Mara and Me

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crbrazil
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Joined:Mon Jun 14, 2010 12:40 am
Mara and Me

Post by crbrazil » Tue Oct 12, 2010 2:20 am

there are babies with guns beheading their friends
in shopping malls around the world
yet somehow the kings of leon
still have time to write songs about girls
i don't suck much less
at least those dudes have no illusions of angst and hopelessness
and if i claim revolutionary or i give to charity
they'll all know it's a plea for someone like me
disgusted with lies and cut down by their own beatnik poetry
i'm just one man with no face and no friends
god in this dank brooklyn bar i can feel it again
it's eating me

wait a second- i can't write the same damn song over and over again

i can't define myself through irony and self deprecation
i can't deny myself being alive through my alienation
everything that you do keeps me running back to you
can't give up, live the dream even if i don't believe
but we can't afford to surrender

fake players and the twisted web they weave
i contend that the coming holocaust will be of those who choose to believe
in anything but a phallic sense of self
hang alone in the attic, tied up tightly with your father's belt

you bathe in blood like mister crowley
your cost, their loss. their memory haunts me
i stand opposed to chaos that you chose
new heart, new bones
am i not alone?

fake players are the ones who play the game
was i born to sink into this couch

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steveo
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Re: Mara and Me

Post by steveo » Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:35 pm

I was at a show and Max said this song is about the biggest gang in the world. Songmeanings.net has more info:


"Max said this song is about the biggest gang in America. That's MS-13, an El-Salvadorian (I think?) gang. The MS stands for Mara Salvatrucha, hence the name of the song. I didn't think twice about the lyrics until I heard him say this at the concert, but it makes a little sense now.

"Babies with guns beheading their friends in shopping malls around the world" could refer to MS-13 initiation rituals. They're notorious around DC for targeting and killing people in Walmart, Target, etc. parking lots on initiation nights.

Kind of a bummer but hope this helps..."-cornwell128

so i think it's about kids getting sucked into the game
Image
Oh, I'll be around to pick your pretty heart right off the ground when all this
fucking fashion brings you down.
http://www.purevolume.com/stevearuilioistheman

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Norgan
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Re: Mara and Me

Post by Norgan » Tue Oct 12, 2010 10:15 pm

I remember reading/hearing somewhere (I can't remember) that the whole Mara and Kings of Leon reference in the first part of the song had to do with Max's attitude towards the world... as in "this gang is doing all of this messed up shit, while people like the Kings of Leon seem to just still have these seemingly positive attitudes about everything." But meaning it to be a bit more introverted, as in Max is wondering why he gets so caught up on this stuff and seriously worries about it for days and days, while most other people seem to be able to ignore it.

And it seems this is just the starting point this song takes, leading it into more dark lyrics, until Max finally stops himself and makes a stand, first against himself and his over-negativity, then next against the rest of the world in their suppressive nature and their mindlessness.

That's what I've always gotten from the song. Very empowering!

And jeez. Isn't the ending to the song some of the best guitar you've heard from Say Anything in a while? I love it!
Norgan is a real boy!

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