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Malaria

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Malaria Lyrics

In the dumb fat side
Of the heavy, sweaty black
Malaria night
You can tell the shit
From the essence of heaven

In the smash and grab
In the sharp attack
Dishonest night
You can say what you want
And somebody listen

There's laughter and glass
And perfume and flags
And kisses and trains
And roses and vaccine

I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city

Whatever gets you acclimatised
Radiation and downcast eyes
Serious sight
We're looking for a wild machine
Cybernetic rabies

Syndication and sympathy
Might work for you but not for me
I love you best when it's all a mess
Will you lie for me cry for me
Die for me will you please

(Oh) never never never never
never never never say no

I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city

In the dumb fat side
Of the heavy sweaty black
Malaria night
You can say what you want
And somebody listen

Gonna say what I really want
(Come on say what you really want)
Gonna say what I really want
(Yeah say what you really want)

Wanna live with Halo Jones
Wanna home that's miles from home
Wanna drugs from the twighlight zone
Wanna never never never never
Never never never say no

I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city

And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning

Submitted by

anemic_knifeprty On Sep 16, 2002

Everything That Rises Must Converge

In the dumb fat side
Of the heavy, sweaty black
Malaria night
You can tell the shit
From the essence of heaven

In the smash and grab
In the sharp attack
Dishonest night
You can say what you want
And somebody listen

There's laughter and glass
And perfume and flags
And kisses and trains
And roses and vaccine

I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city

Whatever gets you acclimatised
Radiation and downcast eyes
Serious sight
We're looking for a wild machine
Cybernetic rabies

Syndication and sympathy
Might work for you but not for me
I love you best when it's all a mess
Will you lie for me cry for me
Die for me will you please

(Oh) never never never never
never never never say no

I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city

In the dumb fat side
Of the heavy sweaty black
Malaria night
You can say what you want
And somebody listen

Gonna say what I really want
(Come on say what you really want)
Gonna say what I really want
(Yeah say what you really want)

Wanna live with Halo Jones
Wanna home that's miles from home
Wanna drugs from the twighlight zone
Wanna never never never never
Never never never say no

I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city

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anemic_knifeprty

Submitter

2002-09-16 15:41:22

1 Meaning

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by falcotron

10y ago

Maybe there's some deeper meaning here, but I suspect this is just a celebration of what a great year 1984 was for sci-fi/comic geeks.

The Ballad of Halo Jones was a then-current Alan Moore comic strip in 2000 AD. The first point of the strip was to do far-future sci-fi with a strong female heroine while managing to avoid the standard (especially for 2000 AD) tropes of "guns, guys, and gore"; Halo was just an everyday girl living everyday life in the future. The other point was to use the comic medium to completely avoid exposition: the reader should learn everything there is to know about 50th century life by paying careful attention to the scenery and the background action.

I think the lines about "perfume and flags" also relate to Halo Jones, but I don't have a copy to check, and it's been a long time… So maybe they're a reference to something else.

Cybernetic rabies, neon houses, Hangover City… Cyberpunk was brand new and exciting. Instead of trying to predict centuries in the future, writers just extrapolated a couple decades (or "15 seconds"—the Max Headroom movie was also 1984) to mega-cities filled with shiny tech and grimy alleys, where everyone is a junkie skating by on the edge of survival.

I have no idea about the malaria nights. That whole verse has more of a 19th century African adventure feel than 80s sci-fi. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was another 2000 AD strip or something.

And finally, "And all these unforeseen things tumble down. I've got a love and it won't stop burning." No idea.

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