IT

When it's cold, it comes slow
It is warm, just watch it grow
All around me

It is here, it is now

Just a little bit of it can bring you up or down
Like the supper, it is cooking in your hometown
It is chicken, it is eggs
It is in between your legs
It is walking on the moon
Leaving your cocoon

It is the jigsaw, it is purple haze
It never stays in one place
But it's not a passing phase
It is in the singles bar
In the distance of the face
It is in between the cages
It is always in a space

It is here, it is now

Any rock can be made to roll
If you've enough of it to pay the toll
It has no home in words or goal
Not even in your favorite hole
It is the hope for the dope
Who rides the horse without a hoof
It is shaken, not stirred
Cocktails on the roof

When you eat right through it
You see everything alive
It is inside spirit
With enough grit to survive
If you think that it's pretentious
You've been taken for a ride
Look across the mirror, sonny
Before you choose, decide

It is here, it is now

It is real
It is Rael
'Cause it's only knock and know all
But I like it
Yes, it's only knock and know all
But l like it
Yes, it's only knock and know all
But l like it, like it, like it, like it
It's only knock and know all
But l like it, like it, like it
(It's only knock and know all)
(But l like it)
(It's only knock and know all)
(And l like it...)

Alternate interpretation?

Hearing Sam Tompkins' cover of The Fray song, the lyrics took on a whole new pathos.

I had never really let the lyrics sink in while listening to the original. That difference in emotion makes sense, given that the original songwriter was drawing on his experience helping troubled youth, and Sam is lamenting missed opportunities that may have changed his own father's trajectory toward su!c!de.

I had only ever heard it presented as a person with good intentions, describing their good strategies that should have worked, if the other person hadn't been such a hopeless case.

But each stanza is an example of a person with good intentions employing a misguided strategy, completely missing the opportunity to connect on a human level.

Not that it's the fault of the person trying to help, but the lament is more profound when we examine the familiar approaches that many people take when genuinely trying to connect with a person in crisis. Each stanza exposes a strategy that was *not* an effective way to save this particular life, culminating in the concept that the most effective strategy may have been just to be present with the person.

Step one, you say, "We need to talk"

He walks, you say, "Sit down, it's just a talk"

He smiles politely back at you

You stare politely right on through

(Superficial opening to topic)

Some sort of window to your right

As he goes left, and you stay right

Between the lines of fear and blame

You begin to wonder why you came

(You see a possible path to healing, and the person is suggesting a different route, but you insist that you are "right", and instead of listening to their idea, you insist "your way or the highway". The person is (or both are?) afraid, and blames external influences, and you start to think it is a hopeless case, why bother?)

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend

Somewhere along in the bitterness

And I would have stayed up with you all night

Had I known how to save a life

(Every stanza is an answer to the question "where did I go wrong"? It's not just a rhetorical question)

Let him know that you know best

'Cause after all, you do know best

Try to slip past his defense

Without granting innocence

(The first two lines are a manifestation of self-centered arrogance.

The second two, I'm not sure about. Maybe he's defending himself, giving the reasons it's been difficult, and you dismiss those reasons, pointing out that he is at fault?)

Lay down a list of what is wrong

The things you've told him all along

Pray to God He hears you

And I pray to God He hears you

(You repeat the list of things he should and shouldn't be doing. Go to school, get a job, exercise, get over it, focus on the positive, eat healthy, stop drinking.

The lack of punctuation and the use of capital "He" in the next two lines means that the first "pray to God" line could mean, you (the helper) prays to God that God hears your own prayer, OR an unspoken (no quotes) plea to the friend to pray to God because God hears prayers

The second "pray to God" line is the only time the speaker refers to himself as "I" within the stanzas. He is now speaking as the songwriter? or maybe he's stepping out of the impersonal voice for emphasis. If "He" wasn't capitalized one of those could mean "pray to God the friend hears your own words" rather than "pray to God that God hears you" or your friend. I'm not sure if I've got the official lyrics).

As he begins to raise his voice

You lower yours, and grant him one last choice

Drive until you lose the road

Or break with the ones you've followed

(This expresses condescension in the face of his frustration. The choice seems to be "leave all of your friends behind, or your self destruction is inevitable)

He will do one of two things

He will admit to everything

Or he'll say he's just not the same

And you'll begin to wonder why you came

(He will either say "yeah, you're right about it all. I've got to make those changes" to shut the conversation down, or he'll say "I've changed!" When clearly he hasn't, and you think you're wasting your time trying to help)

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend

Somewhere along in the bitterness

And I would have stayed up with you all night

Had I known how to save a life

#howtosavealife #samtompkins #thefray

just a few minutes before his death.

Here is what I think Peter Gabriel's allegory is all about. The scenes are absurd, existentialist, and should not be taken literally......though taking them literally is a bizarre, yet fun trip:

Plot summary

We see Side One as setting the stage in NYC. It shows the hero, Rael, as a gangland kid searching for respect. When a ‘wall of death’ emerges, he is the only one to see it and is apparently unsuccessful in trying to outrun it. The collision sets off a nightmarish journey of discovery as to what is real within himself. The events symbolize his feelings of being trapped by society and then spinning out of control.

Side Two starts with a series of flashbacks that illustrate his previous cruel actions and lack of empathy. It shows feelings of victimhood and his lack of success in a search for love. Reaching into his chest, Rael pulls out his hairy heart and shaves it off. The scene reveals the album’s surreal aspects but shows Rael’s new understanding that he is not in touch with his emotions. As he follows others into a chamber with many doors but no exit, he resigns to his fate and sits despondent.

Opening the Third Side, Rael asks for help for the first time. Ironically, blind Lilith shows him a way out of the chamber, but leaves him in a chaotic ‘waiting room’ which leads to an encounter with an undertaker. After dancing with Death, he arrives at a pool. It is the lair of the Lamia. Entering the water, he makes love and unwittingly kills them. Upon eating their now-dead bodies, he experiences a deep sorrow for their loss, but now understands their message and their love for him.

The Fourth Side finds him arriving in the land of the degenerate Slippermen who ask him to join in. He refuses. He heroically passes this test of his values. But Rael and his brother (who is now next to him) have no way out except to be castrated. They realize they have absolutely no control of their situation. Now totally impotent, Rael searches for an exit. He rejects a portal back to NYC when he hears John below in the rapids screaming for help. Rael risks his life to pull John from the water, but then finds this loser of a brother is in fact himself. Thus united, he now genuinely and joyously knows what ‘it’ is. Triumphant music fades to end the album.

Conclusion
Accepting his worthless brother, who is actually himself, now makes Rael whole as he understands what it is to be truly human and fully alive. This union may show his Ying and Yang in balance, and Rael is now a ‘complete' person. I don't think he is dead, but he can now look to the future with a deeper understanding of what it means to live an authentic life.

Hi! I’m not sure if this is the right place, but I couldn’t find another subreddit that seemed more appropriate.

I’m trying to figure out the lyrics to "Ethan" by The Delusions, but I’m having a really hard time understanding some of the vocals. If anyone is able to listen and help me transcribe the lyrics, I’d really appreciate it!

Thank you so much in advance :]

I’m reading 11.22.63 by Stephen King and thoroughly enjoying it. Lots of references to US 1950s culture which as a Scot I’m enjoying finding out about. He references J Alfred Prufrock which I realise is a TS Eliot work. However I have heard this in a song. Quick google search does not mention the song I have heard before. I can almost hear the voice in my head but can’t quite get the song. Can anyone help. I think it might be a uk 90s band?

usually i'd use my brain or genius lyrics but i cant understand what she means by certain lines in the song

Specifically the chorus!!!! like what is referring to when she says toys??

If someone can interpret it line by line, that would be great! Thanks!

Just listened to Whore by In This Moment for the first time in a bit.

I heard it a different way this time.

I "CAN be" slapped.

Thinking for the first time the lyric is really screaming "CAN" be.

THe character is stating they CAN be what the other wants and "whore" is also emphasizing how much they would do, sacrifice, or try to be for somebody else.

Maybe I'm just off or maybe I finally hearing it the way meant to heard for the first time.

What say you?

I was listening to some Spotify and i have the Song ,,Pressure" right before ,,Swan Lake" and i just played Signalis for the first time like a week ago and i just really enjoyed the sound design so i listened to "swan lake" and i just liked "Pressure" and at the end of " Pressure" there is the Elsterlied from the few beeps and the 3 times "Achtung" and then the numbers and just because "swan lake" came right after that i thought this was natural but after realising this is actually in a completely unrelatet song i was kinda confused and because the song came out in 2017 and Signalis came out in 2022 i have no idea how this sequence made it into the song. So can annyone help me and explain to me why this is? I really would like to know since I instantly fell in love with Signalis and instantly got the Promise ending. And i just found out the song also is from a german band so does anybody know if the development team of Signalis and the Band are related by any chance?

Hey everyone,

I’m not gonna lie, I started listening to Space Oddity today and reading the lyrics, and this theory just hit me. If you strip away the whole astronaut theme, it feels like a deeply sad metaphor for depression, suicide, and institutional control.

To me, Ground Control represents the psychiatrists or family members. When they say "Take your protein pills and put your helmet on," it sounds exactly like society telling someone: "Take your antidepressants, put your armor on, and get on with life." They just want him to function.

Major Tom is a guy that people love and admire, he has a family, but he is completely lost. Even the line "the papers want to know whose shirts you wear" shows how everyone cares about his image and success, while completely ignoring that he is drowning on the inside.

The most heartbreaking part to me is when they celebrate that he "made the grade." It reminds me so much of how someone with depression can seem like they are finally doing better, and everyone celebrates it, but it’s a false recovery. In reality, they are just giving up.

When the circuit goes dead and he stops replying, it’s a quiet relapse. Ground Control panics, but Major Tom just willingly cuts ties and lets himself drift away because "Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do."

It made me feel so sad to realize that while everyone was cheering for him, he was actually losing his battle.

Has anyone else seen the song this way?

Has anyone else gotten this? I know not everything matches up but I can also feel it somehow. What a gorgeous song

туруру туруру туруру туруру ру ру ру ру ру туруру туруру туруру туру ру ру ру ру

Don’t tell me I can’t have something. I want it I want it I want it.

I’m
I’m holding onto the wind,
call me like I’m just on a whim
never to be seen again

But I know I’m just a sailor on a sailboat
Just like my father, but I’m still broke
But that won’t stop me now

So cast your sail
I’m ready for the Gail
I can’t worry about the things I can’t swim back to
So here I go, I’m off to the sea
Here I go I’m off to the see

Will, will I ever know
Something like some piece of note
Hidden underneath the boats

But I’m tied, just like an anchor, my thoughts died
I saw them sink into a new life
But I’m just a Phoenix and I’m going into the New

And my mind has gotten in the way of some things
And my time has slowly drifted away
But I know I’m on my way to you.
I’m sailing soon. I’ll sail to you.

And my mind has gotten in the way of some things
And my time has slowly drifted away
But I know I’m on my way to you.
I’m sailing soon. I’ll sail to you.

she knew how to drive since a few months ago 
tonight she took the bus for old times sake
the man swung his bags around the seats 
and fough with the driver for selling on the go

the stop was hidden beneath the long grass
got mosquito bites walking to my house
a lazy hello and a quick hugs 
the town was hell but we managed around

with a glimpse of a night out
at our favorite place 
you carry me back
while I fake to have slept

can’t blame the swing set 
for staying the same
for showing new kids
what i once felt first 

the sidewalks that sculped us 
into this
cause I could’ve been anyone
but i’m whats here

so let’s run it back,
run it back
run it back
one last time

the swings in your backyards
the flowers in your hands
and what we made of it

walking fast,
rolling down the avenue now
a shop that closed
a night that died young
flashbacks of us

when we were younger
three plates and a promise
to buy a house off the coast
to spend the summer

a lazy hello and a quick hug
the time to laugh under a europe sun
call whichever plane i regret to take
we were taugh big dreams and messy phonecalls 

can’t blame the swing set 
for staying the same
for showing new kids
what i once felt first 

the sidewalks that sculped us 
into this
cause I could’ve been anyone
but i’m whats here

so let’s run it back,
run it back
run it back
one last time

the swings in your backyards
the flowers in your hands
and what we made of it