Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Sara spelled without an 'h' was getting bored
On a Peavea amp in 1984
While Zak without a 'see' tried out some new guitars
Playing Sara-with-no-h's favorite song
Zak and Sara
Often Sara would have spells where she lost time
She saw the future, she heard voices from inside
The kind of voices she would soon learn to deny
Because at home they got her smacked
Zak and Sara
Zak and Sara
Zak called his dad about layaway plans
And Sara told the friendly salesman that:
"You'll all die in your cars,
And why's it gotta be dark?
And you're all working in a submarine."
(Asshole)
She saw the lights, she saw the pale English face
Some strange machines repeating beats and thumping bass
Visions of pills that put you in a loving trance
That make it possible for all white boys to dance
And when Zak finished Sara's song, Sara clapped
Zak and Sara
Zak and Sara
On a Peavea amp in 1984
While Zak without a 'see' tried out some new guitars
Playing Sara-with-no-h's favorite song
Zak and Sara
Often Sara would have spells where she lost time
She saw the future, she heard voices from inside
The kind of voices she would soon learn to deny
Because at home they got her smacked
Zak and Sara
Zak and Sara
Zak called his dad about layaway plans
And Sara told the friendly salesman that:
"You'll all die in your cars,
And why's it gotta be dark?
And you're all working in a submarine."
(Asshole)
She saw the lights, she saw the pale English face
Some strange machines repeating beats and thumping bass
Visions of pills that put you in a loving trance
That make it possible for all white boys to dance
And when Zak finished Sara's song, Sara clapped
Zak and Sara
Zak and Sara
Lyrics submitted by ang, edited by cyan100341
Zak and Sara Lyrics as written by Benjamin Scott Folds Ben Folds
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Quoting Ben...
I was thinking of these kids growing up in the Midwest. A 16 year old boy plays guitar and his girlfriend has to sit and watch him play all day. She just buzzes there and listens like she had nothing better to do. Maybe the girl is also writing songs and she has this idea in her of music that will happen in 20 years time. She really has some good ideas. But she is not saying anything, cause she is supposed to listen to her boyfriend. And he is playing music that was written 20 years ago."
"I remember going to music stores when I was in high school, and there was always some guy playing guitar while his poor girlfriend had to sit on the amp and watch his dumb ass for two hours. And I thought, 'Man, I would never do that to my girlfriend.' And that's the basis of the song. There's probably something wrong with Sara. At the same time, she's seeing some truth. There's no truth coming out of Zak. Sara's a little crazy, but she's having visions of techno music in the future. And she's sitting there inventing techno while Zak's playing 'Dust in the Wind.'"
Peavea should be spelt Peavey. it's a brand of amplifier.
Peavea is Spelled Peavey
I just gotta say that my name is Sara with no 'h' and I'm dating a guy named Zak with no 'c'. We're planning on forever here guys.
Obviously this song is going to be special to me.
I don't agree with the fact that Sara is sick. I think that she's just a little different. I know that everything in this song fits me perfectly. I space out for long periods of time, I imagine the future, and I talk to myself a lot. Perhaps it something as simple as that? I think that it's just a story of two people that meet and fall in love. I think that Sara in the song is a little crazy, but so am I. All I know is that Ben Folds could have written this song for us, and we're not druggies, we're not sick, and we don't rave.
Just my two cents.
The song is about a couple who are bored with music until they discover electronica.
I gave these lyrics to a friend of mine the other day.... Sara-- without and 'h'. lol. She's always complaining about how everyone spells her name incorrectly.
My names Sara ( without a h) and i have a crush on a bou name zac
Interesting lyrics, great music... but I don't understand the prophecying side to the lyrics - "She saw the lights, she saw the pale English face / Some strange machines repeating beats and thumping bass." The following lyrics about pills and dancing and trances means these lyrics relate to the dance scene, and Ecstasy ("pills that put you in a loving trance"). I don't know what this has got to do with the love story of Zak and Sara tho.
I think Zak is the DJ at the rave.
this song is trippy and i'm not sure what is means but it's a great song to rock to.
i think it may deal with the way people can seem normal on the surface, but then have major problems underneath- zak is talking about layaway plans (to me this means marriage), but sara is schitzophrenic (or goes to raves, but this is 1984)... the lalalala part sounds to me like how falling in love can sound- happy and a little dizzy... but i've never thought of it as a rave before i started reading these. Does anyone want to guess who the pale English face is?