Give It Away
James (1) Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Two worlds and in between
Hot metal and methedrine
I hear empire down
I hear empire down
I hear the roar of a big machine
Two worlds and in between
Dum-dum bullets and shoot to kill, I hear
Dive, bombers, and
Empire down
Empire down
I hear the sons of the city and dispossessed
Get down, get undressed
Get pretty but you and me,
We got the kingdom, we got the key
We got the empire, now as then,
We don't doubt, we don't take direction,
Lucretia, my reflection, dance the ghost with me
We look hard
We look through
We look hard to see for real
Such things I hear, they don't make sense
I don't see much evidence
I don't feel. I don't feel. I don't Feel
A long train held up by page on page
A hard reign held up by rage
Once a railroad
Now it's done
I hear the roar of a big machine
Two worlds and in between
Hot metal and methedrine
I hear empire down
We got the empire, now as then,
We don't doubt, we don't take reflection,
Lucretia, my direction, dance the ghost with me
The lyrics of James (1)'s song "Give It Away" depict a post-apocalyptic world where the "empire" has crumbled, leaving chaos and destruction in its wake. The recurring line "I hear empire down" conveys a sense of loss and despair as the singer witnesses the downfall of a great power. The use of industrial imagery, such as "hot metal" and "methedrine," adds to the overall bleakness of the song.
However, amidst the destruction, the singer and their partner seem to have found solace in each other. They declare that they have "the kingdom" and "the key," suggesting that they have found their own source of power and stability. The line "Lucretia, my reflection, dance the ghost with me" is enigmatic, but seems to suggest that the singer has found comfort in their own inner world, symbolized by the reflection in a mirror.
The final verse introduces the image of a "long train held up by page on page," which could represent the weight of history and tradition that has led to the downfall of the empire. The juxtaposition of this image with the earlier references to "dum-dum bullets" and "dive bombers" creates a sense of nostalgia for a time when things were simpler, but also a recognition that violence and destruction have always been a part of human history.
Overall, the lyrics of "Give It Away" paint a vivid portrait of a world in decline, but also offer a glimmer of hope in the form of personal connections and self-discovery.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear the roar of a big machine
The sound of destruction and power.
Two worlds and in between
A space of uncertainty and chaos.
Hot metal and methedrine
Violent and dangerous substances.
I hear empire down
The fall of an oppressive system.
Love lost, fire at will
A world consumed by violence.
Dum-dum bullets and shoot to kill, I hear
The brutal reality of war.
Dive, bombers, and Empire down
The destruction caused by warfare.
I hear the sons of the city and dispossessed
The oppressed and marginalized.
Get down, get undressed
Society's obsession with superficial appearances.
Get pretty but you and me,
The singer and the listener have something more important than looks.
We got the kingdom, we got the key
The singer and the listener have power.
We got the empire, now as then,
The current system belongs to the powerful.
We don't doubt, we don't take direction,
The powerful do not question their authority.
Lucretia, my reflection, dance the ghost with me
The singer finds solace in someone else who understands the world.
We look hard
We search intensely.
We look through
We look beyond surface-level information.
We look hard to see for real
We are searching for truth.
Such things I hear, they don't make sense
The chaos of the world is confusing.
I don't see much evidence
The singer cannot find proof of anything.
I don't feel. I don't feel. I don't Feel
The singer is numb to the world.
A long train held up by page on page
The burdensome weight of bureaucracy.
A hard reign held up by rage
Oppression maintained through cruelty.
Once a railroad, Now it's done
The fall of a once-great system.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: ANDREW TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Liam C
Exquisite. What a band. Criminally underrated, but not by me
Jose Luis Torres Ojeda (LATAM)
Lo mejor de lo mejor!!! James
Tomo Rrow
Love it!
Iced Jem
Title says with lyrics but there isn't any
beate uzi
In the description, dude.
Antonieta Pires
...Não vejo os meus comentários supostamente inconvenientes mas oferecidos de coração. Lamento as mentalidades.