Wise Up by Aimee Mann. Almost word-for-word how I've been feeling over the past year..... Not much more to say than that.
Lyrics:
It's not
What you thought
When you first began it
You got
What you want
Now you can hardly stand it though,
By now you know
It's not going to stop
It's not going to stop
It's not going to stop
'Til you wise up
You're sure
There's a cure
And you have finally found it
You think
One drink
Will shrink you 'til you're underground
And living down
But it's not going to stop
It's not going to stop
It's not going to stop
'Til you wise up
Prepare a list of what you need
Before you sign away the deed
'Cause it's not going to stop
It's not going to stop
It's not going to stop
'Til you wise up
No, it's not going to stop
'Til you wise up
No, it's not going to stop
So just...give up
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poignant. Sometimes repetition in songs works and sometimes it comes off as lazy, I think she made it work.
ReplyDeleteBut i keep mixing Aimee Mann up with her. *sigh*
I think songs that are almost pure emotion, or those that strongly evoke emotion, often times uses repetition to pull this off.
ReplyDeleteWith each repetition the phrase carries a different emotional weight, though the meaning of the phrase stays the same from each repetition.
Especially a phrase like, "It's not going to stop" is especially poignant repeated over and over.
It is amazing the power a song has when what your feeling aligns with the emotions it expresses.
Funny how so many people seem to be feeling this way. It's probably not too hard to find something in your life that reflects the tone of this song, no matter what your position. Which makes it a particularly effective song.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to note the difference between just listening to the song without the video, and then watching the video. I'm guessing that the actual recording of the song doesn't have all the other people's voices singing along, which would convey yet another angle of emotion.
I think about what an impact the last line of the song has. She could have taken it in a few different directions there. What if the lyrics said, "so don't give up" or even repeated "till you wise up" again? The line "so just give up" puts such a tragic seal on the song.
...Or she could have suddenly moved into a major chord progression and added on a completely contrasting ending of hopefullness.
ReplyDeleteIt's so intriguing to think of all the possibilities that come at that point, and to think of why Aimee Mann chose to go the way she did.
I think of that ending a lot, too.
ReplyDeleteIn the past, it would rub me so wrong that it would spur me on to greater motivation to work for the things that "meant the most", but were wearing me out. It was a challenge.... and I appreciated it!!
But, I now think the tone of the song actually reflects the relationship that people sometimes have with their "baggage" (certainly, that's how I relate to the song). Traveling around searching for some supposed "final destination" that I've already realized doesn't exist.
Maybe it's as if i bought a vacation package for the Titanic's second voyage.... But I should have read a newspaper sometime during the past 96 years. But no.... I wanted to go on a cruise!!
So, after finally bothering to read all those headlines that I've been avoiding, I count it as great advice to stop hanging out waiting for the ship to roll into port.
"Giving up", in this case, is smart advice..... Only because there is clearly enough evidence to show that the waiting is foolish, AND because I didn't go to that cruise port just to stand around - I went there to get on a cruise ship!
If that can't happen (and in this case, it absolutely, really can't), why am I still standing there?!?!
At least if I give up I can finally go find a bathroom...... (c'mon.... how could I stand there for 96 years and not drink something. I've really gotta go now).
Yup.... that's what I think....
I like that perspective better than the one I initially took from the song . . . which was kind of disparaging.
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