Post by trashcanman on Aug 27, 2012 21:27:11 GMT 2
So after Lemex's deconstruction of Nickelback's horrific "poetry", I got to thinking about the other side of musical lyrics; the good side. Everybody has bands or artists that are kind of the soundtrack to their life, and assuming the person is not a shaved ape these artists' songs are usually highlighted by lyrics that express said person's worldview in a way that the individual themself may not have been able to come up with on their own, hence giving them a new perspective on their self and others. In this topic, I'm asking you to post and explain at least one of those stanzas and what they mean to you. I'll go first.
I'm starting on easy mode with one of the greatest songs ever written, Like a Rolling Stone. This was near the beginning of Bob Dylan's most controversial phase where he took up an electric guitar and collaborated with a rock band rather than allowing himself to be musically limited to what he can do by himself with an acoustic guitar and harmonica for the rest of his life. As we all know, the folk fans who had been his base for his entire career thusfar.....they didn't take it well. Dylan and The Band played together through hails of boos and heckles like so:
and ended the sets by hitting them square in the face with Like a Rolling Stone, the most devastating indictment of the privileged idealism that led his fans to believe they could hold him back musically with their contempt possible, and complete and utter proof that the new Dylan was, in fact, better than the old.
All of the privileged little hipster music fans and beatniks waiting for their first dose of reality got it when he dropped verses like that one. Let's break it down:
College is a scam. I've learned this the hard way working at a factory with college graduates while watching my sisters struggle for jobs in their chosen field and not actually comprehending many of the basic concepts of that field. In college, you pay for a piece of paper that says you are smart. You get that paper with money and a lot of asskissing more so than with any sort of intelligence and comprehension. Learning is not a necessity to succeed. You go there and pay through the nose to let other people tell you what to read. But what exactly was stopping you from reading them yourself? Fact: you could just as easily teach yourself anything they can teach you in college.
The things you learn in a classroom or from a book cannot be applied to everyday life without common sense and savvy. The only way you get that is get off your ass and go experience it for yourself. And it involves getting your ass kicked....a lot.
Once you learn those harsh realities, it's a must that you come to terms with the fact that the world is run by invisible assholes (metaphorically or literally) and the only way to succeed is to mold yourself ever so slightly to work with them. You either break or you bend in this world and anyone who brags about never compromising their beliefs in any way, shape, or form have likely never done anything and are simply not going to make a positive mark in this world. Did Dylan's move to electric music make him more likely to get played on the radio? Yes. Was it a compromise of the folk persona he had built up and the ideals of the folk fans that had been his support up to that point? Indeed. But everybody who ever knows hardship will reach that point where they either roll over and die (metaphorically or literally) or they come to terms with the thing they hate and strike a balance between their ideals and what the harsh reality of the world demands from them. The world won't give you what you want just because you are extra righteous and stubborn and it will never mold itself to you. The only option is to mold yourself ever so slightly to the world if you want to keep carrying on. And that is something you only learn through experience.
I can't imagine being able to write something so profound and at the same time so devastatingly mean-spirited. Dylan is the greatest songwriter of all time and his lyrics are a constant source of inspiration. Every time I listen to his albums, I pick up on some new little tidbit or wrinkle I maybe hadn't understood before. The older and wiser I become, the better and better his lyrics sound to my ears.
You next. Go!
I'm starting on easy mode with one of the greatest songs ever written, Like a Rolling Stone. This was near the beginning of Bob Dylan's most controversial phase where he took up an electric guitar and collaborated with a rock band rather than allowing himself to be musically limited to what he can do by himself with an acoustic guitar and harmonica for the rest of his life. As we all know, the folk fans who had been his base for his entire career thusfar.....they didn't take it well. Dylan and The Band played together through hails of boos and heckles like so:
and ended the sets by hitting them square in the face with Like a Rolling Stone, the most devastating indictment of the privileged idealism that led his fans to believe they could hold him back musically with their contempt possible, and complete and utter proof that the new Dylan was, in fact, better than the old.
You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?
All of the privileged little hipster music fans and beatniks waiting for their first dose of reality got it when he dropped verses like that one. Let's break it down:
You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
College is a scam. I've learned this the hard way working at a factory with college graduates while watching my sisters struggle for jobs in their chosen field and not actually comprehending many of the basic concepts of that field. In college, you pay for a piece of paper that says you are smart. You get that paper with money and a lot of asskissing more so than with any sort of intelligence and comprehension. Learning is not a necessity to succeed. You go there and pay through the nose to let other people tell you what to read. But what exactly was stopping you from reading them yourself? Fact: you could just as easily teach yourself anything they can teach you in college.
And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it
And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it
The things you learn in a classroom or from a book cannot be applied to everyday life without common sense and savvy. The only way you get that is get off your ass and go experience it for yourself. And it involves getting your ass kicked....a lot.
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?
Once you learn those harsh realities, it's a must that you come to terms with the fact that the world is run by invisible assholes (metaphorically or literally) and the only way to succeed is to mold yourself ever so slightly to work with them. You either break or you bend in this world and anyone who brags about never compromising their beliefs in any way, shape, or form have likely never done anything and are simply not going to make a positive mark in this world. Did Dylan's move to electric music make him more likely to get played on the radio? Yes. Was it a compromise of the folk persona he had built up and the ideals of the folk fans that had been his support up to that point? Indeed. But everybody who ever knows hardship will reach that point where they either roll over and die (metaphorically or literally) or they come to terms with the thing they hate and strike a balance between their ideals and what the harsh reality of the world demands from them. The world won't give you what you want just because you are extra righteous and stubborn and it will never mold itself to you. The only option is to mold yourself ever so slightly to the world if you want to keep carrying on. And that is something you only learn through experience.
I can't imagine being able to write something so profound and at the same time so devastatingly mean-spirited. Dylan is the greatest songwriter of all time and his lyrics are a constant source of inspiration. Every time I listen to his albums, I pick up on some new little tidbit or wrinkle I maybe hadn't understood before. The older and wiser I become, the better and better his lyrics sound to my ears.
You next. Go!
