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.
third graders holding hands indians and pilgrims celebrating new found lands
they tried to teach me that at school
make the white race look superior it's always been their rule
now i can't believe we celebrate thanksgiving as a holiday of unity and peace
if i had my way, we'd all dress in black
and daddy would serve up the white meat
cuz genocide is nothing to celebrate, extinction doesn't deserve a parade
and we perpetuate these lies witht he turkeys that we buy
i tried explaining to my mom but she's too afraid to admit to herself
that her race is a killing machine
take a look around your town and who do you see?
the native american is surprisingly absent in his own indigenous land
do you want to know why? it's cuz we killed them all
it's not that hard to understand, yeah
so i go to college and you know what i learned?
that 80 million people were killed by my grandpa, your grandpa and all of their friends
they bleached out our continent but that's not the end
the last full blooded aborigine died a century ago
if it's possible there's a place in the southern hemisphere with a history even worse than our home
no one finds it peculiar that a tropical island is full of people just like you and me
but astralia's a piece of shit floating in the pacific
buoyed by the blood of the aborigine.
buoyed by the blood of the aborigine.
they tried to teach me that at school
make the white race look superior it's always been their rule
now i can't believe we celebrate thanksgiving as a holiday of unity and peace
if i had my way, we'd all dress in black
and daddy would serve up the white meat
cuz genocide is nothing to celebrate, extinction doesn't deserve a parade
and we perpetuate these lies witht he turkeys that we buy
i tried explaining to my mom but she's too afraid to admit to herself
that her race is a killing machine
take a look around your town and who do you see?
the native american is surprisingly absent in his own indigenous land
do you want to know why? it's cuz we killed them all
it's not that hard to understand, yeah
so i go to college and you know what i learned?
that 80 million people were killed by my grandpa, your grandpa and all of their friends
they bleached out our continent but that's not the end
the last full blooded aborigine died a century ago
if it's possible there's a place in the southern hemisphere with a history even worse than our home
no one finds it peculiar that a tropical island is full of people just like you and me
but astralia's a piece of shit floating in the pacific
buoyed by the blood of the aborigine.
buoyed by the blood of the aborigine.
Lyrics submitted by bouncing soles
Everything I Wanted To Know About Genocide I Learned In The Third Grade song meanings
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