Algernon Cadwallader is an emo band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which … Read Full Bio ↴Algernon Cadwallader is an emo band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which Included former members of Halfway to Holland. The band started in the year 2005. They released their first full-length album in 2008 titled Some Kind Of Cadwallader. They released their second full-length album in 2011 titled Parrot Flies. In 2018, they re-issued their albums to digital streaming services for the first time. The re-issue contained what the band referred to as their "third LP", a compilation of their 2006 demo, the 2009 Fun EP and several b-sides and covers of instrumental Beatles and Beach Boys songs, "some of it we decided to record and put vocals on it.” In 2022 they reunited for a reunion tour of the United States, and later toured Europe and Japan.

Members now play in Hop Along, Business Models, Mike Bell & The Movies and Yankee Bluff.

Horror
Algernon Cadwallader Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Porcelain seat reading
that keeps me up to my eyes in covers at night
But the one that scared the shit out of me
Followed frankenstein

And the walking dead
Drake douglas depicts
The african

Slave trade
And blunts dracula's teeth
(Drake douglas depicts)
Wolfman loses his wolf

The dead alive
Walk back to their graves
and crawl inside
The texas chansaw massacre
and all of these

just baby brother of
American history

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Algernon Cadwallader's song "Horror" deal with various horror themes and how they relate to American history. The first verse talks about being scared by reading a book while sitting on a toilet seat, and the reference to Frankenstein suggests that this fear is rooted in the classic horror literature of the 19th century. The second verse then moves on to discuss other horror motifs, such as zombies, vampires, and werewolves. However, these are not just simple references - they are used to comment on broader historical themes. The line "Drake Douglas depicts the African slave trade" refers to a historical novel called "The Middle Passage" by V.S. Naipaul, which describes the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade. By describing this as something that "blunts Dracula's teeth," the song draws a connection between the supernatural and the horrific, seemingly supernatural events of American history. Similarly, the line "Wolfman loses his wolf" can be interpreted as a commentary on American identity and how it has changed over time. By casting werewolves as a symbol of Americanness, the song suggests that the "loss" of this identity is a result of the country's violent past.

Line by Line Meaning

Porcelain seat reading
Reading on the toilet

that keeps me up to my eyes in covers at night
That scares me so much I can't sleep

But the one that scared the shit out of me
But the one that terrified me

Followed frankenstein
Has elements from Frankenstein

And the walking dead
Zombies

Drake douglas depicts
The writer Drake Douglas portrays

The african
The African people

Slave trade
The practice of enslaving African people

And blunts dracula's teeth
And lessens the impact of Dracula

(Drake douglas depicts)
(The writer Drake Douglas portrays)

Wolfman loses his wolf
The werewolf loses his powers