The Belgian alternative rock outfit Absynthe Minded is heavily influenced b… Read Full Bio ↴The Belgian alternative rock outfit Absynthe Minded is heavily influenced by thirties jazz, soul, Merseyside pop, balkan and gypsy music.

Absynthe Minded originally formed in 1999 as a one man band. Singer/guitarist Bert Ostyn recorded the first demos solo in his bedroom in Ghent. In 2002 Ostyn recruited Renaud Ghilbert (violin, trumpet, percussion), Sergej Van Bouwel (bass, contrabass) and Jan Duthoy (Hammond, piano) to form the Absynthe Minded Quartet, shortly Absynthe Minded. The History Makes Science Fiction EP (2003) was their first release on the independent Keremos label.

One year later the band finished second the infamous Belgian rock contest Humo's Rock Rally, which gathered them a serious amount of media coverage. After the addition of drummer Jakob Nachtergaele to its line-up, Absynthe Minded released their first full length Acquired Taste later that year to much critical acclaim.

Their sophomore album New Day was released only a year later. With the succes of hit-single My Heroics, Part One, Absynthe Minded start touring Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany. They also supported dEUS on their European tour.

For the release of their next albums There Is Nothing (2007) and the self-titled Absynthe Minded (2009), the band signed with Universal.

In february 2015 Absynthe Minded announced their split, due to solo ambitions of Ostyn.

Substitute
Absynthe Minded Lyrics

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There is a sticky feeling
'Bout that pleasant evening
A red army attack
In every women's sack
A particular way of sayin'
Ba ideas ain't stayin'
The worst idea is prayin'
That all will be good

There's a substitude
Like always it's so cheap
Yeah there's a funky road where you never fall asleep
There's a club where you can dance
You can dance away the night
I wanna dance away the time let's never look behind

Here's a little sayin'
I'll always hold on to
As long as you can think of
Things to make and to do
You won't need no prayin'
The spirit's is within you
And it's ever present
As long as you let it to

There's a substitude
Like always it's so cheap
There's a funky road where you never fall asleep
There's a club where you can dance
You can dance away the night
I wanna dance away the time let's never look behind

There's a place to hide
People always fall back to
Nature will provide
The future needs a little truth

Yeah there's a substitude
Like always it's so cheap
There's a funky road where you never fall asleep
There's a club where you can dance

You can dance away the night
I wanna dance away the time let's never look behind

Overall Meaning

In the first verse of Absynthe Minded's song "Substitute," the singer refers to a previous evening that ended in a sticky feeling, possibly alluding to a bad experience or memory. The line "a red army attack in every women's sack" creates a vivid image of a powerful force that is carried within, potentially symbolizing inner strength or resilience. The singer suggests that the worst idea is to pray for everything to be good and that bad ideas don't stick around for long.

The chorus brings up the concept of substitutes, which the singer describes as cheap and fleeting. The "funky road" could represent a path of spontaneity and adventure, while the club offers an escape from reality. The singer seems to embrace the idea of dancing away the night and forgetting about what's behind them.

The second verse offers some wisdom, with the singer saying that as long as one can keep creating and doing things, there's no need to pray for something better. The individual's spirit is always present and within them if they let it be. The final lines of the song suggest that there is always a place to hide and that nature offers a source of truth for the future.

Overall, the song seems to encourage living in the moment and embracing life's substitutes rather than holding onto the past.

Line by Line Meaning

There is a sticky feeling
There is an uncomfortable sensation

'Bout that pleasant evening
Regarding that enjoyable night

A red army attack
A sudden and overwhelming assault

In every women's sack
In every female's possession

A particular way of sayin'
A specific manner of speaking

Ba ideas ain't stayin'
Bad ideas are not lasting

The worst idea is prayin'
The poorest decision is to rely on prayer

That all will be good
That everything will be alright

There's a substitude
There is a replacement

Like always it's so cheap
As usual, it is inexpensive

Yeah there's a funky road where you never fall asleep
Yes, there is an energetic path where you never get bored

There's a club where you can dance
There is a venue where you can dance

You can dance away the night
You can dance throughout the entire night

I wanna dance away the time let's never look behind
I desire to dance for hours without dwelling on the past

Here's a little sayin'
Here's a small message

I'll always hold on to
I will always remember

As long as you can think of
As long as you can conceive of

Things to make and to do
Things to create and accomplish

You won't need no prayin'
You won't require prayer

The spirit's is within you
The spirit is inside you

And it's ever present
And it is always here

As long as you let it to
As long as you permit it to do so

There's a place to hide
There is a location to find refuge

People always fall back to
Individuals always revert to

Nature will provide
The environment will offer

The future needs a little truth
The future necessitates a small amount of honesty

Yeah there's a substitude
Yes, there is a replacement

Like always it's so cheap
As usual, it is inexpensive

There's a funky road where you never fall asleep
There is an energetic path where you never get bored

There's a club where you can dance
There is a venue where you can dance

You can dance away the night
You can dance throughout the entire night

I wanna dance away the time let's never look behind
I desire to dance for hours without dwelling on the past

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAN DUTHOY, RENAUD GHILBERT, JAKOB NACHTERGAELE, BERT OSTYN, SERGEJ VAN BOUWEL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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