12 replies to this topic

[iGuest]

Retrovertigo
My Favorite Song Lyrics

IGuest...

I asked the writer of the song, Trevor Dunn, exactly what the song was about...I always knew what it was about and what it meant to me (a helluva lot, I can never get thru listening to the song without crying at least once)...

Anyways, this is what Trevor replied to me on his website last year:

YOUR QUESTION:
Name: Tony A question regarding Retrovertigo, if I may ? Is that song written from a first person perspective ? And is that person you ?

If so, what is that persons viewpoint/state of mind with regard to the subject of the lyric ?

If it isnt written from a first person viewpoint, please feel free to tell me from what viewpoint it was written from and as I said, their state of mind with regard to the subject of the song...

MY ANSWER:
Yes, if I am remembering correctly, it is a first person perspective, that person being me. Without explaining too much, which I loathe in terms of lyrics, the state of mind was disillusionment with a world or society that values image and money over human life. While certain "retro" fashions and lifestyles are considered hip, the on-going tradition of human suffering continues. As the world progresses technologically, certain people value and emulate "the good ol' days", while others are born into poverty never having progressed past the dark ages. The title "retrovertigo" is a term I came up with to describe my nausea regarding this phenomena. At the time I was living in SF where swing dancing was making a come-back, silicon valley was exploding, vintage clothes were expensive, and the notion that anything could be bought or sold--a soul, a tragedy, the end of the world---seemed viable.

Http://trevordunn.Net/qa2007.Html

-reply by Rilence

[iGuest]

Retrovertigo is the dizzying effect of looking back in the past.. And in doing so revisiting, maybe even reliving whatever it is thats there and, what the hell write a song about it and make some dough..

Mike Patton in my humble opinion is a genius and this is one of the most beautiful songs and one of my very favorite..

Just a thought.

[Aeon]

There are far too many songs that I absolutely love.

The two that stand out the most are 'Walk the Faded Line' by Lamb of God and 'Lateralus' by Tool/

Lamb of God - The Faded Line

Quote

Witness shame's parade, the pain of blame repaid
It's f*** hopeless
Accusations and denial.
Hopeless... demon of another day
Colorless... stoned, solid grey
Emptiness... of promises I made
So faithless... the tenants long betrayed.

Walk the faded line, cursed crawl of time
Silence, the only promise ever kept.
Familiar touch, a ritual to numb the cut
Salvation in vice
Anguish is realizing what could have been, but never was
It's emptiness that fills the cup
Devotion in the method of my fall.
Pointless...futility continuing
Endless…flowing corrupted vein.
Walk the faded Line, cursed crawl of time (x2)
Silence the only promise ever kept
It's f*** hopeless
Hopeless.(x2)
It's f*** hopeless
Hopeless

Quote

Tool - Lateralus

Black then white are all i see in my infancy.
red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me.
lets me see.
as below, so above and beyond, I imagine
drawn beyond the lines of reason.
Push the envelope. Watch it bend.

Over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind.
Withering my intuition, missing opportunities and I must
Feed my will to feel my moment drawing way outside the lines.

Black then white are all i see in my infancy.
red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me.
lets me see there is so much more and
beckons me to look thru to these infinite possibilities.
as below, so above and beyond, I imagine
drawn outside the lines of reason.
Push the envelope. Watch it bend.

over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind.
Withering my intuition leaving opportunities behind.
Feed my will to feel this moment urging me to cross the line.
Reaching out to embrace the random.
Reaching out to embrace whatever may come.

I embrace my desire to
I embrace my desire to
feel the rhythm, to feel connected enough to step aside and weep like a widow
to feel inspired to fathom the power, to witness the beauty,
to bathe in the fountain,
to swing on the spiral
to swing on the spiral
to swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be a human.

With my feet upon the ground I move myeslf between the sounds and open wide to suck it in.
I feel it move across my skin.
I'm reaching up and reaching out. I'm reaching for the random or what ever will bewilder me.
what ever will bewilder me.
And following our will and wind we may just go where no one's been.
We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no one's been.
Spiral out. Keep going.
Spiral out. Keep going.
Spiral out. Keep going.
Spiral out. Keep going.
Spiral out. Keep going.