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Quote Unquote Lyrics

All behold the spectacle
A fleshy limbless rectangle
Sitting on a pedestal
So nasal handicapable

Sniff and remember silver ball
Contortions that he can't recall
The torso on a trampoline
The happiness melts into dream

To talk is an enunciated sneeze
To taste is some foul air to breathe

One thought it lasts a day and at that rate he'll most likely live forever!
He's a bird in flight, a hermaphrodite
And he fucks himself as he fucks the world

His twitching brain can dance within
Gyrating more like gelatin
A secret means of ecstasy
Acute and very olfactory

To see is colors crawling in the nose
To hear is stinking highs and lows

He's got an itch but nothing with which to scratch the itch - so wish it away

With his mouth sewn shut, he still shakes his butt
Cuz he's Hitler & Swayze & Trump & Travolta

Smell, Sweat, Movement.
Everyone's dancing.
Disco.
Dimple.
Fading. Darker.
A subtle fragrance.
Faint.
Everyone's dancing without him.
Where did it go?
Dark.
Odorless.
Nothing.
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39 Meanings

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Cover art for Quote Unquote lyrics by Mr. Bungle

Anyone who thinks this song is actually about John Travolta hasn't read the goddamn lyrics.

The song is about some hypothetical gimp, with no arms and legs, who does drugs to escape his reality. In his drug-induced hallucinations he fantasizes about being a celebrity, that's why he's Hitler and Swayze and Trump AND Travolta.

All the lyrics support this interpretation (contortions that he can't recall, etc) and the only reason anyone would assume it's about John Travolta is that his name appears in the lyrics and was once the title.

@brian_james interesting point, I know u wrote this a while ago, but there is a possible way that this is about travolta, because swayze and trump were both dancers and actors, the lyrics show, at the very end, there all dancing and what ever. Also his twitching brain can dance with in gyrating more like gelatin. I'm not sure, I'm only 14 you are probably right. none theless I love the song.

Cover art for Quote Unquote lyrics by Mr. Bungle

yeah, the video is pretty fucked up.

err... ive really been thinking about this song alot... and i can't really figure out exactly what its about... i think its about how much the world values lust and fame.... but when we think about it all it really is a combination of our 5 senses... does that make any sense at all?

Cover art for Quote Unquote lyrics by Mr. Bungle

This song is actually called Travolta; they had to print it as Quote, Unquote on the CD for legal reasons concerning John Travolta. Keep in mind, when this song was written, it was before Pulp Fiction and his "comeback" (jt should blow Tarantino every night for that); before that Travolta was a BIG TIME has been. Quote, Unquote was the name of some biograghy or autobiography of JT published around this time.

Cover art for Quote Unquote lyrics by Mr. Bungle

Yes they wanted to call it travolta but were'nt allowed to for legal reasons and called it quote unquote instead. So it is actually called Quote Unquote.

The original pressings have it labeled "Travolta." So that's not entirely true. The second wave of pressings are the ones with the different title.

Cover art for Quote Unquote lyrics by Mr. Bungle

This song is so about Travolta, and anywone else who was big but then saw their demise! I had an older version of the album and This song was called Travolta on the notes. I laughed my ass off when I got it again after Pulp Fiction and the title had changed. To be honest, the title became inacurate after his comback. It wasn't a personal stab at Travolta, so much as it was a statement on the fleeting nature of trends: Hitler: fascism Swayze: 80s Dirty Dancing Trump: Capitalism Travolta: Disco

@xinnerx capitalism isn't a fleeting trend unfortunately... It's worse than ever these days.

Cover art for Quote Unquote lyrics by Mr. Bungle

The best band ever. This song makes me feel like I've taken about 600mics of really bad acid, an eight ball, and a few hits of angel dust all at once. And just for kicks, I decide to go to a carnival funhouse and I get locked in there with a bunch of incestuous serial killer clowns.

Cover art for Quote Unquote lyrics by Mr. Bungle

I agree, Their music is a total mindfuck thats extremely enjoyable

Cover art for Quote Unquote lyrics by Mr. Bungle

It's about John Travolta and how he's a twat. If they wrote this song about me, I'd be upset. John deserves it, though...

Cover art for Quote Unquote lyrics by Mr. Bungle

I know it's sposed to be about travolta, but why?

I get in image of a man with no arms or legs, and his mouth sown shut, with only the abilty to snort drugs. That's why all the references to senses as being nasal-related.

Limbless rectangle. No means to scratch the itch. That means no arms or legs.

Sniff and remember silver ball. Wish it away. Means of ecstasy - very olfactory. That means sniffing drugs.

But yeah, don't really get the relation to Travolta. Possibly because I know buggar all about the guy.

Cover art for Quote Unquote lyrics by Mr. Bungle

The video is fucked up indeed, dead ppl hanging and dancing to the music... classic.

I agree with the image of a limbless man in a wheelchair snorting drugs and hallucinating.

I think the references to Travolta could be about how a star's popularity will dwindle and you'll be remembered for your fifteen minutes of fame and if so, do you really wanna be remembered for things such as Grease, Satuarday Night Fever. etc