They sing it back for 85,000 reasons

[brin_bellway]

I'd like to ask you all something.

First, listen to this song:

Watch on YouTube

Now, *before* looking at anyone else's answers, what do you think this song is about?


(note: here is a spoiler-text translator)

Comments

[brin_bellway]

My interpretation: Vg'f nobhg bcvngr nqqvpgvba.

The interpretation that is apparently canonical: Vg'f nobhg ershtrrf syrrvat sebz bccerffvir ertvzrf.


(Really I should probably just avoid ever looking at canonical song interpretations: it seems like they're always something completely off-the-wall, like someone was experimenting to see how far they could bend and stretch the words while studiously ignoring the obvious meaning. And yet I can only presume that most of them are not trolling, that they actually did mean what they claim to have meant, and perhaps they would think that *I'm* the one being creative-to-the-point-of-malicious in my interpretations. It's very unnerving.)

[contrarianarchon]

I never would have got either of those!

WRT cannonical song interpretations: I think this is just a product of songs being about moods and vibes more than what they're actually literally about, so everything is filtered through brevity and poetry and the desire to make the pretty sounds rather than anything else. I try very hard to not think about other people's reads on songs because "person who has read of my fav songs as being [socially or politically inappropriate] attacks me for it" is a long-standing nightmare.

(Also bonus round: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk95uD3_Ijg what's this song about?)

[brin_bellway]

I'm getting two interpretations:

1. N frpbaq-trarengvba phyg zrzore tbg xvpxrq bhg (be creuncf lbh-pna'g-sver-zr-V-dhvg), cebonoyl sbe univat tnl frk. Gurve svefg-trarengvba zbgure gevrf irel uneq abg gb guvax nobhg jurgure wbvavat gur phyg va gur svefg cynpr jnf n onq vqrn, fvapr fur srryf yvxr fur'f va jnl gbb qrrc gb onpx bhg abj.

2. Gur "zbgure" unq na nobegvba va ure lbhgu naq ertergf vg.


(I might change my mind if I actually knew what that spoken-word bridge was saying, but the lyric sites I checked don't seem to know either.)

[contrarianarchon]

*abqf*. V jnf nfxvat orpnhfr gur jevgre unf tbar ba gur erpbeq fnlvat gung ur'f naablrq ol nyy gur crbcyr jub ernq 2 naq ernyyl qbrfa'g frr vg. 1 unqa'g bppheerq gb zr ohg zber trareny "orvat va n fhophygher vf pbzcyvpngrq" jnf gur ernq V unq pbzr hc jvgu tvira gur rkcyvpvg erwrpgvba bs 2.

(Nyfb tvira gur bgure jbex sbe gur ren, V guvax gur ibyhzr bs eryvtvbhf vzntrel vf nyzbfg vapvqragny gb nal fbat-fcrpvsvp ernq? Ohg gung'f abg pbagrkg lbh pbhyq or rkcrpgrq gb unir.)

[thedarlingone]

Irefr 1 naq ersenva: Pguhyuh zlgubf? Frrzf yvxr cbffvoyl Qrrc Bar CBI jvgu znlor na natyr nobhg gur svfu crbcyr V pnaabg pheeragyl erzrzore gur anzr bs.

Irefr 2: Fryxvrf? Fxva-funcrf naq punatvat naq fvaxvat. Pbhyq fgvyy or Qrrc Barf, ohg "vg'f jnez" fbhaqf zber yvxr fryxvrf.

Irefr 3: Ubarfgyl fbhaqf zbfg yvxr lbhe fgnaqneq oynu-qr-oynu obl naq tvey ylevpf. V pbhyq trg fbzrguvat nobhg gryrcnguvp jvyy-b'-gur-jvfc cflpuvp cnenfvgrf vs V fdhvagrq ernyyl uneq. Gur jubyr fbat vf inthr rabhtu gung V bayl qvfpbhagrq gur obl-naq-tvey vagrecergngvba bhg bs unaq orpnhfr vg frrzrq hayvxryl gung V jbhyq or nfxrq jung vg jnf nobhg vs vg jnf gung boivbhf.

Bcvngr nqqvpgvba: lrnu V thrff V pbhyq frr vg vs V jnf tbvat zber nofgenpg.

Ershtrrf: jung gur *shpx*.

[brin_bellway]

Bbu, gur Pguhyuh-zlgubf naq fryxvr vagrecergngvbaf ner vagrerfgvat. Gurl qrsvavgryl qba'g cvat nf "jung gur shpx, jrer lbh rira yvfgravat" gur jnl gur ershtrr guvat qbrf.

---

>>/V pbhyq trg fbzrguvat nobhg gryrcnguvp jvyy-b'-gur-jvfc cflpuvp cnenfvgrf vs V fdhvagrq ernyyl uneq./

V abgr gung juvyr *zbfg* bs zl vagrecergngvba pvephvgel jnf tbvat "bcvhz" yvfgravat gb guvf fbat, gurer *jnf* n abgvprnoyr pbagvatrag tbvat "Lrrexf". V unira'g rira *ernq* Navzbecuf.

---

>>/Bcvngr nqqvpgvba: lrnu V thrff V pbhyq frr vg vs V jnf tbvat zber nofgenpg./

V pna frr jul V jbhyq or hahfhnyyl vapyvarq gb cnefr vg gung jnl. V unira'g qbar bcvngrf nf fhpu, ohg V nofbyhgryl xabj gur uhz, va gubfr rknpg jbeqf [uggcf://oeva-oryyjnl.qernzjvqgu.bet/69293.ugzy, uggcf://oevaoryyjnl.jbeqcerff.pbz/2021/01/30/gur-tngr/]. Naq V xabj gur srryvat bs jngre, fhpu gung bar jbhyq pbzcner gurz [uggcf://oeva-oryyjnl.qernzjvqgu.bet/20280.ugzy].

(eryngrq: uggcf://jjj.lbhghor.pbz/jngpu?i=oAXorI3jZ84)

[contrarianarchon]

Hu, V unq nyjnlf ... qvfzvffrq vf gur jebat jbeq, ohg cynprq va gur pngrtbel bs "nrfgurgvpnyyl cyrnfvat cfrhqb-bpphyg abafrafr" (qba'g yvxr qvfzvffrq orpnhfr gung jbhyq vzcyl V guvax "nrfgurgvpnyyl cyrnfvat cfrhqb-bpphyg abafrafr" vf n onq guvat gb znxr n fbat nobhg, be gung guvf fbat unfa'g orra ba zl znva cynlyvfg sbe nf ybat nf V'ir unq n znva cynlyvfg) ohg guvaxvat nobhg vg ... gur haoevqtrnoyr qvivqr orgjrra fbhy naq fbhy naq gur frys-perngrq-va-gur-zvaq-bs-bguref-nf-qvfgvapg-sebz-gur-gehr-frys?

(edited to rot13 it, because I didn't check the comments while writing and didn't realise this was how we were doing spoilers)