Iron Maiden- The Apparition
The Most Philosophical Song You Ever Heard
This may be a little too deeply personal for some, so reader discretion is advised. Don't know the reason, stayed here all season. Nothing to show but this brand new tattoo. But it's a real beauty, a Mexican cutie. How it got here I haven't a clue.
Blew out my flip-flop, stepped on a pop top, cut my heel had to cruise on back home. But there's booze in the blender and soon it will render that frozen concoction that helps me hang on.
Blew out my flip-flop, stepped on a pop top, cut my heel had to cruise on back home. But there's booze in the blender and soon it will render that frozen concoction that helps me hang on.
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Two songs off the top of my head: 1. The First Time - a love song hit in the 70s which was really a love song written in the 50s by a British man and great song writer, Ewan McCall for his life long partner Peggy Seegar, Pete's half sister. 2. And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda - especially as sung by Priscilla Herdman. It's an anti war song based on the World War 1 battle of Gallipoli, a terrible loss of lives caused by stupid generals. The words describe horror as the song proceeds and point out the futility of war as well as any song I've ever heard. Priscilla makes it especially terrifying as she has a beautiful voice and the contrast between her voice and the story only magnifies the lesson in the words. |
Guess the Band… When a problem comes along You must whip it Before the cream sits out too long You must whip it When something's going wrong You must whip it Now whip it Into shape Shape it up Get straight Go forward Move ahead Try to detect it It's not too late To whip it Whip it good Seems appropriate for the times… |
+1 John Lennon - Imagine Imagine by Lennon is the liberal love song. No God no heaven?Meets the OP “The Most Philosophical Song You Ever Heard”, don’t necessarily agree with the philosophy. If the OP means which lyrics spoke to one on a personal level, then that’s a different answer. |
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two come to mind...... ’Peace Piece’, Bill Evans......says it all with no words. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv2GgV34qIg ’Positively 4th Street’, Bob Dylan..... everyone thinks it’s about them. |
DMB (not sure if it is the "most" but it surely ranks) Standing here Below it he would sit Written by Guy Clark, performed by Lyle Lovett (this one also is at or near the top of my list)
Here's a book of poems I got |
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Just woke up and thought of a really good one...Eskimo Blue Day by Jefferson Airplane. Eskimo Blue Day (Remastered) - YouTube |
Okay, so first of all Millercarbon is right. I’m sorry, but he just is. Margaritaville is one of the greatest, and deeply meaningful songs ever written full of exquisite symbols, imagery, and metaphors. But, I would suggest I’d Love to Change the World by Ten Years After. Or Reflections of My Life by The Marmalade. Or Isn’t Life Strange by The Moody Blues. |
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A bit long winded but worth the read based on the questions. The song is... Dead Can Dance How Fortunate the Man with None You saw sagacious Solomon You know what came of him To him, complexities seemed plain He cursed the hour that gave birth to him And saw that everything was vain How great and wise was Solomon The world, however, did not wait But soon observed what followed on It's wisdom that had brought him to this state How fortunate the man with none You saw courageous Caesar next You know what he became They deified him in his life Then had him murdered just the same And as they raised the fatal knife How loud he cried "you to my son!" The world, however, did not wait But soon observed what followed on It's courage that had brought him to that state How fortunate the man with none You heard of honest Socrates The man who never lied They weren't so grateful as you'd think Instead the rulers fixed to have him tried And handed him the poisoned drink How honest was the people's noble son The world, however, did not wait But soon observed what followed on It's honesty that brought him to that state How fortunate the man with none Here you can see respectable folk Keeping to God's own laws So far he hasn't taken heed You who sit safe and warm indoors Help to relieve out bitter need How virtuously we had begun The world, however, did not wait But soon observed what followed on It's fear of God that brought us to that state How fortunate the man with none |
hilde452,541 posts10-07-2021 10:17pmIf anyone quotes a Doors song, I'm outta here. Five To One! |
Thanks to the Abominable Snowman for Monty Python's "Philosopher's Song." That belongs here in response to MC's OP—for its sarcasm. It has always seemed to me that skit's point was to poke fun at Australians. The Aussie philosophy department where everyone is called Bruce has departmental rules that include "This term I don't want to catch anyone not drinking." Chapman, Cleese and Idle all met at Cambridge, and all studied philosophy there. The pun that motivates this sketch, I take it, is a familiar English condescension toward those moronic Aussies, who have misunderstood and believe that philosophers are supposed to "drink" instead of "think." I teach a university course on "Philosophy and Music." But that's meant somewhat tongue in cheek, too, as it isn't at all clear that music has even a potential to be "philosophical" in any serious sense of the word. Still, Plato (and Pythagoras before him) believed that mathematical relations were audible in music and, as math expresses eternal Being (not the mere appearances of "becoming" in the realm of the senses, the shadow realm of the famous cave allegory), Plato considered music to be a very high form of philosophical expression. He wasn't, of course, the last to do so; my favorite would have to be Schopenhauer, for whom music functions as a kind of empirical validation of his entire metaphysics. Be that as it may, what does, or can, music—sequences of tones—"express"? The examples in this thread, from the OP's onward, cite lyrics, which might as well be "poetry" and not "music." But can instrumental music express ideas? Or, for that matter, even "emotions"? I know we all think it can—obviously, dance music at a funeral would be inappropriate, while languid melodies in a minor key will hardly enliven your party. But why do we think this? How can it do this? Maybe that's a topic for another thread. In any case, with this problem in mind, I'll mention again John Cage's 4'33". |
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First off, great topic MC. I find a lot of the songs mentioned walk a fine line between being "observational" about the human condition versus being philosophical about it, although sometimes both will happen within the same song. Both perspectives are probably valid; so, here's a couple of more observational songs: Think For a Minute - Housemartins Don't Interrupt the Sorrow - Joni Mitchell |