The Year of The Record Break (1997)
Balanced on a Pin (1999)
Good Times Coming Back Again (2002)
Maintenance (2004)
Night Flares (2005)
The Sun Beats Down (2006)
Mr. Invitation (2010)
Disintegration Blues (2011)
www.gregmacpherson.com
401
Greg MacPherson Lyrics
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The lyrics to Greg MacPherson's song 401 paints a vivid picture of the experiences of people on the highway. The song talks about the different people on the road, stretched out over kilometres, with different lives and emotions - some in fear, some in love. The line "caffeine and the road" suggests that people are relying on caffeine to keep them going while they travel. The reference to the colder than usual weather indicates that there is a sense of unease or discomfort on the road.
As the song progresses, Greg MacPherson mentions the emptiness of the carpool parking lots, the slowing pace of the street, and how the colour of the day is slow. These lines suggest a sense of stagnation and slow-moving frustration that accompanies highway travel. The mention of the dream being processed, frozen, sifted and boiled suggests a loss of individuality and creativity that often happens when people become part of a mass movement on the highway.
Overall, 401 is a powerful commentary on the nature of highway travel, examining the monotony, frustration and loss of individuality associated with it.
Line by Line Meaning
People stretched out over kilometres of vinyl with lives to match.
Individuals are depicted in their vehicles sitting in traffic, their prolonged stationary state mirrors their static existence, matching with the monotony of their lives.
In fear, in love.
People are either feeling anxious about their destination or are feeling comfortable with their travel companion.
Caffeine and the road.
The lyric 'caffeine and the road' refers to coffee and driving as a great many road trips involve a lot of coffee consumption to combat fatigue.
It's colder than usual up the 401.
The lyric 'it's colder than usual up the 401' simply talks about the weather.
Map? The car pool parking lots are empty and the pace of the street slows down.
The pace slows down because the carpool lanes are empty and many people have already reached their destinations.
Slow, the colour of the day.
The day is slow and uneventful, much like the traffic backed up on the 401.
Last in a long line opened up and left to blow away.
The lyric 'last in a long line opened up and left to blow away' details an opportunity presenting itself, yet once the area is clear, the opportunity vanishes.
Sound bounces of the windows in the skyline down the stairs to the train, to the concrete.
Sounds are resonating through the buildings, carrying down to the railway station and the pavement.
The decision that was given works out, the car opens up and the dream spills out.
The decision made previously concerning mode of transportation has worked in the person's favour and the dream of reaching their destination is fulfilled.
The dream... processed and frozen, sifted and boiled,(all eyes on the minute hand) shipped out in the flat bed truck that pulled out and passed me in the far right lane.
The aspirations that once seemed significant are reduced to an insipid package making its way down the road in a truck like so many before it.
The dream...
The lyrics now establish that this 'dream' is something that people are driving and commuting towards, however unfulfilling it may be.
Contributed by Noah A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
HerzogD
Wow! It is so awesome how Greg tries to bully John around and John just stays extremely cool and effectively disarms Greg. By the end of this clip Greg is blustering, John is cool, and John frames it perfectly for the WW board interviewers. This guy is a divisive hothead and I'm a methodical consensus-builder.