Green attended Emerson College briefly in 1998 before leaving to concentrate on his music, going on to co-found the anti folk group The Moldy Peaches with Kimya Dawson. In 2004 The Moldy Peaches went on hiatus and both Green and Dawson embarked on solo careers.
Green released several albums on Rough Trade Records. Among his better known songs are "Jessica" (about singer Jessica Simpson), "Novotel", "Friends of Mine", "Dance with Me", "Carolina" and "Emily", and, in Britain, his cover of The Libertines track "What a Waster".
Prior to Jacket Full of Danger in 2006, all of Green's albums had been released on the 22nd of the month. His latest album was released on March 18, 2008 and is titled Sixes & Sevens. Titles include "Morning After Midnight", "Twee Twee Dee", and "Drowning Head First", the latter a duet between Green and his girlfriend.
In January 2008, The Moldy Peaches began having a resurgence in popularity, due to their music being included in the hit indie film Juno.
That Sounds Like a Pony
Adam Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sevens upstairs brothels
with plackers on the mantels
And ten fish play with samples
with candles in the back
he was a well dresses suitor
he had bad breath and candor
I thing they would have liked him
Fuzzy and cuddly he's fonzo the rabbit
he drink form the nozzle and stinks like a ferret
The bought him a temple with children to play with
now he sells his skunk blood and talks like a plaintiff
Hello to my red uncles you are my favorite commies
I'll meet you Sal Anthony's and then go to Pilates
worship the swordsmen the multitasking Mormons
They breath up in the shithouse when you wrap them in contortions
goddess immodest top twenty-seven hottest
with forty-nine heads in your bed and yet I'm still your fondest
Take me through the mandible with pcp's and van der Bilts
where pg rated cannibals will share their thoughts on animals
And peanut butter sandwiches will plug the hole that banishes
with sights on race that vanishes
But that sounds like a pony.
The lyrics of Adam Green's song, That Sounds Like a Pony, are fragmented and surreal. The lyrics don't seem to follow any conventional narrative structure or rhyme scheme. Instead, they create a series of images that oscillate between absurd and profound. The song starts with the line, "That sounds like a pony," which is repeated throughout the song, encapsulating the central theme. The next line reads, "Sevens upstairs brothels," which is an ambiguous reference, possibly highlighting the seedy and shady side of society. The following line, "with plackers on the mantels," could imply that the brothels are well decorated with dental items. The lines that follow, "And ten fish play with samples, with candles in the back," add to the surrealistic imagery as they create a bizarre and inexplicable visual.
The following stanza introduces a character, "he was a well-dressed suitor, he had bad breath and candor." This line is interesting because it suggests that the character was polished and sophisticated but unpleasant despite this facade. The next line refers to this character's death at the hands of his manager, leaving the listener curious about the context of the character's death. The song resumes its surrealistic nature in the next few lines, with a bunny named Fonzo who is fuzzy and cuddly but smells like a ferret. The subsequent lines refer to Fonzo's ownership of a temple where he engages with children and the sale of his skunk blood, creating a strange and intriguing image.
The next few stanzas contain references to communism, Mormons, cannibals, and the vanishing of race. These seemingly unrelated topics meld together with the central theme of the song, "But that sounds like a pony," serving as the thread that ties everything together. Overall, the song leaves the listener with the feeling of being trapped in a somber dream world, providing an interpretation of life and society seen through a distorted prism.
Line by Line Meaning
That sounds like a pony
The situation being described is reminiscent of a pony, which is a whimsical and fanciful animal that represents something playful, innocent, or outlandish.
Sevens upstairs brothels
There are brothels located on the upper floors of buildings, and specifically seven of them.
with plackers on the mantels
These brothels have plackers, which are small pieces of plastic used to floss teeth, placed on their mantels as decoration.
And ten fish play with samples
There are ten fish that are playing with samples of something, although it is unclear what the samples are or what the fish are doing with them.
with candles in the back
There are candles situated in the back of this scene, which may provide a dim or romantic atmosphere.
he was a well dresses suitor
A man who was pursuing someone else was dressed very well, implying that he put a lot of effort into his appearance in order to impress the other person.
he had bad breath and candor
Despite his good looks, this man had bad breath and spoke very bluntly and honestly, which could have been a turn-off for the person he was pursuing.
I thing they would have liked him
Despite his flaws, the person being pursued may have liked this man if he had not been killed by his manager.
but he got killed by his manager
Unfortunately, this man was killed by his manager for unknown reasons, preventing any chance of a relationship with the person he was pursuing.
Fuzzy and cuddly he's fonzo the rabbit
A rabbit named Fonzo is described as fuzzy and cuddly, implying that he is a lovable and charming creature who is endearing to people.
he drink form the nozzle and stinks like a ferret
Fonzo drinks something from a nozzle, and he smells like a ferret, which could be interpreted as either endearing or disgusting depending on one's personal preferences.
The bought him a temple with children to play with
Somebody purchased a temple for Fonzo to live in, and gave him children to play with, which could be interpreted as either kind or bizarre depending on one's perspective.
now he sells his skunk blood and talks like a plaintiff
Fonzo has now turned to selling skunk blood, and speaks in a plaintive manner, which could suggest that he is unhappy or needy.
Hello to my red uncles you are my favorite commies
The singer is saying hello to their communist uncles, and specifically refers to them as their favorite ones, although it is unclear why they are referred to as "red".
I'll meet you Sal Anthony's and then go to Pilates
The singer plans to meet their uncles at Sal Anthony's restaurant before going to a Pilates class, implying that they are part of a well-to-do or health-conscious social circle.
worship the swordsmen the multitasking Mormons
The artist suggests that people should worship swordsmen and multitasking Mormons, although it is unclear what they mean by this.
They breath up in the shithouse when you wrap them in contortions
When you wrap these swordsmen/Mormons in contortions, they breathe up in the shithouse, which could be interpreted as nonsense or a euphemism for something else.
goddess immodest top twenty-seven hottest
A goddess, who is immodest, is ranked as the 27th hottest person in some unknown ranking system.
with forty-nine heads in your bed and yet I'm still your fondest
Despite the presence of 49 heads in someone's bed, the singer is still enamored of the person, although it is unclear why there are 49 heads in the bed.
Take me through the mandible with pcp's and van der Bilts
The artist desires to be taken through the mandible (jaw) with PCP (a drug) and Van der Bilts (which could refer to an elite social class or the name of a person).
where pg rated cannibals will share their thoughts on animals
In this bizarre scenario, cannibals who are rated PG (meaning appropriate for children) will share their thoughts on animals, which could be interpreted as a commentary on morality or censorship.
And peanut butter sandwiches will plug the hole that banishes
Peanut butter sandwiches are said to plug a hole that banishes something, although it is unclear what this refers to or why peanut butter sandwiches would be the solution.
with sights on race that vanishes
There are racist views or beliefs that are fading away or disappearing, which could be interpreted as either hopeful or depressing depending on one's perspective.
But that sounds like a pony.
The song returns to its opening line, suggesting that despite all of the strange and bizarre things that have been described, the situation still reminds the artist of a pony, emphasizing its whimsical or outlandish nature.
Contributed by Zachary N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.