Carcass is recognized as pioneers in the grindcore genre. Their early work was also associated with tags like "splatter death metal" and "hardgore," owing to their macabre lyrics and gruesome album covers. Moreover, their 1993 album Heartwork contributed to their status as pioneers of melodic death metal.
The band frequently explores animal rights issues in their lyrics, and some members follow vegetarian or vegan lifestyles.
Studio albums
Reek of Putrefaction (1988)
Symphonies of Sickness (1989)
Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious (1991)
Heartwork (1993)
Swansong (1996)
Surgical Steel (2013)
Torn Arteries (2021)
I Told You So
Carcass Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Please tell me what to say
Please tell me what to do
Please tell me how I should behave
Please tell me what to sing
Please tell me what to play
Please tell me how to act
Please tell me who I should be
Please tell me what to do
Please tell me how to please
I really want to be like you
Really done it now, sold out
But to who, what, when, where and how,
Yeah, really done it now, sold out,
I've taken my cut
And corporate rock really sucks
Don't try and tell me how to think
Don't tell me what to say
Don't tell me what to do
Don't try and tell me how to behave
Don't tell me how to sing
Don't tell me how I should play
Don't tell me how to act
I don't want to play to your game
Don't tell me who I should be
Don't tell me what to do
Its myself I'm trying to please,
Don't anyone, least of all, you.
Really done it now, sold out
But to who, what, when, where and how
Yeah, really done it now, sold out
I've taken my cut
[lead]
Yeah, really done it now, sold out
But to who, what, when, where and how,
Yeah, really done it now, sold out
I've taken my cut
Yeah, really done it now, sold out,
But to who, what, when, where and how,
Yeah, really done it now, sold out
I've taken my cut
And corporate rock really does suck
The lyrics to Carcass's song "I Told You So" depict a musician who feels pressured by the music industry to conform to a certain sound and image in order to achieve success. The repeated plea to be told what to say, do, and sing shows a desire to please those in control. However, in the second half of the song, the musician rebels against this pressure and asserts their desire for autonomy and originality. The line "It's myself I'm trying to please, don't anyone, least of all, you" depicts a need for artistic control and self-fulfillment, rather than merely catering to the desires of the industry.
Overall, the song is a critique of the music industry and the pressure it puts on musicians to conform. It also highlights the importance of artistic integrity and the desire to create original music rather than simply conforming to established norms.
Line by Line Meaning
Please tell me how to think
Asking for someone's guidance on how to use my own brain
Please tell me what to say
Asking someone for a script of what to speak
Please tell me what to do
Asking someone for directions on how to live my life
Please tell me how I should behave
Fish for rules to fit in with society
Please tell me what to sing
Asking someone for a melody to hum
Please tell me what to play
Asking someone for which music to listen to or instrument to learn
Please tell me how to act
Asking someone for a role to fill
Please tell me the rules of your game
Pleading for the guidelines of their play
Please tell me who I should be
Asking someone to define my identity
Please tell me how to please
Asking someone for an instruction manual on how to make them happy
I really want to be like you
Admitting my struggle to live up to their standard
Really done it now, sold out
Acknowledging that I have given up my values or beliefs to fit in
But to who, what, when, where and how,
Not knowing who or what I have betrayed, when it happened, or how it happened
I've taken my cut
Acknowledging that I have benefited from betraying myself
Corporate rock really sucks
Expressing my disdain for music made purely for financial gain
Don't try and tell me how to think
Rejecting someone's attempt to control the way I think
Don't tell me what to say
Pushing back against someone's expectation for me to speak their words
Don't tell me what to do
Rejecting someone's attempt to dictate my actions
Don't try and tell me how to behave
Refusing to conform to someone else's desired norms
Don't tell me how to sing
Rejecting someone's suggestion on how to vocalize my thoughts
Don't tell me how I should play
Ignoring someone who expects me to conform to their idea of fun
Don't tell me how to act
Rejecting someone's expectations on how I should behave
I don't want to play to your game
Refusing to follow someone else's rules
It's myself I'm trying to please
Taking ownership of my actions and motivations
Don't anyone, least of all, you.
Rejecting someone's control or influence over me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WALKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wernichtfragt Hörtkeinelügen
For those they know Carcass.. The meaning of the Song, is absolutely clearly <3
Daniel Costa
Sounds clear to me!
Zach Dalmaso
Well yeaaaaaa...it's not exactly something that requires any deep thinking to figure out. The meaning of the song is stated in the title - definitely not a mystery.
Tiago Tato
Falou tudo.
AngryUrukHai
Very different from their other stuff -even from Heartwork- but still so damn good ! Carcass really does rocks !
Barb Wire
I don't think they sold out, they just got tired of playing the way they used to. Anyways I love everything Carcass did.
Rosie Gratz
Exactly, in a weird way I thought of it like progression.
Tiago Tato
Me too.
Iben K
I think some of you guys are misunderstanding. The song is well, obviously about telling producers, sound engineers and many others that they are not interested in sounding like everything else, they're not interested in knowing how (like the lyrics say) they SHOULD play, how they SHOULD act, what they SHOULD do etc, and the chorus is really just sarcastic, implying they're "sellouts" even though that's not the case at all. They don't want to be corporate rock, they want to be Carcass..
Dingus
Carcass, Death, and Dying Fetus have 100% perfect discographies. Not one bad song from these three legendary bands!