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Failed Imagineer Lyrics
I been thinking about you. I been meaning to tell you
Sit down with me, let's have a drink
Back when the War ended your great grandfather hand-wrote letters of apology to all of those families of the men who crewed that U-boat
Haunted 'til his death by that long night off the coast
Your other great granddad came back from Arnhem transformed into a damaged and violent man
Never spoke of the slaughter he witnessed firsthand
Oh, this is the world I brought you into man
All remorse, no rebel. A shell of my former shell
Sit down with me and have a drink
What have we here?
The dreaded failed imagineer?
His private dismay on public display
Son, do not be alarmed by your old man's tears
"Hey old man it's ok. Every dog has his day. Sit down with me let's have a drink"
I been thinking about you. I been meaning to tell you
Sit down with me, let's have a drink
Sit down with me, let's have a drink
Back when the War ended your great grandfather hand-wrote letters of apology to all of those families of the men who crewed that U-boat
Haunted 'til his death by that long night off the coast
Your other great granddad came back from Arnhem transformed into a damaged and violent man
Never spoke of the slaughter he witnessed firsthand
Oh, this is the world I brought you into man
All remorse, no rebel. A shell of my former shell
Sit down with me and have a drink
What have we here?
The dreaded failed imagineer?
His private dismay on public display
Son, do not be alarmed by your old man's tears
"Hey old man it's ok. Every dog has his day. Sit down with me let's have a drink"
I been thinking about you. I been meaning to tell you
Sit down with me, let's have a drink
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One of the themes of this album is Chris reflecting on his life of activism and social justice, and dealing with the reality that so little has changed and what that means for his kids' future.
In this song, Chris imagines a conversation with his son sometime in the future. "Sit down with me, let's have a drink." His son is old enough to have a drink with his dad--age 16-21 or somewhere in there; about the same age Chris was when he formed Propagandhi and really began to understand how messed up the world is.
Imagineers work for Disney Parks to create these fantasy environments where everyone is happy, nothing is wrong, and guests can imagine that the world is perfect. In this scenario, Chris is a "Failed Imagineer." This could mean a few things:
In any event, it's time they had a talk. "I been thinking about you. I been meaning to tell you." Here's a bit of an explanation of why society is so destructive, and a bit about our family history.
Both of your great-grandfathers went to war. One came back "haunted," trying to come to terms with what he had done. the other came back "damaged and violent" but unwilling to open up and talk about it to anyone.
"Oh, this is the world I brought you into man."
Chris tried to fight for a more equitable society, or raise his son to see the positivity rather than the negativity, or to break free from his past. But at this point he is a failed imagineer, a shell of his former self, no longer a rebel, but remorseful at what could have been. He's tried to keep it in like his great granddad, but " His private dismay on public display."
His son reassures him "Hey old man it's ok. Every dog has his day." Generations pass, life goes on.
@ciakov Good explanation. I believe the meaning behind the "failed imagineer" line is that society expects us to be imagineers for our children, projecting an image of perfection and harmony as you said. So he is referring to himself as a "failed imagineer" because he is telling his son the truth. He is being honest and putting his "private dismay on public display", even openly weeping about it ("Son, do not be alarmed by your old man's tears") rather than putting on a fake smile and pretending that everything is okay.
@ciakov Good explanation. I believe the meaning behind the "failed imagineer" line is that society expects us to be imagineers for our children, projecting an image of perfection and harmony as you said. So he is referring to himself as a "failed imagineer" because he is telling his son the truth. He is being honest and putting his "private dismay on public display", even openly weeping about it ("Son, do not be alarmed by your old man's tears") rather than putting on a fake smile and pretending that everything is okay.