Newman began his musical career in the 1990s as a member of the Vancouver grunge/pop group Superconductor. After a brief stay, he joined the Vancouver-based pop group Zumpano. The band released two albums with Newman in the mid-1990s, Look What the Rookie Did and Goin' Through Changes, both of which received favorable reviews. Though Zumpano never officially announced their breakup, they have not recorded any new material since the 90s.
Newman is a founding member of the successful Vancouver-based pop supergroup The New Pornographers. The band has released five full length albums since 2000, all of which received favorable reviews. In 2007, Blender ranked the group's debut album, Mass Romantic, the 24th best indie album of all time. Newman is the band's main songwriter and vocalist, and is generally regarded as the band's leader.
His debut solo album, The Slow Wonder, was released in Summer 2004, and his sophomore album, Get Guilty, was released in early 2009. He released his third album, Shut Down the Streets, in 2012.
Secretarial
A.C. Newman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spewing ancient wisdom like your friends the revelations had come,
And they were looking for me.
I took the red-eye back to glory but the more I got the facts straight,
It turns out that the story's getting shorter,
And what I want to know is: will it happen to me?
Can't take them out, can't take them out with baby artillery.
Lady, it's secretarial. Secretarial.
We've been divided, we've decided it's a problem we can live with,
The motion to defeat it is repeated,
And what I want to know is: will it happen to me?
So come on, let the son in, we've been gunning for promotion,
Postering the slogans on the roadsigns,
But I want to know when it happens to me.
Can't take them out, can't take them out with baby artillery.
Can't take them, can't take them out,
Lady, it's secretarial. Secretarial.
The lyrics of A.C. Newman's song "Secretarial" are cryptic and open to interpretation. The song begins with the lines "One day you blew across the water after racing through the countdown, Spewing ancient wisdom like your friends the revelations had come, And they were looking for me." These lines could refer to a prophetic figure who has come to deliver a message to the singer. The singer takes a flight back home but is left with unanswered questions as the story seems to be getting shorter.
The chorus repeats the line "Can't take them out, can't take them out with baby artillery. Can't take them, can't take them out, Lady, it's secretarial. Secretarial." The reference to "baby artillery" could signify the singer's inability to fight against certain forces that are out of his control. The word "secretarial" could be a play on the word "secretary" and suggest that the singer is at the mercy of someone else's agenda, hence the inability to take control.
Later in the song, there is a reference to being "gunning for promotion" and "postering the slogans on the roadsigns." This could suggest a desire to climb the social ladder or make a change for the better, but again, the singer is left wondering if it will ever happen.
Overall, the song seems to touch on themes of powerlessness and uncertainty in the face of larger forces at play.
Line by Line Meaning
One day you blew across the water after racing through the countdown,
Once, you arrived rapidly after your journey, spewing ancient wisdom as if it was a revelation from your friends. Moreover, they were searching for me.
Spewing ancient wisdom like your friends the revelations had come,
You shared old knowledge with the feeling that it is a revelation that came from your friend circle.
And they were looking for me.
During your visit here, your friends were searching for me.
I took the red-eye back to glory but the more I got the facts straight,
I took the overnight flight back to my successful life, but upon digging deeper for clarity, it appears that things are not as they seem.
It turns out that the story's getting shorter,
Upon further inspection, the storyline becomes simpler.
And what I want to know is: will it happen to me?
I am perplexed regarding my destiny and worry about facing a similar situation.
Can't take them out, can't take them out with baby artillery.
It is impossible to defeat them with minimal resources and efforts.
Can't take them, can't take them out,
It seems impossible to remove them from the current situation.
Lady, it's secretarial. Secretarial.
The situation is prosaic, dull, and bound to bureaucracy.
We've been divided, we've decided it's a problem we can live with,
The issue has created a divide between us, but we have come to a resolution to live with this problem.
The motion to defeat it is repeated,
Attempts to remove the problem are repeated, but to no avail.
And what I want to know is: will it happen to me?
I am worried that a similar issue will occur to me, and I will have to live with it.
So come on, let the son in, we've been gunning for promotion,
We should take the opportunity and use it to our advantage by working hard to get promoted.
Postering the slogans on the roadsigns,
We should, in turn, advertise or promote the cause on the street.
But I want to know when it happens to me.
However, I am uncertain, and worried about when and if the situation will transpire to me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CARL ALLAN NEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Houle
One day you blew across the water
After racing through the countdown
Spewing ancient wisdom like your friend
The revelation had come and they were looking for me
I took the red-eye back to glory
But the more I got the facts straight
It turns out that the story's getting shorter
And what I want to know is: will it happen to me?
Can't take them out, can't take them out with baby artillery
Can't take them out, can't take them out
Lady, it's secretarial. Secretarial
We've been divided, we've decided
It's a problem we can live with
Motion to defeat it is repeated
And what I want to know is: will it happen to me?
So come on, let the sun in
We've been gunning for promotion
Postering the slogans on the roadsigns
But I want to know when it happens to me
Can't take them out, can't take them out with baby artillery
Can't take them out, can't take them out
Lady, it's secretarial. Secretarial
dogson
Loved this album from the very first time I heard it.