1979
Elisa Lyrics


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Shakedown 1979, cool kids never have the time
On a live wire right up off the street
You and I should meet
Junebug skipping like a stone
With the headlights pointed at the dawn
We were sure we'd never see an end to it all
And I don't even care to shake these zipper blues
And we don't know
Just where our bones will rest
To dust I guess
Forgotten and absorbed into the earth below
Double cross the vacant and the bored
They're not sure just what we have in store
Morphine city slipping dues down to see
That we don't even care as restless as we are
We feel the pull in the land of a thousand guilts
And poured cement, lamented and assured
To the lights and towns below
Faster than the speed of sound
Faster than we thought we'd go, beneath the sound of hope
Justine never knew the rules,
Hung down with the freaks and the ghouls
No apologies ever need be made, I know you better than you fake it
To see that we don't even care to shake these zipper blues
And we don't know just where our bones will rest
To dust I guess
Forgotten and absorbed into the earth below




The street heats the urgency of now
As you see there's no one around

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "1979" by Elisa depict a sense of restlessness and uncertainty about the future. The first stanza references the year 1979, a time when the cool kids were too busy with their own pursuits to notice the world around them. The imagery of a "live wire" and "headlights pointed at the dawn" creates a sense of movement and excitement, while the mention of a "Junebug skipping like a stone" suggests a fleeting, carefree moment. However, despite this momentary joy, there is a sense of underlying unease, as the singer acknowledges that they don't even know where their bodies will end up ("To dust I guess / Forgotten and absorbed into the earth below").


The second stanza takes a slightly darker turn, as the singer references the idea of being forgotten and absorbed into a society that doesn't value individuality ("Double cross the vacant and the bored / They're not sure just what we have in store"). The mention of "Morphine city slipping dues down to see" further emphasizes a sense of decay and decayed hope. Yet, despite this sense of uncertainty, the singer continues to cling to a sense of restlessness and excitement ("As restless as we are / We feel the pull in the land of a thousand guilts").


Overall, the lyrics to "1979" suggest a simultaneous yearning for freedom and a sense of unease about society's limitations. The idea of being "absorbed into the earth below" suggests a fear of being forgotten, while the references to drugs and a restless spirit suggest a desire to break free from societal constraints.


Line by Line Meaning

Shakedown 1979, cool kids never have the time
The year is 1979, and popular kids always seem to be too busy for anything else.


On a live wire right up off the street
We feel alive and unbridled, roaming the streets with reckless abandon.


You and I should meet
Let's meet up and enjoy this carefree moment together.


Junebug skipping like a stone
We're like Junebugs, jumping through life without a care.


With the headlights pointed at the dawn
We're heading towards the future, and we don't know where we're going.


We were sure we'd never see an end to it all
We felt invincible, like this moment would last forever.


And I don't even care to shake these zipper blues
I'm not worried about the little things, like feeling confined by my clothing.


And we don't know just where our bones will rest, to dust I guess
We're uncertain about what the future holds, but we know someday we'll all return to the earth.


Forgotten and absorbed into the earth below
Our memory will fade, and we'll become part of the land we once walked on.


Double cross the vacant and the bored
We're disregarding those who are uninterested in life and just going through the motions.


They're not sure just what we have in store
Others may not understand our carefree lifestyle and our goals for the future.


Morphine city slipping dues down to see
Our carefree attitude is costing us dearly, and we're becoming accustomed to the pain of life.


That we don't even care as restless as we are
We're so restless that we've stopped caring about the consequences of our actions.


We feel the pull in the land of a thousand guilts
Even though we're carefree, we still feel the weight of the world's problems and our own guilt.


And poured cement, lamented and assured to the lights and towns below
We're tearing down old structures to build something new, all while feeling sad and yet confident about it.


Faster than the speed of sound
We're moving through life so quickly that it feels like we're breaking the sound barrier.


Faster than we thought we'd go, beneath the sound of hope
We're moving forward quickly, but we're not entirely sure where we'll end up.


Justine never knew the rules, hung down with the freaks and the ghouls
Our friend Justine never followed society's rules, and she hung out with those who were considered outsiders.


No apologies ever need be made, I know you better than you fake it
We're unapologetically ourselves, and we understand each other better than anyone else.


To see that we don't even care to shake these zipper blues
Once again, we're not concerned with the little things, like feeling constrained by our clothing.


And we don't know just where our bones will rest, to dust I guess
We're still uncertain about the future and what it holds for us.


Forgotten and absorbed into the earth below
Just like before, we know that we'll eventually become a part of the earth.


The street heats the urgency of now
The hustle and bustle of the street make us feel like we need to seize the moment and live life to the fullest.


As you see there's no one around
Despite the busy streets, we can still feel alone in our thoughts and experiences.




Contributed by Sydney M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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