Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
Don't want to listen to my telephone ring
Or sing ding-a-ling or talk about a thing
Not this mornin'
I don't want to think about the night before
Or maybe it's a bore behind that open door
Got no time for that this mornin'
If I had the mind or I had the time
Maybe I could throw together a new kind of rhyme
And tell about my warnin'
But it's too late now
It's too late now
It's too late now
I don't want to think about a runaway dad
That took away the only thing that I've ever had
Don't even miss him this mornin'
I don't want to think about a cold goodbye
Or a high school buddy got a little too high
I can't help him out this mornin'
Reviewers laugh at me so I go out to see
And perhaps it's just as well, 'cause I'd rather be in hell
Than be a wealthy man this mornin'
But it's too late now
It's too late now
It's too late now
Whatever happened to images, 'cause now they're gone
And worn out phrases just keep a-hangin' on
Whatever happened to homes as opposed to houses?
The conversation, sayings as the evening drowses
It's just like four six two zero one
It's just like four six two zero one
Whatever happened to early morning urban skies?
And broken faces, half with melting eyes
Enough of riddles that just play with time
'Cause I'm still here and I can't beg a dime
I'm back here in four six two zero one
I'm back here in four six two zero one
Some bed is waitin' for me 'round the corner now
I gotta find it and try and hang on for a little while
Back here in four six two zero one, yeah
Mmm, there's gotta be a few small changes made
Don't want to listen to my telephone ring
Or sing ding-a-ling or talk about a thing
Leave me alone this mornin'
Or sing ding-a-ling or talk about a thing
Not this mornin'
I don't want to think about the night before
Or maybe it's a bore behind that open door
Got no time for that this mornin'
If I had the mind or I had the time
Maybe I could throw together a new kind of rhyme
And tell about my warnin'
But it's too late now
It's too late now
It's too late now
I don't want to think about a runaway dad
That took away the only thing that I've ever had
Don't even miss him this mornin'
I don't want to think about a cold goodbye
Or a high school buddy got a little too high
I can't help him out this mornin'
Reviewers laugh at me so I go out to see
And perhaps it's just as well, 'cause I'd rather be in hell
Than be a wealthy man this mornin'
But it's too late now
It's too late now
It's too late now
Whatever happened to images, 'cause now they're gone
And worn out phrases just keep a-hangin' on
Whatever happened to homes as opposed to houses?
The conversation, sayings as the evening drowses
It's just like four six two zero one
It's just like four six two zero one
Whatever happened to early morning urban skies?
And broken faces, half with melting eyes
Enough of riddles that just play with time
'Cause I'm still here and I can't beg a dime
I'm back here in four six two zero one
I'm back here in four six two zero one
Some bed is waitin' for me 'round the corner now
I gotta find it and try and hang on for a little while
Back here in four six two zero one, yeah
Mmm, there's gotta be a few small changes made
Don't want to listen to my telephone ring
Or sing ding-a-ling or talk about a thing
Leave me alone this mornin'
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
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Audioslave
Fortnight
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
The song 'Fortnight' by Taylor Swift and Post Malone tells a story about strong feelings, complicated relationships, and secret wishes. It talks about love, betrayal, and wanting someone who doesn't feel the same. The word 'fortnight' shows short-lived happiness and guilty pleasures, leading to sadness. It shows how messy relationships can be and the results of hiding emotions. “I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she kickstarts the song in the first verse with lines suggesting an admission to a hospital for people with mental illnesses. She goes in the verse admitting her lover is the reason why she is like this. In the chorus, she sings about their time in love and reflects on how he has now settled with someone else. “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life,” on the second verse she details her struggles to forget about him and the negative effects of her failure. “Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up / ‘Nother fortnight lost in America,” Post Malone sings in the outro.
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
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,
This is the best song by Guess Who i dont care what its about its frikkin awesome
His real father deserted the family when Burton was 5. The reference to "46201" is a real American zip code in Indianapolis. Supposedly, Burton became vey attached to a fan who lived there. Now things haven't worked out, and "it's just like 46201."
I take it as a song about a road weary performer who has real issues in his life, and is reserving the morning to ruminate about them. Toni Tennille even wrote a song about this, entitled "The Good Song.' She describes being so down that the mere thought of taking the stage terrifies here, but she does it anyway.
The number 46201 is Jean Valjean's prisoner number in Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Since Burton Cummings is well educated, this is most likely the meaning of the lyric, probably relating his situation to that of Jean Valjean's<br /> Read more at songmeanings.net/songs/view/6888/
I think Burton Cummings was in a depressed mood about his life when he wrote this. To me it's basically pointing out the negatives in his life and how they've effected him. Even though he was well in health and money when he wrote this, it won't remove what's happened.
Overall maybe to the listeners it should just mean that you can't always be heartbroken or thoughtless by what has happened, instead use your mind to change your life to the better.
The number 46201 is Jean Valjean's prisoner number in Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Since Burton Cummings is well educated, this is most likely the meaning of the lyric, probably relating his situation to that of Jean Valjean's<br /> Read more at songmeanings.net/songs/view/6888/
This may not be one of the more central themes of this song, but I think that from a more general view you could say that there are messages buried within this song about the emptiness of consumer culture. Feels like today especially in Westernized society we place a lot of emphasis and importance on material goods and possessions, believing them to have some sort of intrinsic value that will bring us happiness. I would suggest that this song points out the true hollowness of these material goods, and how they by no means guarantee your happiness. Cummings describes in this song how he would "rather be in hell/than be a wealthy man this morning" because in the end, wealth and money isn't enough to provide for you a happy or even fulfilling life. Additionally he comments on modern society's growing sense of depersonalization - "whatever happened to homes as opposed to houses" seems to again indicate how today everything that matters to us has become very distanced and reduced to a material status rather than one that has personal significance to the individual.
Such a great song, probably my favourite by them.
@owlphilosopher Agree 100% and extremely relevant here in 2024.
Less important, but worth noting:
RCA was a major employer in Indianapolis until the mid 1990's. Not just RCA Records (its main US pressing and tape plant was in Indianapolis), but also RCA's electronics division, where everything from TV sets to tape players and much more. The presence was so great that the main sports arena was called the "RCA Dome".
Today, very little of RCA's presence remains in Indianapolis.
this song is so amazing. definetly my favorite from the guess who. so haunting.
this song is so amazing. definetly my favorite from the guess who. so haunting.
Interesting story about this song (to me anyway!)<br /> I had this song on an 8-track as a teenager in the 70's. I played it till it broke. Years later I tried to remember the song but could only remember it had numbers in the lyrics. I even googled looking for it. Then one day I heard it on XM. Glad to have it back in my life.
I just like the title.
The number 46201 is Jean Valjean's prisoner number in Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Since Burton Cummings is well educated, this is most likely the meaning of the lyric, probably relating his situation to that of Jean Valjean's.
Close, but not quite. Jean Valjean's number is 24601.
@phantassee Burton attended St. John's High School. He dropped out of school, due to poor grades, when he was sixteen. Forty-five years later, in 2010, his former high school awarded him an honorary diploma. Great musician/songwriter/singer not so much well-educated.
You are very close donutbandit. He wrote this in a hotel in downtown indianapolis. It was the morning after a concert. He received bad reviews, which led him to think about his life. what he was doing with it, his helplessness to control things. sorry for his depression, but led to his best song except maybe stand tall