G Dragon-That XX

Walking on the street, I bumped into your man (Yeah I saw him)

I didn't want to believe it, but my hunch turned out right (I told you)

He’s not wearing that ring you gave him, there’s another girl by his side

But I've said enough (I don’t wanna hurt you)

Now you’re getting angry with me (Why?)

You say “He’s definitely not that kind of person” (Sure you’re right)

Seeing your eyes, I reply that I probably got it wrong

See, I lied for you (I’m sorry)

I hate that you don’t understand me

I hate all this waiting

Let go of his hand (break it off with him)

When you’re sad, I feel like I’m dying

That XX, what does he have that I don’t

Why can’t I have you

That XX doesn't love you

How much longer are you going to cry yourself silly?

When you speak of him, you look so happy (you look happy)

It’s good that you can be this happy (I’m happy)

You say you really love him, want to be with him forever

You trust him completely (I don’t know what to say no more)


Your friends all know that guy (yup they know)

It’s so obvious, why can’t you see (it’s you)

They say love is blind, Oh baby, you’re so blind

Please, I beg you, break it off

Oh I hate that you don’t understand me

I hate all this waiting
Let go of his hand (break it off with him)

When you’re sad, I feel like I’m dying

That XX, what does he have that I don’t

Why can’t I have you

That XX doesn't love you

How much longer are you going to cry yourself silly?

(Rap)Expensive cars, beautiful clothes, high-class restaurants, they all suit you well

But that XX beside you, he doesn't suit you, he really doesn't

He smiles like a hypocrite with you, brushing your face and hair

But he’s thinking of another woman for sure, how dare he

The amount of tears you've cried, I want to make you happy by the same amount, baby

Rather than going through the pain alone, share some with me, baby

Please look at me, why can’t you realize that I am your love

Why are you the only one who doesn't know

That XX, what does he have that I don’t

Why can’t I have you

That XX doesn't love you

How much longer are you going to cry yourself silly?

That XX, what does he have that I don’t

Why can’t I have you

That XX doesn't love you

How much longer are you going to cry yourself silly?

That XX is basically the censored form for that bastard.   I don't really know why reading Othello by Shakespeare made me think of this song.  The only plausible reason is probably because my brain screams "bastard" when Iago 's scheming behind his "friends'" backs.  It's not much of a reason, but I guess it's good enough.  Especially if there turns out to be more parallels between That XX and Othello than I first expected.  

If put into Othello, That XX would be sung by Othello himself.  He would be mourning the loss of Desdemona's love, who he believes to be cheating with Cassio, his lieutenant.  Cassio, on the other hand, turns to prostitutes such as Bianca, who happens to love Cassio.  He, however, laughs at her affection and merrily speaks about her with Iago, without thinking too seriously about their future.  

Othello doesn't want to believe that the chaste Desdemona would cheat on him with Cassio, but justifies his beliefs with Iago's words and the fact that the handkerchief he had given Desdemona as a gift was seen in Cassio's hands.  In addition, he thought Cassio was laughing about Desdemona with Iago, though he was actually laughing about Bianca.  The lieutenant's actions show that he doesn't really love Bianca (or in Othello's eyes, Desdemona) and that he is just playing around.  

After Cassio falls from the position of lieutenant, Desdemona often mentions his name in Othello's vicinity, hoping to help her loyal friend.  Othello, however, mistakes that to be caused by her love to Cassio and is furious.  He slaps Desdemona and causes her to cry, deaf to her pleas of innocence.  If he had only listened to her confessions, he would have realized that she was not cheating on him.  

Matthew West-Hello, My Name Is

Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh (ah oh),
Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh (ah oh),
Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh


Hello, my name is regret
I’m pretty sure we have met
Every single day of your life
I’m the whisper inside
That won’t let you forget

Hello, my name is defeat
I know you recognize me
Just when you think you can win
I’ll drag you right back down again
‘Til you’ve lost all belief

Oh, these are the voices. Oh, these are the lies
And I have believed them for the very last time

Hello, my name is child of the one true King
Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh
I’ve been saved, I’ve been changed, I have been set free
"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King

Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh
Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh

Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh

I am no longer defined
By all the wreckage behind
The one who makes all things new
Has proven it’s true
Just take a look at my life

Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I've been saved, I've been changed, I have been set free
"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King

Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh (ah oh),
Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh
Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh (ah oh),

What love the Father has lavished upon us 
that we should be called His children
I am a child of the one true King

What love the Father has lavished upon us 
that we should be called His children

Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I've been saved, I've been changed, I have been set free
"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King

Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh (ah oh),
Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh (ah oh),
Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh

I am a child of the one true King

Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh (ah oh),
Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh (ah oh),
Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh...

As I was reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, this song was stuck in my head.  It works perfectly in my opinion.  I don't want to spoil the book too much (and I definitely recommend it), so I'll try my best to find the right combination between explaining the correlations and keeping it ambiguous.  

In The Kite Runner, Amir regrets his childhood mistakes and decisions, and tries to forget about it.  In fact, he lives as an insomniac for fifteen years, constantly haunted by his past. Little details bring him back to the day where he used Hassan's loyalty and lied to him, when he watched Hassan get sexually abused, and when he lied to kick Hassan out of the house.  Therefore,  regret is "the whisper inside that won't let [him] forget".  

Amir had also believed that his father loved Hassan more than him, and had continually attempted to vie for his father's affections.  He always felt defeated, because he was not like his father and he was painfully aware that his father was disappointed in him when he cried or didn't stand up for himself or others.  Even after his relationship with his father became better, Amir realized it was because of Hassan.  

And when Amir realized that those he trusted the most had lied to him the most, he was heartbroken.  His whole life had been a mass of small lies to cover up a large one.  "Oh, these are the lies/ And I have believed them for the very last time".  

However, he is suddenly forced to remember everything and given a second chance to forgive himself and wash away his guilt.  Because of the ordeals he goes through, he starts praying again, realizing that there is a God.  Everything that Amir left behind in Afghanistan (his regrets, his fears, his insercurities) are finally resolved, and thus he has been saved, changed, and set free.  

BTS-N.O.

A good house, a good car, will these things bring happiness?

In Seoul to the SKY, will parents really be happy?

Dreams disappeared, there was no time to rest

It’s a cycle of school, home or an Internet cafe

Everyone lives the same life

Students who are pressured to be number one live in between dreams and reality

Who is the one who made us into studying machines?

They classify us to either being number one or dropping out

They trap us in borders, the adults

There’s no choice but to consent

Even if we think simply, it’s the survival of the fittest

Who do you think is the one who makes us step on even our close friends to climb up? What?

Adults tell me that hardships are only momentary

To endure a little more, to do it later

Everybody say NO!

It can’t be any later

Don’t be trapped in someone else’s dream

We roll (We roll) We roll (We roll) We roll

Everybody say NO!

It has to be now or never

We still haven’t done anything

We roll (We roll) We roll (We roll) We roll

Everybody say NO!

A good house, a good car, will these things bring happiness?

In Seoul to the SKY, will parents really be happy?

I want to play and eat, I want to tear my uniform

Make money, good money, but they already view me crookedly

My obscure bank account, my unhappiness is past its limit

A factory of sighs while studying, a continuous cycle

The grown-ups confess that we have it so easy

They say that we are happier than our portion

Then how do you explain my unhappiness?

There’s no conversation topics beside studying

Outside, there are so many kids like me, living the life of a puppet

Who will take responsibility?

Adults tell me that hardships are only momentary

To endure a little more, to do it later

Everybody say NO!

It can’t be any later

Don’t be trapped in someone else’s dream

We roll (We roll) We roll (We roll) We roll

Everybody say NO!

It has to be now or never

We still haven’t done anything

We roll (We roll) We roll (We roll) We roll

Everybody say NO!

Everybody say NO!

Everybody say NO!

Everybody say NO!

Everybody say NO!

Today in class, we were discussing how schools have gradually evolved to cover up students' creativity, and I was reminded of this song.  The lyrics are pretty self-explanatory: the school system, along with parents affected by it, has caused students to lose individuality and character.   

Creativity is now hard for students, and when teachers give them a project and ask them to have fun with it and be creative, they draw blank stares.  I know I for one have difficulty with those projects, because I feel like it gives us more pressure to impress the teacher.  But, that's not what creativity is all about.  Creativity is about letting go of your inhibitions--screw society's boundaries.   My best projects were created without a grade in mind, just the motivation to make my creation look aesthetically pleasing.  As long as I liked the results and was proud of it, nothing else mattered.  In the end, even if I didn't get a good grade for them, I still keep them in my red binder, filled with all of my sketches, drabbles of stories, and those projects.  

Though this song is mostly criticizing how the struggle of students to become the best of the best is because society forces them to, I think it also applies to the loss of a creative environment.  I know a lot of teachers are working to recover this type of environment in their classrooms, but overall, the school system represses children.  Why is this even necessary?  The whole agenda is now based on completing a certain curriculum, trying to prepare a child for college, and then getting into college.  But what about after that?  I feel like more and more students don't know what they want to major in because during their high school career, all they did was cram more AP classes into their schedules.  They didn't explore the different ROP classes, the clubs, the electives.  They never found out their true passions, and so they never found the direction they wanted their lives to take.  

But it doesn't have to stay that way.  As long as more people realize that the way we teach the new generation is flawed, we can fix it.  We have to start teaching the students to question everything around them, and figure out how to make the world a better place.  

Panic! At the Disco-This is Gospel

This is gospel for the fallen ones

Locked away in permanent slumber

Assembling their philosophies

From pieces of broken memories

Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart [x2]

The gnashing teeth and criminal tongues conspire against the odds

But they haven't seen the best of us yet

If you love me let me go

If you love me let me go

'Cause words are knives and often leave scars

The fear of falling apart

And truth be told, I never was yours

The fear, the fear of falling apart

Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart [x2]

Don't try to sleep through the end of the world

Bury me alive

'Cause I won't give up without a fight

If you love me let me go

If you love me let me go

'Cause words are knives and often leave scars

The fear of falling apart

And truth be told, I never was yours

The fear, the fear of falling apart

Oh, the fear of falling apart

Oh, the fear, the fear of falling apart

[x4]

Oh (This is the beat of my heart)

The fear of falling apart

Panic! at the Disco is an American rock band that formed in 2004.  I  found out about them in 2008 with "I Write Sins Not Tragedies", released in 2006.  I still listen to Panic! after five years because they are that amazing.  

"This is Gospel" is part of the album titled Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, which will be released this October (the music video of "This is Gospel" was released on August 12th).  So far, the songs "This is Gospel" and "Miss Jackson" have been released.  

Some may interpret these lyrics to be about Ryan Ross and Jon Walker leaving the band, while other fans argue that the song is about how P!ATD has grown throughout the years and changed their style of music.  I don’t agree with either of these views.  Ross and Walker both left in 2009, and the song was finally released in 2013. 

If you look at the album as a whole, their new record is very much about the virtues of vice, being a fault, defect, or shortcoming.  Brendon Urie has stated in an interview that “This is Gospel” is basically about “trying to break free from the burdens that sit on your shoulders that you feel weigh you down at times”.  Because of this, I think the lyrics are about the difference between conforming and not conforming.  “This is gospel for the fallen ones/Locked away in permanent slumber” would refer to the dead who were deprived of liberty. Gospel is the belief of something or absolute truth.  “Assembling their philosophies/from pieces and broken memories” would refer to how they took their examples from the past and questioned society.  Those victims had been silenced because they saw how the world was falling apart, and became part of the vicious cycle. 

The next phrase is “Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart”.  At this part the beat starts to go faster, imitating an excited heartbeat. “The gnashing teeth and criminal tongues conspire against the odds” further supports my view that these people were considered “criminals” and were forced to hide in order to protect themselves.  However, they stayed firm in their beliefs and continued to pass knowledge on despite the obstacles.   And so, “they haven’t seen the best of us yet”. 

"If you love me let me go" refers to how a society should love their citizens and not want to let them die or be restrained.  “And truth be told I never was yours” exemplifies the strength of a single human mind refusing to be subdued and controlled. “The fear of falling apart” is one of the greatest fears known to human, and yet Urie wants his listeners to speak their minds and don’t conform to society.

“This is gospel for the vagabonds/ Never-do-wells and insufferable bastards” is again referring to those who were shunned because they caused trouble by not conforming.  An apostasy is a total desertion of or departure from ones' religion, principles, party, cause,
 etc. The lyrics “Confessing their apostasies” shows how they aren’t afraid to stand up for their beliefs, even if they are “led away by imperfect impostors”.  The word “impostors” symbolizes how the ones who captured the dissenters don’t know what they believe in, and just blindly follow the leader. 

“Don’t try to sleep through the end of the world/ Bury me alive/ ‘Cause I won’t give up without a fight” is Brendon Urie’s message to the people.  It shows the overall tone of the song: no matter what, be an individual.  Don’t be afraid to speak out, and don’t let your freedom of speech be taken away from you.    

P!ATD  is performing at the Hollywood Bowl along with Thirty Seconds to Mars on October 12th.  Get your tickets here http://bit.ly/MARSbowl13!!  If you can't make it then, you can find other tour dates and other information on their official website http:/www.panicatthedisco.com.