You have nothing to fear
I'm just making enquiries
Dog bone hunting
Gives you back to yourself
Standing before me
The gargoyle turns
Jutting jaws and
The stubble burns
I shift the blame
To the worm in the bottle
I shift the blame
To anyone standing before me
I check-up the once over
Give yourself an opening
Keep your mouth shut
In the event of an accident
Contact the following
A certain air
An invading smile
Inbreeding seals the flaw
I shift the blame
To the worm in the bottle
I shift the blame
To anyone standing before me
Silk skin paws
Hang by both feet
Embracing the world
Hang the expense
Breuel's cut corners
Wring out the senses
I have nothing like it
I've seen nothing like it
I shift the blame
To the worm in the bottle
I shift the blame
To anyone standing before me
I'm just making enquiries
Dog bone hunting
Gives you back to yourself
Standing before me
The gargoyle turns
Jutting jaws and
The stubble burns
I shift the blame
To the worm in the bottle
I shift the blame
To anyone standing before me
I check-up the once over
Give yourself an opening
Keep your mouth shut
In the event of an accident
Contact the following
A certain air
An invading smile
Inbreeding seals the flaw
I shift the blame
To the worm in the bottle
I shift the blame
To anyone standing before me
Silk skin paws
Hang by both feet
Embracing the world
Hang the expense
Breuel's cut corners
Wring out the senses
I have nothing like it
I've seen nothing like it
I shift the blame
To the worm in the bottle
I shift the blame
To anyone standing before me
Lyrics submitted by fnordboy
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Yes, it is an amazing song. The version from the 2008 Daytrotter sessions is particularly exceptional. Or any version, really.
I digress.
As Graham Lewis so concisely put it, "Silk Skin Paws" was written "20 years ago about bankers throwing themselves out of office windows", specifically after the 1987 UK stock market crash. In light of this, the rather surreal imagery begins to make much more sense. For instance, the shifting of blame first to the most helpless stupid thing (or to power-drunkeness) on up until everyone but the accuser himself (a trader, a broker, a swindler) is blamed for their own mistakes. And how about the titular paws, clean hands doing dirty deeds...?
Is this wringing any unfortunate bells?