# The "What the hell is this song about?" thread. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 10, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775 "2003-01-10T17:25:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/1 "2003-01-10T17:25:46Z")
No, not Cecil-esque classics like “Blinded by the Light”, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” , etc. Rather, songs where the singer sure seems worked up about something, but you can’t figure out what or it doesn’t make sense. The two that have been plaguing and infuriating me: John (Cougar) Mellencamp’s “Peaceful World”: “Everything’s as cool as can be in a peaceful world … it’s what you do, not what you say …” Blasts the PC movement, I think; the glaring contradiction is that the world is not and has never been peaceful, and that “what you say” can always have severe consequences. Sarah McLachlan’s “Building the Mystery”: She sings very contemptuously about someone who’s all into mystic, new age, goth sorts of stuff … but why? What is her point? Boy, she sounds annoyed at them, but I can’t figure out why. (Aside from the obvious, that is … but since such people would seem to constitute a large part of her fan base, I can’t imagine she’d intentionally slaughter them) ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/2 "2003-01-10T17:30:57Z")
Sorry, just saw on the official site that it’s “Building **A** Mystery.” [http://www.sarahmclachlan.com/lyrics.jsp?s=34](http://www.sarahmclachlan.com/lyrics.jsp?s=34) Here’s Mellencamp’s lyics, too: [http://www.mellencamp.com/albums/cuttinheads/lyrics.html](http://www.mellencamp.com/albums/cuttinheads/lyrics.html) ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/3 "2003-01-10T19:15:08Z")
You know, I was gonna start a thread _similar_ to this, with the only difference being that one line or two in an otherwise good song. That line where you look at the CD player in a “WTF?” kind of way. For instance, in Counting Crows “Round Here,” Adam Duritz sings: “Well, I walk in the air…between the rain, through myself, and back again…where, I don’t know.” Huh? ---
**Author:** ![SteverinoAlaReno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SteverinoAlaReno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteverinoAlaReno)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/4 "2003-01-10T19:38:48Z")
One that makes me scratch my head is “Independence Day”. The line I’m talking about goes, “Let the right be wrong, let the weak be strong.” I can understand why you’d want people who are weak to be strengthened, but why on earth would you want people who are correct to be wrong? Seems like the writer was searching for a rhyme, and this was the best s/he could do. ---
**Author:** ![Tree\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9dc877/32.png) [@Tree\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tree_Boy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/5 "2003-01-10T19:46:51Z")
Those are good, here is another: “Holy Diver” by DIO “Holy Diver, you’ve been gone too long in the midnight sea, oh whats becoming of me? Ride the tiger, you can see his stripes but you know he’s clean. Don’t you see what I mean?” Not at all Ronny James, not at all… ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/6 "2003-01-10T20:08:25Z")
I’m confused by the meaning of Wings’ “Let 'em In”. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/7 "2003-01-10T22:21:01Z")
I’ve been meaning to start a thread like this. I was watching the music video for the Foo Fighters’ “Big Me” and I have no clue what it means. I know they’ve said a lot of their songs don’t have real meanings, but if anyone wants to take a shot at it. Also, Shawn Colvin’s “Sunny Came Home.” ---
**Author:** ![Loneraven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c0e974/32.png) [@Loneraven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loneraven)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/8 "2003-01-10T22:38:27Z")
Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah. I know he covered it, I don’t know whose the original was, though. Anyway: “She tied you to a kitchen chair, she broke your throne and she cut your hair, and from your lips she drew the hallelujah…” ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/9 "2003-01-10T22:42:59Z")
> [@](#): > > “Let the right be wrong, let the weak be strong.” **Steve** – think of ‘right’ in terms of that tired old two-dimensional spatial metaphor for political orientation, and the line becomes a little less confusing. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/10 "2003-01-10T22:49:54Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m confused by the meaning of Wings’ “Let 'em In”. Are you being faceticious? The people in the song are his family members. (Really, they’re all his real family members) He’s writing a song about a family reunion. ---
**Author:** ![auliya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90db22/32.png) [@auliya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auliya)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/11 "2003-01-10T22:55:00Z")
**loneraven** Does knowing it was written by Leonard Cohen enlighten you all? 😃 See notes on [“Various Positions”](http://www.warr.org/cohen.html) ---
**Author:** ![Odieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a87d85/32.png) [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/12 "2003-01-10T22:55:03Z")
Well not all of them are family members…Phil and Don are the Everly Brothers. “Sunny Came Home” was written after Shawn Colvin saw a painting. ---
**Author:** ![Fiat\_Lux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Fiat\_Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiat_Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/13 "2003-01-10T22:59:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by loneraven \* > \*\*Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah. I know he covered it, I don’t know whose the original was, though. > > Anyway: “She tied you to a kitchen chair, she broke your throne and she cut your hair, and from your lips she drew the hallelujah…” \*\* As earlier mentioned, the song is by Leonard Cohen. It’s about the story of Samson and Delilah, I believe ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/14 "2003-01-10T23:05:17Z")
In addition, “Sunny Came Home” is about a woman who decides that the way out of a bad (abusive?) marriage is to burn down her house. One may presume that Sunny has either just come home from the store where she bought the supplies to do the burning, or (my sister’s interpretation) from the hospital, where she was recovering from injuries inflicted by a ne’er do well husband. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/15 "2003-01-10T23:12:23Z")
For me, it’s Tori Amos’ “[Space Dog](http://www.oddball.net/lyrics/showlyrics.cfm?SearchID=376)”. Many of Tori’s songs have obscure meanings, as she seems to draw lyrics out of the air. I “get” most of them, though. This one, though… > [@](#): > > _Deck the halls I’m young again I’m you again > Racing turtles the grapefruit is winning > Seems I keep getting the story twisted > So where’s Neil when you need him_ “Neil” is a reference to Neil Gaiman, but… _huh?_ I like this song, but I have to confess I don’t “get” it. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/16 "2003-01-10T23:28:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Larry Mudd \* > \*\ ***Steve** – think of ‘right’ in terms of that tired old two-dimensional spatial metaphor for political orientation, and the line becomes a little less confusing. \*\* Given what I’ve heard of McBride’s political orientation, that is unlikely. Perhaps she meant "right’ as in what society thinks is correct…given that the song is about a girl whose mother killed herself and her abusive husband by setting their house on fire. ---
**Author:** ![SteverinoAlaReno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SteverinoAlaReno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteverinoAlaReno)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/17 "2003-01-10T23:33:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Larry Mudd \* > \*\ ***Steve** – think of ‘right’ in terms of that tired old two-dimensional spatial metaphor for political orientation, and the line becomes a little less confusing. \*\* I wasn’t thinking of politics, I was thinking of goodness or righteousness. Why would you want something that’s already right to be wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/18 "2003-01-10T23:56:53Z")
:o Y’all caught me talkin’ out of my hind-parts-- that’s just how that line looked to me out of context. Having read the full lyrics, I’d guess that the idea is that most “right-thinking” people would consider it a Bad Thing to burn your house down, killing yourself and your tyrant husband- even if it is to spare your eight-year-old daughter, who would like to think that mama did the right thing. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/19 "2003-01-11T00:33:03Z")
Why is Bono singing about an _Electric Toaster_ in that new song the radio stations are taking such delight in driving into the ground? 😃 (okay, okay! I admit it was a joke! I know what he is really saying, but now I have ruined it for everyone else. The next time you hear it, your gonna say, "Goddamn Gatopescado! Now all I hear is Electric Toaster!!) * * * What worries me is that half the world’s population is below average ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775/20 "2003-01-11T00:45:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Avalonian \* > \*\*For me, it’s Tori Amos’ “[Space Dog](http://www.oddball.net/lyrics/showlyrics.cfm?SearchID=376)”. Many of Tori’s songs have obscure meanings, as she seems to draw lyrics out of the air. I “get” most of them, though. This one, though… > > “Neil” is a reference to Neil Gaiman, but… _huh?_ I like this song, but I have to confess I don’t “get” it. \*\* Not according to the interview with her that I heard. Neil is an obessive fan who sends her odd things on a regular basis. I was listening to a song today that I don’t get, as well. " The otherside of life" by the moody blues. What is “the other side of life”? Drugs? Sex? Just hanging out on the bad side of town? \ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-the-hell-is-this-song-about-thread/147775.md?page=2)