| Modest Mouse – Doin' the Cockroach Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| anyone ever read "Rabbit Redux" by John Updike? it's the sequel to "Rabbit, Run." there's a passage where Skeeter is lecturing Rabbit about American history where he says we're all just doing the cockroach because it's all we know how to do. could it be from there? | |
| Modest Mouse – Doin' the Cockroach Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| anyone ever read "Rabbit Redux" by John Updike? it's the sequel to "Rabbit, Run." there's a passage where Skeeter is lecturing Rabbit about American history where he says we're all just doing the cockroach because it's all we know how to do. could it be from there? | |
| Modest Mouse – Call to Dial a Song Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| does anyone know where that little bit of gospel comes from? | |
| Modest Mouse – Styrofoam Boots/It's All Nice on Ice, Alright Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I think we've covered everything, I just wanna briefly overview what I've take out of this thread and what I believe it to be about: "Well, all's not well But I'm told that it'll all be quite nice You'll be drowned in boots like Mafia But your feet will still float like Christ's" - I've heard that this part refers to a thought Isaac had about the mob drowning someone with styrofoam boots as opposed to concrete ones so that they'd drown upside down. The character in this song (presumably Isaac) has been killed. "And I'll be damned They were right I'm drowning upside down My feet afloat like Christ's" - Main character approaches the Pearly Gates (so to speak) after dying realizing there is a heaven (that is the first two lines). "They" being religion or the church "were right," there is afterlife. In the second two lines, he is not quite dead yet, still paritially on earth and still confused about fate. He is drowning upside down, he's still religiously lost and unsure. "I'm in heaven Trying to figure out which stack They're going to stuff us atheists into When Peter and his monkey laugh And I laugh with them I'm not sure what at They point and say "We'll keep you in the back Polishing halos, baking manna and gas"" - Now the main character is fully dead. He's in heaven. He looks around and realizes being an athiest was the wrong choice. He is now frightened. The disciple Peter laughs wickedly and the main character ponders what will become of him now and his fellow atheists. He jokes that they'll assign them to polish halos and make manna, menial work. Baking gas is beyond me, but I have several theories I won't go into. To me, that is the most complex part of the song. "Well, some guy comes in looking a bit Like everyone I ever seen He moves just like Crisco disco Breath 100% Listerine He says looking at something else But directing everything to me "Every time anyone gets on their knees to pray Well, it makes my telephone ring And I'll be damned" He said, "You were right No one's running this whole thing"" - And in comes an average looking figure, the kind of guy you see sitting alone at a bar. The main character goes to lengths to humanize him and it is clear he does not realize this man is God. God doesn't want to be identified either. He talks about the Creator in the third person. Then, knowing the main character was an athiest on earth, God admits, "you were right, no one is running this whole thing." He isn't saying "there is no God," he's saying there's no one in charge. It's the classic "clockmaker" deist view on life. God set the world in motion then let it go from there. He hears our prayers, but he can't do anything about them. He's a guy in over his head who didn't know what he was getting into. I might go as far to say as that this God is Isaac's idea of a father figure. For centuries the western Christian God has been based on the family patriarch. Isaac's father skipped out on him and his mom, he too was in over his head. This God is quite similar except humanity is his child. There is a possibility that this song has to do with crystal meth. The "It's all nice on ice, alright" bit is somewhat of an allusion to it. Maybe the whole ordeal was part of a hallicination. Now he comes down, realizes what the experience really was, and says, "what's the point about worrying about this shit, let's just keep getting high, it's all okay when we're on ice." There is a strong arguement for and against the influence of crystal meth on this song, but I do believe that is secondary. Well, those are my views. |
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