Gold teeth and a curse for this town
Were all in my mouth
Only I don't know how they got out, dear
Turn me back into the pet
I was when we met
I was happier then with no mindset

And if you took to me like a
Gull takes to the wind
Well, I'd've jumped from my trees
And I'd've danced like the king of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would've fared well

New slang when you notice the stripes
The dirt in your fries
Hope it's right when you die, old and bony
Dawn breaks like a bull through the hall
Never should have called
But my head's to the wall and I'm lonely

And if you took to me like a
Gull takes to the wind
Well, I'd've jumped from my trees
And I'd've danced like the king of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would've fared well

Godspeed, all the bakers at dawn
May they all cut their thumbs
And bleed into their buns 'til they melt away

I'm looking in on the good life
I might be doomed never to find
Without a trust, a flaming field
Am I too dumb to refine?
And if you took to me like
Well, I'd've danced like the queen of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would've fared well


Lyrics submitted by rudegirl, edited by frenzydiamonds

New Slang Lyrics as written by James Mercer

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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New Slang song meanings
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  • +6
    General Comment

    Songs with this many levels are always fun to listen to.. Lots of interpretations people have come up with.. here's my take, line by line.. sorry if it's a bit wordy.

    gold teeth and a curse for this town were all in my mouth. :: I've always had good teeth and managed to keep my disgust for this town to myself (in my mouth).

    only, i don't know how they got out, dear. :: Somewhere through it all, I seem to have lost control of both. (I'm old, IE losing my teeth, and openly bitter)

    turn me back into the pet that i was when we met. i was happier then with no mind-set. Pretty self-explanatory, I long for the days when I had much less on my mind and was a slave (pet) to your love.. life was better then.

    and if you'd 'a took to me like a gull takes to the wind. well, i'd 'a jumped from my tree(s) :: We're all monkeys, after all (possibly another reference to pet.. IE pet monkey, very simple creature)

    and i'd a danced like the king of the eyesores and the rest of our lives would 'a fared well. :: I'm not a very good dancer, but would have danced my pants off anyway, even if it would have been an eyesore to watch me.. although dancing is just a term.. think more along the lines of obnoxiously happy celebration, all because you love me.

    new slang when you notice the stripes, the dirt in your fries. :: Someone else hit this right on the head.. "new slang" means new thinking, words, mindset.. "new slang" doesn't mean what the kids come up with to name their car this week.. on the contrary, "New slang" is how the old fuddy-duddy's speak.. "new slang" = "new to you slang".. thoughts you aren't accustomed to yet. Basically, "growing up".

    When you are a kid, you drop fries on the ground, you pick the fries up off the ground and eat them anyway, but when you get older, you notice the dirt.. and the stripes.. as in prison stripes that we all wear, enslaved in whatever life we are leading.. along with thousands of other little wonders life has in store for us as we get older.

    hope it's right when you die, old and bony. This is not a curse, it's a blessing.. here's hoping that you fare better than I.. that you don't notice the dirt in your fries until right before you die.. because then you will lead a blissful life, by comparison.

    dawn breaks like a bull through the hall, One of my favorite lines.. can only really be understood by someone who has had a significant revelation about something (anything) that is true and ugly in life.. when dawn (realization) breaks, enlightenment comes crashing through like a raging bull.. and it usually gouges you really good with it's horns.

    never should have called but my head's to the wall and i'm lonely. I think we've all been here.. brings a tear to my eye just reading the words, thinking about the "might have beens".. checking in on things that might have been is usually not a good idea, but we all succumb eventually. Ever looked up an old flame? A line from another "song" comes to mind.. remember the one titled "Sunscreen"? Remember the line "The older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young" Same general rule.. you will look them up eventually.. and find out they have moved on without you.. or died of old age.

    god speed all the bakers at dawn may they all cut their thumbs, and bleed into their buns 'till they melt away. :: This one is so interesting. I can't find anything to back this up, but I seem to recall something in the back of my brain that I got from "somewhere" (possibly one too many late night cable-tv fests?) that is telling me that a baker cutting his thumb is a good luck sign.. to be honest though, I have no idea what this line means.. though I get a good vibe from it, not a bad one.. shrug

    i'm looking in on the good life i might be doomed never to find. :: I see content people everywhere, but I can't seem to find it.. and I'm getting older.. very quickly.. and I'm worried I may die before I find it. I like the idea someone else said above, though.. once you see some of life's most ugly points, it's hard to be blissfully ignorant again.. that "good life" is forever out of your reach.

    without a trust or flaming fields am i too dumb to refine? Flaming crop fields is commonly used in agriculture to renew soil, destroy weed roots, and basically breathe new life into old dirt. I think trust should be self-explanatory.. and refine = change.. or more precisely, transform.

    As for why the last king is queen, who knows.. could be spiritual, could be just to mess with us... :)

    -- Pat

    pfarabeeon January 23, 2005   Link

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