James Chance and the Contortions

Dish It Out

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Dish It Out Lyrics

Sick of being on the losing end
Tired of playing the obliging friend
Extort my emotions all you like
I'll lap it all up and slip it right back

I wanna dish it out
Want your heart for casual wear
Want you to grasp at my straws
And see if I care

I wanna see some emotion
Not the usual fluff
I wanna be the one to tell you
When to start and when you've had enough

I'm a hopeless case
I've failed every test
Got no sales resistance
Now you got me obsessed

I'll preserve you now
And pay you back later
Cramp your style crocodile
See you later alligator

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teenageriot-1 On Dec 04, 2008

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teenageriot-1

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2008-12-04 03:17:14

2 Meanings

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by PhilipWithOneL

16y ago

Great song. Innovator.

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by Lustrum2112

11y ago

Seems to be about a kind of friendzone deal ("the obliging friend"). When your in someone's friendzone, or just generally obsessed with someone, they have this power, this advantage over you, putting you "on the losing end." Basically the narrator (or James, who knows) expresses his desire to be on the other end, to hold the power, to "dish it out." To do the things that she does to you, like use your "heart for casual wear." She doesn't really give a shit about you, and it's worse because you do. You put so much emotion into this obsession, this person, and they either don't know or don't care, shrugging it off. He wants to be the one who is lusted after, and not give a shit. All he wants is her to show some kind of emotion towards him, "not the usual fluff."

Also, that sax solo in the intro is one of the most fucking violent things I've ever heard. More brutal than any metal band. What a great way to open one of the most unforgiving compilations in history.

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