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Topic: Surfing LyricsHave you seen the space in my eyes?, An Error?< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
nightspore Offline




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Posted: May 10 2010, 08:35

Granted, they're not great poetry (although the lines "Have you seen the phantom in my dreams/Be warned. Believe it" are eerily effective) but I disagree with the transcription of the words that seems to be universally accepted. Practically every site has the words as follows:

Have you seen the space in my eyes? Be warned. Believe it.
Have you seen the fades in my skies? We can't conceive it.

I disagree with the "We can't conceive it"; I hear this as "We can. Cos he did." Admittedly this doesn't fit as well grammatically as does the accepted version, but it does seem to be what is said. Any thoughts?

Another interesting this about this song is that it seems to be about the internet yet the cover of the single shows an ocean in the dark.
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Sir Mustapha Offline




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Posted: May 10 2010, 10:22

Quote (nightspore @ May 10 2010, 08:35)
I disagree with the "We can't conceive it"; I hear this as "We can. Cos he did." Admittedly this doesn't fit as well grammatically as does the accepted version, but it does seem to be what is said. Any thoughts?

You gotta consider that, as far as synthesized speech goes, you can't trust exactly what you think you're hearing, and you gotta somehow learn to fill in the gaps. Check out Fitter, Happier from Radiohead's OK Computer and you'll hear more clearly some of the distortions made by synthetic speech software (even though I guess it has advanced a bit since then).

"Fi'er, happier, more produ'tive, comfortable, no'drinking 'oo mu-ch" and so on.


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Check out http://ferniecanto.com.br for all my music, including my latest albums: Don't Stay in the City, Making Amends and Builders of Worlds.
Also check my Bandcamp page: http://ferniecanto.bandcamp.com
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nightspore Offline




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Posted: May 10 2010, 10:31

Quote (Sir Mustapha @ May 10 2010, 10:22)
You gotta consider that, as far as synthesized speech goes, you can't trust exactly what you think you're hearing,

At the risk of veering into the realms of the epistemological, if you can't trust the evidence of your own senses, what can you trust? It's not as though reason would provide any kind of guide, here, the way (for example) reason could tell a person under LSD that the room wasn't really shrinking.
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Ugo Offline




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Posted: May 10 2010, 19:06

The single's cover is an adaption of the album's cover and it's totally unrelated to the song. As far as the lyrics are concerned, I've always thought that the song is about the Tr3s Lunas game, rather than the Internet in general, and I've always heard that line as "We have conceived it" - meaning that "We" (the creators of the Tr3s Lunas game) have conceived the game as a space to get lost in. Also, in the first part of the same line, I don't get "fades" - I get "faces" or "phases". But Sir M. above here is very much right - the very nature of synthesized singing implies a near-impossibility of  knowing what the real lyrics are. Also, the parenthetical part is whispered, which makes it even more difficult. I guess only Mike knows what the real lyrics are, since he's the one who programmed Cantor to "sing" them in that song. But I doubt he will ever provide them. :)

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Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian
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nightspore Offline




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Posted: May 10 2010, 20:39

It sounded as though Sir M were coming down in favour of the "accepted" version of the lyrics, but you seem to be saying that no version of them can be guaranteed. Yes, that would seem to be fair. "Resolution" is even worse, of course. I think the lyrics are meant to be dreamlike, almost inaudible - but that doesn't stifle the impulse nevertheless to find out what they are. The more I listen to LaS the more I think it's one of Mike's most interesting albums. It's very introverted and strange.
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Michael Hilton Offline




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Posted: May 11 2010, 03:43

Hello Ugo, just thought I'd add that as I understood the vocal software used by Mike on light & Shade was Vocaloid?, as I am thinking of trying it out myself being a muso. By the way this is my first post, pleased to meet you...Michael.
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nightspore Offline




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Posted: May 11 2010, 06:57

Quote (Michael Hilton @ May 11 2010, 03:43)
Hello ugo'just thought i'd add that as i understood the vocal software used by mike on light & Shade was vocaloid?,as i am thinking of trying it out myself being a muso.By the way this is my first post,pleased to meet you...micheal

Welcome, Michael. The rules on tubular.net are few, well, one actually - agree with me!  :D
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Michael Hilton Offline




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Posted: May 12 2010, 20:24

Thanks for your reply Ugo, I must have a look at Cantor, also I do agree with nightspore it is one of the more interesting cd's...I cant keep it out of my head   :laugh:
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Milamber Offline




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Posted: May 12 2010, 22:50

Greetings Michael
great to see yet another Aussie fan.


Cheers
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Michael Hilton Offline




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Posted: May 13 2010, 23:23

G'day milamber, cheers mate, great to be part of a brilliant network.
Always been a Mike fan since the seventies, Hope to have a yarn in the near future...Michael
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Jimmy Nimbus Offline




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Posted: July 04 2010, 16:56

I always figured it was literally about surfing (especially due to the "rolling waves" nature of the guitar solo - listen and imagine the swell of the water), but there's no reason why it can't be attempting to do both, or do one within the imagery of the other.
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