Engine Lyrics
Through endless revisions to state what I mean
For sweetness alone who flew out through the window
And landed back home in a garden of green
And steaming yourself in the warm shower spray
And water rolls on off the round captain's belly
Who's talking to tigers from his cafeteria tray
That milky delight that invited us all
And if there's a taste in this life more inviting
Then wake up your windows and watch as those sweet babies crawl away
Oh oh dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee
The version from the Hype City Soundtrack definately goes, "For I am an engine and I'm holding on, through endless revisions to state what I mean..."
On a live version he talked about how he wrote this song when he was really depressed to make himself feel better; he even recorded it on his answering machine so he wouldn't forget it. I can see what he means, though, because it always makes me feel better.
Only Jeff Mangum can get away with such lyrics in a childrens song...
hahaha-agreed
it seems to say that in both versions i have, actually no matter how hard i try, i can't hear 'the world is all bending and breaking from me', although it does sound very mangum-esque
This is the version he did at the in-store show at Aquarius. You can download it at elephant6.com and it's pretty clear what he's saying. I haven't heard the Hype City recording. Do you know where it is possible to get those cassette albums?
Engine is the most impressive piece of music I've ever heard as a live recording. It pains me to realize that I was living in NC when the Carrboro recording was made and hadn't yet discovered NMH.
Odd that it was written to elevate mood; largely due to time and circumstances it's always going to have a sobering, levelling, disabling effect on me, but it's not bitter or aching, just... Awe-inspiring, I guess.
The first version I found I'm not sure I can identify; it's a live recording in which a happy new year is bade to the audience, followed by a couple of shouts for "Scotty". This is in my opinion still the best performance of the track, the poor mic quality, picking up constant but low chatter from the venue is perfect, it couldn't have been engineered, and Mr Mangum is in absolute top form.
He was in Carrboro? Awesome!
just for the record, "scotty" refers to The Gerbils member and NMH collaborator Scott Spillane who plays various brass instruments, most notably the trumpet. I've actually seen a video of that performance, and i assume it was one of his later as it was for New Year's 1999 and that was about the end up Jeff's live perfomances. I love this song, it's simple yet brilliant.
I find it strange because in the Jeff Mangum Live at Jittery Joes you can hear a baby in the audience crying or yelling or something in this song, maybe it means less to us because we arent children anymore.
this really sounds like it should have been on ITAOTS.