29 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Lonesome Organist Rapes Page Turner Lyrics
He told me that I knew what to laugh at
And I wanted to but I just couldn't ask if he would take it back so I could know for certain
So on the bench I watched his left hand crossing
While doubling entendres with the voicings
He said "O darling, you're charming
Please don't find it alarming if I pull this stop out to free up a hand for heavy petting"
Now there there
I'm a friendly man
I joke about sex because it's funny when you're frightened
So silently I sat and turned the pages
Recalculating our respective ages
Over my shoulder, he muttered, "If I get any older
You can hack my wrists off with your choice of objects
No, I'm kidding"
Don't be scared
I'm a friendly man
I joke about death because it's funny when you're frightened
This is as far as I could get
He jabbed a needle in my neck
Erasing all the evidence
But there were matchsticks in my pants
And if a rock should hit my head
And I remember what he did
You'll be the very first to know
Maybe I'll find out why this damn thing won't stop bleeding
He told me that I showed a great potential
That given I turned heads and pages
Fame would be a piece of cake
But practice was essential
So like a stupid child I believed it
And golly who would had agreed if
I had been Schubert or Mozart
Devoted to the fine art of perfecting absolutely everything inconsequential
Don't be sad
I'll come back again
I joke about trash 'cause it takes class to be enlightened
So several decades have gone by
I am still sitting by his side
I turn the pages faithfully
He turns his head and smiles at me
And with a wink he says, "I doubt
We would be anywhere without
Your gift for keeping truth and consequence from meeting"
And I wanted to but I just couldn't ask if he would take it back so I could know for certain
So on the bench I watched his left hand crossing
While doubling entendres with the voicings
He said "O darling, you're charming
Please don't find it alarming if I pull this stop out to free up a hand for heavy petting"
I'm a friendly man
I joke about sex because it's funny when you're frightened
Recalculating our respective ages
Over my shoulder, he muttered, "If I get any older
You can hack my wrists off with your choice of objects
No, I'm kidding"
I'm a friendly man
I joke about death because it's funny when you're frightened
He jabbed a needle in my neck
Erasing all the evidence
But there were matchsticks in my pants
And if a rock should hit my head
And I remember what he did
You'll be the very first to know
Maybe I'll find out why this damn thing won't stop bleeding
That given I turned heads and pages
Fame would be a piece of cake
But practice was essential
So like a stupid child I believed it
And golly who would had agreed if
I had been Schubert or Mozart
Devoted to the fine art of perfecting absolutely everything inconsequential
I'll come back again
I joke about trash 'cause it takes class to be enlightened
I am still sitting by his side
I turn the pages faithfully
He turns his head and smiles at me
And with a wink he says, "I doubt
We would be anywhere without
Your gift for keeping truth and consequence from meeting"
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Manic, funny, wordplay- everything we've come to expect from the Dolls.
The meaning here is pretty clear: the "Lonesome Organist," the piano teacher, day by day seduced his "Page Turner" student and eventually had sex with her ("find out why this damn thing won't stop bleeding").
The piano teacher's an interesting character. He's pretty sadistic ("it's funny when you're frightened") but he also flatters her nonstop so she'll put up with his "heavy petting," etc. All this, of course, is intertwined with her progress as a piano player, which is minimal because her teacher's so focused on her body he doesn't have time to teach her!
And, in the end, she just keeps it all quiet, "turn[ing] pages faithfully" for years afterward. I love this song. Who but the Dresden Dolls can make pedophilia fun?
agree agree. megan the song is on their myspace site, www.myspace.com/dresdendolls...i love the "ha ha ha"s after the chorus. makes my spine creep.
This is such a cool song! It's different from a typical Dolls songs, but in a neat way.
But practice was essential So like a stupid child I believed it And golly who would had agreed if I had been Schubert or Mozart Devoted to the fine art of perfecting absolutely everything inconsequential
I don't understand what this bit means. If I'm reading it properly she's saying that if she was a perfectionist, she wouldn't have agreed to practice, which makes no sense.
Amanda's been raped, although I obviously don't know by who, she also says to have been seduced by her piano teachers. It's not too hard to figure out what this is about.
if you read Amanda's bio on the official site, she mentions being seduced by piano teachers.
FYI the song is on the Japanese pressing of the CD, along with a real recording of their cover of Two-Headed Boy
how do i get this song? its good and im fustrated
I agree--it does say on Amanda's bio that she was seduced by her piano teachers. And I would put a lot of money on that being the subject of the song....especially according to the title!
I definetely agree with rocksteady666 and makenzie.
I love this song.
mockingsmile, I THINK (but I'm not sure) that what she means is she did practice, but she improvised when she played, she didn't perfect every unimportant (inconsequential) bit. I could be wrong though.
"practice was essential"= he needs them to meet up together as practice. even though she didn't need him ther "like a stoopid child she beleived" and kept coming back to her abuser.