You cannot eat money, oh no

“The Seed” by Norwegian singer AURORA is characterized by her signature ethereal and haunting sound.  AURORA’s sound in “The Seed” might be described as a sweet mix of The Knife, Sia and Enya.

The lyrics delve into themes of personal growth, self-acceptance, and the power of the human spirit. “The Seed” addresses issues such as conservation and anti-materialism in a way reminiscent of the activism of the 1970s.

Aurora

“The Seed” features a blend of electronic and acoustic instrumentation, with Aurora’s voice soaring over a bed of pulsing beats and atmospheric synths. The song’s chorus is particularly striking, with Aurora’s vocals building to a crescendo as she repeats the refrain “You can’t eat money”. The contrast between the softness of the verses and the anthemic chorus is distinctive.

“The Seed” can be interpreted as a call to embrace one’s own unique identity and to nurture the seed of potential within oneself.  The song’s message of self-acceptance and self-love is both personal and universal, resonating with anyone who has struggled to find their place in the world or to live up to their full potential.

“The Seed” stands as a powerful reminder of the resilience and beauty of the human spirit, and our inescapable connection to nature and our physical environment.

The Seed Lyrics

Just like the seed,
I don’t know where to go.
Through dirt and shadow, I grow.
I’m reaching light through the struggle.
Just like the seed,
I’m chasing the wonder.
I unravel myself,
All in slow motion.

You cannot eat money, oh no.
You cannot eat money, oh no.
When the last tree has fallen,
And the rivers are poisoned.
You cannot eat money, oh no.
You cannot eat money, oh no.
You cannot eat money, oh no.
When the last tree has fallen,
And the rivers are poisoned.
You cannot eat money, oh no,
Oh no…

Suffocate me…
So my tears can be rain.
I will water the ground where I stand.
So the flowers can grow back again.
‘Cause just like the seed
Everything wants to live.
We are burning our fingers,
But we learn and forgive.

You cannot eat money, oh no.
You cannot eat money, oh no.
When the last tree has fallen,
And the rivers are poisoned.
You cannot eat money, oh no.
You cannot eat money, oh no.
You cannot eat money, oh no.
When the last tree has fallen,
And the rivers are poisoned.
You cannot eat money, oh no,
Oh no…

Feed me sunlight, feed me air,
In a place where nothing matters.
Feed me truth and feed me prayer, (dancing around a shooting star)
And every cell remembers.
Feed me sunlight, feed me air, (that have taken us this far)
I see images of killer whales.
Feed me truth and feed me prayers. (sleeping in a desert trail)
Dreaming of a parallel world where nothing ever hurts.
Dreaming of a parallel world where nothing ever hurts.

You cannot eat money, oh no.
You cannot eat money, oh no.
When the last tree has fallen,
And the rivers are poisoned.
You cannot eat money, oh no.
You cannot eat money, oh no.
You cannot eat money, oh no.
When the last tree has fallen,
And the rivers are poisoned.
You cannot eat money, oh no,
Oh no.

written by AURORA

Don’t it always seem to go/
That you don’t know what you’ve got til its gone.
They paved paradise/
And put up a parking lot.

“Big Yellow Taxi” packs a lot of meaning into a seemingly sweet and innocent-sounding song. It is one of Joni Mitchell’s earlier songs and it might be her biggest hit. It hits on so many levels. Superficially, one of the things that makes it cool is the last verse when we hear her goofing around: singing in a low voice then cracking herself up. It is kind of like a peak into her personality before there was social media. But the song would be great without it.

Mitchell lament’s that we don’t know what we’ve got till it’s gone. She gives us three examples that seem to be similar in that they are all environmental related: We pave paradise put up a parking lot, we use DDT, we cut down trees. All of these things are things that are important to her and people who are fans of her.

That is what the song is about—but that is not the impetus that made her create this song. You see late last night, her boyfriend left her in a big yellow taxi, and now she is feeling remorseful. In the moment when she let him go, she didn’t really care, but today she regrets it. Will we feel the same way about nature when it is gone?

Big Yellow Taxi Lyrics

They paved paradise
Put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
Put up a parking lot
Shoo, bop, bop, bop, bop
Shoo, bop, bop, bop, bop

They took all the trees
Put them in a tree museum
And they charged all the people
A dollar and a half to see ’em
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
Put up a parking lot
Shoo, bop, bop, bop, bop
Shoo, bop, bop, bop, bop

Hey, farmer, farmer
Put away the DDT now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
Put up a parking lot
Shoo, bop, bop, bop, bop
Shoo, bop, bop, bop, bop

Late last night
I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Took away my old man
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
Put up a parking lot
Shoo, bop, bop, bop, bop

I said, don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
Put up a parking lot
Shoo, bop, bop, bop, bop
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Shoo, bop, bop, bop, bop
They paved paradise
Put up a parking lot

Songwriters: Joni Mitchell

Look at Mother Nature on the run/
In the nineteen seventies.

Neil Young’s “After the Gold Rush” is a song (kind of) about environmental conservatism and activism from over forty years ago. The song is vague, but Young’s one clear lyric that stands out is the above, “Look at Mother Nature on the run in the nineteen seventies.” The rest of what happens in the song is very much open to interpretation.

It appears that Young (or the narrator) is in his bedroom getting high waiting for his (or his replacement’s) draft number to be selected to go to the Vietnam war. As he is waiting there he has dreams of the past and future, as well as thoughts about his current situation. He thinks about warfare from the past. There are knights, and drumming and peasants nearby cheering…overall it seems like a relatively idyllic, orderly time.

He contrasts that to a future wartime when the children will be crying as the chosen people are selected to escape the hazy earth towards the sun to find a new home. He sees the connection between the need to harvest the earths minerals and the destruction of the environment and the wars to obtain the riches from the earth.

Young’s “After the Gold Rush” has very high notes and it is interesting how Young slips in and out on falsetto so smoothly. It is almost imperceptible. His voice is controlled and gentle throughout. His piano playing is slow and deliberate, and it gives the song a somber mood. Interestingly, the instrument given a solo is a trumpet.

After the Gold Rush Lyrics

Well I dreamed I saw the knights in armor comin’
Sayin’ something about a queen
There were peasants singin’ and drummers drummin’
And the archer split the tree
There was a fanfare blowin’ to the sun
That was floating on the breeze
Look at Mother Nature on the run
In the 1970s
Look at Mother Nature on the run
In the 1970s

I was lyin’ in a burned out basement
With the full moon in my eyes
I was hopin’ for replacement
When the sun burst though the sky
There was a band playin’ in my head
And I felt like getting high
I was thinkin’ about what a friend had said
I was hopin’ it was a lie
Thinkin’ about what a friend had said
I was hopin’ it was a lie

Well, I dreamed I saw the silver space ships flyin’
In the yellow haze of the sun
There were children cryin’ and colors flyin’
All around the chosen ones
All in a dream, all in a dream
The loadin’ had begun
Flying Mother Nature’s silver seed
To a new home in the sun
Flying Mother Nature’s silver seed
To a new home

written by Neil Young