4 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Big Science Lyrics
Coo coo it's cold outside. Coo coo it's cold outside.
Ooo coo coo. Don't forget your mittens.
Hey Pal! How do I get to town from here?
And he said: Well just take a right where
they're going to build that new shopping mall,
go straight past where they're going to put in the freeway,
take a left at what's going to be the new sports center,
and keep going until you hit the place where
they're thinking of building that drive-in bank.
You can't miss it. And I said: This must be the place.
Ooo coo coo. Golden cities. Golden towns.
Golden cities. Golden towns.
And long cars in long lines and great big signs
and they all say: Hallelujah. Yodellayheehoo.
Every man for himself. Ooo coo coo.
Golden cities. Golden towns. Thanks for the ride.
Big Science. Hallelujah.. Yodellayheehoo.
You know. I think we should put some mountains here.
Otherwise, what are all the characters going to fall off of?
And what about stairs? Yodellayheehoo. Ooo coo coo.
Here's a man who lives a life of danger.
Everywhere he goes he stays - a stranger.
Howdy stranger. Mind if I smoke? And he said:
Every man, every man for himself.
Every man, every man for himself.
All in favor say aye.
Big Science. Hallelujah.. Yodellayheehoo.
Hey Professor! Could you turn out the lights?
Let's roll the film.
Big Science. Hallelujah.
Every man, every man for himself.
Big Science. Hallelujah. Yodellayheehoo.
Ooo coo coo. Don't forget your mittens.
And he said: Well just take a right where
they're going to build that new shopping mall,
go straight past where they're going to put in the freeway,
take a left at what's going to be the new sports center,
and keep going until you hit the place where
they're thinking of building that drive-in bank.
You can't miss it. And I said: This must be the place.
Golden cities. Golden towns.
And long cars in long lines and great big signs
and they all say: Hallelujah. Yodellayheehoo.
Every man for himself. Ooo coo coo.
Golden cities. Golden towns. Thanks for the ride.
Otherwise, what are all the characters going to fall off of?
And what about stairs? Yodellayheehoo. Ooo coo coo.
Everywhere he goes he stays - a stranger.
Howdy stranger. Mind if I smoke? And he said:
Every man, every man for himself.
Every man, every man for himself.
All in favor say aye.
Let's roll the film.
Every man, every man for himself.
Big Science. Hallelujah. Yodellayheehoo.
Song Info
Submitted by
dolcecars On Feb 09, 2006
More Laurie Anderson
O Superman (For Massenet)
The Day The Devil
Strange Angels
Baby Doll
Gravity's Angel
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
I think this is about how humans put themselves above nature, and how foolish this notion is. She is sort of mocking humans who use nature for their own means, to their own ends.
"I think we should put some mountains here Otherwise, what are all the characters going to fall off of?"
We even think that mountains are there for the benefit of our stories and fiction. Humans ruin everything because we appropriate everything. The point is that nature does not belongs to us, no matter how much a master we think ""big science" makes us.
This song is obviously about the advance of technology. Does the "every man for himself" line refer to capitalism?
seems likely it refers to free-market ideology, yes. this (like most of the songs on the Big Science LP) are from a larger work called United States.
this is kind of a companion piece to "O Superman"...what with the references to technology. though the latter is more explicit about the connections with militarism.
come to think of it, both songs refer to smoking. laurie reportedly chain-smoked Marlboros, removing the filters before lighting them. not sure whether she still does.
So cinematic. I love the whole thing.