What Bands/Songs Are Philosophical?

[speed]

What bands are philosophical? Which bands write particularly philosophical and thought provoking lyrics? Are there any bands that evoke a philsophical mood or atmosphere with their philosophical lyrics?

Does metal allow for such philosophically inspired bands more so than other genres of music? What about other genres (apart from classical)? Does one find other bands in other genres to be philosophical? Which ones? Which songs?

Post any especially philosophical lyrics you enjoy, and why you like them; or even, what you think they mean. The purpose of this thread is to compare and discuss the philosophical intentions and power of each posted song.

So please, everyone contribute, this will be fun and interesting.

 

[Seditious]

Samael?
"Lyrical theme(s): Discovery, spirituality (new)" - MetalArchives.com


always liked these lines

"The shelter of one thought is a jail for the mind"
- Samael, Inch'Allah

"I know how little is the value of that which has a price"
- Samael, Rebellion

"What we always fear and loathe becomes of us.
Repay the visit of our loss, reset the marks again.
The turning point, seems to be holding on."
- Dark Tranquillity, The Same

and a few favourite bars from The Pedestrian, Generation of Dead Beats:

Once a cipher rat, now I'm looking for a publisher of dead beatitudes
and parables as absurd as the world we've woven for ourselves
out of worn down wonderment and wormwood,
rewriting the masterpieces word by word.

Listen carefully, this song's an empty shell on the shore of the worthless ones,
my stab at simplifying beyond the hybrid of a smiling sambo and stony Buster Keaton.

I'm a cycle myself still chasing the aesthetic
with a hellhound on my trail and a rent bill in his mouth.

Maybe I'll just make a living out of question marks.
It's the recovering junkie poet slash alcoholic novelist part of us all,
any number of crossroads for yonder children of divorce and bankruptcy court,
hardly a great depression. We're all spoiled and mildy neurotic.
By day this middle finger is a white flag
signifying our apathetic middle-class course,

When I wake up, I may find it all gone
wondering if the glass just half is in an empty world.

This pointlessness pulses through my dearth of faith,
pointless in an imperfect circle without center.
Each of us hypocrite preachers without flocks,
every generation is lost and makes songs out of it
but ours exiled from the search.

 

[Seditious]

and a few favourite one-liners from favourite emcees...

"To live alone one must be an animal or a god." - Jedi Mind Tricks

"Anything is a graze compared to death" - The Solution

"we learn to keep it inside or we learn not to care" - Sixtoo

"carbon and water makes people and softdrinks." - Reaching Quiet

"in a world of harsh thoughts, reactionary defensiveness and counter-intelligence what exactly is innocence?" - Saul Williams

"Most of the greatest revolutionaries of our day and age are labelled terrorists" - El-P

"It's sad, but proud or not, most your standards go down a notch
When loneliness drinks at the bar you set too high." - Tonedeff

"It's a struggle, between what you can give and what you want to." - Slug

 

[unearthly]

Moonspell's some stuff.. Especially their old releases (like 'irreligious' album).. Fernando Ribeiro has studied philosophy at university that's why his lyrics are so deep..:

''we rise again to procreate to seal our fate''

''without hope we could not fear''

''given is now what love had taken''

''remembrance served in cups of sorrow and pride
for all the eternities we'll still cry''

 

[Έρεβος]

Burzum, duh.

 

[CatwomanEarache]

Try Cerrone Supernature, yes its sounds like a 70s disco classic but great lyrics, have to look it up tho I'm too tired

 

[Scourge of God]

Well, not "The Philosopher"...

 

[Blowtus]

Woods of Ypres - 'The Pursuit of the Sun and Allure of the Earth' is their 2nd album title, the whole album is centred around that concept. Snippets don't do it justice imho, but I'll try anyway

"I had built up all of my hopes and all of my plans
Only to have them stand and cast shadows of humiliation
Days would pass shadows would remain
A reminder of all of my dreams
I had to live humbled with
The disappointment of what never came to be"


"The sun was in my eyes
It came through the trees
Consumed all of my mind
It was all I could see"


"There is a comfort in longing for
Something that's gone forever
It shows how much that something meant to you
When it was here"

http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/woodsofypres/pursuitofthesunallureoftheearth.html

 

[Seditious]

Moonspell's some stuff.. Especially their old releases (like 'irreligious' album).. Fernando Ribeiro has studied philosophy at university that's why his lyrics are so deep..:

''without hope we could not fear''

lol that reminds me of a line from the movie First Knight

"A man who fears nothing is a man who loves nothing; and if you love nothing, what joy is there in your life?"

 

[challenge_everything]

I like those Samael lyrics.

I agree Dark Tranquillity has some decent lyrics too.

The only metal lyricist of note in my opinion is Maynard from Tool, though even he has gone downhill of late. Most of the stuff on Aenima is brilliant.

 

[Έρεβος]

The only metal lyricist of note in my opinion is Maynard from Tool, though even he has gone downhill of late. Most of the stuff on Aenima is brilliant.

System of a Down, too!!!

 

[unearthly]

lol that reminds me of a line from the movie First Knight

"A man who fears nothing is a man who loves nothing; and if you love nothing, what joy is there in your life?"

that album released in 1996(a year after 'First Knight') so it is possible that he had watch this movie and ifluenced.

 

[Nile577]

(Unintentionally(?) very Heideggerian. Ahh, Obscura is the best album in metal in my opinion.)

Gorguts - Nostalgia

Latest being drowned
In fictive degradation
Coming depression revolved
Around an Earth
Nostalgia excludes the whole

As spleen takes over me
Resound, the echoes of my threnodies
And then the fact of being
Has no longer meaning
The hymns of light
They'll sing once I'll be gone

Reverie appears cause
Existence collapse

Nostalgia
Sadness shall obnuilate

Sadness, feels, the desolated

Desperately lost within
Lament, pain and misery
The more lies burden lives,
The more I am dying
The realm of light
I'll reach once I'll...

Latest feeling drowned
In lucid contradiction
Coming relation revolved
Around a heart
Nostalgia excludes the whole

 

[StocktontoMalone]

Although not as heavy as most of the bands here, I'd have to say Neil Peart of RUSH has had the most effect on me and my life.

The Pass

Proud swagger out of the schoolyard
Waiting for the world's applause
Rebel without a conscience
Martyr without a cause

Static on your frequency
Electrical storm in your veins
Raging at unreachable glory
Straining at invisible chains

And now you're trembling on a rocky ledge
Staring down into a heartless sea
Can't face life on a razor's edge
Nothing's what you thought it would be

All of us get lost in the darkness
Dreamers learn to steer by the stars
All of us do time in the gutter
Dreamers turn to look at the cars
Turn around and turn around and turn around
Turn around and walk the razor's edge
Don't turn your back
And slam the door on me

It's not as if this barricade
Blocks the only road
It's not as if you're all alone
In wanting to explode

Someone set a bad example
Made surrender seem all right
The act of a noble warrior
Who lost the will to fight

And now you're trembling on a rocky ledge
Staring down into a heartless sea
Done with life on a razor's edge
Nothing's what you thought it would be

No hero in your tragedy
No daring in your escape
No salutes for your surrender
Nothing noble in your fate
Christ, what have you done?



Bravado


If we burn our wings
Flying too close to the sun
If the moment of glory
Is over before it's begun
If the dream is won
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost

When the dust has cleared
And victory denied
A summit too lofty
River a little too wide
If we keep our pride
Though paradise is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost

And if the music stops
There's only the sound of the rain
All the hope and glory
All the sacrifice in vain
[And] if love remains
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost

 

[infoterror]

Slayer - SOuth of Heaven
Bathory - Twilight of the Gods
Burzum - Dunkelheit
Immortal - Pure Holocaust
Carbonized - For the Security

 

[challenge_everything]

Rush's lyrics are painfully obvious and cliche.

 

[infoterror]

They're not as bad as Suck Chuldiner, the "Thomas Kinkade of Greeting Card Philosophy."

 

[Norsemaiden]

Probably I shouldn't bring Metallica into this discussion after all those wonderful examples of more intellectual philosophy, but I have always liked the way they phrase these lines:

Freedom of Choice
Choice Is Made for You My Friend
Freedom of Speech
Speech Is Words That They Will Bend
Freedom! - with Their Exception

From Eye of the Beholder

Many bands have some really crazy and nonsensical surreal lyrics. They can be very amusing on occasion.
But what about Dio lyrics? He sings with such passion and the music is wonderful - but aren't those lyrics nothing but random?
It seems a shame, and even verging on taking the piss of the genre itself. Am I unreasonable in that view?

For some reason I have always kind of liked Steely Dan. Their lyrics are so funny and sound like they really could be quite philosophical at times - but I can't always understand any deeper meaning.

YOUR GOLD TEETH II

Who are these children
Who scheme and run wild
Who speak with their wings
And the way that they smile
What are the secrets
They trace in the sky
And why do you tremble
Each time they ride by
CHORUS:
Throw out your gold teeth
And see how they roll
The answer they reveal
Life is unreal

Who are these strangers
Who pass through the door
Who cover your action
And go you one more
If you're feeling lucky
You best not refuse
It's your game the rules
Are your own win or lose

These are interesting (to me anyway) lyrics about someone who feels uncomfortable in the society that he lives in

If I had my way
I would move to another lifetime
I'd quit my job
Ride the train through the misty nighttime
I'll be ready when my feet touch ground
Wherever I come down
And if the folks will have me
Then they'll have me
CHORUS:
Any world that I'm welcome to
Is better than the one I come from

And this:

A world become one
Of salads and sun
Only a fool would say that

I heard it was you
Talkin' 'bout a world
Where all is free
It just couldn't be
And only a fool would say that

Chorus from: Only a Fool would Say That

What I find particularly ironic about that song is the way it is set to a Latin beat - salsa I think. I would more expect this type of music to be advocating a world where we are all one and everything is free and not putting the idea down.
Perhaps I have a weird sense of humour. So I was not sure I should even post this as most of you might think it is silly!

 

[CatwomanEarache]

Love Steely Dan, Im not sure what their lyrics were about really, but definately about life, good songs. Seeing the Metallica lyrics reminded me of Fight The Power Public Enemy,a really strong song imo, whatever your political stance or musical preference, its a powerful tune.

 

[CatwomanEarache]

http://video.publicenemy.com/vdisplay/1/Fight_The_Power_uncut.html

Hope I dont get banned for this