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Orphan Anthem '86 (pre IFS version) Lyrics
narrarator:
five tons a-mile-a-minute.
two is the one we hope for.
we'll call him john doe jr.
and her, and her? well...
thereupon, for now...
successful stray:
in those towns we're held captive.
who knew?
narrarator:
only handfulls of cartoons can misdirect
their dialect.
janitor:
propel gloria. propel!
elijah:
shhh...be quiet, they'll hear us...
gloria:
stop shushing...how long you think till they find us?
elijah:
shhh...
narrarator:
as they tippy-toed to see california.
as they tippy-toed to see! pick a map.
janitor:
here hunting is a pastime, which some frown on.
their small brims now brush the tiles.
gloria:
she isn't coming, is she?
elijah:
shhh...
successful stray:
tell the world we are shotguns;
sawed-off, with scopes set on backfire.
tell auntie em'(if you see her)
we're on a cartons of cardboard.
we've instilled in us morals,
not by god, but by our choice.
elijah:
we'll ride the rails up to utah!
i've heard there we'll be home free.
dammit, they're sounding the sirens
gloria:
oh crap, we'll never make it, we'll never make it!
narrarator:
as they dashed abrubtly, see, not much further
as they dashed abrubtly, see, cheer them on!
janitor:
here, the elders use large deadbolts and small tazers
to push angels past their years.
and i support their struggle to be free.
successful stray:
tell that building we're shotguns
fully loaded, and custom.
tell uncle sam(if you see him)
we'll deprive him his paycheck.
we've instilled in us standards,
and give ourselves full credit.
when all have 86'd us,
you can find us by your ear.
gloria:
his words' i still here to this day.
"propel gloria. propel!"
"propel gloria. propel!"
"propel gloria. propel!"
five tons a-mile-a-minute.
two is the one we hope for.
we'll call him john doe jr.
and her, and her? well...
thereupon, for now...
in those towns we're held captive.
who knew?
only handfulls of cartoons can misdirect
their dialect.
propel gloria. propel!
shhh...be quiet, they'll hear us...
stop shushing...how long you think till they find us?
shhh...
as they tippy-toed to see california.
as they tippy-toed to see! pick a map.
here hunting is a pastime, which some frown on.
their small brims now brush the tiles.
she isn't coming, is she?
shhh...
tell the world we are shotguns;
sawed-off, with scopes set on backfire.
tell auntie em'(if you see her)
we're on a cartons of cardboard.
we've instilled in us morals,
not by god, but by our choice.
we'll ride the rails up to utah!
i've heard there we'll be home free.
dammit, they're sounding the sirens
oh crap, we'll never make it, we'll never make it!
as they dashed abrubtly, see, not much further
as they dashed abrubtly, see, cheer them on!
here, the elders use large deadbolts and small tazers
to push angels past their years.
and i support their struggle to be free.
tell that building we're shotguns
fully loaded, and custom.
tell uncle sam(if you see him)
we'll deprive him his paycheck.
we've instilled in us standards,
and give ourselves full credit.
when all have 86'd us,
you can find us by your ear.
his words' i still here to this day.
"propel gloria. propel!"
"propel gloria. propel!"
"propel gloria. propel!"
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
ive always thought that orphan anthem was about god, but it wasnt until i read the lyrics to this, and other pre-ifs versions that i felt that my thoughts were truly confirmed.
I think that this song is darroh telling a humanistic story that parallels his thoughts on god. The orphans are essentially people who have lost their faith in god and now feel lost in the world. They lived in this place where cruelty was rampant for so long, and they had to escape. this, to me, screams religion. You are bound to something that has time-and-time again proven to be nothing but cruelty disguised as good intentions. Hence an abusive orphanage. We take you in, give you hope, "care" for you, but in the end we are still beating the shit out of you and others with what we see as right.
The shotgun metaphor is very powerful in my opinion..."tell that building we are shotguns, fully loaded and made custom" The building in the story is the orphanage, but symbolically i think it is the church. The tenants are shotguns, ready to burst forth with what they've learned first hand. the auntie em line is basically someone within the church telling outsiders that conditions in here arent what they seem to be. its a cry for help, if you see her, please let her know how it really is. We are on cardboard! Powers that be tell everyone outside that everyone within is happy and taken care of, yet they are just as lost as those who have no faith.
To sum up, the song is a huge metaphor about losing your faith and feeling betrayed by those who claimed to be telling you the truth and looking out for your best interest. You grow up being told that everything is taken care of, but when you finally realize that it isnt, you are faced with a big escape. You have to ditch everything and everyone you held dear in order to search for the truth.