Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
There is this thing that's like touching except you don't touch
Back in the day it just went without saying at all
All the world's history gradually dying of shock
There is this thing that's like talking except you don't talk
You sing
You sing
Sing for the bartender sing for the janitor sing
Sing for the cameras sing for the animals sing
Sing for the children shooting the children sing
Sing for the teachers who told you that you couldn't sing
Just sing
There is this thing keeping everyone's lungs and lips locked
It is called fear and it's seeing a great renaissance
After the show you can not sing wherever you want
But for now let's just pretend we're all gonna get bombed
So sing
Sing cause it's obvious sing for the astronauts sing
Sing for the president sing for the terrorists sing
Sing for the soccer team sing for the janjaweed sing
Sing for the kid with the phone who refuses to sing
Just sing
Life is no cabaret
We don't care what you say
We're inviting you anyway
You motherfuckers you'll sing someday
Back in the day it just went without saying at all
All the world's history gradually dying of shock
There is this thing that's like talking except you don't talk
You sing
You sing
Sing for the bartender sing for the janitor sing
Sing for the cameras sing for the animals sing
Sing for the children shooting the children sing
Sing for the teachers who told you that you couldn't sing
Just sing
There is this thing keeping everyone's lungs and lips locked
It is called fear and it's seeing a great renaissance
After the show you can not sing wherever you want
But for now let's just pretend we're all gonna get bombed
So sing
Sing cause it's obvious sing for the astronauts sing
Sing for the president sing for the terrorists sing
Sing for the soccer team sing for the janjaweed sing
Sing for the kid with the phone who refuses to sing
Just sing
Life is no cabaret
We don't care what you say
We're inviting you anyway
You motherfuckers you'll sing someday
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i think this song is about free speech and being heard...that we've forgotten how good it feels
I personally think this song is about more than just... singing. :\ I'll translate. :D
"sing for the bartender, sing for the janitor , sing sing for the cameras, sing for the animals, sing sing for the children, shooting the children, sing sing for the teachers who told you couldn't sing....
sing 'cause it's obvious, sing for the astronauts, sing sing for the president, sing for the terrorists, sing sing for the soccer team, sing for the janja weed, sing sing for the kid with the phone who refuses to sing"
Sing for anything. Sing about something that pisses you off. Sing about something beautiful like animals. Sing 'cause it's obvious that this is your time to do it. Hell, sing about something as random as a bartender. WHICH IS A METAPHOR, for: If you have any motive whatsoever to do something, stop being shy, or lazy, or worried, and just take a chance and DO IT. If you have a reason to do something, it's probably worth doing.
"...after the show you can not sing wherever you want. So sing."
Is a metaphor, for: You're not going to get many chances to do this shit. The opportunity for you to do this doesn't hardly come around, and after this, you're not going to be able to do it. So just take a chance while you still can. Or you might regret it later.
This is not one of my favorite songs, but I can't hate anything they do. It's inspirational, and it's meaning is simple. Just sing. For whatever reason you may have, just do it. Sing for all of the people who won't. Sing for the people who tell you not to. It's cute, but it doesn't carry the dark undertones that their other songs have, so it seems a little out of place.
The blank word is "ganja weed" which is anathema to the soccer moms, must as terrorists are anathema to the president. And it's "but for now let's just pretend we're all gonna get bombed." And I'm pretty sure they're singing something like "you motherfuckers, you'll sing some day" in the final chorus.
This song works on two levels. The first meaning is about how wonderful singing is and how cathartic is is. The other meaning is a criticism of some aspects of certain parts of present-day politics, like urban violence (or perhaps lax gun control), fearmongering, and having an asshole for a president. Why do you hate america, Amanda Palmer? Why do you want to make the bald eagles cry?
I completely agree :) On every comment you made.
^ agree.
on the dresden dolls forum, she said it was about singing at shows... she said that people were discussing if singing along at shows was OK, and she wrote the song about that
ive seriously been looking for this song my whole life. its amazing.
Actually, I thought that the missing word was "janjaweed", as in the civilian army that's perpetuating the genocide in Sudan.
it is janjaweed. check out the lyrics on the official site: dresdendolls.com/downloads_n_lyrics/lyrics/sing.htm
I was listening to an inteview with her on Triple J and she was saying that once when she was playing some woman (she said that she was a bitch and she had some authority of her - i've forgotten) told the orchestra to stop playing, went right up to her and said that she couldn't sing.
I think she wrote this song after that.