Nine Things Everybody Knows

this is the best goddam song on the cd.. unfortunately, i dont have a fucking clue what it means

bravo to Q and not U. Simply amazing.

q and not u are the best fucking band on dischord, behind fugazi of course

It's a great song, but Hooray For Humans is better.

Q and not u are ust an amazing band, this song is i suppose about a fear of medicine, i read that in an interview with the lead singer. Apparently the whole album is phobias or some jazz like that.

The lyrics invoke images of the scene in Traffic where the bourgeois children of the D.C. area are all conversating while engrossed in drugs. I think it's somewhat of a social commentary on the decay of popular American culture, and the perpetual downward spiral Western Civilization is experiencing. Or it could be a blanket statement enveloping dilitant, 'aristrocrat', and politician. Dereliction is not confined simply to the impoverished sectors of the American populace, but has always been seen evident in all aspects of society. Even the rich and the noble are susceptible to suicide, immorality, and self-destruction, despite the high pedestal that so defines that particular social bracket. Well, that's my countless countless change, anyway.

I like what you were getting at whitetide with the suicidal tendencies of the rich social pedestal thing. I think thats what (my favorite line) referes to: "If this is the cream of the crop its time to start burning the fields" i think he goes on to view this trend of suicide as a way of suburban kids to get attention and concludes by saying 'please put the nife back in the medicine cabinet' however theres still a lot I dont fallow (like what the 'washington bullet' is) and I wish I new what the 'nine things everybody knows' is maybe someone can enlighten me? cheers

To me this song sounds like a conversation between two people (when you listen to the music there are two main sort of melodies that alternate with the lyrics along with some lines being screamed and some lines being sung). It seems like one person is trying to convince another not to go on a killing spree.

The repetition of the line "if this is the cream of the crop, it's time to start burning some fields" makes it sound like the one person is mad at humanity in general, and just wants it to end.

The more calming lines from the other person make it seem like he's trying to talk the killer out of it "put the knife back."

Or, maybe it's more metaphorical in that one friend is trying to convince the other not to hate the human race.

Or, maybe it's none of the things I'm thinking about at all... you never know with this band. :)

decline decline make me make me

"DIAGNOSIS: Antisocial personality disorder SYMPTOMS: Persistent lying, substance abuse, aggressive behavior, superficial charm, sense of extreme entitlement, bed-wetting"

^^^ taken from "Wish You Were Here: An Essential Guide To Your Favorite Music Scenes" the author referred to Daryl Palumbo's (Glassjaw/Head Automatica) lyrics as an example of APD. this song's lyrics fit the description pretty well, too.

"if this is the cream of the crop, it's time to start burning some fields." - sense of extreme entitlement. the guy thinks he's the cream of the crop, but he isn't

"put the knife back in the medicine cabinet." - substance abuse and aggressive behavior. guy is taking drugs, gets a knife. why was the knife in the medicine cabinet in the first place? it's a common reoccurrence.

"you can make believe, enfant terrible." - persistent lying and antisocial. enfant terrible is a term used for when people's behavior or ideas annoy or shock someone.

and the oh so obvious: "the secret's out: you wet the bed." bed-wetting.

the song's about someone with Antisocial Personality Disorder IMO