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Grey Machine Lyrics
lie lie lie blinded
on the left side
a parking attendant sleeps
selling space and time
on the right side
a parking attendant sleeps
selling space and time
they have grasped the concept of property
understand that lengths of time can be twisted into
someone's monetary advantage
they have grasped the concept of property
understand that lengths of time can be twisted into
someone's monetary adventage.
but, i can see myself
in the building that stands across from me
reflecting in the sky
you can see yourself
swim along the giant whales down the street
reflecting in the sky
on sunny days
the people on the beach like ants in my food
they must have closed the mall
here comes whitey to exploit
the simple pleasures nature gave me
then try to tax them all
but, i can see yourself
in the building that stands across from me
reflecting in the sky
you can see yourself
swim along the giant whales down the street
reflecting in the sky
i can see yourself
in the building that stands across from me
reflecting in the sky
you can see yourself
swim along the giant whales down the street
reflecting in the sky
i can see myself (i can see myself)
in the building that stands across from me (i can see myself)
reflecting in the sky (it's me in herd)
you can see yourself (you can see yourself)
swim along the giant whales down the street. (you can see yourself)
reflecting in the sky. (hey, look, it's you)
i'm letting go
it's scaring me
i'm letting go
it's scaring me
i'm letting go
it's scaring me
lay in the yard
curled in a ball
nails in your mouth
keys still in the car door
face in the dirt
smells more than clean
synapses tapped
you're well out
on the side of the house
it's burned in the ground
that secret code
that signal go
there's a stain on the grass
that's calling us home
you lie inside
for the transistor send
my heart skips a beat
my heart skips a beat
on the side of the house
it's burned in the ground
that secret code
that signal go
there's a stain on the grass
that's calling us home
you lie inside
for the transistor send
lie lie lie blinded
lie lie lie blinded
out of reach
out of touch
out of ink
out of kindness (lie lie lie blinded)
never hazing new guys
out of teeth
out of thought
out of time
out of life (lie lie lie blinded)
like cattle grazing
your mind
on the way to the car
on the head of the stone
on the edge of the lake
on the end of the joke
on the crack of the floor
on the slab of the day
on the dent of the face
on the mind of the cop
on the scar of the rat
on the last of the calls
on the rest of the doc
on the smile of the kid
on the underside i'm letting go
they know we're on to them
we know to avoid their snare
they're pulling us back
we run for cover
escape is far
i'm letting go
it's scaring me
break
i'm gonna break
pick me up
take me home
get me out of here
please
get me out of here
please
a parking attendant sleeps
selling space and time
a parking attendant sleeps
selling space and time
understand that lengths of time can be twisted into
someone's monetary advantage
understand that lengths of time can be twisted into
someone's monetary adventage.
in the building that stands across from me
reflecting in the sky
you can see yourself
swim along the giant whales down the street
reflecting in the sky
the people on the beach like ants in my food
they must have closed the mall
the simple pleasures nature gave me
then try to tax them all
in the building that stands across from me
reflecting in the sky
you can see yourself
swim along the giant whales down the street
reflecting in the sky
in the building that stands across from me
reflecting in the sky
you can see yourself
swim along the giant whales down the street
reflecting in the sky
in the building that stands across from me (i can see myself)
reflecting in the sky (it's me in herd)
you can see yourself (you can see yourself)
swim along the giant whales down the street. (you can see yourself)
reflecting in the sky. (hey, look, it's you)
it's scaring me
i'm letting go
it's scaring me
i'm letting go
it's scaring me
curled in a ball
nails in your mouth
keys still in the car door
face in the dirt
smells more than clean
synapses tapped
you're well out
it's burned in the ground
that secret code
that signal go
there's a stain on the grass
that's calling us home
you lie inside
for the transistor send
my heart skips a beat
it's burned in the ground
that secret code
that signal go
there's a stain on the grass
that's calling us home
you lie inside
for the transistor send
lie lie lie blinded
out of touch
out of ink
out of kindness (lie lie lie blinded)
never hazing new guys
out of teeth
out of thought
out of time
out of life (lie lie lie blinded)
like cattle grazing
your mind
on the head of the stone
on the edge of the lake
on the end of the joke
on the crack of the floor
on the slab of the day
on the dent of the face
on the mind of the cop
on the scar of the rat
on the last of the calls
on the rest of the doc
on the smile of the kid
they know we're on to them
we know to avoid their snare
they're pulling us back
we run for cover
escape is far
i'm letting go
it's scaring me
break
i'm gonna break
take me home
get me out of here
please
please
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
I have to say i agree with all of you BUT i don't think this song is about a specific person losing it and killing himself although it is obviously in that category. An earlier post by Spinesshanked said something about the restricting of natural urges we get as people living in a society with 'freedom' got me thinking and sometimes when shit isn't what it should be in this world i can see myself jumping off a building as well . I think thats what the song means. Its about noticing how things just don't seem to be right. The selling of time and space and getting taxed for nothing yet we still seem to be inculcated by society which uses its crafty propaganda to have us' lie, lie, lie blinded' There's a part that i find absolutely mystifying which occurs around the second chorus. This is where the background singer sings ' I can see my self, I can see myself, Its me in herd. You can see your self, you can see yourself, hey look it you'. That part of the song says so much to me because he's so apathetical about how he expresses that 'hey look its you' part. And I don't think he says 'see' in a literal sense rather in a very scary very vivid pictures which occur during total absentmindedness. The end of this song is prepossessing in every way. My personal favorite part is when he says ' On the smile of the kid' To me this line wraps everything up with the ONE thing that is important which is happiness. Basically This song is for anyone who's ever felt like they're gonna snap because the world around them seems completely oblivious to the unprincipled, nefarious ways of the bullshit world around them. 'Pick me up, take me home, get me out of here please...' I have to say this conclusion i have come up with would never have came to be if it wasn't for your guys ideas it the first place and in no way am i undermining any of your opinions. On the contrary, I suspect that you guys are my kind of thinkers;)
I love this song sooo much, but cant figure out what its about.. any ideas?
What does this song mean to me?
I don't think I could put it in words. But to keep it simple, I'll just say this:
Everything.
it is THE song...it's about me, it's about you. it is the essence of life
Dmomo is close, i'll add alittle more to it though. It's about life, but the restraints we're brought up in our society depress the natural freedom we are all born with, but never trully have. The lyric "i can see yourself in the building that stands across from me reflecting in the sky you can see yourself" the mundaneness of life to put it nicely. But then again this is just a song and you can interpret it as you wish to. To me the band is pointing out restraint and how we supress our natural animalistic urges and the fear of letting such urges out.
I agree with both of you. I keep imagining in the end, a guy whose trapped in a subway station with people trying to get him to conform. And how he just wants to get out of there.
i think this song is about society and government and the restraints and control that it all has over our lives. like spineshanked said. we started off being a free counrty but how free are we really? we are forced to go to work and live a life to satisfy the government and be able to pay the taxes they set upon us. nothing is free, we cant be able to enjoy nature without having to be taxed to have someone maintain and reserve it for us. this lyric is a perfect example "here comes whitey to exploit the simple pleasures nature gave me then try to tax them all ".... this is my take on this song however
wow. reading this makes this song make more sence too me. im probably gonna spend all night listening to it now :p like ive done other times.
I really like thought of that guy trapped in the subway station....
the way i see it you guys got it twisted. look, why'd he say "i can see myself/yourself in the building that stands across from me "? i definitely think this is suicide-allusive, the guy's standing on the top of some building facing one other building. then he let's go ("i'm letting go, it's scaring me ") and dies ("face in the dirt smells more than clean. synapses tapped, you're well out ") and it goes on as his heart skips a beat, then another and then "out of teeth, out of thought, out of time, out of life" i don't know. i think it makes sense. i've been thinking about it and it seems he's quite unwilling to get along in such a meaningless life.
anyway, let's talk about this.
The line "you can see yourself , swim along the giant whales down the street" refers to a mural by the conservationist/muralist Wyland of giant gray whales in downtown San Diego (Pinback's origins) . The verse, I think, describes the longing to set oneself free of the drudgery and monotony of life by imagining to swim along freely with giant whales. The question is how is this accomplished? The answer is what distro alludes to above with a man free-falling from a building and in turn, "swimming" with the whales on the mural as he descends and plummets ultimately to his death. As enchanting and melodic as the song is, it does have references to falling from a building, "there's a stain on the grass that's calling us home" and "pick me up, take me home, get me out of here". That is the beauty of this Pinback song; very hypnotic with an almost subliminal message of despair.