thomasfly June 11th, 2009 04:12PM  
This song is an example of "lyrical impressionism," of which John Lennon was a master, if not the originator of the genre. The most obvious example, by Lennon, was “I Am the Walrus;” others were "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and “Come Together,” while the first such example by Lennon was “Hey Bulldog.”

From WikiPedia: the "musical impressionism (of the 19th century) focused on suggestion and atmosphere rather than strong emotion or the depiction of a story."

In the case of popular / rock music, impressionism is characterized by lyrics that “superficially appear to be nonsensical and meaningless – which, in fact, (may) HAVE NO concrete meaning - but which, nonetheless, strongly suggest some kind of meaning … conveying an interpretation and / or feeling subliminally.”

As a means of creating “atmosphere,” or suggesting meaning, such songs often contain aphorisms – little gems of truth – such as “you … derail your own train - well who hasn't been there before?” here, or “one thing I can tell you is you got to be free,” in “Come Together.”

Of course, different songs may fit this definition to different degrees, and like beauty, the extent to which song lyrics are “impressionistic” is to some degree in the eyes of the beholder. The examples by Lennon, however, fit a pattern that is difficult for anyone who is not blind to fail to notice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yLnYO9gPMc

It’s worth noting the similarity between Sheryl Crow’s ironic “and drank till I was thirsty again,” in this song, and the “surrealistic logic” of Lennon’s “got to be good-looking 'cause he's so hard to see,” in the Beatles’ “Come Together.”

thomasfly June 20th, 2009 03:13PM  
actually, i take it all back ... i don't think the lyrics to this song are especially impressionistic - although, perhaps, slightly so. the beginning of the song is a little odd, and kind of surreal, but (especially with the admission, "OK - i made this up!") it's really just kind of whimsical (albeit, in a very creative way). "A Change would do You Good" - on the other hand - is right up there with "I Am the Walrus" ... although the moods of those 2 songs are nearly polar opposites.