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Conduit for Sale! Lyrics
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin' and I'll try
I'm tryin' and I'll try
Imagine if you were Herr Barockter,
Alias and nobleman.
Son of son of scion of scion.
Part of his rich inheritance,
Parceled and generous divorce
Sentence forthwith, being
Certain blocks of land
And living quarters deemed
By all gentlemen
And wives thereof
To be grossly humane,
And frankly, quite un-dirty.
Herr Barockter,
In his enviable good taste,
Tries quick escape gambit,
Via local periodicals.
But no takers land an enviable station
In the conduit between two selves.
A veritable no-man's land.
Array of the flophouse, cardboard materials,
And carbon-monoxide wallpaper.
All his brig-deck Torino boys ask
Is irrelevant...
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin' and I'll try.
I'm tryin' and I'll try.
Unable to bear the scandal, Ray, philanthropist,
Rents low-down scab house in conduit.
Herr Barockter offers said land for a song,
But no one wants to sing.
In an attempt to retain social privileges,
Yet mask it as goodwill,
He says to the conduit members:
"Take this rotten old tree and make it bear fruit."
Cheers erupted throughout the thin settlement;
An Italian male was heard to say:
"Between here and there
Is better than either here or there!"
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin' and I'll try.
I'm tryin' and I'll try.
I'm tryin' and I'll try.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin' and I'll try
I'm tryin' and I'll try
Alias and nobleman.
Son of son of scion of scion.
Part of his rich inheritance,
Parceled and generous divorce
Sentence forthwith, being
Certain blocks of land
And living quarters deemed
By all gentlemen
And wives thereof
To be grossly humane,
And frankly, quite un-dirty.
In his enviable good taste,
Tries quick escape gambit,
Via local periodicals.
But no takers land an enviable station
In the conduit between two selves.
A veritable no-man's land.
Array of the flophouse, cardboard materials,
And carbon-monoxide wallpaper.
All his brig-deck Torino boys ask
Is irrelevant...
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin' and I'll try.
I'm tryin' and I'll try.
Rents low-down scab house in conduit.
Herr Barockter offers said land for a song,
But no one wants to sing.
In an attempt to retain social privileges,
Yet mask it as goodwill,
He says to the conduit members:
"Take this rotten old tree and make it bear fruit."
Cheers erupted throughout the thin settlement;
An Italian male was heard to say:
"Between here and there
Is better than either here or there!"
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin'.
I'm tryin' and I'll try.
I'm tryin' and I'll try.
I'm tryin' and I'll try.
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Malkmus is writing about the end of rule in Turin, Italy under the house of Savoy. Hier Proctor (not Herr Barockter) was the viceroy in the region, of Swiss/German lineage. I'm not sure of the context in which this is written, but apparently "Ray" was a local Italian nobelman who lived in Turin under the Savoy Rule and was fairly wealthy. However, and if my facts are correct, both he and Proctor were having daliances with many of the same women, and in particular, had been cockhold by the same woman. In a cheap attempt to elevate his name from the muck of public scandal, thereby saving public face, he wrote several articles in the local print media. However this thin attempt was a translucent veil to the general population. In order to keep the peace, and show his continued benevolence to the native Turins under his despotism, as well as to help his rival save face and maintain the love of the people, Proctor liberates a portion of the township under Savoy Rule. It becomes an Italian Run area in the lowliest portion of the city. The locals rush to inhabit the free land, because in their eyes living inside the Savoy ruled areas, or on the fringes of the city in their own homes, is not as satisfying as living free in a hovel. "Between here and there is better that either here or there."
Yeah, I pretty much thought it was leaning towards some kinda social scandal in 17th-18th century Europe. Sometimes I think I can read SM's mind...hyulk! Others, I have no fucking idea what he's on about. That's the fun of it, I guess. I made said changes; let me know if you have anymore. :-)
Yeah, I pretty much thought it was leaning towards some kinda social scandal in 17th-18th century Europe. Sometimes I think I can read SM's mind...hyulk! Others, I have no fucking idea what he's on about. That's the fun of it, I guess. I made said changes; let me know if you have anymore. :-)
Malkmus is exactly the kind of person who would come on here and explain his lyrics like this in a overly serious way - more serious and thought-out than they were when actually written.
Malkmus is exactly the kind of person who would come on here and explain his lyrics like this in a overly serious way - more serious and thought-out than they were when actually written.
I think you mean cuckold, not cockhold...
I think you mean cuckold, not cockhold...
@huntmstr and most likely cuckolded
@huntmstr and most likely cuckolded
I think Malkmus was just throwing words at the wall to see what sticks. This song is like homemade pasta.
You shouldn't so vastly underestimate genius
You shouldn't so vastly underestimate genius
the end is positively screech-tastic. just wanted to say that
This song really shows how much Pavement was influenced by the Fall on Slanted Enchanted
Mark E Smith says that Pavement stole all their ideas from him (The Fall)
Mark E Smith says that Pavement stole all their ideas from him (The Fall)
Mark E Smith says that Pavement stole all their ideas from him (The Fall)
Mark E Smith says that Pavement stole all their ideas from him (The Fall)
@birthcontrolblues It\'s now 2022 and as I listened to my (massive) Spotify Playlist via my earbuds, Conduit For Sale came on for the first time. \r\nAfter about 60 seconds, I decided to get my phone out of my pocket to take a look at my Spotify because I didn\'t remember downloading a Fall song that begins like that.\r\nI was totally shocked to see that it wasn\'t the Fall but instead Pavement.\r\nSo yes, it is clear that, at least at this stage, Pavement were definitely influenced, one might even say were totally ripping-off, The Fall.
@birthcontrolblues It\'s now 2022 and as I listened to my (massive) Spotify Playlist via my earbuds, Conduit For Sale came on for the first time. \r\nAfter about 60 seconds, I decided to get my phone out of my pocket to take a look at my Spotify because I didn\'t remember downloading a Fall song that begins like that.\r\nI was totally shocked to see that it wasn\'t the Fall but instead Pavement.\r\nSo yes, it is clear that, at least at this stage, Pavement were definitely influenced, one might even say were totally ripping-off, The Fall.
@birthcontrolblues It\'s now 2022 and as I listened to my (massive) Spotify Playlist via my earbuds, Conduit For Sale came on for the first time. \r\nAfter about 60 seconds, I decided to get my phone out of my pocket to take a look at my Spotify because I didn\'t remember downloading a Fall song that begins like that.\r\nI was totally shocked to see that it wasn\'t the Fall but instead Pavement.\r\nSo yes, it is clear that, at least at this stage, Pavement were definitely influenced, one might even say were totally ripping-off, The Fall.
@birthcontrolblues It\'s now 2022 and as I listened to my (massive) Spotify Playlist via my earbuds, Conduit For Sale came on for the first time. \r\nAfter about 60 seconds, I decided to get my phone out of my pocket to take a look at my Spotify because I didn\'t remember downloading a Fall song that begins like that.\r\nI was totally shocked to see that it wasn\'t the Fall but instead Pavement.\r\nSo yes, it is clear that, at least at this stage, Pavement were definitely influenced, one might even say were totally ripping-off, The Fall.
True... although this and Fame Throwa (and maybe Two States and Nothing Ever Happens) are the only songs on S&E that sound like the fall
the Turin theory may sound far-fetched, but it does make sense - kind of - Malkmus, after all, was a history major.
The Fall song in question, which SM pretty much admits to ripping off, is New Face In Hell, it's a good one, check it out, but I actually like Conduit better.
This song made me laugh out loud. At the end, he sounds exactly like a dying animal. Usually, people just say that to describe a bad voice, but in this case, that's really what he sounds like. Wild!
I don't think the Turin theory is farfetched! huntmstr laid it out quite nicely, it sounds like that is exactly what this song is about.
huntmstr = Malkmus