HEVYDEVY FORUMS

Recently I had a nice lay on my bed and listen to a cd whilst reading the lyrics session. I did this with Ocean Machine yesterday.

When I came to 'Bastard' I realised that the lyrics are kinda different from usual Dev lyrics almost like a narrative, primarily on the 'The Girl From The Blue City' section. anyone have any song interpretations or ideas of the songs concept.

No.

NecroLust wrote:No.

lol I guess not. Almost forgot about this thread...

Sounds like childhood memories, but I'm probably wrong.

I think I can personally relate to the song myself. I'm a BU student who doesn't drink (you read correctly). Lines like "lonely in the city tonight," "gray people stare at the static sky," and "always seems to need what I'm not." I often find myself alienated from everyone else in the entire city because I don't drink, especially when my friends go to a party. I don't particularly think that Devy is talking about not drinking while everyone else does, but there's definitely a sense of loneliness.
The second part, I dunno. Sounds like something good happens. Like something or someone comes to him, eliminating said loneliness. Or maybe making it so the loneliness just doesn't matter.
Huh... in short, loneliness. The city. Nighttime. That's all I can figure out.

Maybe something to do with how he met Tracy? I agree, the second part of this song is waaaaaay more positive in both the lyrics and music. Wow, this thread was made in 2006...epic.

Not to sound completely crude or anything, but it sounds to me like someone is getting a prostitute or entering a brothel in the second half. It doesn't have to be Devin himself, but perhaps an outside party. It does say "boys are out on the corners," and "sex in the neon basements" is described as "red and smelly." It almost sounds pitiful, which is contrary to the uplifting sound of the music in the second half. It may even still be running with "separation" theme, meaning that Devin is on the outside of this neon basement stuff, and is watching as everyone else is doing naughty things.

TallNerdGuy wrote:Not to sound completely crude or anything, but it sounds to me like someone is getting a prostitute or entering a brothel in the second half. It doesn't have to be Devin himself, but perhaps an outside party. It does say "boys are out on the corners," and "sex in the neon basements" is described as "red and smelly." It almost sounds pitiful, which is contrary to the uplifting sound of the music in the second half. It may even still be running with "separation" theme, meaning that Devin is on the outside of this neon basement stuff, and is watching as everyone else is doing naughty things.

That's a great point. Maybe it's got uplifting music because although it's not necessarily positive, it's something different. It's not dark, gray, or lonely. Even the fact that it "smells like piss" is better than the sheer loneliness of this city.

TallNerdGuy wrote:Not to sound completely crude or anything, but it sounds to me like someone is getting a prostitute or entering a brothel in the second half. It doesn't have to be Devin himself, but perhaps an outside party. It does say "boys are out on the corners," and "sex in the neon basements" is described as "red and smelly." It almost sounds pitiful, which is contrary to the uplifting sound of the music in the second half. It may even still be running with "separation" theme, meaning that Devin is on the outside of this neon basement stuff, and is watching as everyone else is doing naughty things.

This is true, but then again, only dev knows

I agree that it seems to be about the nasty or anonymous things that occur in the city from the perspective of someone not partaking. The first part seems more focused on the anonymous stuff ("grey people... ours is not to question why") while the second seems more focused on the nasty (red light district sort of thing). The chorus in "Not One of the Better Days" seems to say that the source of rebellion for the narrator is that his or her parents want them to assimilate (you know, to be 'normal'), but the narrator refuses to give in. Because the narrator seems to feel outside of all this behavior, he/she "feels old," but then the feeling leaves, "gone where feelings go," maybe because there's an unsaid realization that feeling mature doesn't necessitate feeling old and forgotten, and that feeling separate from all the weird shit in the city maybe isn't a huge thing.

I think that Funeral, Bastard and the Death of Music are all linked, but Girl from Blue City isn't. I thought that the story of the three songs was that the main character's brother had died and he was mourning him (Funeral), and about the character's being lonely as a result of this (Bastard). He spirals into depression and eventually insanity (The Death of Music is what he hears).
You see, I think that those three songs are touching on a very deep level, and the mention of sex, for me, kills the mood.

the lyrics to the second part of Bastard always reminded me of the party scenes in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald...similar imagery with the neon lights and mention of lights across a harbor and such. i figure devin was either juxtaposing the images of sleazy people partying it up vs. the narrator's loneliness or he just wrote the words because they sounded good against the music.

always reminds me of feeling alienated (maybe drunk or something) and homeless in a big city at night. The last lines are going somewhere to settle, maybe the freaks are better than the greys, maybe not somewhere to be on a normal day, but it will suffice for tonight.

First listen made me giggle though, thought what a beautiful song and looked to see what it was called and .... ....

I always thought the song had a very Noir feel to it, Sin City dare i say. Very introverted, reflective. Needless to say its a very powerful song.

If there was a music video, I could imagine dtp playing on a night-time brooklyn city rooftop, black esp explorer, dark clothed, wet puddles, neon lights, steam vents. Cut away's at people driving in the rain, prostitutes walking up and down the street. It has a real narrative.

Nevaeh wrote:I always thought the song had a very Noir feel to it, Sin City dare i say. Very introverted, reflective. Needless to say its a very powerful song.

If there was a music video, I could imagine dtp playing on a night-time brooklyn city rooftop, black esp explorer, dark clothed, wet puddles, neon lights, steam vents. Cut away's at people driving in the rain, prostitutes walking up and down the street. It has a real narrative.

you'd want a majestic video for a majestic song ruined by shots of the band playing? that's way corny, dude. wayyy corny.