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Man Named Truth Lyrics
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
I'll tell you right now that it ain't no use
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
Pain was a-huntin' me down but I gave him the slip
I left the city through the tunnel and i headed for the sticks
With oregano oil and a morphine drip
Pain was hunting me down but I gave him the slip
then I fell in love with identical twins
They lived 34 summers between the two of them
I gave one my ego, I gave one my id
Yeah, I gotta get back to my pretty little twins
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
I'll tell you right now that it ain't no use
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
I was lost for a year in those almond trees
The sun was rising in south and setting in the east
I was half-awake, I was half-asleep
I thought I'd never get out of those almond trees
So don't think too slow in the syrupy sun
You get buried alive when the caterpillar come
Tapping your time on a congo drum
Don't think too slow in the syrupy sun
I met a black-skinned man with a ice cream grin
and a blond afghan with that heroin
we moved to the mountains where the highway ends
and I got myself that ice cream grin
So don't search too long for that Aztec gold
Like gold Cortez, gonna lose your soul
turn an honest man into Diablo
Don't trade your soul for no Aztec gold
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
Never buy nothin' from a man named truth
Look in my eyes and you see the proof
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
I'll tell you right now that it ain't no use
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
I left the city through the tunnel and i headed for the sticks
With oregano oil and a morphine drip
Pain was hunting me down but I gave him the slip
They lived 34 summers between the two of them
I gave one my ego, I gave one my id
Yeah, I gotta get back to my pretty little twins
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
I'll tell you right now that it ain't no use
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
The sun was rising in south and setting in the east
I was half-awake, I was half-asleep
I thought I'd never get out of those almond trees
You get buried alive when the caterpillar come
Tapping your time on a congo drum
Don't think too slow in the syrupy sun
and a blond afghan with that heroin
we moved to the mountains where the highway ends
and I got myself that ice cream grin
Like gold Cortez, gonna lose your soul
turn an honest man into Diablo
Don't trade your soul for no Aztec gold
Never buy nothin' from a man named truth
Look in my eyes and you see the proof
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
Don't ever buy nothin' from a man named truth
Song Info
Submitted by
saltandpepper On Sep 15, 2009
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Temazcal
The Sandman, The Brakeman and Me
Ahead of the Curve
Say Please
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Morphine drip <3
I figured I'd repost this as a general comment because I don't know if people read the reply comments, so sorry if this feels like spam.
Ever seen someone use h? When they're nodding off there's this kind of "ice cream grin" going on, like a mouth fit for an ice cream cone. Go to youtube, I'm sure there's a video of someone nodding off. This whole song is about heroin in my opinion. I'm not just drawing from the obvious "met a blonde afghan with that heroin" but there's so much more to it.
http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2009/09/monsters-of-folk.php
that has an amazing interview talking about each and every song by Mike Mogis. He says:
That was one we actually did play as Bright Eyes a couple of times on our last tour. That was the first Monsters of Folk song that was ever written. We were playing "Morning Becomes Eclectic" [on KCRW] in California. We were on Bright Eyes Tour, M. Ward was opening and we said, "You should come play with us." On our way to there they stopped by - it was brutally early and Conor was hung-over – we stopped by this herbalist store, to try to get some sort of magical herb to make you feel good. The salesman, his name was Truth. We went back to KCRW and Conor was fucking around on guitar with Matt and they came up with that chord progression and refrain: "Never buy nothing from a man named truth," together as Matt and Conor, and we said right away: "That was going to be our first Monsters of Folk song." We tucked it away as a Monsters of Folk song, but Conor ended up finishing it. It was a collaborative effort for like the first two minutes of that song. This was two years before we got to recording anything for Monsters of Folk.
I think the "herb" was actually opiates.. just my opinion though.
This song is about heroin/opiate use in my opinion. I believe the dont buy from man named truth could be a reference to a dealer.
This song is about heroin/opiate use in my opinion. I believe the dont buy from man named truth could be a reference to a dealer.
The whole part about running from pain, well it sounds like someone using heroin. It takes all physical pain from your body, and after repeated use you start having painful withdrawal. It sounds like conor moved out of a city (we all know conor is always on the move) and started using opiates a lot. morphine drip is a reference to the drip from snorting heroin.
The whole part about running from pain, well it sounds like someone using heroin. It takes all physical pain from your body, and after repeated use you start having painful withdrawal. It sounds like conor moved out of a city (we all know conor is always on the move) and started using opiates a lot. morphine drip is a reference to the drip from snorting heroin.
the whole ice cream grin and heroin part...
the whole ice cream grin and heroin part is just conor's clever way of saying he bought some heroin and got high like the black-skinned man. gold should be thought about openly, symbolizing a perfect feeling. all in all hard drug use is a horrible thing.
First I'd like to say that this is an incredible song, and my clear favorite. But... I have no idea what an "ice cream grin" is. Anyone care to help?
im very interested in the "ice cream grin" also...
im very interested in the "ice cream grin" also...
In my opinion, I think it's a reference to color and a sort of innocent happiness. I think since he made it a point to say black skinned man, in part he's referring to the stark contrast of dark skin and white teeth. In addition to that, due to the heroin reference, I think he's talking about a sort of primal and natural happiness. Anytime we get something we want, there's just a general and immediate satisfaction. I don't know, it just struck me that way immediately.
In my opinion, I think it's a reference to color and a sort of innocent happiness. I think since he made it a point to say black skinned man, in part he's referring to the stark contrast of dark skin and white teeth. In addition to that, due to the heroin reference, I think he's talking about a sort of primal and natural happiness. Anytime we get something we want, there's just a general and immediate satisfaction. I don't know, it just struck me that way immediately.
Ever seen someone use h? When they're nodding off there's this kind of "ice cream grin" going on, like a mouth fit for an ice cream cone. Go to youtube, I'm sure there's a video of someone nodding off. This whole song is about heroin in my opinion. I'm not just drawing from the obvious "met a blonde afghan with that heroin" but there's so much more to it.
Ever seen someone use h? When they're nodding off there's this kind of "ice cream grin" going on, like a mouth fit for an ice cream cone. Go to youtube, I'm sure there's a video of someone nodding off. This whole song is about heroin in my opinion. I'm not just drawing from the obvious "met a blonde afghan with that heroin" but there's so much more to it.
http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2009/09/monsters-of-folk.php
http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2009/09/monsters-of-folk.php
that has an amazing interview talking about each and every song by Mike Mogis. He says:
that has an amazing interview talking about each and every song by Mike Mogis. He says:
That was one we...
That was one we actually did play as Bright Eyes a couple of times on our last tour. That was the first Monsters of Folk song that was ever written. We were playing "Morning Becomes Eclectic" [on KCRW] in California. We were on Bright Eyes Tour, M. Ward was opening and we said, "You should come play with us." On our way to there they stopped by - it was brutally early and Conor was hung-over – we stopped by this herbalist store, to try to get some sort of magical herb to make you feel good. The salesman, his name was Truth. We went back to KCRW and Conor was fucking around on guitar with Matt and they came up with that chord progression and refrain: "Never buy nothing from a man named truth," together as Matt and Conor, and we said right away: "That was going to be our first Monsters of Folk song." We tucked it away as a Monsters of Folk song, but Conor ended up finishing it. It was a collaborative effort for like the first two minutes of that song. This was two years before we got to recording anything for Monsters of Folk.
I think the "herb" was actually opiates.. just my opinion though.
yeah it sounds like the blande afghan was selling heroin and the balck man was high. ice cream grin is an axample of conor putting drug references into songs but hiding them with clever words and phrases.
yeah it sounds like the blande afghan was selling heroin and the balck man was high. ice cream grin is an axample of conor putting drug references into songs but hiding them with clever words and phrases.
an ice cream grin is like a shitty grin... when you are high off heroin or coke and you have a blissful like smile
an ice cream grin is like a shitty grin... when you are high off heroin or coke and you have a blissful like smile
I think this is about Osama bin Ladin, Afghanistan, and so forth. The "pretty little twins" are the twin towers. I think Osama is the narrator in this song, it has him moving to the mountains. I think he's comparing Afghanistan's riches (oil, opium poppies) to cortez' gold, and the US to Cortez. I assume The Man Named Truth is America. Truth, justice, and the American way, as they say.
I kind of blew this off because I didn't think this could be correct at all. Then I googled when construction was started on the Twin Towers... 1966/1967... and destroyed 2001. 34 years. This dude might be on to something.
I kind of blew this off because I didn't think this could be correct at all. Then I googled when construction was started on the Twin Towers... 1966/1967... and destroyed 2001. 34 years. This dude might be on to something.
Def about H! "Fell in love with identical twins" leads me to believe this, in combination with most of the lyrics in the song BC heroin is both morphine and codeine where as opioids/ates are either morphine OR codeine based. Half awake/half asleep is common of an opiate nod, especially dope!
I don't think that this song has anything to do with Osama Bin Laden or America's trials against the middle east. I think a few terms were taken too literally. It's my belief that this song is based soley around drug addiction. Kind of breaking it down, it may make sense to go like this: Escaping pain and giving it the slip is refering to percription drug use. Ice cream grin is refering to a state of crack-cocaine drug use. Ice and ice cream are both slang for crack-cocaine. Blonde afghan is not related to a person in Afghanistan, it is refering to hash most commonly made there. Hash or hashish is categorized as blonde, brown or black. Think they're suggesting its laced with heroin...would also make sense since Afghanistan is one of the top producers of heroin if not the number one. Also I don't know the significance of almond trees but they are mainly grown in the US and came from asia...kind of doesn't make sense for the Osama theory... Syrupy sun to me would be the use of nyquil, to avoid a cold...but for some people, another source of a high. I think the Aztec gold part is refering to the search of the ultimate high and all you lose in the process of that and what you become. Looking in someone's eyes to see the proof goes well with drug use too because its usually a dead give away if they're blood shot or dialated.
It wouldn't surprise me if I'm way off here, but I think I got atleast a few of the lines pegged down. Hope this helps!
On another note, M.O.F. has become one of my all time favorite bands, great music from some great guys. Don't have enough good things to say about their music.
I'd have to agree with a lot of what you said. I think that you've got a lot of the right ideas pinned down. This song is loaded with drug references that can be easily misinterpreted. The only thing I don't get is the identical twins bit, but I am leaning towards what danyule said because Conor has made the reference to being with women/a woman whom had two different personalities (i.e. in "ten women").
I'd have to agree with a lot of what you said. I think that you've got a lot of the right ideas pinned down. This song is loaded with drug references that can be easily misinterpreted. The only thing I don't get is the identical twins bit, but I am leaning towards what danyule said because Conor has made the reference to being with women/a woman whom had two different personalities (i.e. in "ten women").
these lyrics are off by a landslide, here I'll correct a few.
Pain was a-huntin' me down but I gave him the slip I left the city through the tunnel and I headed for the sticks
Then I fell in love with identical twins They lived 34 summers between the two of them I gave one my ego, I gave one my id
I was lost for a year in those almond trees The sun was rising in south and setting in the east
We moved to the mountains where the highway ends and I got myself that ice cream grin
these lyrics are correct! all the other versions of these lyrics have so many mistakes in them lol
"You get buried alive when the caterpillar come"
"then I fell in love with identical twins They lived 34 summers between the two of them I gave one my ego, I gave one my id Yeah, I gotta get back to my pretty little twins"
the ego, is your basic personality, and a combination of your id and superego. the id, is your raw animalistic desires. if these identical twins lived 34 summers between the two of them they'd both be 17 and a half. i doubt they are of any interest to conor oberst.
but this could mean, he fell in love with a gemini, the symbol for a gemini is the twins this would make more sense . and gemini's are said to have split personalities so maybe he gave one of the gemini personalities his "ego" or his basic personality and gave the other part of the gemini girls personality his "id" or his raw sexual desires.