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Topic: What is "Poison Arrows" inspired by?< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
alex Offline




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Posted: July 29 2000, 07:41

Don't you think that Poison Arrows is inspired by G.Orwell's 1984?
It may be possible ,altough the song refers to the book very loosely, mainly by allusion. Anyway some verses make me think of the book.

...And the album Discovery was published in 1984...
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Fox Offline




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Posted: July 30 2000, 19:22

Although I've never read the book, I know what it's about. I never thought of the song in that light before. It's certainly possible.

I've always thought of it as telling a story of frustration at the world and how it seems that everyone's against you; that everyone will leap at the chance to take advantage of you. Don't ask me to point out specifics to why I always thought that, but that's what I always thought it to be about.

But your theory makes more sence than my old one...at least in the specific terms (my theory could work for a generalized meaning). After all, what else could explain what the lines: watchin' every move you make...evil eyes'll be on you are referring to?

Not to mention: don't give in. Don't come any closer.... That could mean the world's attempt to resist big brother.

This puts the ending verse into prespective -that there's no hope of resisting it! It will happen (and is happening).

With this in mind, what would ...searching every sound / walking un quiet ground mean?

[This message has been edited by Fox (edited 07-30-2000).]
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alex Offline




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Posted: Aug. 03 2000, 15:32

George Orwell's book is about totalitarism, about a country where party controls the life of the society and intimidiates people to keep the power in its hand.It's about the place on the Earth, where everyone is against everyone, where the war goes on all the time and where someone who seems to be your best friend and ally, gives you away...Well, everything is controlled and the party even knows your thouhgts and watches EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE by the "teleecrans"...
I guarant you that the book is very interesting - you should read it!( and after that think : is it possible that Poison Arrows is inspired by that ).



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Blue Dolphin Offline




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Posted: June 30 2002, 18:14

Ehm, oke, this is a rather late reply (hadn't discoverd this topic).... :)

But I really really thinks Poison Arrows is about those bloody damn hunters who shoot harmless animals....

Imagine this: you are a wolf and you're hunted by somebody with a rifle. That's why: Somebody's out there to get you and poison arrows are the weapons.

You also hear a wolf at the end, so that's why I think that it is about hunting.


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-The mark of a good musician is to play one note and mean it-

Mike Oldfield - 1980
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atona
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Posted: Sep. 02 2002, 07:04

interesting.. i always thought that al of Discovery was more or less telling a story of love, and poision arrows maybe about the fear to give in to it and be hurt by it, maybe also refering on the idea of being hit by amors arrow.
for exsample "Somebody's out to break you" or "Don't give in, don't come any closer, no sir" point in that direction
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maria Offline




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Posted: Oct. 03 2002, 16:55

i agree with fox... it's almost possible to smell the frustration in this song, but i've always felt a lot of strenght in it too... for me this song reflects the mood of a person who feels the pressure from outside and at the same time the need of resist and getting free from it, though the "ghost" is everywhere (as the big brother is in 1984). i never thought about a love story, but it's only my view and as it happens with poetry most of mike's songs may be interpretated from different points of view, due to the language he uses to write his lyrics... open language... :)
btw. when i feel blue i love singing poison arrows with all my voice and it's a nice way of throwing away the ghosts ;)


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lazeeladuk Offline




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Posted: Oct. 03 2002, 17:25

correct me if i'm wrong but wasn't Mike getting a bit pissed of with Virgin and that branson bloke around this time? I'm sure that i have read somewhere that he was told to release an album cos his contract said so so he threw together this Discovery which i've been told he thinks is very basic and nothing special " somebodys out to get you" could be seen as the record company and the wolves as well, Or it could be that Mike was writting about how he was feeling at this time, some people say he's not very confident about himself but i don't know about that, But it culd mean anything knowing Mike  :)  :)  ;)
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oldfield_fan Offline




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Posted: Oct. 04 2002, 17:40

Actually it was Heaven's Open that was "thrown together" as his last album for Virgin. As far as I know, Mike was not angry at Branson when Discovery was recorded. But the lyrics probably describe his feelings in one way or another... =)

Oh, and at the time Mike said that Discovery was his best album ever ;-)

/ Johan
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maria Offline




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Posted: Oct. 05 2002, 09:21

i read somewhere he had a lot of trouble with this matter of the contracts and so on... don't know if it was round the discovery release but i can imagine big troubles don't appear  in one day, he seemed to be under pressure, it was clear in some way listening to his music and representing the company (discographic companies can be huge ghosts, isn't it? :/ ) by the sound of wolves makes a lot of sense... but who knows what he had in his head...
discovery imo is the album that has got the best lyrics, i prefer long works but i usually come back to discovery, i love what he describes in saved by a bell and as i said i feel good rounded by the strenght he set in poison arrows... but the best track in discovery...
the lake   ;)


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...morning and evening i'm flying, i'm dreaming...
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Blue Dolphin Offline




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Posted: Oct. 07 2002, 14:19

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!! :)

(and Crystal Gazing ;)  )


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-The mark of a good musician is to play one note and mean it-

Mike Oldfield - 1980
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Korgscrew Offline




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Posted: Oct. 08 2002, 14:29

He was angry with Virgin from about 1980 (perhaps even a bit earlier) onwards, with it not getting any better as the years progressed...
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