Analysis of "It's a Wonderful Life" by Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution

Well first off, I had first heard this song when it started playing on my boyfriend's iPod while we were driving one night. The version I heard was by Streetlight Manifesto (which is the version on my little playlist, it just says it's by BOTAR). I absolutely love this song, and sometimes it makes me cry, because the message of love is just so strong. The analysis is italicized.

Once again I wake up alone on the wrong side of my bed/And once again you begin your dancing nakedly on the right side of my head/It’s for a lack of better words that I can hardly speak my soul/And I’m feeling what I’m feeling when I’m feeling when it’s time to lose control, my love

He wakes up from a bad night's sleep/ He imagines his lover dancing next to him like she would when he was with her/He can't say the words that express what's going on in his mind/He's feeling like he's going to go crazy.

And once again we’re off to war/But I can’t agree with what we’re fighting for/And that’s not all, because every time she smiles I see her soul/When I smile what a wonderful life.

He's going back out to war (being deployed)/He realizes that he doesn't really want to be a part of the fight /Not agreeing with what the fight is for is not the only reason he wants to leave, he wants to go back to his love/He remembers how good it is back home.

It’s true I used to try/But then I gave up, I learned it doesn’t really matter/What I do ain’t enough to appease or to please/All my well meaning deeds seem to all go up in smoke/And every time I look into these smoke filled skies I wonder what she’s doing, why I volunteered to die/But tonight I will fight for my life so I might see my wife again.

He originally wanted to be a part of the war and tried his best with fighting/He learned that it's not making a difference/What ever he does do isn't right or enough/When he tries to do something well, it just turns out poorly/When he looks at the mess he's made, he thinks of his wife and what made him sign up for this/He pushes that thought away so he can fight so that he'll live to see his wife again.

I explained to her that I’d be back/When I gave my word that the fighting wouldn’t last/But despite my pact, I know that every breath I draw might be my last/And I smile, it’s been a wonderful life

He told his wife that he'd come back/He promised her that the war would end quickly/Although he has promised her this, he knows that he could die at anytime/He smiles because he knows that he's had a great life with her, and he loves her.

Goddamn, another summer in the city and I never seen a girl look so pretty as you/When you smile oh you’re wild for a while/I was hoping I might see you again/And I know that everybody is willing to go/And I find I’ll turn it all and leave on a dime/If I leave tonight, screw what’s right, I can make it home by dawn

He reminisces about when they first met/He remembers her pretty smile/And how he hoped he would see her again after they met/He says about how he knows that everyone knows that they are risking their lives/He will realize that he'll turn his back and leave/And if he leaves, he doesn't care if it's wrong or right, and he'll be home soon enough, because that's all that matters to him.

And I was told, “Boy, prepare for war!”/But they failed to mention what I’d be fighting for/So I fight for this:
The fact that as I pass away, I’ll feel her kiss/When I smile, what a wonderful life Me oh my, what a  wonderful life/Oh, to die for such a wonderful life

He was sort of forced or convinced to go to war/They never told him exactly what he was fighting for/He makes up that his reason is for his wife and that as he dies, he'll feel her kissing him/ He says that he has such a wonderful life/ And lastly, basically says that his wife is his life, and that he would die for her.

This is such romantic song, I feel that it also sums up what it's like to miss someone so much. I feel that this song can be relevant to the troops overseas and how they're away from all their loved ones. Give it a listen, it's the second song on the playlist.

Lyrics courtesy of: http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/It's-A-Wonderful-Life-lyrics-Bandits-Of-The-Acoustic-Revolution/B3D4D7BCB40262BE48256E39000ACF6B

"Love is...someone to act goofy with."

First off, I love these little "Love is..." comics :)

I couldn't agree more with the statement under the cartoon. Love really is being able to act goofy around one another. Love is about being your true self with the other and if you're able to let your guard down and be a little crazy, it helps the relationship. By being completely comfortable with one another, you help the bond grow stronger because you're being your genuine self. You aslo add some fun into the relationship by being goofy.

Do you feel as if being silly is important to a relationship?

Platonic Love

Remember in middle school when you had a close friend of the opposite sex and everyone said you two should "go out" but you never actually felt that way towards that person? That's a fairly good example of platonic love (of course it applies to friends of the same sex as well, it's just a little simpler to explain it with a friend of the opposite sex). Platonic love is non-sexual love.
I have several very close friends that are male, and I love them, just not romantically. The thought of actually being in a relationship with any of them is a little gross, honestly. They're amazing friends and I know they're always there for me as I am there for them too. I know as we get older opposite sex friendships aren't as judged or made fun of, but there's still those times when people say the two should go out, or might as well be going out. It's really up to the people, it's their lives after all.

What are your feelings on platonic love?

Love and Other Drugs (this can be a bit of a spoiler of the movie)

So last night, my sister and I went to see the movie Love and Other Drugs starring Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal. AH-FREAKING-MAZING. I recommend it to pretty much everyone.
Well basically Jake's character, named Jamie,  is a pharmeceutical (spelling?) reprensentative for Pfizer and he meets this girl Maggie (Anne). Maggie has early onset Parkinson's and although she's sick, Jamie and her start a purely sexual relationship. Eventually they become a regular couple and Jamie takes Maggie to Chicago for a convention. While there, Maggie finds others battling and coping with her condition and Jamie meets a man who's wife has stage four Parkinson's. This part hit me the hardest, because the man tells Jamie to leave because eventually Maggie will lose control of everything and he'll have to take care of her completely. The way the man said it was like "pack your bags and leave her a nice note". Of course he was just telling Jamie the truth, but that's not what love is. Most marriage vows say, "in sickness and in health" and you should stick by that. Nonetheless, Jamie tries to find treatment for Maggie which shows how he cares for her. Eventually everything falls into place. But it really does display true love. Jamie loves Maggie regardless of her illness and he promises to be there for her no matter what. That's what real love is.
This also got me thinking about my boyfriend's parents. His mother was diagnosed with MS a few years ago. Although she seems pretty healthy (I had no idea until he told me one night), she is still sick. I know his parents really do love each other, because they're sticking together although she has a degenerative illness. This also applies with my grandparents. My Poppy was a very sick man, he had a heart condition, stomach issues, diabetes, etc. And through it all my grandma cared for him and stayed by his side. I think that love faces it's biggest tests when someone is sick. It truly shows that the couple is in it together when something like happens.

The Different Forms of Love

There are many different forms of love (other than romantic love). There's the love for your friends which is basically within the truest and best friendships. There's also love within the family (and pets, because they're a part of your family), but that's pretty self-explanatory. Then there's the love between a person and (if they have a faith) the person (or persons) that are the higher being(s) of the faith. All of these loves help build a person and help them grow. With love a person can improve his or herself, by expanding and helping another. Love is what helps keep friends, family, pets, and faith.

What do you feel are the different forms of love?

Saying "I love you" and being "in love".

I think the biggest issue with relationships sometimes is the phrase, "I love you" being said too soon. It's an important phrase and should only be said when you actually mean it. It's a feeling that just comes naturally, and it just happens when you say it; it shouldn't be rushed or forced.

Also, being "in love" is a lot different than loving someone. Being in love is when there is no one else you'd rather be with. That person is your everything, you can't imagine yourself without that person. Being in love with a person doesn't always mean that he or she is your true love, but it usually does. People can fall out of love, which is why they are not always your true love/soul mate. Being in love is an amazing feeling and that's the best thing to share with someone.

"Love is...someone who reigns with you, not over you."

As this little comic by Kim Casali suggests, "Love is...someone who reigns with you, not over you." Love is when you're equal and fair with one another and you're not afraid to compromise. Good relationships work when the couple is able to work out differences and issues. Through compromise and fairness, love will work out because both parties won't be in competition. Although there's nothing wrong with a little friendly competition, ;)