Dead Man Ray is a Belgian rock band. Among its members are Daan Stuyven, Ru… Read Full Bio ↴Dead Man Ray is a Belgian rock band. Among its members are Daan Stuyven, Rudy Trouvé, Elko Blijweert, Wouter Van Belle and Herman Houbrechts, who was later replaced by drummer Karel De Backer. The band was best known for their experimental way of making rock music: cutting & pasting song fragments next to eachother to produce one song. This methodology was used throughout the first two cd's (Berchem and Trap). For their third LP Dead Man Ray chose to 'renew' their sound and play a song in its entirety without experimenting with it. Their biggest 'hits' were Chemical, Woods and Landslide.

Their last album (Cago) dates from 2002. This album was recorded in Chicago and produced by Steve Albini.

According to their site, they are holding an introspective break and will restart creativity throughout 2006.

Preset
Dead Man Ray Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Preset sun will shine upon
Your preset golden face
Concrete blocks delay the clocks
Of neighbours waking up
Your preset smile it sooths me
While my coffee gently weeps
We made a choice like litle boys
To preset all our toys

Happy me and happy you
The preset happy you
We chose ourself to like ourself
Like grown up people do
If walls we do not crack
Or dropped we don't look back
When left without a vice
Still preset we think twice

Airheads united content to play safe
Airheads united play cards on their grave
Summon the artists and program their rave
Fill up their gas tank and sempti their slave

Social club workers and subsidized nerts
Smile when your preset emotion it hurts
Swallow the voice pearls till your throat it hurts
Join all discussions with raincoats & furs

I can't write no columns cause I don't give no
I'm costipated while writing my hits
Preset the chorus and preset refrains
Preset the break so you don't feel ashamed

Where are the presets when you really need one?

We're tuned to stables where the horses don't run
Send me the pillow on which you were preset

Overall Meaning

The song "Preset" by Dead Man Ray speaks about the concept of living life on autopilot, where everything from emotions to actions are pre-programmed and executed without much thought or consideration. The "preset sun" and "preset golden face" highlight the idea of being complacent and satisfied with the standard settings of life, without daring to challenge or explore one's true desires or passions. The concrete blocks that delay the clocks of neighbors waking up represent the monotony and predictability of daily routine that often hinders creativity and personal growth.

The chorus talks about the comfort of being happy with oneself and the decisions made, as long as they are in line with the expectations of society and one's social circle. However, the song warns against becoming too complacent and comfortable, as it could lead to a lack of substance and a superficial existence. The bridge of the song takes a dig at the conformist nature of society, where art is programmed and emotions are preset and controlled. The metaphor of "airheads united" refers to the people who accept this way of life, while the artists are summoned and programmed to cater to their shallow desires.

Overall, the song "Preset" is a commentary on modern society and its obsession with conformity, predictability, and surface-level happiness.

Line by Line Meaning

Preset sun will shine upon
The sun will shine upon us as it is predestined to do.

Your preset golden face
Your face will always be golden and beautiful as it is predestined to be that way.

Concrete blocks delay the clocks
The solid structures around us make it seem like time is moving slower than it actually is.

Of neighbours waking up
The surrounding people are not affected by our own preset routine.

Your preset smile it soothes me
Your smile is always set to have a calming effect on me.

While my coffee gently weeps
As I relax and drink my coffee, I become more reflective on life.

We made a choice like little boys
We made decisions like naive children without really thinking through the consequences.

To preset all our toys
We set things up in a predetermined way, like a toy being set up before it is played with.

Happy me and happy you
We are both happy because of our set and predictable routines.

The preset happy you
You are happy because of your predestined lifestyle.

We chose ourselves to like ourselves
We have decided to find contentment in ourselves and our predictable lifestyle.

Like grown up people do
We are acting like typical adults by following a planned and stable routine.

If walls we do not crack
As long as we don't deviate from our planned routine, we will remain content and happy.

Or dropped we don't look back
Even if something unexpected happens, we will not let it disrupt our predestined lifestyle.

When left without a vice
When we are alone with our thoughts, we still follow our predesignated ways of thinking and living.

Still preset we think twice
We always consider our planned routine as we make decisions, even when unexpected things happen.

Airheads united content to play safe
People who follow predictable, mundane routines are happy with their predictable lives.

Airheads united play cards on their grave
People who follow predetermined ways of thinking and living continue to do so even in the face of death.

Summon the artists and program their rave
People try to control and influence even creative artists and force them to follow a predetermined style or routine.

Fill up their gas tank and sempti their slave
People try to control and maintain power over others by providing for them and keeping them dependent and trapped in a certain lifestyle.

Social club workers and subsidized nerts
People who are content with their predictable lives look down on people who are creative or innovative.

Smile when your preset emotion it hurts
Even if things go wrong, people who live a set routine continue to present a happy facade.

Swallow the voice pearls till your throat it hurts
People who follow a predetermined lifestyle suppress their true feelings and emotions, even if it causes them pain.

Join all discussions with raincoats & furs
People who are content with their pre set lifestyle continue to follow all the social conventions even if they don’t mean anything.

I can't write no columns cause I don't give no
I don't write as much as I could, because I don't care enough to do so.

I'm costipated while writing my hits
I struggle to write anything meaningful or creative because I'm trapped in a predestined creative rut.

Preset the chorus and preset refrains
In order to make predictably popular music, the same patterns are repeated and set in advance.

Preset the break so you don't feel ashamed
Even the unexpected moments in music are predestined so that nothing surprising occurs.

Where are the presets when you really need one?
It is difficult to follow a predestined routine when life throws many unexpected challenges.

We're tuned to stables where the horses don't run
We have tuned our lives to follow a predictable, stable routine, rather than taking risks and exploring new opportunities.

Send me the pillow on which you were preset
I wish to have something that symbolizes a predestined lifestyle and the comfort that comes from following a set routine.

Contributed by Sadie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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