I'm Designer Lyrics
Beats a steady job.
How much have you got?
My generation don’t trust no one
Its hard to blame
Not even ourselves
The thing that’s real for us is fortune and fame
All the rest seems like work.
Its just like Diamonds
In shit
Actually both
Basically Im a Pro
We’ve all got our own style
of Baggage
Why hump it yourself
You’ve made me an offer that I can refuse
course either way I get screwed
Counter Proposal
I go home & Jerk Off
It’s truly a lie. I counterfeit myself
You don’t own, you don’t own, you don’t own
You don’t own what none can buy
You don’t own
Push a silver spoon in your ass. No more holding us down
dog, down mutt, Nice mutt
You’re insulted you. You can’t be bought or sold.
Translation offer too low
You don’t know what you’re worth.
It isn’t much
My piano is for sale.
How many times must I sell myself before my pieces are gone?
I’m one of a kind
I’m designer
Enough is never enough
Never again will I repeat myself
Now its have sex with the man
after he buys you .com for sale at a low, low price.
Its truly a lie, I counterfeit myself
You don’t own , you don’t own, you don’t own me
You don’t own what none can buy
You don’t own
Neither do I
Neither do I
Either
I’m Designer
I just love the way he says "I'm Designer" at the after the second chorus. It's like he's a proud child who just got told he's designer and is now bragging about it.
The line, My Piano is for Sale, if I am not mistaken, is a quote from Elton John. Similar to the stanza of the song, Elton was referring to how everyone has a price on their heads whether they know it or not. When the people he was speaking with balked, he remarked, hey, even my piano is for sale - pointing to the one he used in Candle in the Wind (Marilyn Monroe/Princess Diana). I cant find any sources, but I swear I remember hearing that somewhere. Queens just totally rock- when is the new album coming out? I am dying!!
I gotta give Josh credit for his vox on this. I dont think I could be that out of tune intentionally---probabbly my fave off era vulgaris so far.
I think he's hitting out at people who say he's sold out. As though saying to these people who do you know who has to eat that hasn't, we all do it. I mean you can try to sell out as little as you can but you all do it.
Also I love the concept of how do you sell something you don't own in the first place. After all we didn't buy our bodies did we? The concept of selling out is a stupid one. Values aren't stupid but selling out is.
"High and mighty, you say that selling out is a shame because you've written a brand new book, and that's what it's called. And now I'd like to invite that the book writer push a sliver spoon up his ass because he's had everything given to him his whole life. Now, sit, stay, roll over, do what you're told" - Josh @ 3voor12 Radio, Amsterdam 07/03/2007. Make sense to you?
I love the ending....
Where it goes "you don't own what none can buy." It's almost soulful, really changes the song's dynamic.
Of course he has to go and ruin it with that smarmy "neither do I"
If you think of how "smarmy" (but smart) the whole song is, the lyric makes a compelling argument. He says neither does he (the artist) own the right to the creative property.
If you think of how "smarmy" (but smart) the whole song is, the lyric makes a compelling argument. He says neither does he (the artist) own the right to the creative property.
So while the record label (if we take that route) shouldn't be in actual ownership of the creativity, they do, (legally) and take away that from the artist.
So while the record label (if we take that route) shouldn't be in actual ownership of the creativity, they do, (legally) and take away that from the artist.
Good thought. I think the "neither do I" is supposed to be frontally misleading,
Good thought. I think the "neither do I" is supposed to be frontally misleading,
I disagree. Because QOTSA is becoming quite mainstream they are making the point that it might eventually happen to them. It's quite clever in fact.
I disagree. Because QOTSA is becoming quite mainstream they are making the point that it might eventually happen to them. It's quite clever in fact.
materialistic consumption yea its selling yourself out. it's an awsome song though!!
this song sounds like it had a bit of influence from eagles of death metal (another one of josh homme's bands)
I love this song, the chorus has a really haunting melody and is the voice of truth in this. Famous people smooze and spout crap about not being a 'sell out' when really they mean they are insulted the offer was so low. Love the bit about how many times can they sell themselves until all the pieces are gone. There's never been a better description of how fucked up the world of celebrity is.
A counterfeit is an inferior copy of an original - so these vacuous celebs are actually making themselves more worthless with every piece of fake bullshit they push on the public. Paris Hilton has got to be an inspiration for this, a person so shallow she even makes getting a best friend into a TV show because she is so unlikeable she can't find one herself!! 'Hire someone to find me a friend!!!!'
I also think the song is very funny esp the 'Never again will I repeat myself bit' which he repeats a line later!! Like an old band saying - this is the last tour and then 10 years later wheeling themselves out again to record an album that sounds just like the last one!
Hahaha! Going to listen to it again now...
What a marvel! This thing manages to both rock out, pack some laughs and leave you thinking.
Homme's vocal deilvery is perfect, from the ridiculous falsetto up to the thrashy, irreverent delivery. I plain love the 'UH' he signs after "in shit', both tough and hilarious. But my fave is (and will always be) that 'I'm one of a kind - I'm designer!!". It's both ironic and serious - he designs some pretty nice music, being a hell of a producer. Producing music is some kind of design to me.
And yes, it seems to be speaking about 'selling out', how stupid he thinks the concept is, adding some talking about 'his generation', namely fellow 'music artists', hipsters, etc. It's also about recycling yourself, doing always the same to sell something, which QOTSA certainly has NOT done - there aren't two albums from them that sound alike!
It's been two years since I listened to this and I still get kicks out of it. It's one of the best songs in Era Vulgaris - a great album, by the way!