About Anne Dalmadge Expertise I can Answer any questions about lyrics, songs, albums, or pretty much any questions about the band, but my strong subject is lyrics and songs.
Experience I have been an avid Dave listener for four years, my brother got me into his music, we went to his last concert here together, I have all of his albums including Boyd's True Reflections, and can name almost all of his songs when i hear only about ten seconds or less of them.
Question i was wondering if there was a website with the meaning behind all of daves songs and if not i was wondering if you could name a few songs that you knew the meaning of and contact me with the meaning
Answer There is no website that tells what songs means, all you can realyl do is ask someone's opinion or try to figure it out for yourself, Dave doesn't talk alot about his songs and what they mean, but occasionally he does. Well, I've included song meanings I've answered in the past, if there is any specific song not in here feel free to ask. If there are personal notes I forgot to take out pertaining to another question, just ignore it.
Dreaming Tree: As for interpretation, I think its about change. Like when he says "no matter what the world, you'll always be my baby" and "Mommy come quick the dreaming tree has died" But also the first verse, "Funny how progress takes away, what forever took to find." going back to the Dreaming tree dying, aka, change, I think the Dreaming Tree symbolizes youth, memories, and forever holding onto those memories. There is also a part with the girl "from the start, she knew she had made, easy up till then, for sure she'd make the grade, adorers came in hordes, to lay down in her wake, gave it all she had, but treasures slowly faded, now she's falling hard, feels the falling dark, how did this come apart? She drinks to fill it up, a smile of sweetest flowers, wilted so and sours, black tears stain the cheeks, that once so admired." He talks about change in a certain girl's life, going from good to bad. Then he talks about dependency "oh, if I had the strength to, I would leave you all, to your own devices, would you not fall, can you take pity, this thing I do." he's talking about someone either being dependent on him, or thinking or feeling the need to have someone be dependent on him. Then dependency on someone else "help me, save me, take me back, please." But, he pretty much says everything in the song.
The Stone: is one of my favorites, I think its about even through all the darkness of life, there is always one glimmer of light, and in this case, the glimmer of light in Dave's darkness is love, and he talks about wanting this love, but if it is not returned, it's ok.
Two step: I think, is about living your life to its fullest, not forgetting that life is short, but good, and to not take that for granted.
#41: I think it's about trying to get past your troubles, and moving on, forgetting about them, and not letting them get you down.
Where are you going: I think he's talking about someone feeling down, "Where are you going, with your long face" and he's inquiring to what is bothering this person, I think he's trying to say that even though he doesn't have any answers for whoever this, he's no superman, nothing spectacular, "I am no superman
I have no answers for you
I am no hero, oh that's for sure”
And then he talks about how he wants to go with this person, and he feels that where they are, is where he belongs
“But I do know one thing for sure
Is where you are, is where I belong
I do know, where you go, is where I want to be", but whoever it is that's feeling down, he'll be there and help in any way he can, and he is always going to be there for that person, no matter what, and especially when they are feeling down "If along the way you are growing weary, you can rest with me until a brighter day" and then he says he'll go with them on the journey, "Where are you going?
Where do you go?
Let's go."
And then he comes in with what I see as a very deep meaning, when he says, "If along the way you are growing weary, you can rest with me until a brighter day" he is saying that no matter what, he will be here for this person on their journey, wherever it may be to.
Weight of the World
I think it's kind of a religious song, when he talks about,
"On governments and police we build a book,
Of how the things we know should be,"
I think he's referring to the bible. And also in the line,
"So when a man comes with a difference,
A woman comes with an idea,
We crush it down to nothing in the fear that we will lose it,
Open up the books,
I'm guilty of it, too,
Just like all of us,
The information flies without us through,"
I'm not sure why I think this is a bible reference, I guess the part about opening up the book, maybe going to the bible for spiritual guidance, he then has a sort of thanks to his mother in there,
"Oh mother everything good I've gained I've gained from you,
Oh and mother everything I know I've learned from you, oh,"
and again, I see another bible reference,
"I read a book of a man most worshipped,
A man who most worshipped,
For ideas and for the birth of freedom he showed,
Well, in, oh, in twenty years,
He begged the revolutions come,"
We also see a common reference to a well known American song by school children,
"This land is your land,
This land is my land,
From California to New York Island,
From the redwood forest,
To the Gulf Stream waters,
This land belongs to you and me,"
And with in the bible references, there is also talk about love, as are in most of Dave's songs.
Some Devil: I think it's about letting someone go, when he says, "One last kiss one only
Then I'll let you go"
And telling this person how he feels about them, "Hard for you I've fallen
But you can't break my fall"
And he also talks about this person being either a devil or an angel, "Some devil some angel
Has got me to the bones"
And he also talks about how he understands now why they are leaving each other,
"You said always and forever
Now I believe you baby
You said always and forever
Is such a long and lonely time"
But of course, it could mean whatever you think it means.
Warehouse: I think it's about memories, and a place, the warehouse, is where the memories are kept, and you can always go back to the warehouse to revisit these memories. He talks about change, "The black cat's changing colors, but its not the colors that matter, but that they all fade away." He talks about going with the changes that come his way, "Keep all your sights on
The black cat changing colors
I can walk under ladders
And swim as the tides choose to turn me" How he can't stop them, because, "Life goes on." And then we see him talk about going to the warehouse with these memories, "My love I love to stay here
In the warehouse"
Grey Street: Well, the colors stand for excitement, emotion, when he talks about how hard she tries to turn her life around, it's about finding hope, in these so called colors. So basically the colors are a metaphor for hanging onto life, by changing your grey to color, you're saving yourself.
Seek Up: it's a very emotional song, with the obvious "you seek up an emotion and your cup is overflowing" He talks about his emotions, and hoe strong they are "Sometimes I feel like I'm falling, fall back again."
He's got great meaning in this song about an ethical struggle, between what we believe and what we see, probably mostly focusing no religion, and other "blind" faiths, "Oh, life it seems a struggle between
What we think what we see
I'm not going to change my ways
Just to please you or appease you
Inside a crowd, five billion proud
Willing to punch it out
Right, wrong, weak, strong"
Talks about how he won't conform to any other person's beliefs, just to please them. And he says to basically forget everything you are being told, and do whatever you want, "Forget about the reasons and
The treasons we are seeking
Forget about the notion that
Our emotions can be swept away" That's my take on it.
Let You Down: I'm not sure who it was written for in particualr, but I'm sure he wrote it for someone, Dave writes like, 80% of his songs off his personal experience, if not all of them. He could be refering to anything in his life when he says he "let you down" could be a love, or his father, or his sister, he's never talked about it in an interview, so I'm not really sure, but those are my thoughts on it.
Lover Lay Down: About, most likely a long distance relationship, telling his love he will wait for her no matter what. And asking her to wait for him, for the day when they will meet again.
Ants Marching: It's basically about the dregs of everyday life "he wakes up in the morning...never changing a thing, the week ends, the week begins" and basically about how we are all lemmnigs, or ants "all the little ants go marching", also about mixing together, and acting the same all though we are different (dave's quaker roots showing) "Red and black antennas waving, They all do it the same" like I said, about the everyday drag throughs of life we experience when we crawl out of bed every morning.
Mother Father: It's about all the time basically, like, its not just pertaining to one specific event, but our world, and how something so beautiful can have so many things wrong with it, and when he's referring to mother father, I think he's referring to God.
Proudest Monkey: Well, personally, I think its about being different, getting away from the crowd, and to stop being just another monkey, basically, stop being a lemming, and do what you want, stand out in the crowd. But, people will start to follow ("monkey see, monkey do") and about chosing paths in life "Then comes the day
Staring at myself I turn to question me
I wonder do I want the simple,
simple life that I once lived in well
Oh things were quiet then
In a way they were the better days" And about being happy with the decision "But now I am the proudest monkey
you've ever seen"
Rapunzel” the song "Rapunzel" is describing a fellatio.
Spoon: I think it's about looking at things on a smaller scale, instead of looking at the big picture, to take notice of everyday things from a religious standpoint (as well as non religious), and really noticing them, not just passing them off as we tend to, but that's just my opinion.
# 41: #41 is a great song, one of my favorites, I think it is about his sister Anne's death, if you look at the lyrics, it really makes sense to what happened.
One Sweet World: It's about camping.
Dancing Nancies: A dancing nancie (or nancy) is a slang term for a transvite prostitute in parts of France, Belgium, and Spain. The song was inspired while dave was in Zimbabwe.
Tripping Billies: is a drug reference, a billie is a slang term for a hallucinogenic, and tripping billies is to trip on this drug.
Save me: Is about Jesus walking through the desert.
