over constellations of light I look down into a million houses And wonder what you're doing tonight As he gets on a plane, he looks down at all the millions of houses, and thinks about someone he lost touch with years ago. They could be in one of those specs of light below. QUOTE If I could wave my magic wand I'd make everything all right He'd fix it if he could, but he has no idea how to. He doesn't have a magic wand to make everything alright. QUOTE I'm not one to believe in magic But I sometimes have a second sight I'm not one with a sense of proportion When my heart still changes overnight Another atheism reference, attached to it thoughts of regret. He doesn't believe in magic, in a way to fix the situation. He doesn't think he has divine vision, but he does have hindsight. He realizes that his feelings on the matter change overnight, and so he knows there's no objective way to figure out this relationship he lost. This also works on a societal level... all those people crammed into that lobby, he doesn't want to be near them, but at the same time, he realizes thats a "sense of proportion" that he feels, and that it's subject to change. QUOTE I had a dream of a winter garden A midnight rendezvous Silver, blue, and frozen silence What a fool I was for you Recurring dream about person he fell for. What a fool he was for them. QUOTE I had a dream of the open water I was swimming away out to sea So deep I could never touch bottom What a fool I used to be Going headlong into the abyss is what got him into this trouble in the first place. The stanza before this seems to put the blame on the lost person... what a fool I was for YOU. This verse seems him with that "sense of proportion"... figuring that it was just as much his fault for going headlong into this thing without a way of getting out. QUOTE If I could wave my magic wand I'd set everybody free I'm not one to believe in magic Though my memory has a second sight I'm not one to go pointing my finger When I radiate more heat than light Again, feelings of remorse, misses the person he lost, and feels like everyone is suffering from these things on some level. But despite everyone being so messed up, from the ex-lover to the mass of people he doesn't like in that crowded lobby, he's not one to point blame, because he causes more problems, friction (heat) than answers (light). QUOTE Don't ask me I'm just improvising My illusion of careless flight Can't you see My temperature's rising I radiate more heat than light Don't ask me I'm just sympathizing My illusions a harmless flight Can't you see My temperature's rising I radiate more heat than light Looking through a larger lense, he realizes his entire life is things like this. He improvises a solution to the problems he faces, regrets them, doesn't want to speak out about them because it'd cause more problems than solutions. That's my interpretation at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly D Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drbirdsong Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rush Cocky Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 "Peaceable Kingdom" - I totally don't get this one. QUOTE A wave toward the clearing the sky All this time we're talking and sharing our rational view A billion other voices are spreading other news All this time we're living and trying to understand Why a billion other choices are making their demands Talk of a peaceable kingdom Talk of a time without fear The ones we wish would listen Are never going to hear Justice against the hanged man Knight of Wands against the hour Swords against the kingdom Time against the tower All this time we're shuffling and laying out all our cards While a billion other dealers are slipping past our guards All this time we're hoping and praying we all might learn While a billion other teachers are teaching them how to burn Dream of a peaceable kingdom Dream of a time without war The ones we wish would hear us Have heard it all before A wave toward the clearing sky A wave toward the clearing sky The hermit against the lovers Or the devil against the fool Swords against the kingdom The wheel against the rules All this time we're burning like bonfires in the dark A billion other blazes are shooting off their sparks Every spark a drifting ember of desire To fall upon the earth and spark another fire A homeward angel on the fly A wave toward the clearing sky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate2112 Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 QUOTE (Rush Cocky @ Oct 12 2011, 08:05 AM) "Peaceable Kingdom" - I totally don't get this one. QUOTE A wave toward the clearing the sky All this time we're talking and sharing our rational view A billion other voices are spreading other news All this time we're living and trying to understand Why a billion other choices are making their demands Talk of a peaceable kingdom Talk of a time without fear The ones we wish would listen Are never going to hear Justice against the hanged man Knight of Wands against the hour Swords against the kingdom Time against the tower All this time we're shuffling and laying out all our cards While a billion other dealers are slipping past our guards All this time we're hoping and praying we all might learn While a billion other teachers are teaching them how to burn Dream of a peaceable kingdom Dream of a time without war The ones we wish would hear us Have heard it all before A wave toward the clearing sky A wave toward the clearing sky The hermit against the lovers Or the devil against the fool Swords against the kingdom The wheel against the rules All this time we're burning like bonfires in the dark A billion other blazes are shooting off their sparks Every spark a drifting ember of desire To fall upon the earth and spark another fire A homeward angel on the fly A wave toward the clearing sky I think its about if the world could just get along and then everything's all happy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate2112 Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 the one I dont get is BS&M and Dog Years. Two kick-ass song musically, but dont get it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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