Piggyback

I decided to piggyback on older Auntie C's idea, and do a song list, except I'm going to do the first 4 I feel like at the moment; I already did the random one.

I find wisdom in music, it's my guilty pleasure. I enjoy deriving meanings from lyrics, especially the really dark twisted bands such as Tool, The Doors, and so on. So here are some songs...


When Two Are One - Atreyu

Thought to be screamo, Atreyu just released a new album Lead Sails Paper Anchor that features more modern rock sound. Sure, some of it is still screaming into the microphone as loud as possible, but it's much easier to listen to. When Two Are One is a song, in my opinion, that is about holding on even when the odds are against you. "Like the rising tide, beating hearts grow but never die, simplify, I'll stand by your side; close my eyes hope will never die."

Zero - The Smashing Pumpkins

Billy Corgan is one of the strangest lyricists in the history of Rock and Roll, in my opinion. His lyrics are twisted, and very open ended - leaving room for wide interpretation. The reason I picked this song is it has possibly my favorite few sentences in any song, bar none. It says, "Emptiness is loneliness, and loneliness is cleanliness, and cleanliness is godliness; and God is empty just like me." This line is so full of twisted lyrics. Stemming from the old proverb "cleanliness is next to godliness"(or in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World 'cleanliness is next to Forliness"), it paints a picture of how Billy Corgan feels about religion and himself. He's saying that God isn't there for him, but he's not there to receive Him even if He is.

Rapture - Hurt

One of my most studied songs. It took me hours to peg this song. With lines such as, "But was I just a picture in a photograph?" meaning 'am I just one out of many that she's done this to?' I finally made the connection that the song was about a baby born out of wedlock, and the insane mother was driven to kill it. She was told by Jesus to do it, as she claims with the line, "She swore she heard the voice of Jesus, telling her it was wrong to keep it." The word Rapture actually means the sudden rescue of true Christians, believed to take place right before the Second Coming. The chorus says, "until your rapture falls to pieces, find in me the room to breath"
Also, one of the final lines of the song says, "And I would, if I could, destroy your God. Yes I would, if I could, destroy your God. Because we're born again, until you're worn again."

Eye of the Beholder - Metallica

Metallica is the most sold Rock band of all time. They bring together great lyricism with a great 80s metal sound. They've released many albums starting from 1983 with Kill 'Em All...to their 2003 release: St. Anger. Eye of the Beholder is featured on Metallica's 1987 album ...And Justice for All. The album itself is based around the central idea of what freedom really is. The chorus of Eye of the Beholder says it all, "Independence, limited, freedom of choice is made for you, my friend. Freedom of speech is words that they will bend; freedom with their exception." Not to mention the opening lines of the song, "Do you see what I see? Truth is an offense You silence for your confidence Do you hear what I hear? Doors are slamming shut Limit your imagination, keep you where they must."
I think you can figure out what that means.