Band members:
Tim Kasher – lead vocals, guitars, organ
Matt Maginn – bass, backing vocals
Clint Schnase – drums, percussion
Ted Stevens – guitars, backing vocals
Patrick Newbery – miscellaneous instruments
1997 - Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes
1998 - The Storms of Early Summer
2000 - Domestica
2003 - The Ugly Organ
2006 - Happy Hollow
2009 - Mama, I'm Swollen
2012 - I Am Gemini
2018 - Vitriola
2019 - Get Fixed
Butcher the Song
Cursive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And a place,
This is neither the time nor the place.
"Where do i fit in, in this jigsaw of a relationship?!?" Why should I play the fall guy to your love? I keep getting snubbed...
What dumb luck, what dumb luck."
"So rub it in... with your dumb lyrics. Yeah, that's the time and place to wring out your bullshit. And each album I'll get shit on a little more, "Whose Tim's latest whore?"
Now, that's not fair - no, that's just obscene.
I'm writing songs to entertain,
but these people... they just want pain.
They want to hear my deepest sins
The songs from the ugly organ.
And what comes out is a horrible mess,
Songs I can't forget
What's been said and this guilt I can't shed.
It still rings in my ears - oh get out the butchers knife.
The organ's playing my song,
But the song's gone on too long.
What a day to sever such ugly extremities.
"What a lovely day." says the butcher
As he raises his arm.
Cursive’s song “Butcher the Song” is a powerful commentary on the artist’s struggle to reconcile his creative expression with his audience’s demands. The opening lines “There’s a time and a place, this is neither the time nor the place” set the tone for the song’s themes of frustration and dissatisfaction. The singer feels out of place in a relationship or artistic milieu, asking “where do I fit in, in this jigsaw of a relationship?” They refuse to “play the fall guy to your love” and feel constantly snubbed. The line “what dumb luck, what dumb luck” is a bitter reflection on the singer’s perceived lack of agency.
The second verse delves further into the artist’s relationship with their audience. The singer takes aim at critics who dismiss their work as “dumb lyrics”, and laments the fact that they will always be a target of derision. It’s clear that the singer is frustrated with the way their audience views them - as a “whore” or a “performing monkey”, someone who exists solely to entertain. They feel like they’re in a catch-22 situation - they write songs to entertain, but their audience only wants to hear “songs from the ugly organ” - the darkest, most personal parts of the singer’s psyche. The line “what’s been said and this guilt I can’t shed” speaks to the weight of creative responsibility that the artist feels. They are haunted by the knowledge that their work can have real impact on people’s lives, and are struggling to reckon with this reality.
Overall, the song paints a vivid picture of an artist struggling to balance their own creative impulses with the expectations of their audience. The chorus, with its repeated refrain of “get out the butcher’s knife”, suggests that the singer feels like their very identity is being carved up by the demands of others. It’s a powerful and emotional piece of music that speaks to the universal experience of trying to make art in a world that often doesn’t seem to appreciate it.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a time
There are appropriate circumstances for everything.
And a place,
There is a specific location that is appropriate for everything.
This is neither the time nor the place.
This current moment or setting is not appropriate for the current situation.
"Where do i fit in, in this jigsaw of a relationship?!?" Why should I play the fall guy to your love? I keep getting snubbed...
"I'm unsure of my role in our relationship. I don't want to be the one who always gets hurt."
What dumb luck, what dumb luck."
How unlucky.
So rub it in... with your dumb lyrics. Yeah, that's the time and place to wring out your bullshit. And each album I'll get shit on a little more, "Whose Tim's latest whore?"
Sarcasm implying writing about others' drama in songs is the right time and place to do so, even though it's insincere.
Now, that's not fair - no, that's just obscene.
Paraphrasing: They shouldn't write insulting lyrics about anyone.
I'll stop speaking for you if you stop speaking for me.
Let's stop writing about each other in our songs.
I'm writing songs to entertain,
I write songs with the intent to entertain.
but these people... they just want pain.
Fans sometimes prefer to hear sad songs with painful lyrics.
They want to hear my deepest sins
Lovers of music want to hear the most vulnerable parts of an artist.
The songs from the ugly organ.
My art may make me feel terrible about myself, like an ugly organ.
And what comes out is a horrible mess,
My art can sound terrible to me and others.
Songs I can't forget
Even if I want to, I could not forget the songs I produced.
What's been said and this guilt I can't shed.
I feel guilt for some of the things I wrote in the past.
It still rings in my ears - oh get out the butchers knife.
"I still remember what I wrote, and I want to forget."
The organ's playing my song,
My current song is playing.
But the song's gone on too long.
This song went on for too long.
What a day to sever such ugly extremities.
"This is the day to cut off the bad parts."
"What a lovely day." says the butcher
As he raises his arm.
The line is a pessimistic, ironic statement prior to the metaphorical execution of poor segments of the writer's art.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Clint Frederick Schnase, Gretta Mindy Cohn, Matthew Ryan Maginn, Ted James Stevens, Tim Kasher
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Best song on the album, imo
Megbedz
I've been screaming for years, but it gets me nowhere.
christian gomez
my favorite cursive song
insect
0:07 when you try to use your bicycle inside in pokemon
Qlakzo's A.I. Powered Portcullis
ROFL, you connected it with Professor Oaks flavor text
Paige Mckee
This song
Is just something else...
yung pseudonym
i bought this from a zia records in arizona with no recommendation and i never heard it before when i was much younger. one of the few good decision i made back then.
Amber Bolin
They wanna hear my deepest sins
Alexander Aultman
GET OUT THE BUTCHER'S KNIFE
Just Banter
ita to bloody good