Nugget

I thought the chorus was mocking what governmental types say to the people who are kept down because really it's not a matter of them needing to buck up, it's more that the gov't is screwing them over.

This song is about the speakers dislike of bureaucrats: "heads of state," and thier practices: "cut you from thier bloated budgets." The chorus seems to be a back-and-forth dialouge between he and a "head." The last two stanzas seem to be about how thier practices affect.

What a great aggression song. At any rate JJ, I'm not quite sure if clever feet actually referring to dancing, though I can see why you would think that, but that just doesn't quite work for me. Hmm...interesting food for thought...

"clever feet" means sneaking around. government does shit behind our backs and then in the mean time tells us we dont have a right to complain "shut the fuck up right now, learn to buck up".

The one thing that perplexes me is when John gets the crowd to sing sing the chorus line--why can't the rest of us sing the word "up"? He's a stickler for just having us sing "Shut the f*ck" without the "up"...why??

it's definitely not supporting the government in any way, a rare completely political song from cake, and one of the best cake lines i think..

"now nimble fingers that dance on numbers will eat your children and steal your thunder" ..eat your children, awesome imagery

I agree with MintyDinty on the first two verses, however I would like to pose the possibility of the third verses' meaning something slightly different. I agree that it's about religion, however I think the reason it refers to "simple" and then to "clever" feet that flicker like fire is that most religious institutions are made up of mostly "simple" otherwise known as 'sheeple' or the followers of a particular religion. The "clever' feet are the religious leaders who often enough mislead their "sheeple"

Reading these comments, I reiterate the point I made about Cake's music a few summers ago. The aim of their music, in my opinion, is to show that humankind is a depressing life form that does nothing more than bow to the whims of their biological urges and since we are incapable of growing beyond them we need to be destroyed. Sounds high and might and all Christian-y I know, but how else would a person describe the aim of Cake's music? The songs are flagrantly intellectual and cryptic to no end, and it takes some serious minds to unweave the underlying meanings. That my opinion anyway.

And I still love Cake now as I did back then.

this song makes me think of veganism/vegetarianism

this is give or take a few words

heads of state who ride and wrangle, who look at your face from more than one angle, can cut you from their bloated budgets like sharpened knives through chicken mcNuggets.

now heads of state who ride and wrangle, who look at your face from more than one angle, can cut you from their bloated budgets like sharpened knives through chicken mcNuggets.

shut the fuck awh no shut the fuck up Right Right Learn to buck up Right shut the fuck up. Hey Ho Now Now learn to buck up

now nimble fingers that dance on numbers will eat your children and steal your thunder, while heavy torsos that heave and hurl who crunch like nuts in the mouths of squirrels.

now nimble fingers that dance on numbers will eat your children and steal your thunder, while heavy torsos that heave and hurl who crunch like nuts in the mouths of squirrels.

shut the fuck awh no shut the fuck up Right now Learn to buck up Right shut the fuck up. Hey Ho Yehah Yehah learn to buck up

now simple feet that flicker like fire and burn like candles in smoky spires do more to turn my joy to sadness than somber thoughts of burning planets.

now clever feet that flicker like fire and burn like candles in smoky spires do more to turn my joy to sadness than somber thoughts of burning planets.

shut the fuck alright ok i don't want to i don't want to hear it that's right alright ok i don't want to hear it i don't want to i don't wanna i don't wanna

Wow... this song is seemingly simple but there's a lot going on here. The overall value - conservative. Strange...

THe first verse, as others said, deals with the government. The second verse deals with corporations. Lastly, the third verse deals with religious institutions. The verses are all sung by one speaker, while the "shut the fuck up" portions are a response to the verse's complaints. The idea is that there is someone, probably more liberal, complaining about the a conservative government cutting funding for social programs. Second verse is a complaint about hard laborers working, who get crushed in a squirrel's mouth--the upper management of the corporation who do less work but make the big money. The last is a complaint about religious institutions who portray themselves as simple but are--to the complainant signing-- really conniving and cunning. They turn "joy to sadness" rather than actually help for the verse singer.

The response yelling "shut the fuck up" is telling the verse speaker to stop whining. The defense of this conservative slant about this song has to do with the double meaning of "buck." Learn to buck up... interesting...

It took me awhile to figure out that its a complainer and a response--that is two different voices--because the song in its entirety is sung by one individual.

Now that I've figured it out, I have to say I don't really like this songs message. But damn, it's well written.