Lyric Interpretation
Now that we had our song chosen, we had to interpret the lyrics to create a music video which accurately portrayed the message behind FINNEAS's Medieval. My main source of help in researching the true meaning behind this song was Genius's website which I thought was a credible source. According to Wikipedia, "Genius is an American digital media company founded on August 27, 2009, by Tom Lehman, Ilan Zechory, and Mahbod Moghadam. Its website serves as an online music encyclopedia allowing users to provide annotations and interpretation to song lyrics, news stories, sources, poetry, and documents."
Here are the lyrics to Medieval.
[Chorus]
It feels a little medieval if you ask me
Like I'm watchin' a sequel I've already seen
I could tell you what happens to the new king
When he goes out of fashion
[Verse 1]
I want my money back now-ow
I've been in the wrong crowd-owd
I'd never say it out loud-oud
But I've hated every word that comes out of your mouth
What should we fight about this time?
What will you write about this time?
What does it matter if you're not fine?
You should've kept that shit offline
[Chorus]
It feels a little medieval if you ask me
Like I'm watchin' a sequel I've already seen
I could tell you what happens to the new king
When he goes out of fashion
It feels a little medieval kissin' the ring
In a gothic cathedral, have you ever seen
What really happens to people like me
When we go out of fashion?
​
[Verse 2]
They're gonna tear you from your pedestal, it's almost inevitable
I'm not bein' cynical, it's so unoriginal
If you get political, they'll make you a criminal
It's all a bit biblical
Don't put your camera down
You don't go to Heaven in a crown
It's not worth the money bringin' me back from the dead
I never said it would be any fun
You never should've trusted anyone
They'll love you 'til they know you're done
And then it's off with his head
[Chorus]
It feels a little medieval if you ask me
Like I'm watchin' a sequel I've already seen
I could tell you what happens to the new king
When he goes out of fashion
It feels a little medieval kissin' the ring
In a gothic cathedral, have you ever seen
What really happens to people like me
When we go out of fashion?
The song's title, "Medieval", serves as a central metaphor by juxtaposing the perceived advancement of modern society and the regressive tendencies of the past and thus presenting these two ideas as foils to one another. The song serves as a broader commentary on the repetitive nature of human conflict and the need to move beyond the "us vs. them" mentality by questioning the purpose of manufactured outrage attempting to steer away from the "medieval" mindset portrayed by FINNEAS. By manufactured outrage, I am referring to an issue prevalent in today's digital day and age; cancel culture. "I think it's about cancel culture, actually, to be honest", said FINNEAS confirming my interpretation of the ninth track of the Optimist album.
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