...I’m just a lazy fuck.
sometimes, the explanation is just this simple.
other times, however, i think it depends on things like who is the artist and who
are you (at the time of listening). when i was young, rock stars were
like rock stars. to quote local dj legend/mayor of sunset, rodney b.,
back then, rock stars were "god heads." so, of course, lyrics
were holy text to be consumed. i used to have notebooks filled with
lyrics. why? back then it was, why not? plus, my list of
important things was so much shorter, and i had so much more time.
who is the artist still influences whether or not i care about the
lyrics. because, as someone pointed out, sometimes it really is poetry
and i'd be a fool to be a lazy fuck. the shins? now that's a
different story. i think they're totally overrated. but they have a
few songs that sound really nice. twice, (because i like to give even
rock stars a second chance) i made the mistake of looking up the lyrics:
"new slang" and "phantom limb." now i can't listen to
either songs without thinking, what gob shit. so, is it ok not to know
all the lyrics? sometimes, that's the only saving grace.
amen.
finally, there's always the poetry that comes from misinterpretation.
we've all had those. some of us have even written poems inspired by
them. if you really want to discuss guilt, how about that question: would that be considered plagiarism?