Grand Machine No. 12
Electric President Lyrics

This damn machine, this damn machine, this broken head doesn't work.
The singer refers to themselves as a machine with a broken head, indicating that they are feeling overwhelmed and cannot think properly.

So they're selling it off again.
The machine is being sold because it is no longer useful or functional, just like the singer feels about themselves.

These crooked legs, these twisted arms, these tired feet lost their worth.
The singer uses metaphoric language to describe their physical and emotional exhaustion, indicating that they feel like they are no longer valuable or useful.

Soon they'll dismantle them.
The parts of the machine will be taken apart and separated, highlighting how the artist feels like they are being broken down and forgotten in a similar way.

But we're all just part of some giant grand machine.
The artist realizes that they are not alone in feeling overwhelmed and insignificant, and that they are just one small part of a much larger system or society.

Too big to really understand.
The grand machine is too complex and vast for the singer to comprehend fully, adding to their feelings of confusion and disconnection.

But we'll do our jobs till we break down and fall.
Despite feeling trapped and unimportant, the singer acknowledges that they will continue to work until they cannot anymore, implying a sense of duty or obligation.

Now we just sleepwalk. We drift through the week.
The artist describes their daily routine in a detached and passive way, further emphasizing their lack of control or agency in their own life.

A dead procession always dragging its feet. Well, come on.
The image of a lifeless procession dragging along is contrasted with the artist's plea to keep moving forward, highlighting the tension between apathy and motivation.

Our hands are swollen. We all need to sleep.
The artist describes the physical toll of overworking, bringing attention to how it can affect one's body and mental state.

But there's no time, just stitch us up so we'll keep.
Despite recognizing the need for rest and care, the pressure to keep going is too great and the singer feels like they have no other choice but to keep functioning.

We're all just part of someone's elaborate plan.
Similar to the earlier line, the artist acknowledges that they are part of a larger design or blueprint, but takes it further by implying that it is not their own plan or desire.

Chess pieces in some grandiose scheme.
The comparison to chess pieces adds a layer of strategic manipulation and reinforces the idea that the singer is not in control of their own fate.

But we'll do our jobs till we break down and fall.
The repeated line at the end highlights the resignation and acceptance of the singer's situation, while also implying a degree of determination to keep going regardless of circumstance.