Sickened and housed street death's burned
Blacked, lived, compelled and cold
Closed down and swallowed formed and regained
Blacked, curt, gloat and discerned

Shot from shot
The androgyny fails
Odalisque by Ingres
Yet your bones for sale
Pornographic, this is pornographic
Pornographic

Expertly clothed amazed and perturbed
Assumed annoyed and ceased
Bow down together
Agonised and locked
Mixed, sealed and received


Lyrics submitted by deltasunlight, edited by floodedlungs

Pretension / Repulsion Lyrics as written by Richard Edwards James Bradfield

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Pretension/Repulsion song meanings
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3 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    A song against falsely objectifying beauty through the media.

    Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres was one of the first artists to change the way a woman’s body looked for added sexuality, when he famously painted a woman with an extra-long back because he found it more sexually attractive in his famous work Grande Odalisque. It was like the original version airbrushed photoshopping if you think about it.

    “Born-a-graphic vs. Porn-a-graphic” also touches upon the same thought. Very few women in pornography or tamer sexualized photos are natural, either through caking on far too much make up to re-make their face, or through plastic surgery like breast implants.

    At this stage in his writings, Richey was writing some short-hand phrasing that was almost like an inner-code only he truly understood (like on “Removables”) I don’t think they’re throw-away lines, but just something only he understood. My guess is he was writing about how so many people obsessed with their beauty are so self-loathing. Maybe "Shot from shot The androgyny fails" is referencing models? They are obsessed with their looks, and also some of the most miserable people in the universe for it.

    MBlackon June 11, 2009   Link
  • -1
    My Interpretation

    The lyrics are very wrong here, it's:

    "BORN.A.GRAPHIC VS PORNAGRAPHIC" and "Extra bones for sale"

    If I found out how to change the lyrics I would. Anyway, I realised tonight that this song sums me up in many ways. The title "Pretension/Repulsion" explains my relationship with myself exactly. Going from a huge high, really being proud of myself you know, sort of imagining I have rights above other people, and it's a very hard train of thought to break out of. And then at the complete other end I am repulsed by myself, really full of hate, and just disgusted at everything I do and the way I look.

    Shanibandangleon June 01, 2009   Link
  • -1
    General Comment

    The lyric is actually " Shard oh Shards ".

    kotowboyon August 13, 2009   Link

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