Now, Beck is quite simply a riddle trapped in an enigma, hidden inside a Where’s Wally picture. Trying to discern some sort of sense from a Beck song is like trying to knit custard, but nevertheless, I shall attempt it.
Something's wrong 'cause my mind is fading
Alzheimer’s is a terrible affliction. I extend my deepest condolences to Beck’s family.
And everywhere I look
There's a dead end waiting
This sounds like someone has left Beck in a hedge maze. That is totally a dick move to do to someone with Alzheimer’s. I take back what I said earlier, not cool Beck’s family, not cool.
Temperature's dropping at the rotten oasis
An oasis, by definition, is an idyllic sanctuary in otherwise inhospitable surrounding. A rotten oasis cannot be an oasis. Sounds more like a cesspool to me.
Stealing kisses from the leperous faces
So Beck has gone down to his local plaguepit to sexually assault the ill and infirm. Wow.
Heads are hanging from the garbage man trees
Beck needs to watch his step. It would appear that a serial killer inhabits this part of town, and I doubt he’d take kindly to the surprise kissing that Beck is subjecting everyone to.
Mouthwash jukebox gasoline
Is this a shopping list? I doubt you could pick up these items at the cesspool.
pistols are pointing
At a poor man's pockets
This would be more threatening if the poor person is wearing those pockets at the time. At this point, I’m guessing that the gunman is the same fellow who hung those heads on the garbage tree. He seems even more mentally unhinged than Beck, and Beck is coming across like a forgetful rapist at this point.
Smiling eyes ripping out of his sockets
Yep, definitely unhinged.
Got a devil's haircut in my mind
Got a devil's haircut in my mind
Got a devil's haircut in my mind
Got a devil's haircut in my mind
What does the devil’s hair actually look like? In all the satanic depictions I’ve seen/drawn/conjured up through black magic, he’s always been bald. I think it’s safe to assume that Satan is a slaphead, so unless he’s taken to wearing a variety of fancy hairpieces, this line is utter bollocks.
Love machines on the sympathy crutches
The last things we need are mobile love testers. Giving them crutches will grant them mobility, and they’ll chase us down the street trying to eat our fingers and telling us how hot we are.
Discount orgies on the dropout buses
Why was I not informed about this?
Hitching a ride with the bleeding noses
I hope these noses are attached to people, and not just disembodied bleeding noses giving people rides around town.
Coming to town with the brief case blues
This is the most sensible line in a verse of utter nonsense. I think we should discard this verse as it does nothing the narrative whatsoever. I want to hear more about Beck the rapist vs the cesspool serial killer! That was just getting interesting.
Got a devil's haircut in my mind
Got a devil's haircut in my mind
Got a devil's haircut in my mind
Got a devil's haircut in my mind
Back to this again. NEXT!
Something's wrong 'cause my mind is fading
We’ve already covered this Beck, remember? Oh no, I forgot, you’ve got Alzheimer’s! Hahahah!
Ghetto-blasting disintegrating
I think it’s time for a new ghetto blaster in that case. In fact, invest in an MP3 player or something.
Rock 'n' roll, know what I'm saying
According to Wikipedia, rock and roll (often written as rock & roll or rock 'n' roll) is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. So yes, I do know what you’re saying.
And everywhere I look
There's a dead end waiting
Still in that hedge maze I see. I guess that hedge maze was installed at the cesspool, probably as some ill-advised attraction by the tourist board.
Got a devil's haircut in my mind
Got a devil's haircut in my mind
Got a devil's haircut in my mind
Got a devil's haircut in my mind
So, what have we learned from this blithering mess? Basically, we know that Beck is a mentally challenged rapist (his words, not mine) who enjoys chasing disabled people around a hedge maze. We also know that he has a nemesis who wants to decapitate him and hang his head on a garbage tree. We’ve learned that life around the cesspool is brutal, especially for those with existing conditions.
If you’d like me to dissect a song, feel free to make suggestions in the comments below.
No, no, no, a devil can get a haircut, it doesn't necessarily mean his head. Aside from his naughty bits, I assume the hair around the cloven hooves needs trimming so he's talking about shaving his legs! I've always wondered what Beck's series of gibberish meant. I'd like to request you dissect Lionel Ritchie's "Dancing on the Ceiling" if for no other reason than to force you to listen to that song and never be able to get it out of your head.
ReplyDeleteI think Dancing On The Ceiling is just a homage to Mary Poppins. As for the song, I'm more addicted to Hello. It's like a screensaver for my mind; when no other thoughts are occurring, "Hello? Is it me you're looking for?"
DeleteI personally think the whole thing is to do with Trumpets and Brass instruments
ReplyDeleteThere are clues in his name .. . . . . BECK as in Tooting BECK. You see the key word there TOOTING something you do with a trumpet or a French Horn
Which brinks us to the "Got a devil's haircut in my mind" What does the devil have on his head Trumpets (sorry Horns). And what did the old Jazz players who lived in the New Orleans GHETTO's call there Trumpets, they called them HORNS (yes Horns BLASTING in the GHETTO's. He even mentions the BLUES. We all know that New Orleans is the home of the blues and they love a bit of devil worshipping, those old blues players at the end of a dead end street with a nice toasty fire made from garbage and lit with a bit of gasoline and maybe some rotten oasis from the florist.
My view is he has always wanted a Trumpet for Christmas as a child but sadly it was never to be . . . . The same thing happened to me so I feel his pain....
I was right there with you until the end when you said you wanted a trumpet for Christmas. It's obvious that you are transferring your saddness onto Beck in this instance, thus destroying your argument entirely.
DeleteOkay, so I tried to plant a garbage man tree but instead of growing garbage men it grew a bunch of recycling men. My garbage is overflowing now, and Mr. Beck will not return my e-mails on how to solve this problem. What the hell am I supposed to do with all of this refuse (and all of these annoying recycling men who keep going through my cans and bottles)?
ReplyDeleteAre you sure they are recycling men and not hobos living in your trash?
DeleteI think he's hitching a ride with a cocaine addict when he refers to bleeding noses, which is interesting as his ghetto-blaster is disintegrating. Everyone knows the only way to keep a cocaine addict focused on the road is to blast Rapper's Delight. Perhaps, this is what caused his memory loss? A terrible car crash into a garbage man tree that resulted in the cocaine addcit's head being impaled on a beer bottle branch. The "devil's haircut" is the result of his head being set ablaze by the gasoline-fueled flames. That also explains why he's always talking about dead shit.
ReplyDeleteExcellent. Perhaps you should do some song dissections too. I'll even help you if you like.
DeleteI was raped by Beck once before he made it big.
ReplyDeleteYou poor soul. You must have been hanging around the cesspit too often. Are you one of the lepers?
DeleteIt all makes sense now.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad something around here does.
DeleteI would like to know the REAL meaning behind Africa by Toto. Make this happen at your convenience. thankyou.
ReplyDeleteoh yes- please urinating in my puddles thankyou.
DeleteIs that the song about rains in Africa? I'll see what I can do.
DeleteI came here because of the advertisement you took out at Pickleope.
ReplyDeleteIf we can request songs really any song from Meatloaf!
It worked!? Hello valued visitor!
DeleteAs for Meatloaf, there's a couple of songs which might be good to do. I'll see what I can do.