Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
I am a working man
But I ain't worked for a while
Like some old tin can
From the bottom of the pile
From the bottom of the pile
I have lost my way
But I hear tell
About a heaven in Alberta
Where they've got all hell for a basement
My words are like a rope
That's wrapped around my throat
Wash my mouth with soap
For words unfit to quote
I have lost my way
But I hear tell
About heaven in Alberta
Where they got all hell for a basement
I have lost my way
But I hear tell
About heaven in Alberta
Where they got all hell for a basement
And now I'm free to go
But time cannot remove
The only life I've known
Now only time will prove
Yes, only time will prove
If I have lost my way
'Cause I hear tell
About heaven in Alberta
Where they got all hell for a basement
Yeah, I have lost my way
But I hear tell
About heaven in Alberta
Where they got all hell for a basement
But I ain't worked for a while
Like some old tin can
From the bottom of the pile
From the bottom of the pile
I have lost my way
But I hear tell
About a heaven in Alberta
Where they've got all hell for a basement
My words are like a rope
That's wrapped around my throat
Wash my mouth with soap
For words unfit to quote
I have lost my way
But I hear tell
About heaven in Alberta
Where they got all hell for a basement
I have lost my way
But I hear tell
About heaven in Alberta
Where they got all hell for a basement
And now I'm free to go
But time cannot remove
The only life I've known
Now only time will prove
Yes, only time will prove
If I have lost my way
'Cause I hear tell
About heaven in Alberta
Where they got all hell for a basement
Yeah, I have lost my way
But I hear tell
About heaven in Alberta
Where they got all hell for a basement
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Audioslave
Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
Fortnight
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
The song 'Fortnight' by Taylor Swift and Post Malone tells a story about strong feelings, complicated relationships, and secret wishes. It talks about love, betrayal, and wanting someone who doesn't feel the same. The word 'fortnight' shows short-lived happiness and guilty pleasures, leading to sadness. It shows how messy relationships can be and the results of hiding emotions. “I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she kickstarts the song in the first verse with lines suggesting an admission to a hospital for people with mental illnesses. She goes in the verse admitting her lover is the reason why she is like this. In the chorus, she sings about their time in love and reflects on how he has now settled with someone else. “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life,” on the second verse she details her struggles to forget about him and the negative effects of her failure. “Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up / ‘Nother fortnight lost in America,” Post Malone sings in the outro.
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
I just found out from wikipedia that "all hell for a basement" is a quote from Rudyard Kipling referring to the vast underground oil reserves under Medicine Hat, Alberta.
Oh, and this is a great song. Big Sugar rocks!
thank goodness for pk_boomer! lol.
i first heard this song last year, and it caught my ear because i'm an albertan. it wasn't until months later, i caught the line 'all hell for a basement' on a commercial about the history of alberta. of course i didn't catch what was mentioned. i originally thought this song was about coal miners or something.
i love anything that mentions alberta/canada, so now i rec this song to anyone who wants to hear something good!
little_arsonist, you must like Four Strong Winds by Neil Young too then! Myself, I'm partial to "Running Back to Saskatoon" (that's where I'm from).
And yes I know Ian Tyson wrote and performed that song first. But the Neil Young version is the only one you will hear on the radio these days :( Plus that's another reason for you to like it, Ian Tyson is a rancher in Alberta!
I heard an interview with Gordie Johnson where he said this song is about a guy leaving Newfoundland becasue he couldn' find work, and traveling to Alberta where there is more work than people. Regarding the reference to Kipling, I'm pretty sure that oil hadn't been discovered at the time he was around and Medicine Hat sits on vast natural gas reserves, not oil. I don't think Kipling mad the trek to 'the Hat' as he was in India most of the time. So there.
You're right wetcoaster, he was referring to natural gas reserves, not oil. But I'm still pretty sure Kipling made the comment about Medicine Hat, whether he was ever there or not. I believe everything I read in Wikipedia!
So there! :P
You're right wetcoaster, he was referring to natural gas reserves, not oil. But I'm still pretty sure Kipling made the comment about Medicine Hat, whether he was ever there or not. I believe everything I read in Wikipedia!
So there! :P
And about Kipling never leaving India:
"From 1897 until his death, Kipling made England his base, although he continued to travel extensively. In particular, he spent his winters until 1909 in South Africa, toured Egypt, made trips to Europe before and after the Great War, and visited Canada twice."
There is also a town in Saskatchewan called Kipling, that is purportedly named for Rudyard Kipling to honor his travels through Canada.
So there
The wikipedia article has it more or less correct. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_Hat%2C_Alberta The line, used as BS's title, has been attributed to Rudyard Kipling.
I grew up there.
I remember September 1981 when, there was a new dude in the Crescent Heights High School band, playing a wicked bass. This guy was Gordie Johnson, just in from the Golden Horseshoe as I recall, two years older than me and set to graduate and disappear within a year.
Although he only spent a year or so there as I know, it must have had some impact on him. The last time I saw him wasat that school's music instructor's retirement ceremony/concert in 2003.
BTW
1) I've been playing in bands ever since.
2) Terri Clark went through that music program as well. Started when I was in Gr 12. I used to jam with her a lot. Gordie too.
The guy Kipling rode through Medicine Hat on a train and said although this place is quite pleasant it seems to have all hell for a basement. He was referring to the flares of flames shooting up from the natural gas reserves.
Can't believe this band broke up. This song has to go down as one of the best rock songs in Canadian history.