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The Engineer Lyrics
Your mother’s on your side
Your daughter painted white
Your father’s awkward frown
Your hometown burning down
I built everything you can see from here
I am the engineer
All inside of me
Really is veneer
The surface made of fear
But somewhere north of here
You will find me dear
Walking in the snow
You can think of me
From your town below
I don’t know what this means
But did you take it in
Into your head that I
Could find you in the night
We built everything you can see from here
We are the engineers
All inside of us
Really is veneer
Our surface made of fear
But somewhere north of here
You will find us dear
Walking in the snow
You can think of us
From your town below
What does love mean
When it’s made by a machine? (8x)
Your daughter painted white
Your father’s awkward frown
Your hometown burning down
I am the engineer
All inside of me
Really is veneer
The surface made of fear
But somewhere north of here
You will find me dear
Walking in the snow
You can think of me
From your town below
But did you take it in
Into your head that I
Could find you in the night
We are the engineers
All inside of us
Really is veneer
Our surface made of fear
But somewhere north of here
You will find us dear
Walking in the snow
You can think of us
From your town below
When it’s made by a machine? (8x)
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This song is incredibly amazing. I've heard a lot of De Rosa's music makes references to hard times in Lanarkshire throughout the area (and the band member's) history.
Kind of has a little bit of a Modest Mouse sound to it, in my opinion.
"We built everything you can see from here We are the engineers All inside of us Really is veneer Our surface made of fear But somewhere north of here You will find us dear Walking in the snow You can think of us From your town below"
I'm getting a time era of this in the sense of industrialization-factories, etc. I don't know which period this occured during in Lanarkshire, but from what I've read of Angela's Ashes (set in Ireland) maybe the early 1930's. This makes me think he's referring to the people who built the town, not the founders per se, but the people who actually built it. Carpenters, laborers, etc. "All inside of us really is veneer" Veneer could be referring to the building materials literally, trying to express the organic nature of the building of the town, but it probably is referring more in a sense of giving something a superficially pleasing appearance. "Our surface made of fear" perhaps suggesting economic instability in the town. Poverty, not having anything to count on. "But somewhere north of here, you will find us dear, walking in the snow. You can think of us from your town below." sounds like a family has to leave...find somewhere better and leave people behind maybe?
"What does love mean, when it's made by a machine?" Sticking with my view on the idea behind it, I would have to think it's suggesting the coldness and apathy of bosses and employers when it came to them looking out for their laborers. The emotion people once had for others was lacking because "Time is money." as they often say.