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How Many Cans? Lyrics
Is you am a dog?
Is you got a dog?
Is you am a dog?
Hold closed the jaw.
How many cans must I stack up
To wash you out of my mind,
Out of my consciousness?
How many times must I cash out
To bring you back the check, fat
Off of my slenderness?
She says "Yeah,
But he's not in right now".
You pause.
You like her answer.
You know that but you go on.
You know but that you go on.
How many cans must I stack up
To wash you out of my mind,
Out of my consciousness?
How many times must I cash out
To bring you back the check, fat
Off of my slenderness,
Slenderness,
Slenderness,
Fire.
Is you got a dog?
Is you am a dog?
Hold closed the jaw.
To wash you out of my mind,
Out of my consciousness?
How many times must I cash out
To bring you back the check, fat
Off of my slenderness?
But he's not in right now".
You pause.
You like her answer.
You know but that you go on.
To wash you out of my mind,
Out of my consciousness?
How many times must I cash out
To bring you back the check, fat
Off of my slenderness,
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I believe it's about his ex-girlfriend that broke up with him a day before he went to Jamaica (and that's where he met Dervin, as Alpha13 said).
Links: http://nypress.com/14/21/sg/songs20.cfm http://www.mikedoughty.com/blog/archives/000117.html
A lot of Soul Coughing's songs don't mean anything at all, but here's what Mike Doughty had to say about it.
Mike Doughty--"Astounded that I wrote this. Don't know where the fuck it came from. Well, I there was this thirteen year old kid in Jamaica named Dervin--he played snare drum and sang, his father played upright bass, they'd wander the beach --and they did this old Jamaican standard called "When I Fall In Love", and it had this incredibly spooky vibe to it. I guess that was the seed."
@Alpha13 very cool
@Alpha13 very cool
Not sure. To me it sounds like a relationship thing, for sure. I think the "How many cans must I stack up" could mean like how much beer could must he drink to forget her. shrug
i dont get this song...but it's good the bass line is simple but funky
I think he is talking about trying to forget a failed relationship:
"How many cans must I stack up To wash you out of my mind, Out of my consciousness?"
Maybe she cheated on him?
"She says "Yeah, But he's not in right now". You pause. You like her answer."
I've seen the site with that description. You left off the part about the lyrics though:
"But where did the words come from? Couldn't say. They scare me."
Well, I think the other comments show where the music comes from, and that Doughty himself may not remember where he got the words to this great song. And, yes, it could be about a girl. But - it could also be a recording industry song, or a drinking to forget the record industry song. Although "cans" are also headphones.
It starts with the ungrammatically awesome question of whether someone is a dog. The dog is trying to swallow something that wants to get out: hold closed the jaw. Possibly an industry metaphor for digesting artists. Then, he is either drinking or stacking up recordings to forget who he is working for. And "cashing out" his creativity to bring in fat checks for his label. Warner's, I belıeve. Who were a major, and probably not totally in line with the band's mentality. This, and the associated substance use, wears the artist thin. But from this pressure - comes energy, fire . . . so long as he stacks up those cans. Maybe