Cut him up, boy
You've got to cut him up, boy
He's a wicked disgrace
And he said it to your face
You better cut him up boy

You take by the teeth
Get him down on his knees
With your hands all shaking
That'll teach him how to take it
Gotta cut him up, boy and how

Ply her heart with gold and silver
And take your sweetheart down to the river

Dash her on the paving stones
It may break your heart to break her bones
But someone's got to do the culling of the fold, oh oh

Cut him up, girl
Really cut him up girl
He lives by himself
In a hole in a wall
You've got to cut him up, girl

You can take him in a stitch
Dump his body in a ditch
Leave his limbs all naked
That'll teach him how to take it
Better cut him up girl and how

Ply her heart with gold and silver
Take your sweetheart down to the river

Dash her on the paving stones
It may break your heart to break her bones
But someone's got to do the culling of the fold, oh oh

Listen up boy
And listen up girl
It's a shallow little trench
And it's giving off a stench
It's a shallow little world

Feeling down in the face
Could you use a little space?
When the radio crackles
And the in-laws cackle

Better cut him up. boy
And cut him up, girl

Ply her heart with gold and silver
And take your sweetheart down to the river

Dash her on the paving stones
It may break your heart to break her bones
But someone's got to do the culling of the fold
Oh, the culling of the fold


Lyrics submitted by SheepNutz

Culling of the Fold Lyrics as written by Colin Meloy

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

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Culling of the Fold song meanings
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25 Comments

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  • +5
    General Comment

    I looooove this song. Especially live.

    Oddly enough it is such a turn on. You can just hear the anger/energy within colin. Plus, leave it to colin to make even violence poetic. He just oozes sexines as well as genius.

    landlordsdaughteron April 11, 2007   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    wow. the first time i saw colin meloy, i was like aw, cute little baby-faced schoolboy. appearances can be terribly deceiving! amazing song. rather insane, but amazing.

    invisible birdson April 17, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I think this is the backstory to the Shankhill Butchers. In real life, the Shankhill Butchers were a group of loyalist Protestants in 1970s Northern Ireland who went around brutally murdering Catholics. They probably felt they were "culling the fold".

    lilotelasserieon November 06, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I think this is a song about how prejudice and socially-imposed ideas hurt human relationships.

    "It may break your heart to break her bones But someone's got to do the culling of the fold"

    So... your feelings towards her are of love. But you hurt her because you KNOW you have to, she doesn't fit some social criteria; (like "strenght"). But still that hurts you both - and all that for an idea. So feelings should be above rules and principles. Also, no one is entitled to decide who is worthy of life and who isn't.

    Cut him up, girl Really cut him up, girl He lives by himself In a hole in a wall You got to cut him up, girl

    You can take him in a stitch Dump his body in a ditch Leave his limbs all naked That'll teach him how to take it

    = intolerance?

    I don't know how much sense I'm making here, but I just get a lot of sarcasm out of this song.

    CynicalTruthon April 09, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    i feel like colin has some unresolved anger...

    WriterOfFictionson October 11, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I've had this song stuck in my head for the past few days. It's incredibly catchy.

    Rinrinon October 26, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    i love the way colin sings "ah hah hah hah" at the very end. it's explosive.

    wastrelon October 31, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Basically, I was planning on adding the same sentiments - I haven't heard the studio version of this song (I've been searching for days now), but at the 11/06/06 concert in Toronto, Culling of the Fold may very well have been the highlight of the night (with maybe the Perfect Crime #2, Red Right Ankle and Sixteen Military Wives in competition).

    Absolutely astounding passion and energy, and played with such reckless abandon. Morbid, morose, but fun, and undeniably brilliant.; I especially loved the simulated hanging with the microphone cord and the destructive performance as Colin got to bounce around on stage sans instrument. God I need to find a copy of the studio version.

    headlessparroton November 09, 2006   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion

    this song was orgasmic live.

    that's all i need to say.

    42hourtransiton December 17, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Interesting. Is this a Crane Wife outtake, only played live so far, a compilation track, a b-side, or what?

    The Hammeredon October 05, 2006   Link

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