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.
The credits roll, the camera pans
And in the mist our hero stands
He starts to speak, then folds his hands in prayer
An awkward pause, then what's my line?
There's nothing left to say this time
And what would you say to a bad guy who's not there?
In terms of Roman numerals
He's IV league with Roman Polanski
He'd win an Oscar every time if he was only given the chance
He started on the Broadway stage
A product of another age
An offer and a pilot drew him west
The series bombed, commercials came
And though nobody knew his name
They all recognized the potential he possessed
Deodorants and dental floss
And how much does that new car cost
His acting was methodical in "You Don't Need A Medical"
He's branded like a racing car
He's like a movie star without movies
The week of Independence Day
The casting agent called to say
Your smile could save our movie and the world
Buy, buy, buy, buy
Sell, sell, sell
How well you learn
To not discern
Who's foe and who is friend
We'll own them all in the end
It goes like this, we have no choice, the minarets
The wailing voice
And vaguely Celtic music fills the air
We choose a foreigner to hate
The new Iraq gets more irate
We really know nothing about them, and no one cares
Aladdin and The Forty Thieves
Enhanced by brand new special effects
Saddam and his cow disease spiced up
With some gratuitous sex
A movie's made, a war is won
A low-speed chase, a smoking gun
Distracts us while the actor takes the stand
Buy, buy, buy, buy
Sell, sell, sell
How well you learn
To not discern
Who's foe and who is friend
We'll own them all in the end
And in the mist our hero stands
He starts to speak, then folds his hands in prayer
An awkward pause, then what's my line?
There's nothing left to say this time
And what would you say to a bad guy who's not there?
In terms of Roman numerals
He's IV league with Roman Polanski
He'd win an Oscar every time if he was only given the chance
He started on the Broadway stage
A product of another age
An offer and a pilot drew him west
The series bombed, commercials came
And though nobody knew his name
They all recognized the potential he possessed
Deodorants and dental floss
And how much does that new car cost
His acting was methodical in "You Don't Need A Medical"
He's branded like a racing car
He's like a movie star without movies
The week of Independence Day
The casting agent called to say
Your smile could save our movie and the world
Buy, buy, buy, buy
Sell, sell, sell
How well you learn
To not discern
Who's foe and who is friend
We'll own them all in the end
It goes like this, we have no choice, the minarets
The wailing voice
And vaguely Celtic music fills the air
We choose a foreigner to hate
The new Iraq gets more irate
We really know nothing about them, and no one cares
Aladdin and The Forty Thieves
Enhanced by brand new special effects
Saddam and his cow disease spiced up
With some gratuitous sex
A movie's made, a war is won
A low-speed chase, a smoking gun
Distracts us while the actor takes the stand
Buy, buy, buy, buy
Sell, sell, sell
How well you learn
To not discern
Who's foe and who is friend
We'll own them all in the end
Lyrics submitted by ojms, edited by cocksucker
Sell Sell Sell Lyrics as written by Steven Page Ed Robertson
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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While the initial listen of this song leads to the believe it's about movies or possibly politics, I believe this is also a major shot at the bow of the music industry.
Basically, the takeaway from this is that substance means nothing in the arts anymore. Instead, it's about the person selling the product (actor, or ostensibly singer), no matter how inferior that product is. Who knows? Maybe it's semi-autobiographical...their most successful period in the industry's terms was a period when it seemed like their music went furthest from it's beginnings.