Novacane
Beck Lyrics


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Keep on talking like a Novocaine hurricane
Low static on the poor man's short-wave
Stampede's got to dismantle
Code-red: what's your handle

Mission incredible undercover convoy
Full-tilt chromosome cowboy
X-ray search and destroy
Smoke stack black top Novocaine boy

Got so low your mom won't drum
Getting late with the suicide beat
Test-tube, still-born and dazed
Chump scum plays in the razor's haze
Got the momentum radioactive
Lowdown!

Circumcised for the operation
Don't expect some generation
Cyanide ride down the turnpike
Hundred hours on the miracle mic
Grinding the gears eighteen wheels
Rigs and robots riding on their heels

Fine tune robot making a sand box
Heats and infernos burning like Draino
Down the horizon purple gasses
Semi-trucks hauling them asses
Novocaine, hit the road expressway




Explode!
Novocaine! Novocaine!

Overall Meaning

In the first verse, Beck is using the metaphor of Novocain to describe the numbness and lack of emotion in society. The "Novocain hurricane" represents the overwhelming feeling of apathy and detachment that can be witnessed in people's behavior. The "low static on the poor man's short-wave" implies that people's voices are not only ignored but have become a mere mumble in the midst of chaos. The "stampede" that "dismantle[s]" represents how people are caught up in their own problems, and they destroy anything that stands in their way.


In the second verse, Beck introduces the idea of a mission full of undercover agents who operate in secret. These "chromosome cowboys" come equipped with X-ray vision and are skilled at searching and destroying. The reference to "smoke stack black top Novocaine boy" is a metaphor for the harmful effects of industrialization on society. The last few lines of the verse emphasize how society is in a downward spiral, with people falling prey to self-destructive tendencies.


The final verse talks about the consequences of such destructive behavior. Beck implies that society has lost hope and decided to take radical measures to end their misery. The reference to "cyanide ride down the turnpike" is a metaphor for suicide. The "miracle mic" symbolizes the desperation for salvation from the chaos. The "grinding the gears eighteen wheels" and "rigs and robots" alludes to the industrialization and destruction of the earth, which came at great cost to its people. The final lines, "Novocain, hit the road expressway, explode!" seem to suggest that society is at the brink of collapse and is about to explode.


Line by Line Meaning

Keep on talking like a Novocaine hurricane
Continue speaking numbly, as if numbed by Novocaine


Low static on the poor man's short-wave
Weak radio signal for the impoverished


Stampede's got to dismantle
Stampede must be taken apart


Code-red: what's your handle
Emergency alert: What's your code name?


Mission incredible undercover convoy
Secret mission involving a group of vehicles


Full-tilt chromosome cowboy
Wild, reckless genetic manipulator


X-ray search and destroy
Examine and eliminate all obstacles


Smoke stack black top Novocaine boy
Boy who is surrounded by industrial pollution and numbness


Got so low your mom won't drum
Feeling so depressed that even your mother can't cheer you up


Getting late with the suicide beat
Running out of time to carry out a suicide plan


Test-tube, still-born and dazed
Artificially created, failed and confused


Chump scum plays in the razor's haze
Worthless people flirt with danger


Got the momentum radioactive
Energy is dangerously high and unstable


Lowdown!
Unfortunate reality!


Circumcised for the operation
Cut for surgery


Don't expect some generation
There will be no descendants


Cyanide ride down the turnpike
Deadly journey down the highway


Hundred hours on the miracle mic
One hundred hours on an amazing microphone


Grinding the gears eighteen wheels
Working hard with eighteen wheel trucks


Rigs and robots riding on their heels
Large machines and robots trailing closely behind


Fine tune robot making a sand box
Perfecting a robot's construction like making a sandcastle


Heats and infernos burning like Draino
Intense heat and fire, causing destruction


Down the horizon purple gasses
Purple-colored fumes in the distance


Semi-trucks hauling them asses
Large trucks carrying their loads


Novocaine, hit the road expressway
Numbness, let's go onto the highway


Explode!
Burst open, blow up!


Novocaine! Novocaine!
Numbness, numbness!




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BECK DAVID HANSEN, JOHN ROBERT KING, MICHAEL S. SIMPSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@Pride317

Lyrics

[Intro]
Funky, baby

[Verse 1]
Keep on trucking like a novocaine hurricane
Blowing static on the paranoid short-wave
Short fuse, got to dismantle
Code red, what's your handle?
Mission incredible undercover convoy
Full-tilt chromosome cowboy
X-ray search and destroy
Smokestack blacktop novocaine boy
Got some rum, longhorn drums
Detonate with the suicide gate
Test tube, stillborn and dazed
Drugstore plains in the razor's haze
Got the momentum radioactive
Lowdown

[Verse 2]
Circumcised for the operation
Full spectrum generation
Cyanide ride down the turnpike
After hours on the miracle mic
Grinding the gears, eighteen wheels
Pigs and robots riding on their heels
Power through the roadblock, making a sandblast
Diesel aluminum cruising like Drano
Down the horizon, purple gasses
Semi-trucks hauling their asses
Novocaine, hit the road expressway
Explode

[Refrain]
Novocaine
Novocaine
Funky, baby



All comments from YouTube:

@eldiablo3794

Odelay is by far the best era of Beck. Hearing this song brings back good memories because my dad used to listen to this album, Odelay, everyday when we'd drive anywhere back in 1997 from baseball practice, to school, to work we were always bumpin this album.

@monos33

Early Beck is pure genius.

@trvawter

I concur

@Burt472

Francis Lefebvre Agreed

@Timi87

I couldnt agree more... mellow gold is a genius album too

@jayocaine2946

this isn't early beck.

@magnateeze

This is early Beck? Wow! I must be getting old. I thought "a giant dildo crushing the sun" was early. LOL

11 More Replies...

@stagbatsman8974

"Novacane" pretty much sums up the awesomeness, that is Beck Hansen, in one single track. It's a multitude of styles/genres/sounds/samples stuck chunky in a high speed blender and served on a flaming parade float, and you'd better enjoy that scenic vista while the fireworks go off, cause it's 9:30 on a Wednesday night and you might miss that golden moment.

@michaelkottler

Agreed.

@lupodelupis3672

Absolutely one the best tracks on Odelay....and it's not easy to choose because it's such a great album!

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