# Songs you insist have a different meaning than the writer claims **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [November 26, 2023, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725 "2023-11-26T16:49:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/21 "2023-11-28T12:53:09Z")
Yeah, this varies widely by genre and lyricist. Some are completely abstract; some are quite literal. I do agree that a lot of people try to force meaning on songs that are purposely vague and borderline nonsensical. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/22 "2023-11-28T13:07:36Z")
_Athena_ by The Who is about nuclear weapons and not Theresa Russell, no matter what Pete Townshend claims. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/23 "2023-11-28T13:09:47Z")
Some, not all, songs from “Blood On The Tracks” are about or at least inspired by Dylan’s break-up with Sarah, although he has always denied it. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/24 "2023-11-28T13:18:26Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > _Athena_ by The Who is about nuclear weapons and not Theresa Russell, no matter what Pete Townshend claims. There’s literally a demo version where he sings “Teresa” instead of “Athena”, FTR. Besides, that album already has two songs that are explicitly about nukes, so there’s no need to hypothesize a third. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/25 "2023-11-28T14:31:52Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > They’re all about heroin. The only song that isn’t about heroin is this one Sarah McLachlan claims\* that her song “Angel” is about heroin but I think it’s actually about orphaned dogs in shelters. \*On the ‘enhanced CD’ Quicktime special features. Remember those? ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/26 "2023-11-28T14:46:03Z")
U2’s “One” was interpreted by some as not a love song, but telling the story of a son with HIV confronting his father. I’ll admit, I could totally see the lyrics working with that interpretation. Bono has said no, that’s not it but I know several people who swore up and down that’s what he’d revealed in the early 90s. (unless he’s changed his mind in his recent book but I fell out of the U2 fandom years ago and can’t be arsed to read it) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/27 "2023-11-28T14:58:39Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > The only exception to this rule is when you think a song is about drugs. Assuming everything you don’t understand is about drugs is just lazy. What about _Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds_? Dude - lucy, sky, diamonds. It’s about LSD, man. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/28 "2023-11-28T15:10:52Z")
I was being a little dogmatic to be cute. Some songs are about drugs but there is a school of thought that assumes any vague or fanciful lyrics must be about drugs and it makes my skin crawl. I believe Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is about LSD. I also believe it’s about a child’s drawing. A song can be about more than one thing. I once wrote a song about knuckleball pitching that was also about existential angst and depression. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/29 "2023-11-28T15:15:25Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Sarah McLachlan claims\* that her song “Angel” is about heroin but I think it’s actually about orphaned dogs in shelters. > > \*On the ‘enhanced CD’ Quicktime special features. Remember those? Wow, I had that CD and you just reminded me of the first time I clicked on a link and it did something. It didn’t “go” any place (just to a 250x180 pixel clip saved on the CD), and it wasn’t quite a web page, but it was certainly a feeling of what was to come. And I’m laughing at your “orphaned dogs” line… ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/30 "2023-11-28T15:15:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > What about _Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds_? Dude - lucy, sky, diamonds. It’s about LSD, man. I thought it was about [currency](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C2%A3sd). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/31 "2023-11-28T15:24:47Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > > > And N B4 the inevitable, Puff the Magic Dragon is about lost innocence and growing up, not marijawanna. > > Not marijuana, heroin. “Chasing the dragon” is a heroin/opiate thing. (It could be done with marijuana/hash, but in general, it’s referring to heroin, at least that’s always been my understanding) > [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > I’m going with De Niro on this one: And Snopes. > **[Is 'Puff the Magic Dragon' About Marijuana?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/puff-the-magic-dragon/)** > > Is 'Puff, the Magic Dragon' a song about marijuana? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/32 "2023-11-28T15:32:19Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > I believe Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is about LSD. I also believe it’s about a child’s drawing. A song can be about more than one thing. I agree. I feel Julian Lennon did draw a picture which he told his father was titled “Lucy in the sky with diamonds”. I feel that John Lennon was then inspired by that title to write a song which contained ambiguous references both to the picture and to the drug LSD. And I feel that John Lennon then lied and denied there were any drug references in the song. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/33 "2023-11-28T15:36:06Z")
> [@veryfrank](#): > > (unless he’s changed his mind in his recent book but I fell out of the U2 fandom years ago and can’t be arsed to read it) I think his current story is it’s about a time in the studio when the band was close to breaking up. Of course _Running to Stand Still_ has a different inspiration every time he talks about it which would make sense if it is about **everyone** with a heroin addiction. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/34 "2023-11-28T15:38:58Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > And I feel that John Lennon then lied and denied there were any drug references in the song. This lie was understandable because at the time, you inevitably got in hot water when admitting to write about drugs, with the song getting banned on TV and radio as the least severe consequence. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/35 "2023-11-28T15:50:51Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > This lie was understandable because at the time, you inevitably got in hot water when admitting to write about drugs, with the song getting banned on TV and radio as the least severe consequence. Lennon was still saying this in his Playboy interview in 1980. It’s hard to believe Lennon was worried about the success of his career in 1980. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/36 "2023-11-28T17:31:20Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@Shakester](#): > > > > As a musician who has written songs and worked with many songwriters: 99% of lyrics are about sounding cool. > > Or maybe you’re biased because that’s the way you work or that’s what’s true about the kind of music you like to listen to. So, you’re insisting that the post has a different meaning than the poster claims? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/37 "2023-11-28T17:32:20Z")
Pete Townshend knows better than me what the song is about? The hell you say. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/38 "2023-11-28T17:35:37Z")
I thought they were all about me… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/39 "2023-11-28T17:57:55Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I thought they were all about me Only that Carly Simon song. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725/40 "2023-11-28T18:15:36Z")
I should be less vain, I know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-insist-have-a-different-meaning-than-the-writer-claims/993725.md?page=3)