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He Would Have Laughed Lyrics
Only bored as I get older
Find the ways to (cult)
Cult of time
Only bored as I get older
Find new ways to spend my time
I'm a gold digging man
Find my money, find my land
I'm a gold digging man
I won't rest 'til I buy your land
Sweetness cums suffering
In sweetness comes suffering
I won't rest till I can't breathe
I can't breathe with you looking at me
I get bored as I get older
Can you help me figure this out?
Come on, dream on:
"I lived on a table - I don't know where to go. I know my friends would. . . I know where my friends are now. I lived on a farm, yeah. I never lived on a farm. Where did my friends go? Where did my friends go?"
What do you do when you're sleeping?
Where did you go when you said:
"I don't need nobody on my bond"
Where do your friends go?
Where do they see you?
What did you want to be?
Ahh shut the hell
(shutyourmouth)
Find the ways to (cult)
Cult of time
Find new ways to spend my time
Find my money, find my land
I'm a gold digging man
I won't rest 'til I buy your land
In sweetness comes suffering
I won't rest till I can't breathe
I can't breathe with you looking at me
Can you help me figure this out?
Where did you go when you said:
"I don't need nobody on my bond"
Where do your friends go?
Where do they see you?
What did you want to be?
Ahh shut the hell
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the last moments of this song are a sort of blissful ambience, cut tragically short when everything suddenly stops. much like the end of jay reatard's life..
In the lyric sheet for the album, it says
He Would Have Laughed (For Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr.)
I personally think the song is just dedicated to him, and not exactly ABOUT him. I beleive the title indicates that Jimmy would have laughed at the song, like, maybe it's an inside thing only he and Deerhunter would understand. Just a theory though, I don't have any interviews or links to back it up.
this song is terrifying, reflective and deeply, deeply sad...
can someone explain to me how this relates to Jay Reatard?
Its all pretty abstract but this is what I take from it:
Its all pretty abstract but this is what I take from it:
Jay Reatard seemed like a way restless guy (only bored as I get older) and was a totally relentless performer/musician (I won't rest til I can't breath). His music has a brazen confidence and sort of this brutal undercurrent to it too. Even when he was fucking around with mellower sounds, it has an effortless quality; like yeah, I can do something in this style too and do it better than the people who turned me on to it (i'm a gold diggin man / i won't...
Jay Reatard seemed like a way restless guy (only bored as I get older) and was a totally relentless performer/musician (I won't rest til I can't breath). His music has a brazen confidence and sort of this brutal undercurrent to it too. Even when he was fucking around with mellower sounds, it has an effortless quality; like yeah, I can do something in this style too and do it better than the people who turned me on to it (i'm a gold diggin man / i won't rest til I buy your land).
Like a lot of brilliant performers, he seemed to relish being center of attention. Yet the guy also seemed to have major issues dealing with the same attention and people in general (sweetness cum suffering / in sweetness comes suffering / I can't breath with you / looking at me). A cliched contradiction but yeah we all know people like that.
I think the last third of the song is when things get real dark, its sung pretty much like a drunken rant and runs in and out of coherence (i lay on a table / i lived on a farm, yearh / i never lived on a farm). Jay's entire band quit one day while on tour 3 months before he died (where did my friends go / I don't need nobody on my bond), his reaction on twitter was: "Band quit! Fuck them! They are boring rich kids who can't play for ahit anyways ... Say hello to your ugly and boring wifes opps I mean lifes guys suck it" The last part of the song sounds to me like Jay all fucked up, burned up by his own ambition and dying alone.
I didn't know Jay at all or even his real name so what a load of bullshit for me to write but I'm talking more about the persona that came through in the media and this song rather than the actual person, obv. only people who knew him would know whats for real.
Is there an interview where bradford cox connected Jay Reatard to this song?
Is there an interview where bradford cox connected Jay Reatard to this song?
amazing song and tribute to Jay Reatard. I didn't get into him or even know who he was until about 3 years ago, but became obsessed with all his bands/projects.. was fuckin devastated when he died,I never met him or anything, but I was devastated for all the selfish reasons related to how much I'll miss hearing new music from him...cheers...
I think that the last part of the song, when the music and the voice change, is like if Bradford remember Jay in his mind and repeat a series of sentences that Jay usually say, like " I don't know where to go" "I never lived on a farm.". Infact before this part he sings: "Come on, dream on" like if Jay was alive and in the end he sings: oh shut the hell, like if he said to himself to stop to think at someone who isnt here anymore. I think it's an incredible tune... Sorry for my horrible english
I take this song as their own personal tribute to Jay, that he would have laughed at his tribute. I see a definite tribute to Jay in the style of the lyrics, and speculate that may be what he would've laughed at. The style is very similar to Jay's lyrics and a bit of a departure from Deerhunter's. Another speculation is that the references to growing bored as he grows old may be that Jay expressed that to them, and that's why they emphasize the line.
Brilliant song. Highlight of an incredible album.
I didn't actually know this song was dedicated to Jay until I saw this. Now the lyrics suddenly make sense. A sad story.
Even now, years after its release, this song gets me every time. It's like the first time every time. Magical.