The Order Form
Susan Whitby was 15 years old and had been playing saxophone for a little m… Read Full Bio ↴Susan Whitby was 15 years old and had been playing saxophone for a little more than six months when she joined her friend Marion Elliot (aka Poly Styrene) and formed the great English punk band X-Ray Spex in 1976. At this juncture, Whitby renamed herself Lora Logic and brought her honking and squawking to X-Ray Spex's guitar-propelled punk rock, staying in the band long enough to record the seminal feminist-punk single "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" Prior to the recording of their debut album, Logic abruptly left the band to follow her own quirky songwriting muse and formed the wonderfully named Essential Logic. Eschewing fast and loud guitars for off-kilter rhythms, "bluesy" sax playing, and forays into dissonance and atonality, Essential Logic created some of the most liberating, exciting music of the early post-punk era. Along with her primitive, exhilarating sax playing, Logic displayed a wildly imaginative vocal style that conflated the subtle eroticism of Patti Smith with the epiglottal spasms of Yoko Ono. Singing, braying, and screeching her implicitly (at times explicitly) feminist lyrics while her backing band crashed and bashed in the background, this was almost a punk version of that most despised of genres, art rock. And while the subjects of most of her songs were serious (alienation, sexism, poverty, urban isolation), there was a bratty tongue-wagging raffishness to Logic (and band) that placed them a cut above the rest. After one album as Essential Logic, Lora Logic disbanded the group to go solo. After one great solo record, Logic left music to join a London-based Hare Krishna sect with old pal Poly Styrene. Recently, Styrene issued some music in England, and it was rumored that Logic played sax on the recording. But regardless of her current activities, Lora Logic's short recording career will always be marked by its intelligence, creativity, and fun.

The Order Form
Essential Logic Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I want to order a pelican, so I can stare at him
Here is my signature
To the packer, to the dealer
Make sure this one's a squealer
I decide to search his mind, so he can't glare through me
Beaked nose ajar, clinging to the bars
Such a reluctant feeder
Feed the needer, return the goods
It was only a joke, you know
To the packer, to the dealer
Make sure this one's a squealer
Big chance in authority
He couldn't cope if he were free

I want to order a pelican, so I can stare at him
Here is my signature
To the packer, to the dealer
Make sure this one's a squealer
Big chance in authority
He couldn't cope if he were free
To the storeman, to the checker
Describe the process of his parts, now
I cannot claim for damages
And he's only a joke, you know
I wanted it, you desired it
This pelican whines for you, now




Should he live or die in order to comply
And live in this zoo, you know

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Essential Logic's song "The Order Form" are quite cryptic and can be interpreted in many different ways. Many people believe the song is a commentary on the idea of ordering living things as commodities, possibly referencing the exotic animal trade. The main focus of the song is the singer's desire to order a pelican, so they can "stare at him". The singer signs the order form and instructs the "packer" and "dealer" to make sure that the pelican they send is a "squealer", implying they want the pelican to be vocal or expressive in some way.


The singer then decides they want to "search his mind" so that the pelican can't "glare through" them. The pelican is described as a "reluctant feeder" and a "needer." The singer then instructs the packer and dealer to "return the goods" as it was "only a joke," indicating that the desire for the pelican may have been purely hypothetical.


The song takes a darker turn when the singer discusses whether the pelican should be allowed to live in captivity or not. They question whether the pelican should "live or die in order to comply" with living in a zoo, indicating a moral dilemma. The final line of the song is "you know," which could be interpreted as a sarcastic or resigned comment on the situation.


Line by Line Meaning

I want to order a pelican, so I can stare at him
I am requesting to obtain a pelican so that I can observe it.


Here is my signature
I am signing my name to authorize this order.


To the packer, to the dealer
I am instructing the packer and dealer to fulfill my order.


Make sure this one's a squealer
Please make sure this pelican is vocal.


I decide to search his mind, so he can't glare through me
I am planning to manipulate the pelican's behavior so that it will not intimidate me.


Beaked nose ajar, clinging to the bars
The pelican is clinging to the enclosure's bars with its open beak.


Such a reluctant feeder
The pelican is hesitant to eat.


Feed the needer, return the goods
The pelican needs to be fed, and if it is not satisfied, I will return it.


It was only a joke, you know
I am admitting that this whole situation is intended as a prank.


To the packer, to the dealer
Again, I am reminding the packer and dealer to fulfill my order.


Make sure this one's a squealer
Please make sure this pelican is vocal.


Big chance in authority
There is a significant power dynamic in play.


He couldn't cope if he were free
The pelican would not be able to handle freedom.


To the storeman, to the checker
I am directing the storeman and checker to examine the pelican's attributes and characteristics.


Describe the process of his parts, now
Please provide a detailed description of the pelican's anatomy.


I cannot claim for damages
I will not be held responsible for any harm inflicted on the pelican.


And he's only a joke, you know
This whole situation is intended as humor and not to be taken seriously.


I wanted it, you desired it
I desired the pelican for myself, but you expressed interest as well.


This pelican whines for you, now
The pelican's behavior has become an annoyance to you.


Should he live or die in order to comply
The pelican's survival may be at risk in order to fulfill my wishes.


And live in this zoo, you know
The pelican will be kept in captivity.




Writer(s): Susan Whitby

Contributed by Emily T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@mikaelfrigeniua208

Whatabout that perfect 80 's musical mix ❤

@barondickhorn

going in for a second listen and sharing to radio DJs .Amazing!

@cwjanustark

Excellent.......je découvre.....injustement
Inconnu !!! Faire suivre.....👁🎸

@proseu3648

<3

@taylorholmes9329

Holy. Sh*t.

@taylorholmes9329

Holy. Shit.

More Versions