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Innocence, it don't come easy, in a sense it never will
Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed
So I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's going
And he points to his survival, and he points me down the road
And I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey where
I went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there
And a punter from the Pelhams and the police in the rain
Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed
But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul counting down the hours 'til it goes
And precautions, yes precautions
But if you're playing with a gun, well you could kill someone
And in the dark it's hard to know a friend
But I'm not angry, I won't be forever angry
As I'm walking toward tomorrow with a rifle in my hand
And I'm thinking about new England, and I'm missing old Japan
And a mountain in California where a spring runs hot and cold
And if I told you I felt ageless, would you tell me I'm not old?
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes | zzx8CWdM7qkxKQpC | 3530822107858518857 | reading through the whole lyrics, it seems like they're talking about the destructive impact people have on the world. "Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed"we're too ignorant to see what we're doing to everyone or everything, and we don't know that it's us so we just consider it an accident. especially in the last few lines.."And I'm thinking about New England, and I'm missing old Japan"it seems like they're looking back at when everything was pure and civil. the "old japan" may refer to the point in time when the eastern asians had their own culture before the imperialistic era. connecting it to "new england," when england created towns and whatnot in this new world and "civilized" people came over to occupy it, fits the whole argument since he misses old japan when he thinks about new england. i don't know if any of that made sense..lilaznaliceon June 25, 2006 LinkNo Replies Log in to replyThere was an error. |
Innocence, it don't come easy, in a sense it never will
Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed
So I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's going
And he points to his survival, and he points me down the road
And I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey where
I went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there
And a punter from the Pelhams and the police in the rain
Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed
But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul counting down the hours 'til it goes
And precautions, yes precautions
But if you're playing with a gun, well you could kill someone
And in the dark it's hard to know a friend
But I'm not angry, I won't be forever angry
As I'm walking toward tomorrow with a rifle in my hand
And I'm thinking about new England, and I'm missing old Japan
And a mountain in California where a spring runs hot and cold
And if I told you I felt ageless, would you tell me I'm not old?
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes | zzx8CWdM7qkxKQpC | 3530822107858518857 | i dont think anyone has suggested this yet, but ive always thought of the line about missing old japan as a reference to world war ii and the dropping of the atomic bombs as the ultimate symbol of the destructiveness of wardutchrunneron December 16, 2006 LinkNo Replies Log in to replyThere was an error. |
Innocence, it don't come easy, in a sense it never will
Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed
So I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's going
And he points to his survival, and he points me down the road
And I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey where
I went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there
And a punter from the Pelhams and the police in the rain
Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed
But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul counting down the hours 'til it goes
And precautions, yes precautions
But if you're playing with a gun, well you could kill someone
And in the dark it's hard to know a friend
But I'm not angry, I won't be forever angry
As I'm walking toward tomorrow with a rifle in my hand
And I'm thinking about new England, and I'm missing old Japan
And a mountain in California where a spring runs hot and cold
And if I told you I felt ageless, would you tell me I'm not old?
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes | zzx8CWdM7qkxKQpC | 3530822107858518857 | i dont think anyone has suggested this yet, but ive always thought of the line about missing old japan as a reference to world war ii and the dropping of the atomic bombs as the ultimate symbol of the destructiveness of wardutchrunneron December 16, 2006 LinkNo Replies Log in to replyThere was an error. |
Innocence, it don't come easy, in a sense it never will
Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed
So I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's going
And he points to his survival, and he points me down the road
And I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey where
I went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there
And a punter from the Pelhams and the police in the rain
Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed
But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul counting down the hours 'til it goes
And precautions, yes precautions
But if you're playing with a gun, well you could kill someone
And in the dark it's hard to know a friend
But I'm not angry, I won't be forever angry
As I'm walking toward tomorrow with a rifle in my hand
And I'm thinking about new England, and I'm missing old Japan
And a mountain in California where a spring runs hot and cold
And if I told you I felt ageless, would you tell me I'm not old?
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes | zzx8CWdM7qkxKQpC | 3530822107858518857 | I doubt this is what Ted Leo meant, but the line about Japan makes me think of people missing the days when wars (i.e. WWII) were fought against a clear-cut enemy, a specific nation, rather than the faceless shadow known as Terror. Also, in those days Americans were united in the war effort instead of being harshly divided as in Vietnam or Iraq. benjam326on February 06, 2007 LinkNo Replies Log in to replyThere was an error. |
Innocence, it don't come easy, in a sense it never will
Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed
So I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's going
And he points to his survival, and he points me down the road
And I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey where
I went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there
And a punter from the Pelhams and the police in the rain
Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed
But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul counting down the hours 'til it goes
And precautions, yes precautions
But if you're playing with a gun, well you could kill someone
And in the dark it's hard to know a friend
But I'm not angry, I won't be forever angry
As I'm walking toward tomorrow with a rifle in my hand
And I'm thinking about new England, and I'm missing old Japan
And a mountain in California where a spring runs hot and cold
And if I told you I felt ageless, would you tell me I'm not old?
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes | zzx8CWdM7qkxKQpC | 3530822107858518857 | This song is amazing in every way. People who listen to top 40 love it because it's catchy while it's lyrically superior to anything on the radio. It's also quite universal. It doesn't require interpretation because it means something different to everyone and none of it is incorrect. lbizon March 27, 2007 LinkNo Replies Log in to replyThere was an error. |
Innocence, it don't come easy, in a sense it never will
Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed
So I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's going
And he points to his survival, and he points me down the road
And I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey where
I went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there
And a punter from the Pelhams and the police in the rain
Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed
But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul counting down the hours 'til it goes
And precautions, yes precautions
But if you're playing with a gun, well you could kill someone
And in the dark it's hard to know a friend
But I'm not angry, I won't be forever angry
As I'm walking toward tomorrow with a rifle in my hand
And I'm thinking about new England, and I'm missing old Japan
And a mountain in California where a spring runs hot and cold
And if I told you I felt ageless, would you tell me I'm not old?
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes | zzx8CWdM7qkxKQpC | 3530822107858518857 | negatyve hit the nail on the head basically, but i always took "and if i told you i felt ageless, would you tell me i'm not old?" to be ted, after getting over his sadness regarding the war, and hyping himself up by thinking about globalization/imperialism (new england/old japan), and the destruction of he natural world (mountain in california), asking somebody if he's too old to still be combating these things, because he doesn't feel that way. jeremyhon December 06, 2008 LinkNo Replies Log in to replyThere was an error. |
Innocence, it don't come easy, in a sense it never will
Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed
So I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's going
And he points to his survival, and he points me down the road
And I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey where
I went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there
And a punter from the Pelhams and the police in the rain
Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed
But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul counting down the hours 'til it goes
And precautions, yes precautions
But if you're playing with a gun, well you could kill someone
And in the dark it's hard to know a friend
But I'm not angry, I won't be forever angry
As I'm walking toward tomorrow with a rifle in my hand
And I'm thinking about new England, and I'm missing old Japan
And a mountain in California where a spring runs hot and cold
And if I told you I felt ageless, would you tell me I'm not old?
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes | zzx8CWdM7qkxKQpC | 3530822107858518857 | I may be completely off here but I took this entire song to be a display of police over-stepping their boundaries. The "story of detainees" are what he heard from people who he shared the backseat of a cop car with, "Precautions...playing with a gun" explains the power police have and how easy it is to be abused, and I felt "I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting line their doves/But not with interference from the power lines above," was supposed to mean that police attempting to "keep the peace," but are really pointless in their duties is understandable actions from a human, but when the state(power lines above) make it your duty to respect such a gross over-statement of power, it becomes much harder to accept. mofloon June 18, 2011 LinkNo Replies Log in to replyThere was an error. |
Innocence, it don't come easy, in a sense it never will
Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed
So I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's going
And he points to his survival, and he points me down the road
And I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey where
I went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there
And a punter from the Pelhams and the police in the rain
Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed
But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul counting down the hours 'til it goes
And precautions, yes precautions
But if you're playing with a gun, well you could kill someone
And in the dark it's hard to know a friend
But I'm not angry, I won't be forever angry
As I'm walking toward tomorrow with a rifle in my hand
And I'm thinking about new England, and I'm missing old Japan
And a mountain in California where a spring runs hot and cold
And if I told you I felt ageless, would you tell me I'm not old?
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes | zzx8CWdM7qkxKQpC | 3530822107858518857 | Although there are obviously infinite ways to interpret a song, I've interpreted a couple of the lines in terms of war protest considering that it is a running theme of many Ted Leo lyrics. "Innocence, it don't come easy - in a sense it never willAccidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed"The first two lines can generally mean the tone of diplomacy and international relations during a tragedy. Many people will try to simplify problems by trying to designate one party as innocent while the other party is the complete cause. However as indicated by the first line, few will be competely innocent; most nations involved in a conflict will each have had a contribution to creating said conflict. As it relates to the current state of the US, Americans might want to pin all the blame on Saddam and Osama as reasoning for the tragedies that have occured in the War on Terror, however the United States has its own share of guilt. "Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed"This line describes those who care more about the means and method, rather than the plain facts about whether or not it can happen; he car represents a way to achieve a goal, while the (stop)light represents its plausibility. That could be a reference to the government's readiness to enter Iraq: while the Bush Administration crows about how it will instate democracy and bring freedon to a former dictatorship, it seems that there was little forethought about how the American version of democracy could ever be integrated into Iraqi culture. The car could also simply represent materialism of most Americans, whereas the light represents their goals and direction. "But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive"As some people have already mentioned, this refers to prisoners of the War on Terror who have been reportedly tortured in prison camps. "I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're dovesBut not with interference from the power line |
Innocence, it don't come easy, in a sense it never will
Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed
So I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's going
And he points to his survival, and he points me down the road
And I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey where
I went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there
And a punter from the Pelhams and the police in the rain
Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed
But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul counting down the hours 'til it goes
And precautions, yes precautions
But if you're playing with a gun, well you could kill someone
And in the dark it's hard to know a friend
But I'm not angry, I won't be forever angry
As I'm walking toward tomorrow with a rifle in my hand
And I'm thinking about new England, and I'm missing old Japan
And a mountain in California where a spring runs hot and cold
And if I told you I felt ageless, would you tell me I'm not old?
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes | zzx8CWdM7qkxKQpC | 3530822107858518857 | Negatyve is 100% right about the Mr. Mellor line. The song is actually about Ted reconciling his feelings on the war and the world around him and finding the strength to carry on. Here's a quote from an interview he did:There's a real legitimate question, "What's the point?" and I've certainly asked myself that, on this trip actually. Sometimes it just gets to be such an insane grind and you're not getting the feedback that helps you keep your own energy and momentum up. And you're just like "what is the point, man?" ya know? George Bush just won the election again. People are dying left and right. You're burning gas on the high way and making more petroleum products for people to stick in their cd players, what's the point? In many more words than that I put that question on my website and within 3 hours I got hundreds of emails from people who were like "There's a point, and you're making that point and you better keep making that point" and I was like "ok". Maybe I don't know what the point is necessarily and maybe that's the only point, that it's not about effecting things on such a grand scale that the grand scale artists try to effect things on. What it's about is establishing connection and community among individuals. It's not about stopping a war, it's about helping each other live through a war. Durrution December 12, 2006 LinkNo Replies Log in to replyThere was an error. |
Innocence, it don't come easy, in a sense it never will
Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed
So I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's going
And he points to his survival, and he points me down the road
And I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey where
I went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there
And a punter from the Pelhams and the police in the rain
Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed
But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul counting down the hours 'til it goes
And precautions, yes precautions
But if you're playing with a gun, well you could kill someone
And in the dark it's hard to know a friend
But I'm not angry, I won't be forever angry
As I'm walking toward tomorrow with a rifle in my hand
And I'm thinking about new England, and I'm missing old Japan
And a mountain in California where a spring runs hot and cold
And if I told you I felt ageless, would you tell me I'm not old?
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes | zzx8CWdM7qkxKQpC | 3530822107858518857 | ted leo used to live in japan and new england, to clear that part up. he may have referenced something else there also but i think it's just that simple. "if i told you i felt ageless, would you tell me i'm not old?" is probably my favorite line in the song. it's just about being carefree and not attached to anything like a name, age etc (ageless), and someone telling them they're not old, so they know whatever age they are, it doesn't matter, because they're not going to die soon anyway. like, whatever my age is, at least i'm not old. also "innocence it don't come easy, in a sense it never will" is a really powerful opener to a song. aside from the meaning pertaining to war protest it has a lot of other meaning in life in general. it's hard to be innocent only because it's hard to stay innocent in our day and age. and then: in a sense, it never will become easier as the world progresses, or, as one's life progresses. kicks4545on March 21, 2007 LinkNo Replies Log in to replyThere was an error. |
Innocence, it don't come easy, in a sense it never will
Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed
So I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's going
And he points to his survival, and he points me down the road
And I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey where
I went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there
And a punter from the Pelhams and the police in the rain
Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed
But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul counting down the hours 'til it goes
And precautions, yes precautions
But if you're playing with a gun, well you could kill someone
And in the dark it's hard to know a friend
But I'm not angry, I won't be forever angry
As I'm walking toward tomorrow with a rifle in my hand
And I'm thinking about new England, and I'm missing old Japan
And a mountain in California where a spring runs hot and cold
And if I told you I felt ageless, would you tell me I'm not old?
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes | zzx8CWdM7qkxKQpC | 3530822107858518857 | "Innocence, it don't come easy - in a sense it never willAccidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killedSo I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's goingAnd he points to his survival, and he points me down the road,and I go on." The only famous Mr. Mellor I could think of was David Mellor (who was called "Mr. Mellor" in the tabloids at the time), a UK heritage minister who had an affair with this actress, Antonia de Sancha. There's a decent summary at news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/24/newsid_2529000/…, it's basically a guy who had a scandal and bowed out to avoid further embarrassment, in a time when his political party went through a huge string of scandals. So in the context of the song, it kind of makes sense. Mr. Mellor went through a scandal and apologized, stopped what he was doing, and basically went into soccer journalism, taking his lesson in stride. Contrast that to the Bush administration who was waging a war amidst all kinds of public outcry, and never once backed down. Ted Leo, as an American citizen, asked Mr. Mellor how people get through these kinds of scandals, where everyone knows you've done an incredibly stupid thing, and Mr. Mellor basically shows how he got through it: taking the blame, but then moving on with his life. cnvandevon September 02, 2010 LinkNo Replies Log in to replyThere was an error. |
Innocence, it don't come easy, in a sense it never will
Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed
So I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's going
And he points to his survival, and he points me down the road
And I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey where
I went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there
And a punter from the Pelhams and the police in the rain
Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed
But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul counting down the hours 'til it goes
And precautions, yes precautions
But if you're playing with a gun, well you could kill someone
And in the dark it's hard to know a friend
But I'm not angry, I won't be forever angry
As I'm walking toward tomorrow with a rifle in my hand
And I'm thinking about new England, and I'm missing old Japan
And a mountain in California where a spring runs hot and cold
And if I told you I felt ageless, would you tell me I'm not old?
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes | zzx8CWdM7qkxKQpC | 3530822107858518857 | I'm thinking this song is about him trying to deal with the international attitude towards the US after the war in Iraq, the invasion of Afghanistan, or just America in general in 2001. For Americans traveling internationally in the first half of this decade (as Ted Leo probably was, being a touring musician), it was kind of a sore spot, and a point of embarrassment for Americans who didn't support the war but remained citizens while it was happening, since they were essentially representing their countries abroad. People would ask them questions about did they support it, how could they let it happen, etc. "Innocence, it don't come easy - in a sense it never willAccidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killedSo I asked our Mr. Mellor how one gets to where one's goingAnd he points to his survival, and he points me down the roadAs I go on"It was basically like living with a scandal, hence the reference to David Mellor and Ted Leo asking for help to get on with his life after this kind of embarrassment. He's wondering if he has a soul, being proud of his country and wishing to remain a citizen, but still counting down the hours until the world can forgive him and his country. "On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey whereI went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there"April and New Jersey might have some kind of significance which I'm not picking up...same with writing on a street. Somebody else help me out with this one...? "And a punter from the Pelhams and the police, in the rain,Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changedBut after listening all morning, as I drove down 95To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive"The Pelhams is a nickname for Westchester County, a suburban area north of New York City which has mainly middle and upper-class people; it's a really affluent area, home to Bill Clinton, etc. 95 is the I-95, the main US interstate highway that goes on the east coast. A punter could be a kicker in football or, what I'm thin |
Innocence, it don't come easy, in a sense it never will
Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed
So I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's going
And he points to his survival, and he points me down the road
And I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey where
I went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there
And a punter from the Pelhams and the police in the rain
Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed
But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul counting down the hours 'til it goes
And precautions, yes precautions
But if you're playing with a gun, well you could kill someone
And in the dark it's hard to know a friend
But I'm not angry, I won't be forever angry
As I'm walking toward tomorrow with a rifle in my hand
And I'm thinking about new England, and I'm missing old Japan
And a mountain in California where a spring runs hot and cold
And if I told you I felt ageless, would you tell me I'm not old?
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes | zzx8CWdM7qkxKQpC | 3530822107858518857 | I'm thinking this song is about him trying to deal with the international attitude towards the US after the war in Iraq, the invasion of Afghanistan, or just America in general in 2001. For Americans traveling internationally in the first half of this decade (as Ted Leo probably was, being a touring musician), it was kind of a sore spot, and a point of embarrassment for Americans who didn't support the war but remained citizens while it was happening, since they were essentially representing their countries abroad. People would ask them questions about did they support it, how could they let it happen, etc. "Innocence, it don't come easy - in a sense it never willAccidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killedSo I asked our Mr. Mellor how one gets to where one's goingAnd he points to his survival, and he points me down the roadAs I go on"It was basically like living with a scandal, hence the reference to David Mellor and Ted Leo asking for help to get on with his life after this kind of embarrassment. He's wondering if he has a soul, being proud of his country and wishing to remain a citizen, but still counting down the hours until the world can forgive him and his country. "On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey whereI went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there"April and New Jersey might have some kind of significance which I'm not picking up...same with writing on a street. Somebody else help me out with this one...? "And a punter from the Pelhams and the police, in the rain,Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changedBut after listening all morning, as I drove down 95To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive"The Pelhams is a nickname for Westchester County, a suburban area north of New York City which has mainly middle and upper-class people; it's a really affluent area, home to Bill Clinton, etc. 95 is the I-95, the main US interstate highway that goes on the east coast. A punter could be a kicker in football or, what I'm thin |
Innocence, it don't come easy, in a sense it never will
Accidents mean no one's guilty, ignorance means someone's killed
So I asked our Mr. Mellor how to get to where one's going
And he points to his survival, and he points me down the road
And I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On a dark wet night in April, on a street in Jersey where
I went looking for some writing that I knew would not be there
And a punter from the Pelhams and the police in the rain
Were concerned more with a car than with the fact the light had changed
But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul counting down the hours 'til it goes
And precautions, yes precautions
But if you're playing with a gun, well you could kill someone
And in the dark it's hard to know a friend
But I'm not angry, I won't be forever angry
As I'm walking toward tomorrow with a rifle in my hand
And I'm thinking about new England, and I'm missing old Japan
And a mountain in California where a spring runs hot and cold
And if I told you I felt ageless, would you tell me I'm not old?
'Cause I go on and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes
On and on to lead a light low
Wondering if I've got a soul and counting down the hours 'til it goes | zzx8CWdM7qkxKQpC | 3530822107858518857 | Just wanted to offer up another explanation of what seems to be the lyric most commented on here: "I can deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves, but not with interference from the power lines above". The line before mentions that he's listening to the story on the radio while driving down the highway. Seems like a quick little commentary on the general American disassociation of getting more angry about the radio cutting out than the story being told. Dealing with America mistreating prisoners (pigeons acting like they're doves - claiming we're righteous good guys while acting in the opposite manner) somehow doesn't illicit an appropriate emotional response. But the damn radio cutting out is absolutely f*cking obnoxious. Stupid power lines. katharticdrummeron May 04, 2012 LinkNo Replies Log in to replyThere was an error. |
It's the price I guess
for the lies I've told
that the truth, it no longer thrills me
Why can't we laugh,
when it's all we have?
Have we put these childish things away?
Have we lost the magic that we once had?
In the end, in the end,
there's nothing more to life than love, is there?
In the end, in the end,
it's time for us to lose our weary minds.
Will you dance with me,
like we used to dance,
and remember how to move together.
You are the torch,
and it all makes sense.
I've waited here for you forever
I've waited here for you forever
In the end, in the end,
there's nothing more to life than love, is there?
In the end, in the end,
it's time for us to lose our weary minds.
We're lost 'til we learn how to ask
We're lost 'til we learn how to ask
We are lost'til we learn how to ask
So please, please, just ask
In the end, in the end,
there's nothing more to life than love, is there?
In the end, in the end,
it's time for us to lose our weary minds.
There's nothing more to life than love, is there? | zzzwh2ktIWjsR7xp | 3530822107858886892 | Love Gary. Love the band. First time hearing this song; I just listened to it via YouTube. I think it's about someone who wants things to be as they were (fun; light-hearted; easy; etc) before lies got in between the two people. S/he doesn't wish to hear the truth because it's painful and not easy. Keeping things light is much more comfortable (and comforting). It's the "magic" s/he wants....those good feelings s/he felt in the past before the truth got in the way. Great song...really good lyrics and feel. |