"You Were Right" by Built to Spill

Questions for blog:
1.  Make an inference about the lyrical content of the song and explain it.
2.  Write one analytical statement about the musical content of the song and explain/support it.
3.  Make one evaluative statement about the song's overall effectiveness and support it.

Answers:
1.  The lyrics are describing how the artist feels about music.  Music has taught him all of these different things ("everything's gonna be alright," "all that glitter's isn't gold," "you can't always get what you want," etc.), and he is describing what themes in songs were right and wrong.  He uses these allusions to other song in order to do this.  For example, he says that, "you (the music) were wrong when you said everything's gonna be alright," and that, "you (the music) were right when you said we are all just bricks in the wall."  The second halves of both lines were allusions to other songs that taught him lessons.
2.  The musical content of the song sounds very painful, highlighting the lyrics.  The drums and the bass guitar are loud, and the lyrics are discussing how life isn't always fair and you can't always get what you want.
3.  The song has a strong meaning, and the lyrics support it well.  The artist wants you to think about these other songs, and using the lyrics of the other songs forces you to consider what they mean.  You can't escape the other lyrics.