The Arcade Fire

M

morgan

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Just thought I would share some interesting lyrics from The Arcade Fire.

From a review of the their album Funeral:

"Funeral is a truly eccentric rock record: bizarre at turns and recognizable elsewhere, equally beautiful and harrowing, theatrical and sincere, defying categorization while attempting to create new genres. At times, the album's total disregard of formula and expectation is positively thrilling, and other times it's bogged down by ambition. But where execution falters, intrigue prevails, and the Arcade Fire ultimately succeeds by keeping the listener guessing as to what lies around the next corner of each proceeding track."

WAKE UP

somethin' - filled up - my heart - with nothin' - someone - told me
not to cry. - but now that - i'm older - my heart's - colder - and i
can - see that it's a lie.
children - wake up - hold your - mistake up - before they - turn the
summer into dust. - if the children - don't grow up - our bodies get
bigger. but - our hearts get torn up - we're just - a million little
gods causing rain storms - turning every good thing to rust. - i guess [...]

REBELLION (LIES)

sleeping is giving in, no matter what the time is. sleeping is giving
in, so lift those heavy eyelids.
people say that you'll die faster than without water. but we know it's
just a lie, scare your son and scare your daughter.
people say that your dreams are the only things that save ya.
come on baby in our dreams, we can live our misbehaviour.
everytime you close your eyes lies, lies!
people try and hide the night underneath the covers.
people try and hide the light underneath the covers.
come on hide your lovers underneath the covers.
come on hide your lovers underneath the covers.
hidin' from your brothers underneath the covers, come on hide your
lovers underneath the covers.
people say that you'll die faster than without water, but we know it's
just a lie, scare your son, scare your daughter
now here's the sun, it's alright! now here's the moon, it's alright! (Lies!)
now here's the sun, it's alright! now here's the moon, it's alright!(Lies!)
but everytime you close your eyes, lies!
 
Truly, a great album and a great sound. I just don’t know words to describe it. Here’s another song, one of the band members is of Haitian descending.


--Haiti

Haiti, mon pays,
wounded mother I’ll never see.
Ma famille set me free.
Throw my ashes into the sea.
Mes cousins jamais nes
hantent les nuits de Duvalier.
Rien n’arrete nos espirits.
Guns can’t kill what soldiers can’t see.
In the forest we are hiding,
unmarked graves where flowers grow.
Hear the soldiers angry yelling,
in the river we will go.
Tous les morts-nes forment une armee,
soon we will reclaim the earth.
All the tears and all the bodies
bring about our second birth.
Haiti, never free,
n’aie pas peur de sonner l’alarme.
Tes enfants sont partis,
in those days their blood was still warm.


-- Haiti (english)

Haiti, my country
Wounded mother I’ll never see
My family set me free
Throw my ashes into the sea
My never-born cousins haunt the nights of Duvalier
Nothing stops our spirits
Guns can’t kill what solders can’t see
In the forest we are hiding
Unmarked graves where flowers grow
Hear the soldiers angry yelling
In the river we will go
All the stillborn form an army
Soon we will reclaim the earth
All the tears and all the bodies
Bring about our second birth
Haiti, never free, don’t be scared to ring the bell
Your kids are gone
In those days their blood was still warm
 
I heard their latest song "Intervention" on the radio and it was one of those rare instances where I pulled the car over, stopped the engine and listened. Release of their new album will be in early March.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2ZokV22xgA&NR

The king’s taken back the throne
The useless seed is sown
Then they say they’re cutting off the phone.
I tell ‘em you're not home

No place to hide
You were fighting as a solider on their side
You’re still a soldier in your mind
Though nothin’s on the line

Say it’s money that we need
As if there were only mouths to feed
And knowing no matter what you say
There’s some debts you’ll never pay

Working for the church while you family dies
You take what they give you
And you keep it inside
Every spark of friendship and love
Will die without a home

Hear the soldier groan
"We'll go it alone."

I can taste the fear
Lift me up and take me outta here
Don’t wanna fight, don’t wanna die
Just wanna hear you cry

Who’s gonna throw the very first stone?
Oh, who’s gonna reset the bone?
Walkin’ with your head in a sling
Wanna hear the soldier sing:

"Been working for the church while my family dies
Your little baby sister’s gonna lose her mind
Every spark of friendship and love
Will die without a home."

Hear the soldier groan,
"We’ll go at it alone."

I can taste you fear
It’s gonna lift you up and take you outta hear
And the bone shall never heal
And I cannot make you kneel

We can’t find you now
But they’re gonna get their money back somehow
And when you finally disappear
Will they say you were never here?

You’re workin’ for the church while your life falls apart
Singin’ “Hallelujah
 
So....... I have the new Arcade Fire album, "Neon Bible". My favourite song so far is My Body is a Cage, which goes along the lines of this.....perhaps?

"You are asleep and you are in a prison. You need to realise this intellectually and emotionally and to begin to work towards escaping the terror of the situation. Only a few may escape, many have no wish to, and besides injustice is the rule and justice the exception in this world."

Song on Youtube with a Spaghetti Western clip by a Youtube user. Two minutes, ten seconds in, the pipe organs are majestic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyp34v6Lmcc

My body is a cage
That keeps me from dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key

My body is a cage
That keeps me from dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key

I'm standing on the stage
Of fear and self-doubt
It's a hollow play
But they'll clap anyway

My body is a cage
That keeps me from dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key

Standing next to me
My mind holds the key

I'm living in an age
That calls darkness light
Though my language is dead
Still the shapes fill my head

I'm living in an age
Whose name I don't know
Though the fear keeps me moving
Still my heart beats so slow

My body is a cage
That keeps me from dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key

Standing next to me
My mind holds the key

My body is a . . .

My body is a cage
We take what we're given
Just because you've forgotten, that don't mean you're forgiven

I'm living in an age
Still turning in the night
But when I get to the doorway
There's no one in sight

I'm living in an age
Realizing I'm dancing
With the one I love
But my mind holds the key

You're still next to me
My mind holds the key
Set my spirit free
Set my spirit free
Set my body free
Set my body free
Woo!
Set my spirit free
Set my body free
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
 
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