Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing the Reagan Administration and the American establishment in general, as well as popular culture and even the punk movement itself. Several stores refused to stock their recordings, sparking debate about censorship in rock music. Jello Biafra became an active campaigner against the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), culminating in an obscenity trial in 1985-1986 which resulted in a hung jury.
The group released a total of four studio albums and one EP before disbanding in 1986. Following the band's dissolution, Jello Biafra continued to collaborate and record with other artists including D.O.A., NoMeansNo and his own bands Lard and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, as well as releasing spoken word performances and becoming an activist with the Green Party.
In 2000, Jello Biafra lost an acrimonious legal case initiated by his former Dead Kennedys band mates over songwriting credits and unpaid royalties. In 2001, the band reformed; various singers have since been recruited for vocal duties.
Your Emotions
Dead Kennedys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Always think like this and never do that
You learned so many feelings but what is there to that
Which are really yours or are you just a copycat?
Your school told you this and your church told you that
Memorize this and don't you dare look at that
They're all so concerned to make their thoughts into yours
You're so boring, boring, boring
Always tape machine recording
You're so boring, boring, boring
I've heard all this before
Planless and mindless scraps from anywhere
Bunch of used parts from garbage pails everywhere
Frankenstein became a monster just like you
Your scars only show when someone talks to you
You're so boring, boring, boring
Always tape machine recording
You're so boring, boring, boring
I've heard all this before
I've heard all this before
I've heard all this before
Your emotions make you a monster
Your emotions make you a monster
Your emotions make you a monster
Your emotions make you a monster
The Dead Kennedys' song "Your Emotions" is a commentary on the societal pressures that individuals face to conform and suppress their individuality. The song opens with the lines, "Your mommy told you this and your daddy told you that, always think like this and never do that." Here, the band is pointing out the fact that people are socialized from an early age to conform to the expectations of their parents.
The second verse of the song references schools and churches as institutions that also mold individuals into conforming to certain beliefs and behaviors. The song criticizes these institutions for trying to create "tape recorders," or carbon copies of people who don't think for themselves.
The chorus of the song calls out those who are boring and unoriginal, who simply regurgitate what they've been taught without thinking critically. The bridge of the song brings in the metaphor of Frankenstein's monster, suggesting that individuals who repress their emotions and conform to societal expectations are like Frankenstein's monster - assembled from scraps and devoid of true identity.
Line by Line Meaning
Your mommy told you this and your daddy told you that
Parents and other figures of authority have conditioned you to think and act in certain ways.
Always think like this and never do that
You were taught to always follow strict rules and never deviate from them.
You learned so many feelings but what is there to that
You have been exposed to a wide range of emotions, but you may not understand them or know which are actually yours.
Which are really yours or are you just a copycat?
You may not have developed your own individual emotional responses, instead merely mimicking those around you.
Your school told you this and your church told you that
Institutions like school and religion continue to condition you to think and behave in specific ways.
Memorize this and don't you dare look at that
You are instructed to remember and conform to certain teachings, with little room for independent thought or curiosity.
They're all so concerned to make their thoughts into yours
Teachers and leaders attempt to instill their own beliefs and ideologies upon you, rather than allowing you to form your own opinions.
Just a tape recorder mimicking of the bores
You have become a passive vessel, simply echoing the unoriginal and uninspiring talking points of others.
You're so boring, boring, boring
The repetition and lack of originality in your thoughts and actions are uninteresting and tedious.
Always tape machine recording
You have become a mechanical recorder, devoid of genuine emotions or independent thought.
Planless and mindless scraps from anywhere
Your thoughts appear to lack direction or purpose, and are cobbled together from various sources without much consideration.
Bunch of used parts from garbage pails everywhere
Your ideas appear to be recycled and unoriginal, lacking in any genuine creativity or ingenuity.
Frankenstein became a monster just like you
The reference to Frankenstein implies that the creation has become a monster like its creator, paralleling how you have become a product of your environment and upbringing.
Your scars only show when someone talks to you
Your emotional wounds and vulnerabilities only become apparent when someone engages in a meaningful conversation with you.
Your emotions make you a monster
Your emotions, or lack thereof, have turned you into something monstrous or inhuman.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Darren Henley, Eric Reed Boucher, Geoffrey Lyall, Raymond John Pepperelle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
J F
Even as a kid this one hit me.
John Smith
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables is one of the best albums of the 80s, if not of all time. Hard to believe that it was released in 1980, as it still sounds awesome after all these years.
Rhino1115
It's just one of those really good songs that isn't popular for some reason, no matter how popular it should be. Most bands have them
legocookies
Wow such a good song with an amazing message good job dead kennedys!
toymasheenSH
I like how nobody knows the lyrics in between "don't you dare look at that" and "just a tape recorder"
Wack Mack
They're all so concerned to make their thoughts onto yours
Just a tape recorder mimicking of the bores, 10 years later LMAO
Suzanne
This song embodies the punk attitude towards questioning what you're told and thinking for yourself. JELLO, YOU ARE MY PERSONAL HERO!
leprosok22
Your school told you this And your church told you that Memorize this And don't you dare look at that Never seen their soul just kicking the door Just a tape recorder Mimicking of the bores
joseph21394
best Dead Kennedys album for sure. and one of the best songs off of it.
AllHaiLKINGTIsHeRe3
I asked jello for the missing lyric to this song and he said it was: They're all so concerned to make their thoughts into yours just a tape recorder mimicking of the bores