PunBB
song meanings....what do you think???? - Printable Version

+- PunBB (https://punbb.in)
+-- Forum: General Discussion - Hipbase.com (https://punbb.in/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Tragically Hip Discussion (https://punbb.in/forumdisplay.php?fid=7)
+--- Thread: song meanings....what do you think???? (/showthread.php?tid=1255)

Pages: 1 2 3


song meanings....what do you think???? - chives - 09-23-2003

since I've been bored at work lately, I thought it would be interesting to see what othe hip fans think certain hip songs are about lyrically or what the band is trying to say....I'll throw one out now....Springtime in Vienna...what do you think??????


- dyersbay - 09-23-2003

What do you think? :lol:


- chives - 09-23-2003

ok, only makes sense I go first....I know i've read somewhere that the song title has nothing to do with the rest of the song, but me, personally, I think the song is about Vienna, Austria, and has to do with Hitler, and World War 2. Laugh if you must. we all know Gord uses a lot of historical references in his songs. Hitler was born in Austria, and if you read the lyrics....

"instructions from the manual"- Hitler's plan was pretty laid out
"past territorial piss posts"- a lot of WW2 was fought over territory
"past whispers in the closet" - Jews hiding from Nazis (alas Anne Frank)
"live to survive our paradoxes" - everyone knew what was going on in Germany at the time, but nothing done about it, because people couldn't believe that it was true"

i don't know, that's my thought...any ideas?


- dyersbay - 09-23-2003

That would make sense to me! :thumb: To be honest I haven't really gone over the lyrics of springtime.
I was trying to get people to explain the meaning of the two new songs, that I am really wondering about! Confusedcratch: Have you gone over those lyrics chives?


- chives - 09-23-2003

no I haven't, i'm waiting for a cleaner version of the new songs, so I can fully hear them.


- dyersbay - 09-23-2003

The lyrics are actually written somewhere under the hip section.
I am desperate to hear what people think.
Why don't you people respond? :rambo: Just kidding! :wink:


ballroom - Ryan2 - 09-23-2003

Ballroom

here comes a country
are you in or you out
it doesn't matter
what you used to do now
you feed your people
you get behind a plow
you ride the tiger
hanging on by his eyebrows

somehow
you've gone to far
they ve really tried to hard
they've gone to far

so they may have tried so hard
to build a writers ...
you sleep in the rain
sends straight lines through shadows - you would
go where the future lies
under the moon and night
to a ballroom hang out
you would

they sing war is praises
yea lets stop writing things down
its time to forget about who you are now
nevermind who's kissing her, or who's behind her cloud
its time to drown all this poetry out
somehow
we've gone to far
and maybe we tried to hard
somehow
go to far
and maybe we tried so hard
i feel like i'm the same?
i sleep on the train
shoot straight lines thru shadows- for you
g where the future lies
under the moon and night
to a ballroom hang out - for you
to a ballroom hang out -
a ballroom hang out for 2
there's no deserting the pen !

no distractions
i fill my eyes with shame
i sleep in the rain
shoots straight lines thru shadows - for you
go where the future lies
under no moon and night
to a ballroom hang out -for you

ballroom hang out - for you
to a ballroom hang out - for you
ballroom hang out

no distractions
we passed escaping
there's no deserting the pen


- dyersbay - 09-23-2003

Joe
i remember a girl on a cell phone
surrounded by her friends
eyes flickering
she's trying to smother a smile with her hand
maybe there's someone for us
someone overly free
someone who can say just
leave the worrying about him to me
Joesphine

I remember you there in the last rays
of night at diplomacy's end
eyes flickering
she's crying
but isn't this when the crimes begin
when the people you want to talk
and the people who do
you don't believe
you do
joesphine

awww
la la la la
na na na na -na na na na na
laaa na na na laaaa

i remember you there at your table
surrounded by all your days plans
eyes flickering
you're trying to let that coffee cup warm your hand
maybe we're born lost
or born to perservere
but honey i'd walk into that painting until i reappeared


just wait til karma tempt us................????
help to bring more than life................????
flickering just
your eyes keep past real things................????

good night good night joesphine
joesphine
good night
good night
josephine
goodnight goodnight
goodnight goodnight
goodnight goodnight
goodnight goodnight
goodnight goodnight
joesphine
goodnight goodnight
_________________


joe - Ryan2 - 09-23-2003

Joe
i remember a girl on a cell phone
surrounded by her friends
eyes flickering
she's trying to smother a smile with her hand
maybe there's someone for us
someone overly free
someone who can say just
leave the worrying about him to me
Joesphine

I remember you there in the last rays
of night at diplomacy's end
eyes flickering
she's crying
but isn't this when the crimes begin
when the people you want to talk
and the people who do
you don't believe
you do
joesphine

awww
la la la la
na na na na -na na na na na
laaa na na na laaaa

i remember you there at your table
surrounded by all your days plans
eyes flickering
you're trying to let that coffee cup warm your hand
maybe we're born lost
or born to perservere
but honey i'd walk into that painting until i reappeared


just wait til karma tempt us................????
help to bring more than life................????
flickering just
your eyes keep past real things................????

good night good night joesphine
joesphine
good night
good night
josephine
goodnight goodnight
goodnight goodnight
goodnight goodnight
goodnight goodnight
goodnight goodnight
joesphine
goodnight goodnight


- Summiteer - 09-23-2003

Great take on S.I.V. Chives :thumb: to be honest I always kinda thought about WWII as well when i hear it. Well I'm always thinking about WWII :| When I hear Coconut Cream I think of the Circus for some reason Confusedcratch: When i hear Fight i think of Heksenketal when their partying on the bus, flyin threw the country side un-be-knownst to me,on those days fateful days back in 93 Cry When i hear 3 pistols I think of that wicked performance they did of pistols in Ottawa 93 ARA, um lets see......50 MC at High Sierra M.F.95 what a sight that mustabeen. :mrgreen: sorry didnt really give my thoughts on what they musta been thinkin,did i lose the point somewhere Confusedcratch:


- das_hips - 09-24-2003

So many of Gord's lyrics are open for interpretation...
Somesongs are so deliberate or are plain in simple in message (ie: Courage, Inevitability of Death, Bobcaygeon), but some are just plaing confusing...
The one I have always been curious about is Grace Too. I think its about a prostitute... at least the intro... but that might just be the way I look at it as a raging alcoholic...


- Jenna_Bird - 09-24-2003

das_hips Wrote:The one I have always been curious about is Grace Too. I think its about a prostitute... at least the intro... but that might just be the way I look at it as a raging alcoholic...

No no, I quite agree with you. The opening just screams of prostitution...at least to me...I should pick my mind up out of the gutter perhaps? Confusedcratch:


- Andre Cardinal - 09-24-2003

Everytime I hear the beginning of Ballroom, I remember George dubya's famous quote "You're either with us, or against us" when referring to countries that harbour terrorists. Not too sure if I'm on to anything.


- CanuckCourage - 09-29-2003

Hey Chives ,i've never thought about Springtime that way , but it's a cool take :thumb: , something to think about .Some songs the meaning seems more obvious to me , but then again my interpetation of them is strictly my opinion . Some songs I haven't really thought deeply about . One of the new ones has caught my attention much like Dyers . Ballroom , though we don't have the complete or final lyrics , i'm gonna breakdown what I can hear , and give my 2 cents .

Oh and I think you're on to something Andre Cardinal . :wink:

This is my breakdown of Ballroom .Keep in mind this is only my opinion and is obviously flavoured by my opinions and biases , and deciphering will obviously be affected by my own views .Kind of Unavoidable. The lyrics below are not complete , some are repetitive so I just broke down certain parts.


"here comes a country
are you in or you out"---Exactly as Andre said , Dubya's with us or against us speech.
it doesn't matter
what you used to do now
you feed your people
you get behind a plow
you ride the tiger
hanging on by his eyebrows


"they sing war's praises "---They , being the Military , politicians, the media
"yea lets stop writing things down "---In other words forget the truth , accept the propaganda that was in excess during the invasion.
"its time to forget about who you are now "---Forget what you believed was right on jump on the war bandwagon.
"nevermind who's kissing her, or who's behind her cloud"---Nevermind who helped support Saddam and his Regime over the years , the real reasons for the conflict
"its time to drown all this poetry out"---Poetry being the truth


"somehow we've gone to far
and maybe we tried to hard
somehow
go to far
and maybe we tried so hard"---Went to far in the search for justice , since the Iraq issue wasn't about terrorists or the safety of a Nation.


Now the next paragraph , sounds like Gord speaking on a personal level


"i feel like i'm the same?
i sleep on the train"---In other words life goes on the same here , while our own inaction affects people halfway around the world .

"shoot straight lines through shadows- for you "---His lyrics are the "straight lines" . "through shadows" could represent the misinformation , or it could also mean through the dark atmosphere of a club.

"go where the future lies
under the moon and night
to a ballroom hang out - for you"--- In other words , the future being the youth ,ballroom hang out , where the kids are living it up and Gord relays his lyrics and music.

to a ballroom hang out
a ballroom hang out for 2
"there's no deserting the pen !"---The truth must be told.

"no distractions"---Not blinking at the truth
"i fill my eyes with shame "---Watching it unravel on tv , in a glorified manner , the feeling of helplessness and disgust.
"i sleep in the rain "---Could represent an emotional state

shoots straight lines through shadows - for you
go where the future lies
under the moon and night
to a ballroom hang out -for you

no distractions
we passed escaping
there's no deserting the pen


- dyersbay - 09-30-2003

That's a good take Canuck, Smile Myself I didn't take the war reference literally, but I'm not very good with these things.! :lol:
What do you make of Joe?