2) Formed in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in early 2008, Civilian is the musical project masterminded by Daniel Debarry and Fábio França, two friends who wanted to share their artistic visions and living
experiences. Civilian’s debut EP consists in four conceptual songs, most of them instrumental with occasional vocals, based on an experimental concept and rooted in a post-metal aesthetic.
3) Civilian is a down- tempo electronica group made up of one young man from Pittsburgh, PA.
4) A side projects of Pleasure Fluids. Lo-fi Power Electronics on True Force/Pain Electronics.
5) The original name for Audioslave.
6) Civilian is an Oi! band from Baltimore
7) Civilian is an indie rock band, releasing two albums, the second with Tooth and Nail Records
Bottom Dollar
Civilian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I've been getting offers every day
I'm a coveted slave
They took me to lunch
I talked, they bought it
Then they sold my soul while it slept in the garden to a High-rise
Every step that you take is sequential
When every move you make gets bank rolled
You better believe I was shocked
When I saw this thing was propped up
By fear and its sponsors:
The banks and the law
When I felt a hand take ahold of my face
Yelling "Put all your goddamn' friends in their places.
Show them the ropes"
So I took them to lunch
They ate, I bought it
In exchange for their will
And I put them all to work on my High-rise
Where every dream is inconsequential
You should count your blessings we're taking this over
You're one of the lucky ones, you know you've got it made
An iron fist with a velvet grip is better than a cage
Oddly enough, the lower class
That built this town, that broke their backs
Are getting word they're going to war
And everyone claps with tears in their eyes
Like we've got their backs, good patriots
Yelling "Show them what First World lead does to a mud hut
Lest any man should ever ‘gain mess with us."
"Back to the East" says the sun to the soldier
As it sets on the West, as to curtsy in respect for his bravery
Because all his dreams are inconsequential
They say it's anti-American to oppose all our violence
Thus, the pro-life hypocrisy: the talent pool is broke
The things enjoyed by the rich are always built by the poor
You ain't supporting the troops if you ain't supporting their war
The song "Bottom Dollar" by Civilian talks about the struggles and sacrifices of being a slave to the system. The lyrics, "Bet your bottom dollar, that I've been getting offers every day, I'm a coveted slave," portray the artist's experience of being offered lucrative opportunities every day, but being ultimately captured by the system. The lines, "Then they sold my soul while it slept in the garden to a High-rise" further explain the artist's predicament of being trapped in a cycle of buying and selling, where their dreams and aspirations have become futile. Every step they take is pre-determined, every move they make is being bankrolled.
The chorus, "You better believe I was shocked when I saw this thing was propped up by fear and its sponsors: The banks and the law" indicates the unfair advantage the system has over individuals. They are being controlled by the banks and the law, which limits their freedom and creativity. The artist feels that they have to compromise on their own beliefs and put in a lot of effort to climb the ladder. The song also takes a dig at the pro-war sentiments of the government, and how the lower class is manipulated to serve their agenda. The line, "They say it's anti-American to oppose all our violence, thus, the pro-life hypocrisy: the talent pool is broke," is a commentary on the way the government exploits people's emotions to make them serve their agenda.
Line by Line Meaning
Bet your bottom dollar
You can be sure
That I've been getting offers every day
I've been receiving job offers regularly
I'm a coveted slave
I'm a highly desirable employee
They took me to lunch
They treated me to a meal
I talked, they bought it
They believed everything I said
Then they sold my soul while it slept in the garden to a High-rise
Then they exploited me and sold out my interests to a corporation
Every step that you take is sequential
Every action you take has a consequence
When every move you make gets bank rolled
When everything you do is funded by someone else
You better believe I was shocked
I was genuinely surprised
When I saw this thing was propped up
When I realized this was all a facade
By fear and its sponsors:
By the support of those who benefit from creating fear
The banks and the law
The financial institutions and the legal system
When I felt a hand take ahold of my face
When I felt that someone was trying to control me
Yelling "Put all your goddamn' friends in their places.
Ordering me to assert control over my associates
Show them the ropes"
Teach them how the system works
So I took them to lunch
I treated them to a meal
They ate, I bought it
They enjoyed themselves while I paid for it
In exchange for their will
In exchange for their cooperation
And I put them all to work on my High-rise
And I employed them in my corporate enterprise
Where every dream is inconsequential
Where individual aspirations don't matter
You should count your blessings we're taking this over
You should be grateful that we're in control now
You're one of the lucky ones, you know you've got it made
You're fortunate to have a comfortable life
An iron fist with a velvet grip is better than a cage
It's better to be ruled by a powerful, yet subtle force than to be confined
Oddly enough, the lower class
Ironically, the impoverished
That built this town, that broke their backs
Who built this city with their hard labor
Are getting word they're going to war
Are being informed that they'll be sent to fight
And everyone claps with tears in their eyes
And everyone applauds emotionally
Like we've got their backs, good patriots
As if we support them wholeheartedly, as loyal citizens
Yelling "Show them what First World lead does to a mud hut
Yelling to demonstrate the superiority of First World countries over developing countries
Lest any man should ever ‘gain mess with us."
So that no one would ever think to challenge us
"Back to the East" says the sun to the soldier
"Return to the front lines" says the sun to the soldier
As it sets on the West, as to curtsy in respect for his bravery
As it sets in the West, as if to pay homage to his courage
Because all his dreams are inconsequential
Because his individual desires don't matter
They say it's anti-American to oppose all our violence
They claim that criticizing our violent actions is unpatriotic
Thus, the pro-life hypocrisy: the talent pool is broke
So, there's a hypocrisy in being pro-life and supporting war, as it damages the workforce
The things enjoyed by the rich are always built by the poor
The wealthy's luxuries are always constructed by the labor of the impoverished
You ain't supporting the troops if you ain't supporting their war
You're not truly supporting the soldiers if you're not backing their war effort
Contributed by Adeline Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.