| El-P – The Overly Dramatic Truth Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| It's about the feeling of having sex with a groupie, but more widely about having sex with someone younger and more impressionable who looks up to you for what they think you represent. | |
| El-P – Habeas Corpses (Draconian Love) Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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@[Lateralus518:34153] "Two types of people in this world to recognize Conquered, and the one holding the rifle at the next in line" It's commentary on the fact people are divided into clear sections, whether via politics or otherwise. The fact he falls in love with a "prisoner" is about the fact that those divisions are artificial. Just my view personally... |
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| The Used – Bulimic Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| The truth is in the song name..... just saying.... | |
| Faith No More – Everything's Ruined Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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It is interesting to see the way a lot of people have interpreted the song as some sort of analysis of the Russian economy. My only reservations on this interpretation are: a) I believe Angel Dust is more of a commentary on the state of the human aspect of society, rather than the political or economic. Mike Patton seems to prefer analysing the absurdity inherent in everyday human life (see the tracks RV, or Kindergarten). When asked about how he found the inspiration for the album's lyrical content, Patton was quoted as saying: "I drove around a lot in my Honda. Drove to a real bad area of town, parked and just watched people. Coffee shops and white-trash diner-type places were great for inspiration". b) The whole deal with the Russian Army publicity photo is a bit of a faux ami. Mike Bordin (the band's drummer) was quoted as saying : "That was a thing the record company really tried to foist on us. They really tried to fuck with our layout, and sent us these fucking pictures of us, just our heads. It was like this, they wanted us to have a poster inside the record consisted of our five heads on a black background, everything was black, the whole inside, and it's like, 'Fuck you.' We're going to make our cover, we made our record, we produced it our way, we wrote our songs, we played them our way, it sounds like us." I believe the song is more an indictment of the economy-driven belief, perpetrated on us by the government that life can be broken down into a simplistic equation of "spouse + hard work + building a family = true happiness". The song shows the transition from a couple's initial optimism and belief that they had everything figured out "We were like ink and paper. Numbers on a calculator. Knew arithmetic so well", to a gradual realisation that although their child had made them proud and happy to an extent, it had not left them truly fulfilled: "But he made us proud. He made us rich. But how were we to know. He's counterfeit". What I really like about this song is the way in which it continues the theme of how some of society's most serious flaws can be attributed to the vicious cycle (parents forcing their beliefs onto their children) that was initially explored in the track RV. The couple in this song chose to follow the equation I mentioned above, and near the end of the song, when they are coming to the realisation that the child will not provide the true fulfillment they craved, they begin to feel that they must now force their beliefs on the child: "Everyone knew the thing that was best. Of course, he must invest. A penny won't do". They want their child to begin a family and continue the cycle, albeit with more investment (I take this to mean more children). I may be completely wrong, but to me, this song is another example of how amazingly insightful and intelligent Mike Patton is when it comes to exploring the many ills of today's society. |
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| El-P – Stepfather Factory Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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The preceding comments all pretty much sum up what this song is about - it's an indictment of the false promises and twisted lies used by corporations, in order to market their latest gimmick or service. However, the way I see it, this song is also a bit more profound and philisophical. It tackles the "human condition", and implicitly expresses the view that there is no cure for the failings we, as human beings, exhibit. When we are young, we are open-minded, and willing to believe that there is a solution for every problem. We don't understand why adults act the way they do, and become frustrated when we are unable to comfort and attend to our elders - we thrive for some magical means to cure their sadness and afflictions. The stepfather corporation plays on this naive assumption, marketing a means via which the "sadness in your mommy can be rooted out, burned, scorched, turned out, forgotten", thus demonstrating the manner in which advertising prays on our mental weakness and insecurity by offering us belief, in the form of a miracle cure for our problems. As the track progresses, the fallacious optimism of the corporation's promises is torn apart by an unbelievably apt exposition of the male psyche ("The cheapest way to keep his battery running is with booze. Plug it in, give it a name, man of the house, help sustain") and ("And in a few unsubstantiated clinical trials this condition has led to simulated feelings of resentment and worthlessness"). The progression from sugar-coated promises and solutions, to brutal realism is, I feel, a direct reflection of the transition from child to adult. As we grow older, we come to realise that there is no magical solution to life's problems, just facts and hard lessons on which to base our actions. Whilst consumerism and material goods may "keep the munchkins entertained", the enjoyment/satisfaction gained from these "Electric doodads and wizard hats" will inevitably wear off, leaving us to grapple with the sense of futility and helplessness that comes from realising there is essentially no cure for life's problems. |
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