In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Firstly,
We lived in a crater where our eyes glowed
We secrete leaders of secrecy:
"Hello"
What do you picture makes a frame
What you do everyday is the same
Turn off the lights and shake your hips
Let's make like a couplet, like 2 pairs of lips
Pop goes the ceiling of routine
Pop goes the feeling of sitting
So blow your head on the turn of the fan
Don't put another down payment on the oil of Iran [Repeat: x2]
Can't you see I've got honorable mention
Can't you see you've got no pension plan?
It's time to decide, we make it or we die x2
Hey nuclear war & a hotbed of trouble
Make with the penance, repent on the double
We're going down in smoke and flames
We're going down and there's no one to blame
So keep it cold in a cool dry place
In a tucked away space
Save it with the face
Clean the egg, don't make me beg
Save us [Repeat: x30]
We lived in a crater where our eyes glowed
We secrete leaders of secrecy:
"Hello"
What do you picture makes a frame
What you do everyday is the same
Turn off the lights and shake your hips
Let's make like a couplet, like 2 pairs of lips
Pop goes the ceiling of routine
Pop goes the feeling of sitting
So blow your head on the turn of the fan
Don't put another down payment on the oil of Iran [Repeat: x2]
Can't you see I've got honorable mention
Can't you see you've got no pension plan?
It's time to decide, we make it or we die x2
Hey nuclear war & a hotbed of trouble
Make with the penance, repent on the double
We're going down in smoke and flames
We're going down and there's no one to blame
So keep it cold in a cool dry place
In a tucked away space
Save it with the face
Clean the egg, don't make me beg
Save us [Repeat: x30]
Lyrics submitted by jsparisinflames
Tuff Luff Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Blue
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can't you see i've got honourable mention can't you see you've got no pension plan?
I think it's "Can't you see you've..." both times.
fun song.