Why's it surreal...

[ycartrob]

Why's it surreal when my hands feel they cant roll the dice?

that one always gets me.

[The DARK]

What does that line really mean? I never really understood it...  :-/

[billybluebeard]

What does that line really mean? I never really understood it...  :-/

It's a mystery... I guess. ::)

[sweatboard]

It could obviously be taken many diffrent ways, but it seems to me in some sense like he's talking about his will to be in charge of his own destiny.  Which would match up with "Why are we so loud when we say it won't happen to us"  Kind of a fuck you to feeling powerless.  Just the fact that the singer is singing is proof enough in itself that he is not powerless.  A meaning that Jim understands and that we inturn understand when Jim sings.  

[Coltrane]

oh no....i've gone cross-eyed....

[MMJ_fanatic]

my first favorite MMJ song

[megisnotreal]

whenever i find myself getting depressed/ feeling desolate, i listen to this song, and all the shitty feelings melt away.

[LET_THE_FETUS_ROCK]

There is something verry sunny and cheerful about  this song, good for my blues.

[tomEisenbraun]

It could obviously be taken many diffrent ways, but it seems to me in some sense like he's talking about his will to be in charge of his own destiny.  Which would match up with "Why are we so loud when we say it won't happen to us"  Kind of a fuck you to feeling powerless.  Just the fact that the singer is singing is proof enough in itself that he is not powerless.  A meaning that Jim understands and that we inturn understand when Jim sings.  

i've always heard it exactly opposite, as kind of the ultimate irony. "why're it so soft when the cannons unload on the others/why's it so loud when we say it won't happen to us". kind of that thing where you don't hear a thing until it happens to you, and then you're deafened by it so you can't hear anything else except that last blast that changed your life. i always hear it as a salute to our constant irony as human beings, and the fact that we're so damn strong until proven otherwise. and when we're proven otherwise, we're taken to our knees by it.

but that's just how i've always heard it. that context of the cannons helps bring out that line though, and the power of it through using the whole idea of cannons. i could ramble on, but i think it doesn't need anymore delving than that, and its all personal thought and your interpretation blah-dy blah.

[sweatboard]

Why're we so loud when we say it wont happen to us?

big diffrence in "Why's IT so loud"


I don't know, I understand what your saying, but you have a diffrent version of what he's saying than I do.  Being Loud when saying "it won't happen to us" is a contrast to the loudness of a bomb but, by saying "why are WE" it seems he's pointing at the idea of some interanal strength rather than the strength of something external.  

[tomEisenbraun]

i see what you're saying, but in the fact that he's asking that question, i still feel that irony being pushed at. and after the lyric screw-up, i think it still fits. that part always makes me sad, because i feel like it perfectly embodies ignorantly blissful youthful independence/invincibility, andthe realization that it's gonna be broken no matter how hard you push to embrace it. even if you're loud as hell, you're still gonna die someday, and you have to grow up and understand your weaknesses someday.

and to diverge from this topic almost completely, i think that's one of life's most important lessons is learning that you aren't invincible. i think this song embodies it for me in that lyric, but i think too many people take too long to know that they are indeed going to die. not that they think that they won't, just that they never actually stop to take time to realize that they can and eventually will. it's humbling, and it's not necessarily, especially in the way some of us are forced into our realizations of it, but it is a very real and necessary part of our lives and is certainly something that everyone ought to experience.

[BH]

i see what you're saying, but in the fact that he's asking that question, i still feel that irony being pushed at. and after the lyric screw-up, i think it still fits. that part always makes me sad, because i feel like it perfectly embodies ignorantly blissful youthful independence/invincibility, andthe realization that it's gonna be broken no matter how hard you push to embrace it. even if you're loud as hell, you're still gonna die someday, and you have to grow up and understand your weaknesses someday.

and to diverge from this topic almost completely, i think that's one of life's most important lessons is learning that you aren't invincible. i think this song embodies it for me in that lyric, but i think too many people take too long to know that they are indeed going to die. not that they think that they won't, just that they never actually stop to take time to realize that they can and eventually will. it's humbling, and it's not necessarily, especially in the way some of us are forced into our realizations of it, but it is a very real and necessary part of our lives and is certainly something that everyone ought to experience.

Hey, I thought you banned yourself from any further Jacket Lyric Analysis. ;)

Just kiddin', I've missed your posts. :)

[primushead]

Tom does write some great lyric analysis.  That's fo' sho'.

[ycartrob]

Why's it surreal when my hands feel they cant roll the dice?

that one always gets me.

This lyric is about Jim James coming into one with the word of Christ (The Way that He Sings) and not being able to masturbate (rolling the dice) due to guilt and faith.

[primushead]

 ;D ;D ;D ;D

[cmccubbin@work]

Why's it surreal when my hands feel they cant roll the dice?

that one always gets me.

This lyric is about Jim James coming into one with the word of Christ (The Way that He Sings) and not being able to masturbate (rolling the dice) due to guilt and faith.

Jim doesn't have to masturbate...he is a Guitar God now...he's got people that do that for him

[primushead]

So...he's got people?

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

trust me, you don't want anyone from that place masturbating anyone.  (shivers)

[primushead]

Hehehe...bad visuals John?

[cmccubbin@work]

So...he's got people?

ha ha...i was totally thinking that when i wrote that.

Jim's definitely got people...