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Philosophical and Thought Provoking Lyrics

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Topic: Philosophical and Thought Provoking Lyrics
Posted By: The Pessimist
Subject: Philosophical and Thought Provoking Lyrics
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 11:58
This is an interesting subject that I've been getting into lately: lyrics and the deeper meanings behind them. There are many bands out there that use lyrics as a form of stating their views philosophically, and some can be very interesting indeed.
Here's a favourite of mine:

"So crucify the ego, before it's far too late
To leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical,
And you will come to find that we are all one mind
Capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
Just let the light touch you
And let the words spill through
And let them pass right through
Bringing out our hope and reason ..."


Fantastic, raises the hairs on the back of my neck every time. Anyone wanna take a guess as to the song? It's not hard

Any more from you guys?

N.B. As for the location, I couldn't think where else to put it.


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"Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value."

Arnold Schoenberg



Replies:
Posted By: Altair
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 12:20

Yes, Reflection! One of the best songs Tool have written.

Originally posted by The Pessimist The Pessimist wrote:

Fantastic, raises the hairs on the back of my neck every time.
 
So very true.....I think the same can be said for all of the lyrics on Lateralus.
 
Great topic, I'll try to contribute some more lyrics later.


Posted By: TGM: Orb
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 12:30
Afraid I don't know that one.

But, on the topic of thought-provoking/philosophical lyrics, noone comes close to Peter Hammill:
Just going for one of my favourites, the excellent Ferret and Featherbird

http://sofasound.com/phcds/iclyrics.htm#1 - Linkage

Quote Time and distance are between us now,
they form a bond to make things sure.
Nothing ever shatters,
you know what happens:
time and distance make a love secure.


A few other particularly philosophical pieces:

Forsaken Gardens, Gog/Magog, Still Life, Pilgrims, Childlike Faith In Childhood's End, La Rossa, The Wave, Killer, A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers, The Sleepwalkers, pretty much all of Chameleon In The Shadow Of The Night, The Comet, The Course, The Tail, A Louse Is Not A Home, Rubycon... well, a lot of his work.

A couple of the more socially aware Waters pieces could well be considered philosophical (I'd say Pigs On The Wing, Us and Them and Echoes, in particular).


Posted By: Alberto Muņoz
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 12:40
Yes Hammill is GREAT writing lyrics with meaning.
 
Other that i like is Hensley his lyrics are very good.
 
 


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Posted By: Alberto Muņoz
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 12:41
Also check the Ian Anderson lyrics on TAAB and A Passion Play , very good to me

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Posted By: The Pessimist
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 13:52
Originally posted by TGM: Orb TGM: Orb wrote:

Afraid I don't know that one.

But, on the topic of thought-provoking/philosophical lyrics, noone comes close to Peter Hammill:
Just going for one of my favourites, the excellent Ferret and Featherbird

http://sofasound.com/phcds/iclyrics.htm#1 - Linkage

Quote Time and distance are between us now,
they form a bond to make things sure.
Nothing ever shatters,
you know what happens:
time and distance make a love secure.


A few other particularly philosophical pieces:

Forsaken Gardens, Gog/Magog, Still Life, Pilgrims, Childlike Faith In Childhood's End, La Rossa, The Wave, Killer, A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers, The Sleepwalkers, pretty much all of Chameleon In The Shadow Of The Night, The Comet, The Course, The Tail, A Louse Is Not A Home, Rubycon... well, a lot of his work.

A couple of the more socially aware Waters pieces could well be considered philosophical (I'd say Pigs On The Wing, Us and Them and Echoes, in particular).


Ah yes, Hamill Still Life has some fantastic lyrics, as goes with Man Erg. They go really deep and question the nature of humanity like no other.


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"Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value."

Arnold Schoenberg


Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 14:02
I know that won't probably interest many of you because of evident language problems, but the lyrics of Italian artist Franco Battiato (Micky's avatar is his third album, Sulle corde di Aries) have been written by a philosopher, Manlio Sgalambro, for the past 13 years. Sgalambro is a bit of a nihilist, so his lyrics tend to be a bit on the depressing side, though very interesting indeed.


Posted By: The Pessimist
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 14:14
Originally posted by Raff Raff wrote:

I know that won't probably interest many of you because of evident language problems, but the lyrics of Italian artist Franco Battiato (Micky's avatar is his third album, Sulle corde di Aries) have been written by a philosopher, Manlio Sgalambro, for the past 13 years. Sgalambro is a bit of a nihilist, so his lyrics tend to be a bit on the depressing side, though very interesting indeed.


Any translation you'd like to share with us Raff? I don't speak Italian at all


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"Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value."

Arnold Schoenberg


Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 14:37
We have an album with lyrics by Sgalambro, but they are all in Italian, and I am afraid they would lose a lot in a translation. Anyway, I'll see what I can do in the next few days.


Posted By: Alberto Muņoz
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 14:58
Originally posted by Raff Raff wrote:

I know that won't probably interest many of you because of evident language problems, but the lyrics of Italian artist Franco Battiato (Micky's avatar is his third album, Sulle corde di Aries) have been written by a philosopher, Manlio Sgalambro, for the past 13 years. Sgalambro is a bit of a nihilist, so his lyrics tend to be a bit on the depressing side, though very interesting indeed.
 
 
mmm sounds interesting to me, i'm eager to know about this philosopherWink


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Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 15:06
Peter Hammill - Western Philosophy (I'm kinda thinking Bertrand Russell or maybe even Neitszche)
Jon Anderson - Lao Tzu, naturally. No f**king idea what those two are saying. LOL

Those are the two that stick out in my mind.




Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 15:40
Originally posted by Alberto Muņoz Alberto Muņoz wrote:

Originally posted by Raff Raff wrote:

I know that won't probably interest many of you because of evident language problems, but the lyrics of Italian artist Franco Battiato (Micky's avatar is his third album, Sulle corde di Aries) have been written by a philosopher, Manlio Sgalambro, for the past 13 years. Sgalambro is a bit of a nihilist, so his lyrics tend to be a bit on the depressing side, though very interesting indeed.
 
 
mmm sounds interesting to me, i'm eager to know about this philosopherWink


Here is the link to his website (in Italian): http://manliosgalambro.tk/ - http://manliosgalambro.tk/
If you click on Collaborazioni, you will find links to all the Battiato albums to which he has contributed. Some of them have lyrics in Spanish, which I'm sure you will appreciateWink.


Posted By: The Pessimist
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 16:00
Thanks Raff, I'm looking forward to hearing some Italian deep thoughts.

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"Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value."

Arnold Schoenberg


Posted By: Alberto Muņoz
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 17:41
Originally posted by Raff Raff wrote:

Originally posted by Alberto Muņoz Alberto Muņoz wrote:

Originally posted by Raff Raff wrote:

I know that won't probably interest many of you because of evident language problems, but the lyrics of Italian artist Franco Battiato (Micky's avatar is his third album, Sulle corde di Aries) have been written by a philosopher, Manlio Sgalambro, for the past 13 years. Sgalambro is a bit of a nihilist, so his lyrics tend to be a bit on the depressing side, though very interesting indeed.
 
 
mmm sounds interesting to me, i'm eager to know about this philosopherWink


Here is the link to his website (in Italian): http://manliosgalambro.tk/ - http://manliosgalambro.tk/
If you click on Collaborazioni, you will find links to all the Battiato albums to which he has contributed. Some of them have lyrics in Spanish, which I'm sure you will appreciateWink.
 
 
Great and thanks Raff, i see the menu is very amicable grazie milleWink


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Posted By: Alberto Muņoz
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 17:53
Hey i step in the biography section of Manlios and i have read this:
 
"Il nascere e il morire sono i due momenti unicamente reali. Il resto č sogno, interrotto da qualche insignificante sprazzo di veglia."
 
This is really GREAT i wonder about the lyrics with the Battiato albumsBig smileShocked


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Posted By: Alberto Muņoz
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 17:57
His Spanish poetry remind me to a loved philosopher called Cioran

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Posted By: tamijo
Date Posted: January 22 2009 at 09:01
Na ........................
This is deeeeep
Dreamed I was an eskimo
Frozen wind began to blow
Under my boots and around my toes
The frost that bit the ground below
It was a hundred degrees below zero...

And my mama cried
And my mama cried
Nanook, a-no-no
Nanook, a-no-no
Dont be a naughty eskimo
Save your money, dont go to the show

Well I turned around and I said oh, oh oh
Well I turned around and I said oh, oh oh
Well I turned around and I said ho, ho
And the northern lights commenced to glow
And she said, with a tear in her eye
Watch out where the huskies go, and dont you eat that yellow snow
Watch out where the huskies go, and dont you eat that yellow snow  
 
Embarrassed
Sorry couldent help it


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Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours


Posted By: The Miracle
Date Posted: January 22 2009 at 14:07
As much as I don't like Russian language, my favorite lyricist is Boris Grebenshikov, leader of http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=2528 - Aquarium ... hardly anyone here can understand them thoughLOL

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http://www.last.fm/user/ocellatedgod" rel="nofollow - last.fm


Posted By: Abstrakt
Date Posted: January 22 2009 at 15:02
The swedish band Hoola Bandoola Band has some really good lyrics in swedish. I might post some translations here.


Posted By: AmericanKhatru
Date Posted: February 02 2009 at 14:46
Originally posted by Alberto Muņoz Alberto Muņoz wrote:

Also check the Ian Anderson lyrics on TAAB and A Passion Play , very good to me
 
I've noticed Ian Anderson's first four lines on TAAB are pretty much a slap in the face to all his critics. If you still can't hear it, pretend your saying them to someone you don't like and you'll probably get it.
 
Also, I would rate pretty much anything Jon Anderson wrote as thought provoking for two reasons. 1. They're really deep and nebulous allowing you to try and figure it out. 2. You are straining your brain trying to figure out what degree of insane you have to be to write some of this stuff.


Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: February 02 2009 at 15:28
"Exposure
Exposure
Exposure
Exposure
Exposure
Exposure
Exposure
Space is what I need it's what I feed on
Exposure
Exposure
Exposure
Exposure
Exposure
Out in the open
Exposure"
Peter Gabriel
Did I leave one out? LOL


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Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...



Posted By: valravennz
Date Posted: February 02 2009 at 20:06
Originally posted by AmericanKhatru AmericanKhatru wrote:

Originally posted by Alberto Muņoz Alberto Muņoz wrote:

Also check the Ian Anderson lyrics on TAAB and A Passion Play , very good to me
 
I've noticed Ian Anderson's first four lines on TAAB are pretty much a slap in the face to all his critics. If you still can't hear it, pretend your saying them to someone you don't like and you'll probably get it.
 
Also, I would rate pretty much anything Jon Anderson wrote as thought provoking for two reasons. 1. They're really deep and nebulous allowing you to try and figure it out. 2. You are straining your brain trying to figure out what degree of insane you have to be to write some of this stuff.
 
LOL
 
Also have a listen to the lyrics of Jethro Tull's - Heavy Horses - album. Very thought provoking re: English Industrical revolution and the effects it has had on the rural community.


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"Music is the Wine that fills the cup of Silence"
- Robert Fripp




Posted By: Abrawang
Date Posted: February 05 2009 at 23:08
Pink Floyd's Time does an excellent job of reflecting on how life slips by.

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Casting doubt on all I have to say...


Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: February 06 2009 at 04:19
How about "Four Pails" from Peter Hammill's album "Skin"? They lyrics are not by Hammill though, but by Chris Judge Smith (who also wrote the libretto of Hammill's opera "The Fall of the House of Usher" and is an old pal of Hammill).



Four pails of water and a bagful of salts.

That is all we are, that is all a man comprises,
chemicals alone, with no spirit, soul or ghost -
nothing so bizarre.
No amount of faith disguises
what is true is what we fear the most

Nothing can survive
save the things men leave behind them.
Any other case would be really too absurd -
if thoughts remained alive
surely modern science would find them?
No, the soul is nothing but a word.

All the wonders Man achieves
emerge from cerebral tissue.
Chemical reactions' ebb and surge
form that Thing that is you....
It's a sad philosophy,
but better sad than wrong.
Face the truth instead:
when you're dead you're dead,
when you're gone you're gone...
now she's gone.

Four pails of water and a bagful of salts.

That is all she was, all my lover represented -
that sounds just as mad as saying she will never die.
Fools may clutch at straws
but truth must not be circumvented:
as the tree falls, so must that tree lie!

Now that sounds so odd...
once I would have preached it brightly.
Now questions appear I rationally can't ignore...
Nothingness or God,
Which of them seems more unlikely?

Once I would have answered clearly,
now I only think I'm nearly sure.




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BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue.


Posted By: mobby
Date Posted: February 06 2009 at 04:22
yup time is pure poetry..
i love also the lyrics of shine...the best tribute to a 'lost' friend ever written for a song..
and
wish you were here./money/breathe/hey you....almost all waters lyrics are thought provoking, touching and poetical
from other bands, i love the lyrics of camel, spirit on water and never let go (crazy preachers of our doom..telling us there is no room..not enough for all mankind...wow!)
love also rush-witchhunt..(quick to judge quick to anger slow to understand..ignorance and predjudice..and fear walk hand in hand.,...)
from eloy i love the apocalyptic lyrics of decay of logos..and the spirituality of mighty echoes..and the trippy text of dawn..
kerry livgren wrote some fine words..like song for america..but his lyrics got a bit tiresome when he later increasingly wrote as a preacher and less as a poet..   
 
 


Posted By: 30761760
Date Posted: February 15 2009 at 17:27
I think the most challaging tull albam was aqualung. It was written in a time when the church and establishment still held a lot of power (though they still do). It basically attacks the education system and establishment as well as oraganised releigion. Many cite it as pro atheism (mainly athists) however the albam never denies God but mearly questions him, something christianity requires. It is essentially anti-establishment, giving aqualung and cross-eyed mary as examples of the products of establishment. It gives it's awnser in 'up to me'. I love this albam for it.  

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When music becomes a commodity, music dies.


Posted By: A Person
Date Posted: February 19 2009 at 21:53
Roger Waters and Peter Hammill are possibly my two favorite lyricists, but the most philosophical song I can think of right now is "Echoes". I know the whole "WOW ECHOES IS THE SAME LENGTH AS THE LAST PART OF 2001!" deal, but lyrically and emotionally they are very similar too me. My favorite album for philosophicl lyrics would be Paw Hearts. I keep wanting to play it for my English teachers, but I highly doubt it would be included in any curriculum. Disapprove So many "main themes" of the books we read can be related easily. The other day I was wondering how to fit "Moon in June" into the Great Gatsby.



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