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 Orphans

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ral
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ral
I'da called you Woody
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ral


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PostSubject: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeThu Apr 22, 2010 11:02 am

Orphans

Goodbye circus wheel, may you rest along the seas
I have given you the fire of my youth and the triumph o'er my enemies
And goodbye fair-weather home and your faithless factories
I have given you the blood and the truth, from the wounds they laid onto me
And whatever they left, I kept it for my own heart

And the lonesome understand, with their choirs in my head
We were orphans before we were ever the sons of regret (my baby)
And on and on and on, how the alphabet boys carry on
We were orphans before we were ever the sons of those songs

And now my lights, they never go down
They waltz the moon and the stars for me now
So you can find some local libertine to take your daughters out on the town
And I could feel in my aging bones, how the sound of the rain mixes up
Into the fountains where I drank my hero's blood
So I left you to find my very own hatful of rain

And the lonesome understand, with their choirs in my head
We were orphans before we were ever the sons of regret (my baby)
And on and on and on, the alphabet boys carry on
We were orphans before we were ever the sons of the songs

And now I'm trying to keep it straight, learning all the streets and the alleyways
And learning where they lead now that I'm left alone here to drive
And it's so hard to stand on your own, it's mirrored glass hard and cold
But the clothes I wore just don't fit my soul anymore
No, the clothes I wore just don't fit my soul anymore

And the lonesome understand, with their choirs in my head
We were orphans before we were ever the sons of regret (my baby)
And on and on and on, how the alphabet boys carry on
We were orphans before we were ever the sons of your songs (my baby)

When we were were young, we were diamond Sinatras
Like something I saw in a dream
We kept our secrets in rooms, locked up tight like a tomb
Where the ballerinas lay


Last edited by ral on Fri Jun 11, 2010 10:18 am; edited 2 times in total
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Nichølas
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeSun Apr 25, 2010 12:41 am

This song reminds of The Patient Ferris Wheel...same chords in the intro, and similar guitar playing. Actually it might all be the same chords with some changes. But then I saw the first line of this, is this some kind of genius remembrance of The Patient Ferris Wheel?
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Jukebox Romeo
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeSun Apr 25, 2010 12:49 am

I think that first line is him saying he's leaving the whole idea of the '59 sound behind. Also, I think the line "Those clothes I wore just don't fit my soul anymore" is saying the same thing, as is "Those days are gone and you should just let them go" (from Old Haunts)

Goes along with all his talk about living in the moment, and this album being about the present, not the past. All that "You've been dealt these cards, now what are you going to do with them?" talk
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Vibes
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeThu Apr 29, 2010 8:24 pm

Just figured this one out, watching a video of Brian talking about tattoos:

Alphabet boys are people from Alphabet City, Manhattan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabet_City,_Manhattan). He talks in the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnDVDg7ccjs) about a bar there that Jesse Malin owns with a mural of Joe Strummer.
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Jaywalk
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeTue May 04, 2010 12:34 am

This song reminds me of 1930, bits of Brian's melody and chord progression. I can kinda see a connection in the lyrics with '59 sound as well
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verbos
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeFri May 07, 2010 11:05 pm

There's something about the line "We were orphans before we were ever the sons of regret" that just slaps me in the face with existentialism. I'm 28 and having a bit of a pre-30 my-life-isn't-what-I-expected crisis... ok, it's a BIG crisis, and this album sounds like half of my thoughts poured out to music. Regret is a big issue in my thoughts lately. Namely that I haven't had enough.

But that lyric, to me, has something to do with innocence. About how maybe you can still be innocent, even after you've lived with regret over things you've done. Living as "sons" of regret - like once you become involved with regret it becomes a part of you - but we were all, at some point, innocent. Maybe you can go back to being an "orphan" if you live life in the present, like Jukebox Romeo said, and with everything you've got to give.

But that's just what I take from it. Maybe it's about something completely different, but that's what it means to me.
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Jack
The '59 Sound
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeSun May 16, 2010 9:22 pm

Is it possible that the line is "Diamonds and actors" instead of "Diamond Sinatras"? It could be that, but in that case he's saying Sinatras kinda funny.
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Asleepontheforestfloor
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeMon May 17, 2010 2:58 am

[quote="Jaywalk"]This song reminds me of 1930, bits of Brian's melody and chord progression. I can kinda see a connection in the lyrics with '59 sound as well[/quote]

Yeah dude. That's exactly what I thought when I first heard it.
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vamike
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeMon May 17, 2010 10:39 am

1930, that's what I thought too
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loazis
The '59 Sound
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeMon May 17, 2010 6:35 pm

The clothes I wore just don't fit my soul anymore.

Sounds to me like saying, I'm such a different, better man now. I fucked up a lot back then, "We did it when were young" you know, I've grown so much since then.

That's what I'd like to take from it at least.
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brianisbae
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeTue May 18, 2010 11:55 pm

"Goodbye circus wheel..." referring to The Patient Ferris Wheel, maybe? Or "Come July, we'll watch the ferris wheel go round and round and round..." in The Backseat. Both songs seem to be loosely based on relationships, I'm thinking like being young and thinking you're in love, and those days never end. But he's older now, and knows those days are gone, and that the circus wheel, or ferris wheel, never goes anywhere. It has its ups and downs, but stays in the same spot. I don't know, I'm just rambling now haha.
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Wooderson
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeWed May 19, 2010 1:44 am

for sure a song about leaving it all behind and carving out your own identity. he's leaving behind the old romanticism, the hero worship, all of that stuff. but he acknowledges that those things gave him an identity and a place. but those clothes just don't fit his soul anymore.
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sidekicksuicide
Red In The Morning
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeTue Jun 15, 2010 4:17 am

WingsForWheels wrote:
for sure a song about leaving it all behind and carving out your own identity. he's leaving behind the old romanticism, the hero worship, all of that stuff. but he acknowledges that those things gave him an identity and a place. but those clothes just don't fit his soul anymore.

yes. To me, it seems like Sink or Swim was an album about where they came from, 59 is an album about where they were at the time it was written, and AS is an album saying "now here's where I'm going"
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeThu Jul 01, 2010 11:15 pm

What are "Diamond Sinatras?"

I really love the line and the imagery that I get from it, but I'm not sure if I really understand what it means.
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amberfoyd
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeWed Jul 28, 2010 1:48 am

verbos wrote:
There's something about the line "We were orphans before we were ever the sons of regret" that just slaps me in the face with existentialism. I'm 28 and having a bit of a pre-30 my-life-isn't-what-I-expected crisis... ok, it's a BIG crisis, and this album sounds like half of my thoughts poured out to music. Regret is a big issue in my thoughts lately. Namely that I haven't had enough.

But that lyric, to me, has something to do with innocence. About how maybe you can still be innocent, even after you've lived with regret over things you've done. Living as "sons" of regret - like once you become involved with regret it becomes a part of you - but we were all, at some point, innocent. Maybe you can go back to being an "orphan" if you live life in the present, like Jukebox Romeo said, and with everything you've got to give.

But that's just what I take from it. Maybe it's about something completely different, but that's what it means to me.

same here. i'm 21 and feel how you do. i think it may never seem like enough, life. but all we need are good times, and good people around us. we'll be alright.
"what you don' t have you don't need it anymore"
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IKeeptheDiner
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeWed Jul 28, 2010 1:55 am

brian said at the release show it was a song about where they were coming from and where they were going.
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MKULTRA
Wooderson
Wooderson
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeWed Jul 28, 2010 4:32 am

drinking from fountain of heroes' blood => own hat full of rain
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Casey
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeMon Sep 20, 2010 5:15 pm

I asked Brian about what the term 'alphabet boys' implied, and if I remember correctly, they are the obnoxious Bruce fans that come off as arrogant and annoying.
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Jeff
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeMon Sep 20, 2010 8:33 pm

I think this song has a really interesting meaning behind it, actually. Perfect for analysis.

Because immediately thought it was about Brian moving to New York, y'know? "Goodbye Fairweather home", etc. But beyond that I think now that it's using Brian moving to New York as a metaphor for the direction of the band. Saying goodbye to New Jersey, and, at the same time, saying goodbye to the early days of the band and welcoming in stylistic evolution. In my view, the whole song is one last letter to the people who like Sink or Swim the best. The whole song is, in my view, saying, "okay, we're not going to really be writing these kinds of songs anymore, but here's one last one, so we better make it count."
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeThu Dec 02, 2010 9:21 am

This is my favorite song on American Slang. I wish they would of played it at Radio City.
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Clementine
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeThu Jun 09, 2011 11:20 pm

One of my favorites...I've always thought of it as a song about Jersey. That's where I'm from and this songs feels like a Jersey song...love it
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Davidesamulson
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeMon Jun 20, 2011 6:26 pm

its really nice song and its one of my favorite, i want to listen it again and again. i have a natural attachment with that song.
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeSun Aug 07, 2011 9:10 pm

Kinda weird, but when American Slang first came out, this was one of my least favorite songs on it. I didn't really listen closely and just zoned out on the lyrics. I just recently started getting super attached to it, though. Guess it just took awhile for it to hit me right, but the lyrics are killing me right now.
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StopAndSlideToTheRight
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeTue Aug 23, 2011 3:10 am

stepsandnumbers wrote:
Kinda weird, but when American Slang first came out, this was one of my least favorite songs on it. I didn't really listen closely and just zoned out on the lyrics. I just recently started getting super attached to it, though. Guess it just took awhile for it to hit me right, but the lyrics are killing me right now.

That is so true. I really asn't fussed about it, now it's y favourite song on the album.
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eagles1139
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PostSubject: Re: Orphans   Orphans Icon_minitimeTue Feb 28, 2012 11:32 pm

Not to rehash an old topic but I've never really gotten to voice my opinion on this song...and I honestly feel like it's not mentioned enough. Lyrically I think that this is hands down the most impressive song in the entire discography so far. It seems like this is one of the lesser talked about songs on American Slang and I don't even see them play it that often but I'm still blown away by it.

And I can feel it in my aging bones
How the sound of the rain mixes up
into the fountains where I drank my hero's blood
So I left you to find my very own hatful of rain

^That is the most poetic thing Brian has written yet, in my opinion.
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