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Dayofsloths t1_jdrrha3 wrote

I think it was a deliberate choice to have a really upbeat sounding song with sinister lyrics. It very much matches the vibe of the show.

182

alexxerth t1_jdrsvf6 wrote

I mean it's explicitly about suicide. I always kinda thought it's about Jeff or Pierce, but really almost all the characters but Abed are at real lows in their life at the start of the show and might've been considering it.

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arthurbang t1_jdrt1sz wrote

The 88, the band that does the theme song had some amazing albums in the early 2000's. Highly recommended. There's also a full version of the Community theme out there.

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sedeyus t1_jds2omd wrote

Definitely becomes depressing as the show kept losing cast members and the final lyrics are "One by one they all fade away."

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Small_Run_3575 t1_jdsgfzp wrote

Right?? Lol I first discovered the show years ago and literally never gave a second thought to the lyrics, if anything I thought the "one by one they all just fade away" line was in reference to the idea of *leaving* rather than staying--hence why I probably thought it was more upbeat than not. However, now knowing how Dan Harmon's style is, it's not surprising at all. It would actually be MORE unsettling to me if the song was, in fact, actually upbeat.

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BitchAssWaferCookie t1_jdsli79 wrote

I wouldn't say that because I don't agree with what others say how the lyrics are sinister

The lyrics are entirely break-up but not even sad breakup. More like a goodbye, farewell xoxo

The suicide reference is entirely exaggerated for dramatic effect

Thing about this song is the lyrics are placeholder. It's the kind of vocal lines that belong in texture when singing, such that it lines up with feeling of the music.

Musically it's spot on , but I think most people find the song distracting. Even so , it grows on ya.

What was the question? Yes, it's kind of depressing.

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Magnet5150 t1_jdsowyg wrote

Maybe, idk I've never really thought about it

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wrecked_angle t1_jdtbrvr wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#2,381,023)

Get me some rope Tie me to dream Give me the hope to run out of steam

Somebody said it could be here We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year

I can't count the reasons I should stay One by one they all just fade away

Seems pretty obvious

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LRA18 t1_jdtc0ec wrote

Wait till you hear the M.A.S.H theme

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GoodGoodGoody t1_jdtd9vw wrote

Replying to wrecked_angle (#2,381,346)

No it does not seem obvious. You’re just seeking that connection which raises concerns about you.

Tie to a dream - sounds pretty good.

Run out of steam - sometimes that happens.

Could be roped, dead in a year - make the most of it, glass half full.

Can’t say why I should stay - people move through stages in life, childhood, school,.. and reasons to prolong something wear thin

Not every mention of a difficult thing in life is about suicide or even depression. It’s a song about melancholy.

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Reading_Rainboner t1_jdthgpc wrote

Replying to wrecked_angle (#2,381,346)

“I’m tired of the wait and see’s I’m tired of that part of me. That makes up the perfect lie to keep us between. But hours turn into days. So watch what you throw away. And be here to recognize, there’s another way….”

Followed by several loud crash symbols that I’ve always felt were reminiscent of gunshots

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SoylentCreek t1_jdu2k81 wrote

For the lazy:

Get me some rope

Tie me to dream

Give me the hope

to run out of steam

Somebody said

it could be here

We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year

I can't count the reasons I should stay

One by one they all just fade away

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ACardAttack t1_jdunrav wrote

It is, but the 88 is a really awesome band, worth checking out

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MikeBisonYT t1_jdurkac wrote

Dan did go to a community college after being fired from the Sarah silverman show. He was at a low point and that experience with a study group for a class he didn't even care about helped him give him the idea to write the show. The song probably resonated him deeply at the time and kept the song in his back pocket. The Song is perfect reflection of failure and success with the high up beat melody and the drab lyrics.

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ThomasVivaldi t1_jdw22bq wrote

I think of it as a sardonic way of expressing the desire to quit on a relationship. And in that perspective it makes a nice companion to the Sara Bellias "Gravity" song.

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ldnjack t1_jdyiz49 wrote

show came to me ina dark spot in my life , thought the theme was great and upbeat. year slater i cant listen ot it

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gendabenda t1_je3imdc wrote

I honestly think people are misconstruing the song to be about suicide when it's really about realizing you've found your place all along and learnt to live and enjoy it.

  • Get me some rope

  • Tie me to dream

  • Give me the hope

  • to run out of steam

This is paralleling Jeff's life. He's basically saying he misses his former "dream" life (or that his dream life may be dying) and longs for it to return (and would do anything to hold on to it) and hopes that this longing will "run out of steam" so he can move past it.

  • Somebody said

  • it could be here

  • We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year

This speaks to the community college itself - that in Jeff's mind it is a depressing end and that he is resigning himself to mediocrity where he feels ultimately trapped and held hostage (because he is obligated to attend to re-assume his former life)

  • I can't count the reasons I should stay

  • One by one they all just fade away

This is where it gets interesting because I feel it's more playing fast and loose with double negatives than anything else. Jeff has "so many reasons" why (enough that he can't count them) he should hold on to his old life and expectations that he couldn't possibly consider (or enjoy) an alternative. However, the last line shows that the charm of the school, of making real friends/family and finding actual purpose is slowly eating away at those expectations he set for himself and winning him over.

Jeff's arc in the actual show largely mirrors this inner turmoil and eventual acceptance and so I always assumed the song was designed deliberately to tell Jeff's story via a bit of foreshadowing.

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