Q: One song I particularly enjoyed in its demo version was "Reeling the Liars In." Can you tell me about the vivid imagery in that song, or what inspired it?
A: [Laughs] I think that was written at the tail end of the infamous Bush era and I started with him in mind in particular. [I was] thinking about having to burn him and his cohorts in a pile. I was simultaneously reading a book about the Third Reich and that imagery came to mind. I also inverted that imagery on the narrator as well, since he is also subject to scrutiny.
From a 2012 interview with Gira [1]:
Q: One song I particularly enjoyed in its demo version was "Reeling the Liars In." Can you tell me about the vivid imagery in that song, or what inspired it?
A: [Laughs] I think that was written at the tail end of the infamous Bush era and I started with him in mind in particular. [I was] thinking about having to burn him and his cohorts in a pile. I was simultaneously reading a book about the Third Reich and that imagery came to mind. I also inverted that imagery on the narrator as well, since he is also subject to scrutiny.
[1] https://archives.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2012/03/14/michael-gira-on-performing-solo-and-the-time-he-wanted-to-murder-some-hipsters