Foilly Foibles/GOLD
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics


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The price we paid for our mistakes today
Was more mistakes

The price we paid for stealing gold from them
We paid with gold
There's still a lot more, never learned my lesson
No more mistakes anymore, gold
My skin is turning old
I don't wanna shake it
I'm dressing up
I'm dressin' up in gold

Grow old, grow old
Grow old, grow old with gold
Grow old, grow old
Grow old, grow old in gold

Grow old, grow old
Grow old, grow old
Grow old, grow old in gold
Grow old, grow old, grow old in gold

2 by 2 times 4
Get on the floor
Piss on the poor
How much change you lookin' for? Hey

It's a job, it's a natural fact, is it?
It's a job, foilly foibles, ooh
Change is my friend, foilly foibles
I'm it again, foilly foibles

Stuck in a ditch, hey, foilly foibles
Without a stitch, hey, oh, oh, foilly foibles, oh
Lifted again, foilly foibles
Stole your friend, foilly

The price we paid for wanting nothing special
Was nothing, not even the special
The price we paid for eating gold for breakfast
Was getting fat and homely, our skin is getting old

Ooh, don't wanna shake it
I'm dressing it up in gold

Being friendly only
When gold was thrown right at me
Booed off the stage but I'm still
The one laughing, heh

It's a job, it's a natural fact, is it?
It's a job, foilly foibles
Foilly's my friend, foilly foibles, ooh
Do it again, hey, foilly foibles, ooh
Do it for free, ho ho, foilly foibles, ooh

Lie in the ditch, foilly foibles, ooh
What can I get? Foilly foibles, ooh
Nothing I can do, afraid, foilly foibles, ooh
Afraid, hey, foilly foibles, ooh




Afraid, foilly foibles, hey
Afraid, foilly foibles

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti's song Foilly Foibles/GOLD are filled with social commentary and criticism. The first verse talks about the consequences of making mistakes, and how the price we pay for those mistakes is often more mistakes. The second verse is a reference to the greed that drives people to steal gold and how they end up paying with the same. The chorus talks about growing old with gold, implying that people are so obsessed with acquiring wealth that they forget about aging and other important things in life.


The bridge of the song is an interesting take on society's attitude towards the poor. The line "piss on the poor, how much change you looking for" is a stark and brutal reminder of how the wealthy treat the marginalized sections of society. The song also talks about the nature of work, how it is often just a means to an end, and how people are willing to do anything for money. The line "It's a job, it's a natural fact, is it?" suggests that people have resigned to the fact that they have to work and that there is no other way around it.


The song's title "Foilly Foibles" is a play on the word "foibles," which means a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone's character. Here, it is used to describe society's obsession with wealth and material possessions. Overall, the song is a cynical commentary on society and capitalism, highlighting the flaws and shortcomings of our modern world.


Line by Line Meaning

The price we paid for our mistakes today Was more mistakes
We made more mistakes as a result of paying a price for our previous mistakes


The price we paid for stealing gold from them We paid with gold
We paid for the gold we stole by giving them more gold


There's still a lot more, never learned my lesson No more mistakes anymore, gold
Despite not learning our lesson, we have no more room for mistakes because we only have gold now


My skin is turning old I don't wanna shake it I'm dressing up I'm dressin' up in gold
I'm getting old and don't want to show it, so I'm wearing gold to cover it up


Grow old, grow old Grow old, grow old with gold Grow old, grow old Grow old, grow old in gold
As we get older, we want to grow old with and in gold


2 by 2 times 4 Get on the floor Piss on the poor How much change you lookin' for? Hey
Mocking and demeaning the poor by asking how much change they want while urinating on them


It's a job, it's a natural fact, is it? It's a job, foilly foibles, ooh Change is my friend, foilly foibles I'm it again, foilly foibles
Mocking the idea that it's natural to exploit and demean others for personal gain, with 'foilly foibles' being a euphemism for said exploitation


Stuck in a ditch, hey, foilly foibles Without a stitch, hey, oh, oh, foilly foibles, oh Lifted again, foilly foibles Stole your friend, foilly
Placing oneself in a difficult situation due to one's actions, while simultaneously finding a way out and betraying a friend


The price we paid for wanting nothing special Was nothing, not even the special The price we paid for eating gold for breakfast Was getting fat and homely, our skin is getting old
We paid the price of having nothing special, not even what we initially desired. The consequence of consuming gold was unattractive physical appearance and getting old


Ooh, don't wanna shake it I'm dressing it up in gold
Refusing to show the effects of aging and dressing up with gold instead


Being friendly only When gold was thrown right at me Booed off the stage but I'm still The one laughing, heh
Only being friendly to those who give us gold, laughed offstage for our actions but still feeling superior


It's a job, it's a natural fact, is it? It's a job, foilly foibles Foilly's my friend, foilly foibles, ooh Do it again, hey, foilly foibles, ooh Do it for free, ho ho, foilly foibles, ooh
Dehumanizing our exploitative actions by calling them a natural part of life with 'foilly foibles' as a euphemism, and reiterating our willingness to continue to exploit for free


Lie in the ditch, foilly foibles, ooh What can I get? Foilly foibles, ooh Nothing I can do, afraid, foilly foibles, ooh Afraid, hey, foilly foibles, ooh Afraid, foilly foibles, hey Afraid, foilly foibles
Being stuck in the consequences of our decisions and acknowledging there's nothing we can do, expressed as fear, while continuing on the same path of exploitation




Contributed by Lauren V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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