Can you treat it like an oil well
When it's underground, out of sight?
And if the sight is just a whore sign
Can it make enough sense to me?

Pretend the table is a trust knot,
We'll put our labels down, faith is down
I'll watch the yarn of twine unravel
And you'll never get it back

It's what I want (it's what I want)
It's what I want (twine comes down)
It's what I want, it's what I want
Don't you know, I could make you try
Make you try, make you try, make you try

I've been crowned the King of Id
And Id is all we have, so wait
To hear my words and they're diamond-sharp
I could open it up
And it's up and down

Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

It's what I want (it's what I want)
I see you beg like a little dog (ball and twine)
Don't you know that it's what I want? (It's what I want)
I'll see you beg, and it makes you dry
Make me dry, make me dry, make me dry

I've been down, the King of Ids
Id's all we have, I've been down
And I could wait to hear the words
They're diamond-sharp today

Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

Overall Meaning

In Pavement's song "In the Mouth a Desert," the lyrics use vivid imagery and metaphors to convey a sense of confusion and unsureness about a particular situation. The opening lines, "Can you treat it like an oil well, when it's underground, out of sight?" suggest a desire to find value in something that is hidden or difficult to access. This may represent a feeling of being lost or searching for meaning in life.

The line, "And if the sight is just a whore sign, can it make enough sense to me?" suggests a sense of frustration with being unable to distinguish between genuine value and superficiality. The idea of a "whore sign" may represent something that is cheap or meaningless. The singer is questioning whether they are capable of recognizing true value in something that may appear superficial at first sight.

The chorus, which repeats the phrase "it's what I want," may represent a desire for clarity and resolution. However, the subsequent lines suggest a contradictory desire for chaos and unpredictability. The line "I'll watch the yarn of twine unravel, and you'll never get it back" suggests an enjoyment in seeing order and structure break down.

Overall, the lyrics of "In the Mouth a Desert" convey a sense of confusion and frustration with the search for value and meaning in life. The use of vivid imagery and metaphors creates a dreamlike atmosphere that suggests a sense of uncertainty and unease.

Line by Line Meaning

Can you treat it like an oil well
Can you exploit it like a resource?

When it's underground, out of sight?
When it's hidden and inaccessible?

And if the sight is just a whore sign
And if it's just a meaningless symbol?

Can it make enough sense to me?
Could it have any value to me?

Pretend the table is a trust knot
Imagine we have a bond of trust

We'll put our labels down, faith is down
We'll set aside our preconceptions, we'll be impartial

I'll watch the yarn of twine unravel
I'll observe the thread of our relationship come undone

And you'll never get it back
And you won't be able to repair it

It's what I want (it's what I want)
It's my desire, it's what I long for

It's what I want (twine comes down)
It's what I'm after, and it's inevitable that it will unravel

It's what I want, it's what I want
I'm sure of what I desire

Don't you know, I could make you try
I have the power to make you strive for it

Make you try, make you try, make you try
I'll push you to your limits

I've been crowned the King of Id
I'm the ruler of my own impulses

And Id is all we have, so wait
Our primitive urges are all that matters

To hear my words and they're diamond-sharp
To listen to my precise, cutting words

I could open it up
I could reveal my true intentions

And it's up and down
And it's unpredictable, unstable

I see you beg like a little dog (ball and twine)
I see you pleading and grasping for something that's slipping away

Don't you know that it's what I want? (it's what I want)
Don't you understand that this is my desire?

I'll see you beg, and it makes you dry
I'll watch you suffer and it leaves you empty

Make me dry, make me dry, make me dry
It's a cycle, one that repeats again and again

I've been down, the King of Id's
I've been in despair, consumed by my own impulses

Id's all we have, I've been down
Our basic instincts are all we can rely on, I've been lost in them

And I could wait to hear the words
And I could wait patiently to hear something meaningful

They're diamond-sharp today
They're incisive and piercing, today in particular

Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Musical interlude

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Scott Kannberg, Stephen Joseph Malkmus

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

just now