In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
(Burrrrp) Oh, yeah, oh, you son of a bitches
(It gets so fuckin' crabby in this booth, man)
(It's like 90 degrees in here)
(Smells like cigarettes in a toilet)
(I'm gonna build) a Stepfather Factory
The latest in technology
Stepfather Factory
Jobs for the community
A Stepfather Factory
The age of familial industry
A Stepfather Factory
Building tomorrow's fathers today
A Stepfather Factory
The latest in technology
Stepfather Factory
Jobs for the community
A Stepfather Factory
The age of familial industry
Building tomorrow's fathers today
Spilling the leftovers of [creational clique]
We grew with the concept now we're ready to go public
Today's a big day for the company
A big step for the little-steppers who slept for years uncomfortably
Little man, little lady, cute little baby
Reach your hand out to the future of automated robotics
On display here for the first time in under a year here
At the World's fair - but is it really?
Ladies and Gentlemen I propose that the market
is sinking under the weight of useless contraptions
added to the shopping carts of all hard-working families
Electric doodads and wizard hats [exist] to keep the munchkins entertained
But get replaced by newer versions such as breakdown systematically
Mothers - how many times have you debated sub-euthanasia tablets for breakfast snacks
When restlessness attacks seemingly at random?
With an emptiness inside that's hard to identify, maybe
Pursuing obvious like pill-popping [the cossanova edict]
Chances are you've been abandoned
Well I'm no scientist, that's not what I went to school for
And I'm not a doctor, so I don't know much about medicine
But I'm willing to bet that you, yes you little
what's your name sweetheart? (dada) yeah, whatever
Get a funny feeling in your tummy when your mommy cries
Something between woozy and confusion
And you spend your thoughts on how the sadnessin your mommy
can be rooted out, burned, scorched, turned out, forgotten
Different concepts than the candy and little baby dolls or
Whatever it is that normal kids get to think about
Well I can honestly say that this invention is,
Let me start by saying we've grafted only the finest stuff
Inserted the most high tech, state of the art, with brain charted for authentic
Truly human emotion and trained to be domestic
Made from the most easily available materials and, uh, loosely inspected
Guaranteed to revolutionize
Perfectly realistic and even somewhat institutionally respected
Robotic relative
(That's why I'm gonna build) a Stepfather Factory
The latest in technology
A Stepfather Factory
Jobs for the community
A Stepfather Factory
The age of familial industry
A Stepfather Factory
Building tomorrow's fathers today
A Stepfather Factory
The latest in technology
A Stepfather Factory
Jobs for the community
Stepfather Factory
The age of familial industry
I'm not only the president, I'm a client
So you purchased a paternal unit, class A type 1
A new addition to your living room space, watch it go
Have your warranty for at least 90 days, so have fun
If in that time frame there's a problem, please let us know
Before you start there's a few details that you must learn
Technical specs about your unit to make things run smooth
In an effort to find an energy source our company's learned
The cheapest way to keep his battery running is with booze
Plug it in, give it a name, man of the house, help sustain
Wear the pants, you can relax, [water the pad], nuclear fam [ordered a nucleus]
Brings us to the safety chapter
Section 87 in your handbook subsection 16 entitled
Troubleshooting
Fuel sources are at a slight risk of mixing
With the crispy plutonium center
Of your automated new spouse and then driven
Possibly leading to the unpredicted stimulation of its artificial emotion circuits
And in a few unsubstantiated clinical trials this condition
has led to simulated feelings of resentment and worthlessness
Manifested in the highly unlikely but still possible act
of physical aggression towards you and your loved ones fleshy surfaces
Remember, no cash returns
Only credits towards future purchases
"Why are you hurting me?
I love you."
"Why are you hurting me?
I love you."
"Why are you hurting me?
I love you."
Lyrics submitted by redly40, edited by mark101547
Stepfather Factory Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The preceding comments all pretty much sum up what this song is about - it's an indictment of the false promises and twisted lies used by corporations, in order to market their latest gimmick or service.
However, the way I see it, this song is also a bit more profound and philisophical. It tackles the "human condition", and implicitly expresses the view that there is no cure for the failings we, as human beings, exhibit.
When we are young, we are open-minded, and willing to believe that there is a solution for every problem. We don't understand why adults act the way they do, and become frustrated when we are unable to comfort and attend to our elders - we thrive for some magical means to cure their sadness and afflictions.
The stepfather corporation plays on this naive assumption, marketing a means via which the "sadness in your mommy can be rooted out, burned, scorched, turned out, forgotten", thus demonstrating the manner in which advertising prays on our mental weakness and insecurity by offering us belief, in the form of a miracle cure for our problems.
As the track progresses, the fallacious optimism of the corporation's promises is torn apart by an unbelievably apt exposition of the male psyche ("The cheapest way to keep his battery running is with booze. Plug it in, give it a name, man of the house, help sustain") and ("And in a few unsubstantiated clinical trials this condition has led to simulated feelings of resentment and worthlessness").
The progression from sugar-coated promises and solutions, to brutal realism is, I feel, a direct reflection of the transition from child to adult. As we grow older, we come to realise that there is no magical solution to life's problems, just facts and hard lessons on which to base our actions. Whilst consumerism and material goods may "keep the munchkins entertained", the enjoyment/satisfaction gained from these "Electric doodads and wizard hats" will inevitably wear off, leaving us to grapple with the sense of futility and helplessness that comes from realising there is essentially no cure for life's problems.
a careful, comprehensive and engaging piece of writing. one would assume you were writing a dissertation on the works of EL-P. this is exactly how his lyrics should be annotated, even when drawing your own interpretation. bravo sir, I think more people should invest the time to consider the complex layers of thought that are often overlooked in the practices of EL-P (and Aesop Rock) for these are our modern poets, baudelaires with a hip hop swagger. if i were a teacher i'd stamp your work with a "good job" dinosaur or something, but i'm sure in this case a well done will suffice. well done.