Song Explanations
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=22342
Printed Date: July 18 2025 at 13:43
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Topic: Song Explanations
Posted By: Rust
Subject: Song Explanations
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 18:28
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Want to tell us your explanation to a song that you came up with, or that you think know one else knows? Well, here is the place to do it. Astronomy Domine - About a giant space battle. The main character of the song crashes during the lyrics, "Blinding signs flap, flicker flicker flicker blam pow, pow." I came up with this while I was tripping on shrooms , and Syd is much easier to understand while you are tripping since he wrote a good bit of material, such as Astronomy Domine, while tripping. Going For the One/ Awaken - I believe both of these songs are about the person on the cover of the album. The person is naked to symbolize how he a "higher" being than us and he does not need clothes. Both songs describe who I believe this figure to be, or someone of high importance atleast.Fragile (Abum) - This album is about the "Yes World", the planet on the front cover of the album. This is the land of "Yes", just listen to the songs, each one is totally unique and in my opinion about different lands in the "Yes World". I get a picture of Roger Dean's paintings in my mind while listening to this album, each song is its own land, painting, shape and texture. For example, South Side of the Sky brings the picture of Roger's winter land painting with his notorious oddly shape mountain in the background.The Great Deciever/ Lament - I believe both of these are about a "rock star" character. One being the good side of his rock star life, and Lament being the bad side of his life. The songs have to be connected to eachother for a reason.Led Zeppelin I - I think this is a "hidden" concept album, meaning that there is a concept to the album that just isn't widely known. The whole album has to be about one girl, and by the songs I'm sure you will be able to tell how he feels about her.Cirrus Minor - Deffinetly about "blazing it up". ------------- We got to pump the stuff to make us tough from the heart Its astart What we need is awareness we cant get careless Mental self defensive fitness Make everybody see in order to fight the powers that be |
Replies:
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 19:03
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I think "The Great Deceiver" is criticizing religion, going by the lyrics. ------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: Zoso
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 19:16
 You were deffinately tripping to have come up with some of that stuff. Cool ideas though. -------------  |
Posted By: Space Chief
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 19:47
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I remember back when I was a kid, taking Pink Floyd's "Sheep" literally.
Now I can understand the political commentary, but I did like it when it was a song about fed-up sheep learning karate and escaping the farm. ------------- 
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Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 19:51
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Wakeman said that he asked Jon Anderson what Going For The One was about and he said it was about a horse race. ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005 
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Posted By: Bern
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 19:52
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RIP in bossa nova heaven. |
sleeper wrote:Posted By: andYouandI45
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 19:57
| Um thanks... |
Posted By: Rust
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 20:01
There goes one explanation of mine...
That really does explain the song alot better though. Thanks.
 I'm still having a hard time explaining why the band decided to call themselve's "Yes". Mabey to reflect their "positive" sound they had, IDK.
 ------------- We got to pump the stuff to make us tough from the heart Its astart What we need is awareness we cant get careless Mental self defensive fitness Make everybody see in order to fight the powers that be |
Posted By: heyitsthatguy
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 20:46
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well, i'd like to explain Octavarium in my terms, because everyone thinks that is a bunch of unrelated little short songs, but I see it as one story. *title track not album*. The first part, "someone like him", is when the person is young and full of ambition, wanting nothing but adventure and mystery, rather than the daily doldrums that normal people have. However, near maturity he realizes that the something he wanted all along was stability and security. Onto the next part, Medicate Me. I see this as someone being....well...medicated, probably for depression or something of the sort. I think people take the line "catatonic sleep" too literally, and believe it is symbolic of him being unaware of what his life had been to that point, partially because of grandiose delusions, partially because of the medication. I also think the "for 30 years where have i been" line hints at the next part being a midlife crisis. The next part, "Full Circle", i believe is the midlife crisis, or at least something of that nature. Some of the suppressed feelings by the medication begin to return to the protagonist, and he laments at making no progress in his life, only moving forward and backward in circles, never getting closer to his dreams. Now, the iffy part, "Intervals." I'm not quite sure how this works in, but it could be a reference to all the stresses of daily life summarized *similar to DSOTM*(yes i know it also recaps the album). And the last line of this part, being "trapped inside this octavarium", is his final realization that his visions of grandeur would never come to fruition. And "The Razor's Edge" basically summarizes how life tends to move in circles, with never anything too dramatic occuring without something else happening in the opposite direction to balance it out. whoa, that took a good 15 min. yes i've had way too much time to think about this. Anyways, thats my opinion, could be wrong. And yes im only 16. hehe....* i need a life* ------------- 
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Posted By: Rust
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 21:07
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Though I haven't listened to Octavarius yet, I think your explanation was very interesting and it's great to be reassured that I'm not the only one with an imagination when it comes to music. ------------- We got to pump the stuff to make us tough from the heart Its astart What we need is awareness we cant get careless Mental self defensive fitness Make everybody see in order to fight the powers that be |
Posted By: heyitsthatguy
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 21:09
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thanks, i havent *sadly* heard of the songs you described, but when i do, i'm pretty sure those'll be whats in my head. Anyways, on an unprogrelated note, can anyone make any sense of the Dio song "Holy Diver"? Me and my friend were discussing it and it makes no sense. Its kind of funny actually.
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Posted By: Tenth Chaffinch
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 21:11
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Talk about lyrics making no sense (even being plain out stupid), one band... Mars Volta. ------------- www.myspace.com/fatherunderground |
Posted By: Rust
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 21:13
^It's parta prog, you gotta love those  lyrics!
------------- We got to pump the stuff to make us tough from the heart Its astart What we need is awareness we cant get careless Mental self defensive fitness Make everybody see in order to fight the powers that be |
Posted By: heyitsthatguy
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 21:14
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Ah yes, the mars volta. Them and coheed is where i got "practice" per se on coming up with whats happening in a song. You kind of have to with them. Has anyone figured out the story for Deadwing? I'd really be interested in that.  -------------
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Posted By: Rust
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 21:16
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Someone once posted thier own story for Frances the Mute and it was quite lengthy. Mabey you've read it already, cus I can't find it here. ------------- We got to pump the stuff to make us tough from the heart Its astart What we need is awareness we cant get careless Mental self defensive fitness Make everybody see in order to fight the powers that be |
Posted By: heyitsthatguy
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 21:19
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Oh god i've seen hundreds of stories for Frances the Mute, all convincing me that the guys havent sworn off drugs as they say they have. Doesnt In Absentia have a story of sorts? something about a serial killer i think
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Posted By: Rust
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 21:21
^Now that is just rediculous. Well, Steve does have that unmistakable killer tone in that gentle voice of his.  ------------- We got to pump the stuff to make us tough from the heart Its astart What we need is awareness we cant get careless Mental self defensive fitness Make everybody see in order to fight the powers that be |
Posted By: heyitsthatguy
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 21:29
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I"m serious. I read somewhere its about a serial killer. And you can't tell me some of those lines dont sound like serial killer stuff. ESPECIALLY The Creator Has a Mastertape.
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Posted By: zappaholic
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 21:36
I think Jon Anderson once said that they just wanted a simple and positive name for their band.
------------- "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." -- H.L. Mencken |
Posted By: The Wizard
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 21:38
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How about the lyrics for any Yes song? Just a bunch of stream of consciousness stuff that is absolutely wonderful to my ears. I don't understand why some people dislike Yes lyrics, they go perfect with there ultra trippy songs. I personally think yes are very psyschedelic, more in that genre than symphonic prog in my humble opinion.
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Posted By: Losendos
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 21:39
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I heard an interview with John Anderson where he said that the band used the name Yes because of a positive affirmation of life. I thought Going for the One was a tribute to Sport.A lot of the material with prog bands is open ended you can reach your own meaning .It's a positive contrast to bands who try to sermonise through the lyrics i.e insist you must feel and think the way they do or you don't get it. ------------- How wonderful to be so profound |
Posted By: memowakeman
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 21:48
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Ayreon -The Human Equation is abouta man who just suffer an accident?, he is in coma, and while he is "dying", all his memories are in his mind, and all his moods are talking to him, "pride" "passion" "rage", it is about the phases in the mind of a person in coma, and also his best friedn and wife are talking to him to help him back to life, each song is something special, another day in coma until he wake up ------------- Follow me on twitter @memowakeman |