You Think You're Nickel Slick (But I Got Your Penny Change)

There seems to be such a hugely common theme in this album. Sex. This song sounds to be about mistakes, regret, hopelessness and in the same breathm, hope. I could be wrong, of course, but it sounds like the theme of driving bounces back and forth between a woman (or sexual sin) controling a life and God controling a life. That longing for purity and wishing that God would take hold of the adicted life and turn it around. Thoughts?

Topskanker - I totally agree. Emery has always had a focus of sexual sin and lust and such forth, but this song is exactly what you described IMO.

its definitely primarily about regret-- perhaps the contemplation of suicide

initially it seems like sex, but it just seems like so much more

This song is about a couple who has sex, and the girl gets pregnant and he takes her to have an abortion. It was on their re-release of the question (deluxe edition) but on there it was called "Death To Inconvenience"

this version is lot better than the first version of it though. honestly, the screaming in death to inconvienience was what the spainards call 'el terrible'

yeah i thought maybe abortion, i'm more convinced of it now

Yes, this song is about abortion. It's more evident in the original lyrics on the Question re-release.

Initially I thought the earlier version "Death to Inconvenience" was muchbetter because I understood so much more clearly what the message was, right down to the song's title: The death of the unborn-child being the "inconvenient truth"; "Death to Inconvenience."

When I read the lyrics to this new version, I thought the change made to the song--judging by some of the first comments made above--vague and hard to understand and I feared this decision was made so not to easily offend anyone who thinks the killing of an unborn-child could be justified. But then I re-read the lyrics and realized that I simply had been reading it from the wrong perspective.

-- "Death to Inconvenience" is sung from the perspective of the Unborn-Child's Father, the sexual partner of the Mother, her innocence taken:

//This bedroom tells of our mistakes Perfume and innocence to take I am in love but not enough to wait So take, take your place down on my bed I am not the same man that you met I'll be your lover but I'm not your friend//

And their decision to take the life of there baby:

//This clinic smells of death and shame Misguided women with no names I guess the children are the ones to blame I'll drop you off, be back in ten We'll never see this place again We will recover but we won't repent//

-- "You Think You're Nickel Slick" is sung from the Mother's father, the Unborn-Child's Grandfather, lamenting that his daughter is pregnant as he tucks her in:

//Goodnight goodnight I will tuck you in so tight But I'm just a tired man With these tired hands of mine [...]//

They wake up the next day and he decides to take her to the Abortionist because he says she's "just a little girl" and (what I believe is) he doesn't want to be responsible for both his Daughter AND her child (because the baby's Father won't); She's most likely his only child (or daughter) and he wants to keep her as his "little girl" with him:

//[...] Wake up baby its time for us to leave You're just a little girl in your lonely world with me//

And I believe the first, third verse and chorus are sung by the Unwed-Mother, his Daughter; speaking to her Father who lied to her about the pain that would come afterward:

//I'd take it back to have the chance To see her laugh, to see her dance You, you never told me it would be so hard And now I'm waiting for everyday to go away Just go away//

He has taken the decision out of her hands:

//This dark road will lead right where you want to be You're driving so take the wheel//

And has decided to drive her to the Abortion-mill ("You're driving") to "kill the inconvenient truth." He tries to convince himself that he's doing this for her and not himself, "So kill the inconvenient truth."

//Your conscience is pleading as you start believing That what you’re doing is not for you There is no mistaking the life that your taking So kill the inconvenient truth So let's go all the way Let's go all the way//

So I still love the original but I now find myself equally loving this alternate version after my newfound understanding of the lyrics. My only gripe is that I think the title "You Think You're Nickel Slick (But I Got Your Penny Change)" will throw a some people off as to what the song is about.

And that's that.

-Nobody

Another Emery song about sex, it seems. The Chorus is obviously about deeply regretting something. If you take it in context with the rest of the song, you see that he regrets having sex with a girl and getting her pregnant.

"Let's go all the way. This dark road will lead right where you want to be, you're driving, so take the wheel." The decision to have sex lead her down the wrong path, but it was her decision to make.

The verse that begins with "Your conscience is pleading..." is about the girl considering getting an abortion.

I don't necessarily think the whole verse with "You're driving to take the wheel" means that. I assumed that it meant that since she was the one who is having the baby (you're driving), it's her responsibility to figure out what she wants to do with it. Her taking the wheel is making that decision, and it was to have the abortion.