This is one of the most commented songs that the Scissor Sisters have on this site. The reason is of course that it is ambiguous (in places) and is pretty unpleasant!
It is difficult to argue that the song is anything but someone who is going to kill someone else - likely to be a man only because most people who regularly kill are men. I do not believe that it can be about a break-up as there is nothing hinted at in the lyrics that can suggest this. However there are some tantalizing lyrics that make it hard to understand, and contradictory - hence the differences registered in interpretation.
The lyrics have a strong structure: ABB in each verse. Hence it is informative to ask "who" is being addressed? It is tempting to think that it is to the victim, but I think it can be argued that the BB lines at least are an internal monologue. These lines are responses to the killers statements: Viz
It's not easy having yourself a good time
(Greasing up those bets and betters)
(Watching out they don't four-letters)
Note: Brackets included to make the point.
In these lines the killer is admitting that it is not easy doing what he does. His internal monologue is telling him that he has to be nice to people who bet, and ensure that the don't swear (although I liked the craps version of four letters I could find no reference to this on the internet)
If we apply this structure to each of the verses we have a clear statement as to what is going on. Take the next part of verse 1:
Fuck and kiss you both at the same time
(Smells like something I've forgotten)
(Curled up died and now it's rotten)
Seems pretty clear now that it is a lover that is being killed. What is interesting is that serial killers and sociopaths generally cannot form relationships easily with people. They are in essence missing the thing that makes a person a person, so they often study other people and copy their behaviors (this is mentioned in the books and TV series Dexter, but is also in other sources as well. E.g. Look at the case of the Son of Sam). So here the person is engaged in sexual relations with his partner, but actually his internal monologue is saying that he has never had feelings for the person.
I'm not a ganster tonight
Don't want to be a bad guy
I'm just a loner, baby
And now you've gotten in my way
Seems pretty clear to me. This is not of the structure ABB, and hence is not an internal monologue. This is him - a gangster. Does he want to be bad guy? Difficult to tell. He could be just lying to himself- - actually he does want to be the bad guy. Either way not much meaning there. Interesting that he says he is a loner, and that the other person has got in the way. What form of being in the way does not matter. It could be that they are just "there" and he can't continue with the way things are. Some people think that being dumped by a text message is bad. This is much worse!
So onto the chorus. I think again pretty obvious . The Lock the doors and close the blinds/We are going for a ride is a great piece of symbolism. Locking a door and closing the blind conjures an image of a room and building. Going for a ride therefore does not mean that there are going to get into a car. The "ride" is a metaphor for the journey of him killing/torturing the other person.
Back into the verse now ABB structure again:
It's a bitch convincing people to like you
(If I stop now call me a quitter)
(If lies were cats you'd be litter)
Well we know that he will find it difficult to convince people to like him, as per all sociopaths. He has a problem though - he is conflicted between killing, and not going through with it - which means he is a quitter. But the next line is very telling: he knows that he is a pathological liar - the "you" in this case is the killer NOT the victim.
Please everyone isn't like you
(Dancing jigs until I'm crippled)
(Slug ten drinks - I won't get pickled)
This is the only piece that works better if the whole song is an internal monologue. Pleasing everyone - is this the killer or the victim? Dancing jigs - this is surely to fit in. Similar the Slug ten drinks line is showing that he will do anything to fit in, and he always ensures is is control.
I've got to hand it to you
You've played by all the same rules
It's takes the truth to fool me
And now you've made me angry
These lines suggest that perhaps the victim is a competitor. Is the fuck and kiss in the verse 1 a metaphor?
The last piece of the song is perfect in its comedy:
Oh, I could throw you in a lake
Or feed you poisoned birthday cake
I won't deny I'm gonna miss you when you're gone
Oh, I could bury you alive
But you might crawl out with a knife
And kill me when I'm sleeping
This sets the scene for the killer to be a psychopath. It is him thinking through what he can do, and the downsides! Not much to it, but a great set of lyrics.
The song's jaunty carnival tune is at opposites to the lyrics. When I first heard the song, I did not listen hard to the lyrics and just liked the happy tune. It was only listening to it closely that I realised what is about! This gives a degree of credence to the deception/internal monologue argument. Also it makes it clear that the killer is a psychopath - the music is deceptive, and so is what he says to what he is thinking!
"Well we know that he will find it difficult to convince people to like him, as per all sociopaths. "
"Well we know that he will find it difficult to convince people to like him, as per all sociopaths. "
Actually sociopaths tend to appear to be very charming, that's how they get away with crap. They spend their entire lives convincing people to like them because in all actuality they are loathsome, but they are master manipulators.
Actually sociopaths tend to appear to be very charming, that's how they get away with crap. They spend their entire lives convincing people to like them because in all actuality they are loathsome, but they are master manipulators.
This is one of the most commented songs that the Scissor Sisters have on this site. The reason is of course that it is ambiguous (in places) and is pretty unpleasant!
It is difficult to argue that the song is anything but someone who is going to kill someone else - likely to be a man only because most people who regularly kill are men. I do not believe that it can be about a break-up as there is nothing hinted at in the lyrics that can suggest this. However there are some tantalizing lyrics that make it hard to understand, and contradictory - hence the differences registered in interpretation.
The lyrics have a strong structure: ABB in each verse. Hence it is informative to ask "who" is being addressed? It is tempting to think that it is to the victim, but I think it can be argued that the BB lines at least are an internal monologue. These lines are responses to the killers statements: Viz
It's not easy having yourself a good time (Greasing up those bets and betters) (Watching out they don't four-letters)
Note: Brackets included to make the point. In these lines the killer is admitting that it is not easy doing what he does. His internal monologue is telling him that he has to be nice to people who bet, and ensure that the don't swear (although I liked the craps version of four letters I could find no reference to this on the internet)
If we apply this structure to each of the verses we have a clear statement as to what is going on. Take the next part of verse 1:
Fuck and kiss you both at the same time (Smells like something I've forgotten) (Curled up died and now it's rotten)
Seems pretty clear now that it is a lover that is being killed. What is interesting is that serial killers and sociopaths generally cannot form relationships easily with people. They are in essence missing the thing that makes a person a person, so they often study other people and copy their behaviors (this is mentioned in the books and TV series Dexter, but is also in other sources as well. E.g. Look at the case of the Son of Sam). So here the person is engaged in sexual relations with his partner, but actually his internal monologue is saying that he has never had feelings for the person.
I'm not a ganster tonight Don't want to be a bad guy I'm just a loner, baby And now you've gotten in my way
Seems pretty clear to me. This is not of the structure ABB, and hence is not an internal monologue. This is him - a gangster. Does he want to be bad guy? Difficult to tell. He could be just lying to himself- - actually he does want to be the bad guy. Either way not much meaning there. Interesting that he says he is a loner, and that the other person has got in the way. What form of being in the way does not matter. It could be that they are just "there" and he can't continue with the way things are. Some people think that being dumped by a text message is bad. This is much worse!
So onto the chorus. I think again pretty obvious . The Lock the doors and close the blinds/We are going for a ride is a great piece of symbolism. Locking a door and closing the blind conjures an image of a room and building. Going for a ride therefore does not mean that there are going to get into a car. The "ride" is a metaphor for the journey of him killing/torturing the other person.
Back into the verse now ABB structure again:
It's a bitch convincing people to like you (If I stop now call me a quitter) (If lies were cats you'd be litter)
Well we know that he will find it difficult to convince people to like him, as per all sociopaths. He has a problem though - he is conflicted between killing, and not going through with it - which means he is a quitter. But the next line is very telling: he knows that he is a pathological liar - the "you" in this case is the killer NOT the victim.
Please everyone isn't like you (Dancing jigs until I'm crippled) (Slug ten drinks - I won't get pickled)
This is the only piece that works better if the whole song is an internal monologue. Pleasing everyone - is this the killer or the victim? Dancing jigs - this is surely to fit in. Similar the Slug ten drinks line is showing that he will do anything to fit in, and he always ensures is is control.
I've got to hand it to you You've played by all the same rules It's takes the truth to fool me And now you've made me angry
These lines suggest that perhaps the victim is a competitor. Is the fuck and kiss in the verse 1 a metaphor?
The last piece of the song is perfect in its comedy:
Oh, I could throw you in a lake Or feed you poisoned birthday cake I won't deny I'm gonna miss you when you're gone Oh, I could bury you alive But you might crawl out with a knife And kill me when I'm sleeping
This sets the scene for the killer to be a psychopath. It is him thinking through what he can do, and the downsides! Not much to it, but a great set of lyrics.
The song's jaunty carnival tune is at opposites to the lyrics. When I first heard the song, I did not listen hard to the lyrics and just liked the happy tune. It was only listening to it closely that I realised what is about! This gives a degree of credence to the deception/internal monologue argument. Also it makes it clear that the killer is a psychopath - the music is deceptive, and so is what he says to what he is thinking!
"Well we know that he will find it difficult to convince people to like him, as per all sociopaths. "
"Well we know that he will find it difficult to convince people to like him, as per all sociopaths. "
Actually sociopaths tend to appear to be very charming, that's how they get away with crap. They spend their entire lives convincing people to like them because in all actuality they are loathsome, but they are master manipulators.
Actually sociopaths tend to appear to be very charming, that's how they get away with crap. They spend their entire lives convincing people to like them because in all actuality they are loathsome, but they are master manipulators.