on Tulip
From: Toc
Date: Fri Jun 15, 2001 11:40 pm
Subject: Tulip – Analysis of lyrics!
No:4979
It seems about time for another song analysis… there haven’t been
any for a bit… so I figured I’d do Tulip. a song FULL of
metaphors… this song.. (in a nutshell) is about revenge, empathy
and spontaneous human combustion…
Tulip.
Written by Glenn Richards/Augie March
Lyrics analysed by Huw Parkinson
“Are you lit from the inside is that why your teeth are bright?
You smile as the sunsets on the window, and the car fills up with
light”
Like “Believe Me” this song deals in perspectives… At this early
stage we see the perspective of the friend of the victim, who is
asking the victim about why they spontaneously combusted—> “lit from
the inside”
This psycho is irritated by the friends constant smile that he made
before he burnt to a crisp, and because this was the last face he
ever pulled, it has been immortalised as his eternal happiness of
being spontaneously combusted. thus the “teeth are bright” quote
The “sunsets” part shows that this was late in the afternoon.
“and the car fills up with light”. this is the most important line in
the song… it sets off every line after it. it tells of how the
friend spontaneously combusted in the psychopaths car as they both in
it. And as a result… the car is additionally burnt to a crisp,
however the psychopath was not burnt as he at the actual time of the
incident was outside the car relieving himself upon someone’s
garden
“Make a smile tulip. don’t think of me as something that’s passed.
I’m not written in the book, but I intend to last.”
This line is initially a threat directed at the friend from the
psychopath. “Make a smile tulip” – kind of similar to a “say your
preyers” type thing (with “tulip” being used to represent his
friend)... then the “dont think of me as something that’s passed./I’m
not written in the book but I intend to last” – this is another
classic movie line… similar to Arnie’s terminator’s “I’ll be back”
type thing… like “you watch your back… Basically this the
psychopath telling his friend that he is going to get him back for
combusting in his car and thus setting it on fire too… (even though
the friend is dead… but this is a psychopath we are talkuing.)
“And as the sun comes up you know it’s really going down”
a metaphorical extension of the threat setting a (lack of a better
word) deadline to the threat saying that before morning light he will
have exacted his revenge on his friend or set his “sun”.
“You only framed it incorrectly. now you cannot turn it round”
This sets up the background to the psychopath and his friend.
Apparantly as the spontaneous combustion was occuring they were in
the middle of “framing” a neighbours dog as the robber in an
attempted bank robbery earlier in the day.
The psychopath is saying to his friend that at this stage he made a
mistake by combusting. Now he can’t apologise cause he has burnt down
the psychopaths car.
This line also has a second meaning. The psychopath is also talking
to himself saying he metaphrically “framed” something wrong and can’t
“turn it round.” meaning he has also made a mistake and can’t fix
it… more light is shed on this meaning later.
“If there’s enough of us here left. then we’ll drive it into town.
And when we pass the field of tulips. then I’ll put the knuckle
down…”
This is still the psychopath talking to his friend saying that if
there are still enough people to finish off the framing of the dog,
then he will get them to help him finish it (or “drive it into
town”). And in the process, if he comes across the mortuary (the
“field of tulips”), then he’ll punish his friend then and there.
“Don’t frown tulip.
Make a smile.
Don’t frown tulip
You know it’s all worthwhile…”
Now we go back in time to the actuall combustion incident. This is
the friends inner voice speaking now.
he is also talking to the friend, telling him to smile. This is
showing the listener the reasons behind the friends final mysterious
smile he gives at this time that he is burning to his death.
Through these lyrics the listener now knows that his voice was
telling him to smile, because he would eventually benefit from it.
However we still don’t know why or how…
“There are lions by the roadside. I was driving with my father
Through a dream of French forests. and all is warmth and solace”
Now we switch to the perspective of the friend, recapping after his
death about the combustion incident. Setting the scene with this
line..with a few more metaphors
The ”[lion] by the roadside” is the dog they are trying to frame. And
the “father” is the psychopath, as he was practically a father to
him, they were that closer friends.
The “French forest” is the suburb they where in at the time.. by the
sound of things probably Woodland Shire, as they are known for their
over-abundance in cannibis, that produce a very “dream”-like effect.
the the whole “warmth and solace” thing.. do I need to explain
that… it was very cold… yet he was being comfortably warmed by
something… perhaps a spontaneous combustion?
“And all said He is with us, but always sad and serious.
Standing outside in the garden. pained and peerless…”
Now he is talking about the psychopath. lines like “all said He is
with us” and “pained and peerless” are pointing out how inconspicuous
he was… doing kinda sadistic wierd things.. “always sad and
serious” is describing the psychopath’s mood, showing that he suffers
from massive depression all the time.
“Standing outside in the garden” – well.. that’s what he was doing…
read somewhere near the start to see (incase you skipped or forgot)
what he was actually doing on the garden.
“Don’t frown tulip.
Make a smile.
Don’t frown tulip
You know it’s all worthwhile
Make a smile at the end of your tether.
This was never gonna last forever”
As before it is back to the inner voice talking to the friend at the
time of the combustion. but now we see why smiling will benefit him.
“Make a smile at the end of your tether” is telling him to make a
smile at the end of his life… (life being replace by “tether”),
“this was never gonna last forever” means that he made a bet with the
psychopath a while back that everyone eventually dies (the psychopath
believing that not everyone dies…only people he kills) and that
when he died that he would make a smile… they both bet $59, and so
even though he was gonna be dead he was also gonna be the recipiant
of $118 . And so now we know why the voice was telling him it “was
all worthwile” because it “was never gonna last forever”, and he’d be
rich as a result. (and dead… but he didn’t think that far ahead)
And now, we see the psychopath’s mistake, he made the wrong bet
(“framed incorrectly”) and can’t take it back (“turn it round”)
“The woods all were peopled with daughters and sons”
Now we change perspectives again… this time it is Jerry Springer
who is talking to us, after both the psychopath and his friend ashes
have been on the show to speak their problems with each other… (the
psychopath’s problem being that his car was burnt by his friend…
and the friend’s problem being that the psychopath never paid him for
smiling when he died!) and this is Jerry’s “final words” part of the
show… where he talks to the viewers, summing up his own opinions on
the issues raised in the show… here he is saying how the cities and
suburbs or “woods” are full of many people (“daughers and sons”)
“The teeming uncounted and unchosen ones,
Who don’t dance anymore. they just move around in bubbles”
Now he is saying that the cities so full of wierd, crazy, “uncounted”
and “unchosen” people… that it is literally pouring out (teeming)
at the seams. (wierd and crazy is substituted by “uncounted and
unchosen” because Jerry believes that everyday society never includes
psychopath’s in their own idea of who they “count” to be a member of
their society.. that’s why they ask “where do they get these guys”
all the time)
“Who don’t dance anymore. they just move around in bubbles” is
talking of how the psychopaths just don’t get along with each other
anymore, (metaphorically using the word dance (as it symbolises unity
upon many things) for getting along), it’s as if they are in their
own “bubbles” and ignore human contact from anyone else.
*NOTE – at this stage… Jerry believes the psychopath’s friend (even
though he is ashes) is actually also a psychopath.
“And nobody notices nobodies troubles.
Nobody notices nobody’s troubles…”
This is still Jerry, he is saying how that because they don’t get
along, even if they have a big problem.. (like say, someone burnt
down their car) they don’t ever realise that the other person might
have a problem too.. (like spontaneously combusting…being dead…
or not getting paid for a bet that they won.)
The second time the “Nobody” line is sung the music starts building,
this is to show that Jerry SPringer has cracked due to the frustraion
of the self centered guests he has on there. None of the notce his
“trouble” that his left arm is slowing turning into another leg, and
within a few more years this incurable disease will make him
literally “Jake the peg, with the extra leg”.. and because of this
frustration he leaps from his stool, grabs an heavy baseball bat and
starts attacking the guests… first he attacks the psychopath..
(knowing that the friend is already dead)
“Don’t frown tulip.
Make a smile.
Don’t frown tulip
You know it’s all worthwhile
Make a smile at the end of your tether.
This was never gonna last forever
Don’t frown tulip. don’t frown tulip…”
Same meaning as before, but this time it is the inner voice of the
psychopath, as he is getting bashed to death by Jerry Springer. The
reason why he would now benefit from smiling when he died is because
after learning from his mistake the first time round.. (one of the
mistakes that cannot be ”[turned] round” – showing the double meaning
of that line) he made a bet with another psychopathic friend… this
time betting as his friend did, that people do die, and that when he
did he would smile…. and so now he new, because he was on the
receiving end of Jerry Springer’s great wrath, he was also gonna be
on the receiving end of $500.
And that’s how the tragic story in this song ends..
now I have shed some light for you all on the true meaning of it..—huw
on One Crowded Hour
From: Tim Weekes
Date: Tue Jun 3, 2003 7:13 pm
Subject: One Crowded Hour – The Analysis
no:8744
Greetings,
First of all, I have to say that looking for meaning within this
song is very difficult. I don’t have “set” lyrics, and that means I
am constantly wondering if I’ve misinterpretted a particular word or
phrase, and basing my entire theory on that garbled interpretation
of Glenn’s art…
Secondly, I think that this song is telling a story that really
needs to be “heard” by Glenn before it can be really appreciated.
To make this a bit easier for everyone else, let me create a
situation for this song. We have a lovely singer/songwriter…let’s
call him Glenn…and he is performing in a bar somewhere in the
middle of this weirdo’s imagination…then we also have a lovely
girl, let’s call her Glennita…no…just Girl…this entire song is
directed from Glenn to this girl…
——“Should you expect to see something that you hadn’t seen,
somebody you’d known since you were sixteen.”
The girl is one of those really frivilous types – she is going up to
friends of hers and trying to convince herself that there is
the “potential” for love in their relationship.
“If love is a bolt from the blue,
then what is a bolt but a cloth-hard screw,
and it doesn’t hold nothing together.”
The girl is trying to support her behaviour by claiming that “love”
is something unexpected, almost – and Glenn is stating that, if love
is just a “bolt from the blue” (perhaps quoting her), then it is
nothing more than sex, or – in his delightfully punny way, “a cloth-
hard screw”...I think I’ve got a lot of ideas for what
exactly “cloth-hard” is referring to, but I’m not going to share
them…as yet…unsure as I am of the legitimacy of the term. So
Glenn is simply saying that if “love” is a “bolt”, then a “bolt” is
just a “screw” – and these are metaphors for real-world objects that
hold buildings and other such things together…in this case,
the “love” that the girl is searching for will not last because it
will eventually fall apart.
“Far from these nonsense bars and their nowhere music,
its making me sick – its making you sick.”
This is the clarification of the setting for the song – and gives us
a sneak-peak at Glenn’s personality (once again, Glenn is just being
used to make it easier to understand). He doesn’t care for the
situation he is in, and with this real twist of arrogance, he
honestly believes he is above it. It is simply making himself and
the girl sick…or generally…much worse off…
“There’s nothing in this life – even Heirs like drinking gin with nothing else in it – and it doesn’t hold me together.”
I am not entirely sure of this line, but this was my interpretation
of it. Glenn is just reinforcing how much the “world” he and the
girl are in is doing them no good. There is “nothing” in it. Then
we get to see the introduction of some other characters who aren’t
directly named…they are just generally rich boys – “heirs” to
great fortunes and wealth and success – and the things that they
do “drinking gin with nothing else in it” may keep them going, but
it isn’t enough for Glenn. He needs more in his life than simply
the pursuit of hedonistic pleasures. This relates back to the first
verse – Glenn’s wisdom and experience saying that “he has had to
face these obstacles” and he has accepted what is best for him.
“But for one crowded hour,
you were the only one in the room -”
Of all of the people in this crowded bar (the hopetoun gig last
month?), it is this Girl alone who catches Glenn’s eye and
imagination…
“I sailed around all those bumps in the night,
to your beacon in the gloom.”
The idea of something being a “bump in the night” brings to mind
images of ghosts and goblins – in other words, things that don’t
really exist. More of the singer’s arrogance – he is so far above
these people that, to him, they are as good as non-existant.
So Glenn passes over these people to the girl – a “beacon in the
gloom” – imagery of a lighthouse during a fierce storm – it is clear
that Glenn needs this girl as much as she needs him – she is giving
him hope and inspiration.
“I thought I had found my golden September
In the middle of that purple dune…”
I’m not sure of the real meaning behind “september”, but generally
this is Glenn’s hindsight – looking back on this song…he had
gotten his hopes up, believing that this girl was “gold” or “pure”,
but in reality she was something entirely different. The “purple
dune” is implying a sense of royalty and a barren desert. I chose
to interpret it as “dune” rather than “june” because I feel that
gives Glenn a lot more credit as a writer…and by god – he deserves
it. This bar is being described as a barren, emotional desert –
these people do not care about one another or Glenn…
“But one crowded hour,
would lead to my rack’n’ruin”
We know, after hearing this, that the song is leading towards a
hopeless end – the dreams and wishes of the singer will not come
true.
“I know you like your boys who take their medicine,
from the bowl with their silver spoon.”
In this line there is the very obvious image of the “silver spoon”
which is of course related to the idea of wealth and success. I
think, though, that this line is also important for the introduction
of “medicine” – something that is making us healthier. Perhaps, in
reality, we are all sick – and the purpose of life is just to try
and get better…and what Glenn is saying is that he understands
that the Girl prefers the company of people who better themselves
through wealth and glamour – and this implies that Glenn is infact
the opposite to this…
“Who run away with the dish and scare the fish
by the silvery light of the moon -”
This line uses imagery and ideas from a nursery rhyme…I can’t
quite remember which one – perhaps someone can remind me. Anyway,
the idea of “running away” with the “dish” is implying that these
boys are always going to go home with the prettiest of all the
girls – and the idea of “scaring” the “fish” means they are going to
be intimidating Glenn for turning up to the show in his “Little
Wonder” costume…no – I kid…it actually brings to mind images of
immaturity – you know, where a kid will chase pigeons just to see
them scatter in fear…
The fact is, the people are doing something “wrong” in a “spiritual”
sense – and this has nothing to do with God – I mean it in the broad
sense of “spirituality”...what they are doing is not good for the
soul. But, they are doing this with the light of the moon still on
them – for all of their failings, they never actually seem to fail…
“who were born to deliver you from this dune,
as far as their beady-eyes see.”
There is a real sense of sarcasm here – these people are able to
make the girl happy – or “deliver her from this desert”, but only so
far as they are capable of understanding – and obviously, to Glenn,
they can not see very far with their “beady-eyes”...
“It’s a pleasure pen, meant for them – built for them, rent for
them – and not for the likes of me…”
Basically, no one except “them” are going to benefit from this
girl’s pursuit of love. The love she is pursuing is just a method
for them to get sex, and it is something that is secured for them
through the success of their forefathers – they are putting no
effort in and they get everything they want…but Glenn is saying
that this is not what he is like – he doesn’t just want to seek out
pleasure, he wants something entirely different.
“and not for the likes of you and me.”
Really – you just have to hear how Glenn sings this line – it is
absolutely heart-wrenching how beautiful it is. It seems almost
nervous, like a second-thought of the nerdy kid asking the popular
girl out – he isn’t sure what he’s doing, and seems very clumsy and
very vulnerable. That is how the line seems to me. Glenn just
clumsily trying to convince the girl that she doesn’t need these
people she has surrounded herself with.
“Put me in a cage full of lions, I’ll learn to speak lion,
in fact I know the language well.
I picked it up while I was versing myself in the languages they
speak in Hell.”
This is, for some special reason, probably one of my favourite Glenn-
written lines ever – just hearing this at the Hopetoun left me with
a smile on my face…so much arrogance and wit…but at the same
time – so much pain and confusion. These people are Lions – and
being in this bar is like being in the lion’s den – but Glenn can be
like them – he can be a hunter who preys on other people, and why?
Because he learnt from them while he was in “Hell” – generally –
they are evil…the scourge of the known universe, and Glenn is
trying to prove that he is as good as them, and in many cases a lot
better.
“That night the silence gave birth to a baby,
they took it away – to her silent dismay, and they raised it to be a
lady.
Now she can’t keep her mouth shut…”
Glenn is saying that this girl has the right birth – she was from
silence – perhaps Glenn’s notion of perfection – but the world took
her away from her mother, to her “silent dismay” (wit…) and
brought her up to be this society’s notion of a “lady”, and now she
has nothing to do with what she originally came from – whereas she
once was “silent”, now she can’t keep her mouth shut – she is
constantly talking. What is this a metaphor for? Sex of course.
Everything with Augie March comes back to sex. Being silent is a
metaphor for not putting out, whereas now this girl is unable to
keep her mouth/legs shut.
“I played a few songs for those bumps in the night
Yes, I played this very tune.”
Glenn is implying that perhaps this is an “eternal” story – this is
something that has always happened, and will always happened – he
tells his story to the non-existant people who listen, but nothing
will change.
“You said: “What is this six-stringed instrument
but an adolescent ruined?””
This is the first time that the girl actually addresses Glenn – but
she doesn’t see him for a person – he is nothing more than his
guitar – she can not see him for who he really is, but he could see
her for all of her potential and flaws. Even when she does see him
as a mere “instrument” for entertainment, she concedes that this is
just a product of a bitter childhood – the fact that Glenn has not
had the success bestowed upon him that these other, bumps in the
night have…
How sad…
“One crowded hour
Would lead to my rack’n’ruin”
Glenn is eventually torn apart by this encounter – afterall, the
girl was helping him as much as he was her – and now he must accept
that she is not all that he saw her to be.
——
Finished. Like to see what some people have to say – this is all
pretty “airy fairy” and stabbing in the dark – but I like the images
the song presents to me, and I’d like to hear what some other people
have to say.
tim w.
on Believe Me
From: Toc
Date: Wed Feb 7, 2001 2:09 pm
Subject: Here’s a go at analysing another Augie songieeee!
No:3726
There has always been speculation over the lyrics of “Believe Me”..
but here is my attempt! (roughly line by line)
‘Believe me’
this introduces the person. by what is described in this he has
suffered from back pains.. this is shown in the “ieve” sound in
Believe. The music is moderately quiet.. but still you can hear the
guitar in the background. This is symbolising the pain and anguish
that this man is suffering from. It isn’t full on and at the front of
his mind. But it is always there in the background.
‘Believe me’
the metaphor in this line shows how the back pain was tremendously
annoying and the use of the word “me” suggests that the friends of
this person were always ridiculing this poor soul for his sore back
‘Believe me’
now we move from the past into the present, describing the scene in
which this person is in. It shows that he is in a bakery store going
to purchase a loaf of bread.
‘Believe me’
This line changes the mood of the song, as a fly is buzzing around
his head. The frustration starts to get at the young man.
‘Believe me, Believe me”
The repetition in this line shows how the fly constant buzzing is
stirring the person up to a snap. It talks of how the sweat is
falling from his head in frustration. The last “me” in this phrase
shows how his hand is shaking so hard that it looks like he will try
to swat the fly.
“I came to warn you”
Enter the new person. And american (shown by the american accent)
lined up behind our hero, who so driven by his desire to swat the
insect buzzing around him, is now starting to convulse.
‘came’ used in this line shows how the american behind the man is
aware of his frustration and when the word “warn” is used you can see
that he really wants to help.
“Believe me”
shows how the man with the sore back reaches out to swat the fly..
but instead hits the american behind him in the jaw.
“I came to warn you, I came to warn you”
This phrase shows how the american is hurt by the blow. The
repetition in this line shows how he constantly is rubbing his jaw to
sooth the pain.
“Believe me”
The man with the sore back apologises and asks for the american to
“believe” that is was purely an accident.
“I came to warn you”
The american does now accept the apology and screams obscene words at
the man with a sore back. the word “you” in this line is expecially
cheeky, and not too subtle either.
“I came to warn you”
We change perspective with this line. It is now showing the point of
view of the american. How he is torn between knowing that it was only
an accident, as he was originally aware of the urges the man with the
sore back showed to swat the fly, and how he was deeply upset by the
pain that was inflicted upon him.
“Believe me”
The man with the sore back is offended by what the american says and
starts to say a few not too nice words himself.
“Be” at the beginning of this line is a referance back to his youth
again, and how his friends would pay him off. This is shown to be
what stirs this man to defend himself.
“I came to warn you”
The shop keeper at the bakery notices the two men shouting at each
other, now nearly at blows, and comes over to see what is the matter.
“I came to warn you, Believe me”
This is the two men explaining to the shop keeper about how the
incident occured,. This shows of how they each take it in turn to
tell the story. But start to argue over the top of each other.
“Believe me”
This line is another perspective switch.. (shown by the B sound in
the world “believe”) this time we see how the shop keeper remembers a
similar incident involving himself, and how he ‘believes’ and
understands what the poor man with the sore back has done.
“I came to warn you, Believe me,
I came to warn you, Believe me, etc,...”
By this stage the backing music texture is rather full and thick to
symbolise the rage. the lines show how the american grabs the man
with the sore back and starts hurling punches upon him. when
“believe” is used for the second time in this line, it shows how the
man with the sore back start fighting back and they wrestle
themselves out of the backery store and fall onto the sidewalk. The
constant use of both “I came to warn you” and “Believe me” show of
how they each are equally match in fighting and are alternating all
the time on who has the upper hand in the fight.
“I came to warn you”
This is the last time the line is used in this song, the music is
very quiet, and it shows how the american has realised,(by a
birthmark he recognised on a person from a photo that ahd fallen out
of the sore back man’s pocket when they were fighting) that he and
the sore back man were actually long lost brothers.
“warn you” shows of how the american starts to cry from the emotional
impact of his conclusion.
“Believe me”
The music is now almost faded entirely away.. this shows of how the
anger and frustration in these people are almost entirely gone. The
line “believe me” shows of how the man with the sore back and the
american go and by a milkshake each to catch up on their life.
the “eee” sound at the end of “me” shows how the fly that caused the
whole incident was watching from a distance and give a cackling, evil
laugh. (the fly is very wierd!)
The end.
well.. that’s my opinion.. I know.. it is so obviously what you
guys were all thinking.. there was really no challange there.. but
I felt like typing it out anyway. Was it almost exactly what you
all think about when you hear this song? I think it would be.
the other interpretation could be that someone is asking to be
believed, and that he came to warn us..??
P.S. I will be requesting AM to do this live the next time I see
them!!!
bestest regards—huw