Lines You Don't Get

Ok I had this thread idea kicking around a while ago so bear with me. I figured with Brian's poetic songwriting style (especially on the first 3 albums), everyone has a few lines that stick out and always make them go "What the hell does that mean?"

I figured it would be cool to share these with each other, and either agree in our confusion or give explanations as to what we think they mean.

Like, I'll start. Every time I hear "We're gonna ride like silver on a desolation moonlight" in Wooderson I say WTF. Like, I get that's its conjuring some imagery but I have no idea what it means or if "a desolation moonlight" is even close to being grammatically correct.

Haha maybe this is a dumb thread but I feel like you guys must have other personal examples of this!

Mercury is a very fast moving element in its liquid form (color is silver) it has the nickname "quick silver"
so he's basically saying we are going to ride fast in this cold/barren/alone night. (Desolation moonlight) which the whole song is kinda about feeling alone in a place he grew. So he wants to get out of there fast..

I also played around with the idea of the Lone Ranger and his horse "silver" who was also considered very fast. But either way you end up back to the basic root of feeling alone and wanting to get out as fast as possible.

- My interpretation(s) at least

Great idea for a thread.

i like when brian does this type of thing with lyrics - you don't exactly know what he's saying specifically, but you can get the feeling from the words.
kinda like how he says in senor in the queen, "am i speaking in riddles or do you feel what i mean?"
reminds me of impressionistic poets like TS eliot, they just kinda go for feeling and imagery over a line with a clear meaning or explanation. i try to do that when I write lyrics as well. one of the coolest parts about the band IMO

"With my faded jeans and faraway eyes and salty carnival kiss"

What is a salty carnival kiss? The only thing I can think of is that it's tied into the whole ferris wheel thing, kiss in the rain, near the sea?

"Me I got caught up with the fortune tellers and the girls with the sleepy eyes" - Only line of the song I don't get!

There's probably more I can't think of right now .

Ghost wrote:

"With my faded jeans and faraway eyes and salty carnival kiss"

What is a salty carnival kiss? The only thing I can think of is that it's tied into the whole ferris wheel thing, kiss in the rain, near the sea?

"Me I got caught up with the fortune tellers and the girls with the sleepy eyes" - Only line of the song I don't get!

There's probably more I can't think of right now .

Not sure about the first one but the fortune tellers line the way I interpret it - the character in the song has spent years almost living in a dream 'ladies with the sleepy eyes' and he has tried and trusted fortune tellers to give him direction in life and love. I think it speaks about regrets over past girls and that he had never truly found the right girl for him until he met the girl with the scars who is just like him. That's my interpretation of the line anyway. Does that make sense? This song is so powerful and the imagery is great. I think the bridge in Blue Dahlia is my favourite of any Gaslight song.

"With my faded jeans and faraway eyes and salty carnival kiss"

this line is about naivety for me. Faded jeans are more of a past fashion item if I remember correctly. And faraway eyes tends to mean your head is full of dreams and aspirations about the future, or could represent a naivety to your current surroundings. The salty carnival kiss is a representation for innocent romance I think. The word carnival takes seriousness off it, and therefore I think Brian is alluding to youthful relationships that didn't have the complications and problems of the older ones he sings about in other songs.

Debonair wrote:

I also played around with the idea of the Lone Ranger and his horse "silver" who was also considered very fast. But either way you end up back to the basic root of feeling alone and wanting to get out as fast as possible.

It's this for sure. "High Ho Silver!" is the line from Lone Ranger that he would say when he wanted his horse to take the fuck off really fast. Bruce also use the line "High Ho Silver" to reference the Lone Ranger in State Trooper.

Moonlight is also referred to as "silvery" quite often too. So I figured they're going to "be one with the night" or something. But a Silver (horse) referral also makes sense.


I think "salty carnival kiss" could be a few things:

-Literally salty from the sea or perhaps from some fine carnival treats

-A college crush called me "salty" once from Thesaurus.com:
"belligerent, combative, contentious, contrary, controversial, disputatious, factious, fire-eating, having a chip on one's shoulder, litigious, opinionated, pugnacious, quarrelsome, salty , scrappy, spiky, touchy"

The carnival reference I took to mean as his way of describing his own love life (meaning his time spent locked up on the rides).


With "fortune tellers" I thought maybe it's past girls who told him how great things would be for them and then it went downhill regardless of their promises, so it was all a waste of time that left him hurt.

Ya got me on the sleepy eyes bit though. Maybe that's his type of girl. Like when someone looks at you with "bedroom eyes". I don't know why but Angelina Jolie came to mind for me: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4rubElu8iGA/TqN2k-6m6zI/AAAAAAAABOI/0iNZqhChklA/s1600/9.jpg
Ya know, seductive and all that.

I cant seem to get this one: And with this pen, I thee wed. From my heart to your distress ...

jonester wrote:

I cant seem to get this one: And with this pen, I thee wed. From my heart to your distress ...

He's writing words from his heart with a pen to help heal your distress. The pen is the symbol as a ring would be in a wedding. "With this ring I thee wed" or whatever the vows are.

"All of our heroes were failures or ghosts, burned out in brilliant explosions alone, and all of the blood and the sweat that they gave, we took it all and we threw it away."

I get what this part means (all the people we looked up to turned out to amount to not much, and all the hard work that they did was wasted by us) but I really don't get how it ties into the rest of the song, which is pretty much a love song.

I take the salty carnival kiss / fortune teller line a little more literally. Asbury Park is on the ocean, and there were (still are in some places) weird stand son the boardwalk with fortune tellers/tarot card readers, etc. Can maybe mean something about a past love from home.

Great idea for a topic.

eagles1139 wrote:

"All of our heroes were failures or ghosts, burned out in brilliant explosions alone, and all of the blood and the sweat that they gave, we took it all and we threw it away."

I get what this part means (all the people we looked up to turned out to amount to not much, and all the hard work that they did was wasted by us) but I really don't get how it ties into the rest of the song, which is pretty much a love song.

I do not get this at all either. I felt like it was copy/pasted from Orphans or something. Not saying it's bad lyrics, it just makes no sense given (like you said) what the rest of the song is talking about.

NeverTrustAJunkie wrote:

eagles1139 wrote:

"All of our heroes were failures or ghosts, burned out in brilliant explosions alone, and all of the blood and the sweat that they gave, we took it all and we threw it away."

I get what this part means (all the people we looked up to turned out to amount to not much, and all the hard work that they did was wasted by us) but I really don't get how it ties into the rest of the song, which is pretty much a love song.

I do not get this at all either. I felt like it was copy/pasted from Orphans or something. Not saying it's bad lyrics, it just makes no sense given (like you said) what the rest of the song is talking about.

I mean, I think it conveys a certain level of nostalgia -- he and the girl in the song have a past together.

Of course, it still is a puny comparison to the original third first verse. Still gutted about that.

[/quote] "Me I got caught up with the fortune tellers and the girls with the sleepy eyes" - Only line of the song I don't get! [/quote]


"Blue Dahlia" is my favorite song on the album and I've listened to it a hundred times, yet there are some lines in there I still don't get. This line I think is best understood when taken in context with the line right before it:

"Did they take you to the carnival to get locked up on a ride?"

To me, the fortune teller line contrasts directly with the rides. Theoretically carnival rides are supposed to be about carefree fun (though still here with a cynical twist since he calls it being "locked up"). But the singer skipped the fun rides and went straight to the fortune tellers, who supposedly could tell him his future and his place in the world. This whole track is sung by a person who feels isolated, and I think the mention of fortune tellers is supposed to imply that he's been concerned with "big" issues all his life, about where he's going and what he's doing, and never was able to enjoy the moment.

"Ladies with the sleepy eyes" could have a bunch of different meanings, but none of them good because he behaved in a way he wasn't proud of (thus the "apologies" from the next line). Everywhere he looks he sees his failures ("every streetlight a reminder"), which is why this new woman in his life is such a true light in his dark world, someone who can come alongside him, understand his pain, and help him work through it (unlike a fortune teller, who's just trying to manipulate his pain to make a buck). He thought a person like this could only exist in the fantasy world of rock songs ("I met you between the wax and the needle/In the words of my favorite song"), but now she's here and she's real, which is what makes this song such an uplifting track, overall, even though most of its lyrics are dark/depressing. You could make the case "Blue Dahlia" is emblematic of Gaslight as a whole in that way.

My question for the group, though, is: Why does the woman say "I'm man enough"? I've always taken this just to simply mean she's tough enough to handle his issues, but wondered if anyone else has a different idea.


On another note, I think "salty" is just meant to add a bit of color to that line in reference to a seaside amusement park. But speaking of, it would be good to contrast the relationship in "Mae" to that in "Blue Dahlia." Of course they both reference carnivals, but they're both similar songs, content-wise, in a lot of ways, with two people relying on each other to get out of their darkness.

J_Schooly wrote:

My question for the group, though, is: Why does the woman say "I'm man enough"? I've always taken this just to simply mean she's tough enough to handle his issues, but wondered if anyone else has a different idea.

I always thought it was 'mad enough'? Certainly makes a lot more sense with the rest of the lyrics?

I don't know...I thought it was "mad" at first, but then I started hearing it as "man"...it's easy to figure out each meaning, but I don't know which one it actually is.

I'm also not sure which I like better, as far as "Are you really crazy enough to put up with me?" or "Do you have the strength to stay by my side?"

J_Schooly wrote:

My question for the group, though, is: Why does the woman say "I'm man enough"? I've always taken this just to simply mean she's tough enough to handle his issues. [/quote]

That's my take.

JackCharles wrote:

I don't know...I thought it was "mad" at first, but then I started hearing it as "man"...it's easy to figure out each meaning, but I don't know which one it actually is.

Just went and checked quick and the lyric book says it's "man enough".

CluckyB wrote:

NeverTrustAJunkie wrote:

eagles1139 wrote:

"All of our heroes were failures or ghosts, burned out in brilliant explosions alone, and all of the blood and the sweat that they gave, we took it all and we threw it away."

I get what this part means (all the people we looked up to turned out to amount to not much, and all the hard work that they did was wasted by us) but I really don't get how it ties into the rest of the song, which is pretty much a love song.

I do not get this at all either. I felt like it was copy/pasted from Orphans or something. Not saying it's bad lyrics, it just makes no sense given (like you said) what the rest of the song is talking about.

I mean, I think it conveys a certain level of nostalgia -- he and the girl in the song have a past together.

Of course, it still is a puny comparison to the original third first verse. Still gutted about that.

the whole song is about what he can give her that others can't. one of the things is the heroes they shared and the experience they had with those heroes.

stepsandnumbers wrote:

JackCharles wrote:

I don't know...I thought it was "mad" at first, but then I started hearing it as "man"...it's easy to figure out each meaning, but I don't know which one it actually is.

Just went and checked quick and the lyric book says it's "man enough".

I think Brian just sings it in odd timing for the meaning.

While it comes out as:

"Are you man enough to lay here?"
She said "I'm man enough my baby..."

I think it would be written out as

"Are you man enough to lay here," she said.
"I'm man enough my baby..."

jzancan wrote:

I think Brian just sings it in odd timing for the meaning.

While it comes out as:

"Are you man enough to lay here?"
She said "I'm man enough my baby..."

I think it would be written out as

"Are you man enough to lay here," she said.
"I'm man enough my baby..."

WHY DID I NOT THINK OF THIS.

jzancan wrote:

stepsandnumbers wrote:

JackCharles wrote:

I don't know...I thought it was "mad" at first, but then I started hearing it as "man"...it's easy to figure out each meaning, but I don't know which one it actually is.

Just went and checked quick and the lyric book says it's "man enough".

I think Brian just sings it in odd timing for the meaning.

While it comes out as:

"Are you man enough to lay here?"
She said "I'm man enough my baby..."

I think it would be written out as

"Are you man enough to lay here," she said.
"I'm man enough my baby..."

It's not that insane of an idea for a girl to be "man enough", it's expression that implies being tough enough, like someone else said.

As far as your alternate punctuation idea, it's an interesting possibility but I doubt it because of the structure of the entire chorus.

Where'd you get them scars? How blue is your heart?
Is it sad enough to break, she said, it's sad enough to break.
How long was your life?
Was it cold and strange like mine?
Are you man enough to lay here?
She said, 'm man enough, my baby, come see about me.

It isn't indicated who said the first two questions, so you can assume it's the singer. Then there's a third question and since it would be weird to have the "she said" apply to all three, you can probably assume the she said is meant for the next statement when the line is repeated. The only purpose for the "she said" is to indicate that the statement is being repeated by a different character in response.

It also goes along with the theme of the song which is summed up in these lyrics:
"mama always knew I'd meet a girl like you,
But me, I never believed.
Cause I've been so lonely I can't imagine that kind of sympathy"

So him asking her all these questions, including if she's man enough to lay here where "even the night is lonely next to me" Is him in disbelief that he's met a girl who can handle all his issues, so he's questioning her like "can you handle this? have you been there too?" So I think it'd be odd for her to suddenly be questioning him.

That's my take.

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

jzancan wrote:

stepsandnumbers wrote:

JackCharles wrote:

I don't know...I thought it was "mad" at first, but then I started hearing it as "man"...it's easy to figure out each meaning, but I don't know which one it actually is.

Just went and checked quick and the lyric book says it's "man enough".

I think Brian just sings it in odd timing for the meaning.

While it comes out as:

"Are you man enough to lay here?"
She said "I'm man enough my baby..."

I think it would be written out as

"Are you man enough to lay here," she said.
"I'm man enough my baby..."

It's not that insane of an idea for a girl to be "man enough"

Always check for the Adams appel.

NeverTrustAJunkie wrote:

jzancan wrote:

I think Brian just sings it in odd timing for the meaning.

While it comes out as:

"Are you man enough to lay here?"
She said "I'm man enough my baby..."

I think it would be written out as

"Are you man enough to lay here," she said.
"I'm man enough my baby..."

WHY DID I NOT THINK OF THIS.

Yeah, seriously. I'm kind of baffled this never crossed my mind.