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Band: Thrice
Song: Motion Isn't Meaning
Tuning: c,g,c,f
Intro X4
F|-------------------|----------------|
C|-------------------|----------------|
G|-0-1-3-0/10101010--|--0-1-3-0/5555--|
C|-------------------|----------------|
Verse/Chrous etc - Let guitar play the first lot of notes then join in
F|---------------------------------------------------------------|
C|---------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2h3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3h5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5--|
C|---------------------------------------------------------------|
F|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------00000000/10-10/12p10-10h12p10---------------|
C|--333333333333-000000000000-------------------------------333333333333--|
F|----------------------------------------------------|
C|----------------------------------------------------| X2
G|-3-3-33-3-0-0-00-0--0-1-3-0/10101010--0-1-3-0/5555--|
C|----------------------------------------------------|
F|-----------------------------------|
C|-----------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------|
C|--7~---3~---5~--33-3~----5~----3~--|
F|---------------------------------------------------------------|
C|---------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2h3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3h5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5--|
C|---------------------------------------------------------------|
F|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------00000000/10-10/12p10-10h12p10---------------|
C|--333333333333-000000000000-------------------------------333333333333--|
F|----------------------------------------------------|
C|----------------------------------------------------| X2
G|-3-3-33-3-0-0-00-0--0-1-3-0/10101010--0-1-3-0/5555--|
C|----------------------------------------------------|
F|-----------------------------------|
C|-----------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------|
C|--7~---3~---5~--33-3~----5~----7~--|
F|-------------------|----------------|
C|-------------------|----------------| x8
G|-0-1-3-0/10101010--|--0-1-3-0/5555--|
C|-------------------|----------------|
End with a slide down from 5
I think i have the rythem etc but some notes are probly out of key.
Taken from The BassMasta -- http://www.bassmasta.net
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No Picture
jeremy Wanna Be |
#1 by jeremy koss at Apr 26, 1972 at 2:02 PM EST |
| i don't think war is the important issue is the war, i think the song uses war analogies to make the point that a lot of people make bold statements but don't follow these through with their actions (ie motion but not meaning). This is shown well in the lines "tell mea that you want to stop the war, but you cant dance if there no floor" - ie someone makes the statement that they want to stop the war, but they make no actions towards this cause (they aren't dancing) josh | |
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No Picture
Pat Lead Player |
#2 by Pat O'Shea at Mar 27, 1979 at 11:55 PM EST |
| This song is about war protests. "What a beautiful way to fake it This sort of graceful defeat We found a pattern out on the pavement Sound the siren out through the streets" The people who hit the streets (sound the siren, form patterns out on the pavement) to protest every war that comes around use it as an escape of sorts; in essence, they've already lost, since the truth is that the people do not directly control the military actions of the government, and that war is an inevitability. In that sense, Dustin sees these people as "faking it" through their defeat. "Advance in perfect nonchalance Do it together with a rifle report Don’t marvel at our confidence It’s troubled, bottled, and above-all deformed" The protesters advance with a group sense of confidence, like soldiers in a platoon. But again, it's not the confidence of a group taking effective action that will mean something in the long run; it's a group that has already been so betrayed by their leaders that they know of nothing more to do than move. Their "confidence" is "troubled," "bottled," "deformed." "Tell me that you wanna stop the war But baby you can't dance if there's no floor Motion isn't meaning It’s just another drug But it's all we've got..." The protesters say they want to stop the war, but the truth is that the people who lead them and who have declared war in their name really just don't give a shit. There is no "floor" upon which their voices will be heard or channel through which their actions will make a difference. Their motion (i.e. their marches, activism, and speech) does not carry an implicit meaning in the grand scheme of things. It may not even matter at all. Dustin does make one important and interesting realization at the end of the chorus: that even if all of this movement and motion is for nothing, it's the only thing many people feel like they have left, and it's the only way for them to deal with the betrayal of their government. In that sense, it becomes a drug for them. This ties in to the next section: "What a way to keep it together A black box, a prescription for speed We found a freeway that goes on forever Drown the demon in the deep black sea Shield your eyes It keeps burning to the rhythm of the rifle repeating Paralyzed But I gotta keep movin' if I wanna keep breathing" The need to fight, to move, to say something consumes these people and becomes the only thing sustaining them in a way. We are reminded again of the rhythm of the rifle report as the protesters march on. The last stanza is written with a sense of irony: "I'll take the life on the easy ship We have our guns for the moment I’ll take the life on the easy ship We have our guns!" Hopping aboard the war machine with gun in hand suddenly seems like a pretty easy alternative to the inescapable defeat of opposing war. Your enemies are made clear to you, and you have the weapons to take them down. The same cannot be said for the protesters, who are left with no alternative but to take motion without meaning. | |
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No Picture
tyler Wanna Be |
#3 by tyler hill at Jul 8, 1979 at 5:04 AM EST |
| I've come to the conclusion that Van Halen PURPOSELY engineered their songs to be confusing and really have no meaning at all. People will be analizing their songs for years to come. | |
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No Picture
Kaden Wanna Be |
#4 by Kaden at Mar 26, 1980 at 2:22 AM EST |
| THOSE WHO ARE EMPHATICALLY ANTI-WAR ARE PROBABLY HIDING THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE DEEPER PROBLEMS IN THEIR OWN PERSONAL LIVES UNRESOLVED BY THEIR ENTHUSIASTIC-PRETENDING AS THOUGH THEY HAVE ANSWER-ALL VIEWS. THEIR IDEOLOGICAL ENEMIES MAKE A MISTAKE, AND THEY USE IT AS AN EXCUSE TO PRETEND AS THOUGH THEY HAVE A FULFILLING, SELF_CONSISTENT WORLDVIEW. THEY DO NOT. | |
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No Picture
eric Average |
#5 by eric i at Mar 30, 1981 at 4:58 AM EST |
| Wonderful song. Obviously about fighting, but I can't decide if he's encouraging the fight or if he's against it. Still awesome lyrics though. | |
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No Picture
fredman Average |
#6 by fredman jesu at May 6, 1984 at 12:57 AM EST |
| This song is also on Hopelessly Devoted to You Vol.5, and is titled "Motion Without Meaning". So if it is indeed an error, then they've made the same one several times :) | |
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No Picture
steffan Badass |
#7 by steffan harkins at Dec 6, 1984 at 1:00 PM EST |
| NOTICE: Hopelessy Devoted to You Vol. 5 is now on sale at HotTopic.com for 5.99! Expirence the hopelessness! | |
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No Picture
sebastian Professional |
#8 by sebastian at Oct 28, 1985 at 3:22 AM EST |
| OMFG !!!! this song is awesome the lyric is straight obvious, it talks about the war, and how it`s consuming our life, and how we may stop it OMG Dustin wrties some really kickin ass lyrics | |
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No Picture
T.S. Average |
#9 by T.S. at Oct 25, 1990 at 8:58 PM EST |
| Very well said fixxpanel. | |
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No Picture
UknownSoldier Lead Player |
#10 by UknownSoldier Nightmare at Jul 7, 1992 at 7:27 PM EST |
| ATL Single? buy it online. And this song is about us taking military action, because it's all we have. | |
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No Picture
Blake Average |
#11 by Blake B at Apr 22, 1994 at 1:07 PM EST |
| The song is actually called "Motion Isn't Meaning" not "Motion Without Meaning" | |
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No Picture
TAMARA Musical Genius |
#12 by TAMARA at Jun 1, 2000 at 11:57 PM EST |
| well i actually thought of mimes when i first thought of the title cuz their always moving and without talking, them stupid bastards and swear to god i dont see a meaning behind them either, and plus they scare me so they should be shot | |
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No Picture
Slapsta Rhythm Player |
#13 by Slapsta Masta at Dec 4, 2002 at 5:40 AM EST |
| i severely doubt this is toward Bush, though if that's your interpretation, that is more than fair. This line... "Tell me that you wanna stop the war But baby you can't dance if there's no floor Motion isn't meaning It’s just another drug But it's all we've got...we've got nowhere to go" ... tells me something different. "Tell me that you wanna stop the war" people always want to stop the wars of the world, that they want to move forward beyond our destructive tendencies. "But baby you can't dance if there's no floor" How can you stop war, its something that as a race we will always be confronted with. It's ugly, but its the truth (and to believe otherwise is being stubbornly naive). "Motion isn't meaning It’s just another drug But it's all we've got...we've got nowhere to go" Moving forward isn't the answer, just another way to try and ignore and deny responsibility. Moving forward is hope, and it's all we have and all that's going to get us through. The main reason why I don't believe this to be about Bush or America specifically is because Thrice seems to have remained distant from political specifics. They (Dustin mainly) tend to write more about what they see as things that are wrong in the world as well as the values and ideals that appeal to them individually and as a whole. I think trying to spin their lyrics and meanings towards a definate left (or right) stance is doing injustice to the writer. Now if thats what he means specifically then I stand corrected. | |
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No Picture
John Lead Player |
#14 by John Fitch at Nov 20, 2005 at 7:35 AM EST |
| i just discovered this song and its awesome. cant seem to figure out what its about though... | |
