Another Cool Writing--Make-up Post

This post is to make up for my absence in class on Monday.

I've decided to do a simple close reading on the song Turn by Travis. Travis is my favorite band, and I've listened to their music for years. I love almost all of their songs, but this one in particular, with Fran Healy's (the lead singer) desperate vocals and a smashing video (I'd provide a link if I could get to youtube on the school computers) really gets me.

Okay, so here's the lyrics:
I want to see what people saw / I want to feel like I felt before / I want to see the kingdom come / I want to feel forever young

I want to sing / To sing my song / I want to live in a world where I belong / I want to live / I will survive / And I believe that it won't be very long / If we turn, turn, turn / turn, turn turn / Then we might learn

So where's the stars? / Up in the sky / And what's the moon? / A big balloon / We'll never know / unless we grow / There's so much world / outside the door

I want to sing / To sing my song / I want to live in a world where I'll be strong / I want to live / I will survive / And I believe that it won't be very long / If we turn, turn, turn, turn, turn / And if we turn, turn, turn, turn / Then we might learn / Turn, turn, turn, turn / Turn, turn, turn / And if we turn, turn, turn, turn / Then we might learn / Learn to turn

Analysis: I think this song is talking about the infinite curiosity humans have. The word turn is kind of like a journey we take to learn something. We get a question, and then we look for the answer, and then we find it, and then we get a new question, always going in a circle from question to question and answer to answer.

Still, I think Travis also wants to show that the circles people travel in aren't always worth the time we put into them. The video really drives this point home. The video features Fran in the push-up position, trying to win a bet by staying that way until midnight. Then, when midnight comes, several hooligans come by chasing an innocent young man. Fran tries to help, but his muscles are so sore and tired from completing the bet that he has not energy to go help the young man. The money he gets from the bet looks like a waste in comparison to the safety of the man. Fran wastes all of his energy on something that doesn't matter and then has no energy for something important.