Hate My Way Lyrics
In Hersh's memoir "Rat Girl" she tells a story about a conversation with a young pamphlet-distributing punk kid who was talking about "killing god" and "rising above the church" and he used a bunch of muddled analogies about "if you were a smack freak, you'd hate society" and "if you were in the holocaust you'd hate Hitler", which is what inspired the first part of this track as far as I can tell. Its interesting to see songs come from such a specific, and plain source sometimes!
So, I heard part of this song in an episode of "American Horror Story" and looked up the lyrics. I get this feeling this is at least a moderately well known group, but it's been months and I still haven't seen any proof that anyone I've ever met has heard of them.
Anyway, I searched "Mr. Huberty" to see if there's a famous one, and the very first result is James Oliver Huberty who perpetrated the "San Ysidro McDonald's massacre" in 1984: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Ysidro_McDonald%27s_massacre
@MamboMan I'm not sure what this means: "Is she schizophrenic (Kristin admitted to having schiphernia)." Are you splitting apart the real songwriter from the "narrator" of the song? Either way, I've found references to Kristin Hersh having bipolar disorder and seeing colors with sounds, which could be synaesthesia, rather than schizophrenia.
They were popular in the 80's and early 90's among college radio stations. Then they broke up and Kristin Hersh went solo.
They were popular in the 80's and early 90's among college radio stations. Then they broke up and Kristin Hersh went solo.
My memory is rusty... it may have bipolar....
My memory is rusty... it may have bipolar....
@hardcorevelour bipolar. They were too early to really catch the wave of '90, which is a shame.
@hardcorevelour bipolar. They were too early to really catch the wave of '90, which is a shame.
Overwhelmed with the things that anger and confuse you, lost in the feelings of disgust and isolation. A beautiful way to capture such an awful feeling.
i don't know why, but this song always overwhelms me. i usually come near to crying when i hear it.
@TheWrongGirl Yup. I get a blend of fury and sorrow. "They can no longer move, I can no longer be still" has been a personal credo for 25 years.
@TheWrongGirl Yup. I get a blend of fury and sorrow. "They can no longer move, I can no longer be still" has been a personal credo for 25 years.
I agree with above comments - self-loathing, thoughts of suicides. A lot of the imagery is hallcinatory. Is she schizophrenic (Kristin admitted to having schiphernia) or is the depression overwhelming her to the point where the pillow nad the kitchen are screaming?
I love all of the musical contrasts- the 2 distinct sections - how the 2nd section starts off so melodically (the bass line is beautiful) the vocals turn to screaming, then back to gentle cooing.
Powerful.
The second to last verse is about the 1984 San Ysidro McDonald's massacre, as someone mentioned earlier. They lyric about the boy tangled in his bicycle refers to a famous picture from that incident, which showed a boy who was killed by the gunman in front of the McDonald's and whose body was awkwardly tangled up in his bike. Very sad picture, very sad song overall, but interesting that Kristin Hersh thought to include the McDonald's massacre in this song. It occurred long before mass shootings became commonplace, and even though so many people (20+) were killed, it seems to have been mostly forgotten, even in San Diego.
The last and strongest of the amazing three songs .
The song starts out with a some bad things, and contrasts each of them to the supposed cause (legitimate or not)
But she is so miserable that her own self hatred completely takes over, as the beginning and end of all misery.
@ladylizzie I don't think it's really that her own self hatred takes over—what's wrong with her and what's wrong with the world are reflections of each other. She has the same gun in her head as James Huberty. The scary thing isn't that she can't understand why the world is so terrible, it's that she can.
@ladylizzie I don't think it's really that her own self hatred takes over—what's wrong with her and what's wrong with the world are reflections of each other. She has the same gun in her head as James Huberty. The scary thing isn't that she can't understand why the world is so terrible, it's that she can.
@ladylizzie I'm not sure why you and other people always say that the first 3 songs on this album were amazing and act like it was only 3 in a row and stopped there. The 4th track, "Vicky's Box", is even more powerful than "Call Me" or "Green" and goes well following this one.
@ladylizzie I'm not sure why you and other people always say that the first 3 songs on this album were amazing and act like it was only 3 in a row and stopped there. The 4th track, "Vicky's Box", is even more powerful than "Call Me" or "Green" and goes well following this one.
I love this song so much
Its about contemplating suicide.
I feel a tremendous amount of anger and frustration in this song. The confusion of youth and the fury at all the people who have excuses to keep them from engaging with the world ("I could be a smack freak and hate society...")
But damn if the last lines don't lift up my heart every time. "They can no longer move, I can no longer be still." It's titled "Hate My Way," it's not a flowery hand-holding song; it's rage and accusation, it's Don't tell me why I shouldn't even try-- I am my own me and I won't stop. I've got those lines tattooed around my wrists, to remind me to never quit or give in to the ocean of sadness.