The band is known for their lyrics, which often make strong social and political statements, dealing with themes such as anti-consumerism, vegetarianism, questioning of the status quo, and the general encouragement of people to get along with one another.
It is rumored that the band Citizen Dick from the movie Singles is an homage to Citizen Fish and its lead singer.
In 2006 they toured with and recorded a split LP with punk band Leftöver Crack. This was the first Fish activity in recent years, as the members have been concentrating on Subhumans activity as of late (they did do a small East Coast/Midwest U.S. tour consisting of off-the-map bars and basements in the summer of 2005, much to the delight of dedicated fans).
First Impressions
Citizen Fish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Perhaps this stake could be put across/without saying whether it was good or
Not/decided? hardly! couldn't give a toss/played up to a crowd like jonathan
Ross/or some such personality deceit/but left the situation with something
More complete/that scared the hell for its obvious showing/of a well inside
Full of deeper knowing/that said "that was all worng"/reversed the role from
Weak to strong/decided to whom he really belonged/and later felt the pain it
Caused/like a victory without the war/incomplete and nothing more/whan self-
Lem twice as bad/with a hatred of the actual truth/he cut the little bond they
Had had/don't take anyone for granted/every first impression slained/next one
Came as a surprise/and opened up some guilty eyes/take a sip from eachother's
Cup/then find a common one to filland if it tasted good fill it up/and if it
Dosen't let it spill
To start with, Citizen Fish's "First Impressions" is a song about a person who made a wrong impression and consequently, has to deal with the impact it had. The lyrics describe a situation where a man, quite detached and closed off, is with a woman. He is trying to hold her hand but only ends up coughing, indicating that he may have some difficulties with social interactions. He attempts to convey something about himself, maybe communicative difficulties or a loss of understanding. He suggests that there is an issue that needs to be addressed that would be satisfying but lacks conviction about it. Jonathan Ross is used as a comparison to the man’s insincere efforts- a popular UK television presenter who is known for putting up appearances as opposed to being genuine.
As the interaction progresses, the man discovers something profound about himself that he may have never realized before, and it causes him to re-evaluate who he really is. He experiences something scary but liberating, a feeling of deeper knowing that shatters his previous impression. However, this awareness comes at a cost, and he feels emotional pain. He realizes that his commitment to being aloof and detached was a mistake and that he shouldn't take anyone for granted. The song encourages us to be introspective, challenging us to look beyond the superficial and to see people for who they really are.
Line by Line Meaning
Closed off he took her by the hand and coughed/to cover an understanding loss/
He was unable to express himself properly and coughed awkwardly, feeling a loss of understanding.
Perhaps this stake could be put across/without saying whether it was good or Not/decided? hardly! couldn't give a toss/
He considered sharing his thoughts but wasn't sure if they were good or not. He didn't care enough to decide.
played up to a crowd like jonathan Ross/or some such personality deceit/
He acted in a fake way to please others, like how a TV personality might act on camera.
but left the situation with something More complete/that scared the hell for its obvious showing/of a well inside Full of deeper knowing/
Despite his fake behavior, he gained a deeper understanding of himself that scared him.
that said "that was all worng"/reversed the role from Weak to strong/
He realized that his previous actions were wrong and decided to change from being weak to strong.
decided to whom he really belonged/and later felt the pain it Caused/
He decided who he truly belonged with and later felt the pain from losing someone else due to his actions.
like a victory without the war/incomplete and nothing more/whan self-
Ish - what did he do it for?/
His victory was hollow and incomplete because of his selfish actions. He questions why he did it in the first place.
taking time out to stay aloof/had made the prob- Lem twice as bad/
Taking time away to be distant had made the problem worse by causing more distance between them.
with a hatred of the actual truth/he cut the little bond they Had had/
He hated the truth and cut the small bond they had established.
don't take anyone for granted/every first impression slained/
He learned not to take anyone for granted because every first impression can be wrong.
next one Came as a surprise/and opened up some guilty eyes/
The next impression came as a surprise and made him feel guilty about his previous actions.
take a sip from eachother's Cup/then find a common one to filland if it tasted good fill it up/and if it Dosen't let it spill
Share experiences and find common ground. If it feels good, keep going. If not, move on.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
schloopfeng
an entire band of genius's
Coops2404
dick lucas is a fucking genius
Howard Gaskin
Masterpiece .
Michael Long
We got straight edge hard core this core that core too many dividing lines! SKANK
Marc Lauzon
allo de Montreal Canada