On January 31st 2012, he released the first single, 'Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings', for his debut album under the Father John Misty moniker, "Fear Fun". The Phil Ek mixed and Jonathan Wilson produced LP was released on May 1st 2012 through Sub Pop (U.S.) and Bella Union (U.K.)
To date, Father John Misty has released 5 studio albums: Fear Fun (2012), I Love You, Honeybear (2015), Pure Comedy (2017), God's Favorite Customer (2018) and Chloë and the Next 20th Century (2022).
Things It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution
Father John Misty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause there's no place for human existence like right here
On this bright blue marble orbited by trash
Man, there's no beating that
It was no big thing to give up the way of life we had
Oh oh oh
The nightlife and the protests are pretty scarce
Now I mostly spend the long days walking through the city
Empty as a tomb
Sometimes I miss the top of the food chain
But what a perfect afternoon
Industry and commerce toppled to their knees
The gears of progress halted
The underclass set free
The super-ego shatters with our ideologies
The obscene injunction to enjoy life
Disappears as in a dream
And as we return to our native state
To our primal scene
The temperature, it started dropping
The ice floes began to freeze
From time to time we all get a bit restless
With no one advertising to us constantly
But the tribe at the former airport
Some nights has meat and dancing
If you don't mind gathering and hunting
We're all still pretty good at eating on the run
Things it would have been helpful to know before the revolution
Though I'll admit some degree of resentment
For the sudden lack of convenience around here
But there are some visionaries among us developing some products
To aid us in our struggle to survive
On this godless rock that refuses to die
Father John Misty's song "Things That Would Have Been Helpful To Know Before The Revolution" is a satirical take on a post-apocalyptic world where people have overthrown the system and returned to a simpler way of living. In the first verse, Misty sings about how the planet is now overrun by garbage and how humans have no choice but to make the best of what they have. The second verse talks about how the singer's social life has changed since the revolution and how they spend their days walking through the now-empty city - a far cry from the constant hustle and bustle of pre-revolution life. The third verse speaks about the collapse of industry and how the revolution has led to people being free from their super-egos and ideologies.
Misty's lyrics paint a depressing picture of a world that has been stripped of all its luxuries and conveniences, leaving only the bare necessities. However, he inserts a note of hope by mentioning how some people are developing products to help them survive in this new world. Overall, the song is a commentary on how we take our current way of life for granted and how seemingly small actions can lead to significant consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
It got too hot and so we overthrew the system
The revolution was triggered by the unbearable heat making it impossible for human existence in the way we were living before.
'Cause there's no place for human existence like right here
The current planet is the only place suitable for human life.
On this bright blue marble orbited by trash
The planet is beautifully blue but surrounded by garbage due to human activities.
Man, there's no beating that
There's no better planet for us than this despite the pollution.
It was no big thing to give up the way of life we had
Sacrificing our previous way of life was not a big challenge for us.
My social life is now quite a bit less hectic
Since the revolution, the number of social activities I engage in has significantly reduced.
The nightlife and the protests are pretty scarce
There are not many social events such as nightlife or protests happening now.
Now I mostly spend the long days walking through the city
Most of my time is spent on long walks around the city.
Empty as a tomb
The city is very quiet and desolate, similar to an empty tomb.
Sometimes I miss the top of the food chain
Occasionally, I miss being at the top of the societal pyramid.
But what a perfect afternoon
However, currently, perfect afternoons can still be enjoyed despite the societal changes.
Industry and commerce toppled to their knees
Industries and businesses collapsed after the revolution.
The gears of progress halted
The progress in society came to a stop.
The underclass set free
The class system was eradicated, and there was equality among people.
The super-ego shatters with our ideologies
The societal norms and beliefs that control us are destroyed, and we start thinking freely.
The obscene injunction to enjoy life
The insane societal pressure to enjoy and celebrate life is gone.
Disappears as in a dream
The pressure to enjoy life vanishes as if it never existed, just like a dream.
And as we return to our native state
We return to a much more basic and primitive way of existence.
To our primal scene
Our basic existence and way of survival become similar to that of primitive humans.
The temperature, it started dropping
The temperature has started to decrease, leading to a colder and harsher climate.
The ice floes began to freeze
Due to the cold temperature, the ice blocks in the water began to freeze.
From time to time we all get a bit restless
Occasionally, all of us get bored and crave something more exciting.
With no one advertising to us constantly
We no longer receive unnecessary and excessive commercial promotions.
But the tribe at the former airport
There is a group of people living at the previous airport location.
Some nights has meat and dancing
Occasionally, there is meat and dance parties among the airport people.
If you don't mind gathering and hunting
You can participate in hunting and gathering without any fear or hesitation.
We're all still pretty good at eating on the run
We have adapted to a lifestyle where we can eat while continuously engaging in other activities.
Things it would have been helpful to know before the revolution
A list of things that would have been useful to know before the revolution happened.
Though I'll admit some degree of resentment
Even though I agree with the revolution, I still have some resentment about the changes.
For the sudden lack of convenience around here
I miss the comfort and convenience of the previous life.
But there are some visionaries among us developing some products
Some innovative and forward-thinking people are developing products that will make our lives less inconvenient.
To aid us in our struggle to survive
These new products will help us adapt to the new lifestyle and continue surviving on this planet.
On this godless rock that refuses to die
The planet is like a godless rock that refuses to die, and we must find a way to survive on it.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Joshua Michael Tillman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Petar Molnar
Industry and commerce toppled to their knees
The gears of progress halted
The underclass set free
The super-ego shatters with our ideologies
The obscene injunction to enjoy life
Disappears as in a dream
And as we return to our native state
To our primal scene
The temperature, it started dropping
The ice floes began to freeze
Sub Pop
LYRICS
Things It Would Have Been Helpful To Know Before The Revolution
It got too hot
And so we overthrew the system
‘Cause there’s no place for human existence like right here
On this bright blue marble
Orbited by trash
Man, there’s no beating that
It was no big thing to give up the way of life we had
My social life
Is now quite a bit less hectic
The nightlife and the protests are pretty scarce
Now I mostly spend the long days
Walking through the city
Empty as a tomb
Sometimes I miss the top of the food chain
But what a perfect afternoon
Industry and commerce toppled to their knees
The gears of progress halted
The underclass set free
The super-ego shattered with our ideologies
The obscene injunction to enjoy life
Disappears as in a dream
And as we return to out native state
To our primal scene
The temperature, it started dropping
And the ice floes began to freeze
From time to time
We all get a bit restless
With no one advertising to us constantly
But the tribe at the former airport
Some nights has meat and dancing
If you don't mind gathering and hunting
We’re all still pretty good at eating on the run
Things it would have been helpful to know before the revolution
Though I’ll admit
Some degree of resentment
For the sudden lack of convenience around here
There are some visionaries among us
Developing some products
To aid us in our struggle to survive
On this godless rock that refuses to die
Skipper1010
It got too hot and so we overthrew the system
'Cause there's no place for human existence like right here
On this bright blue marble orbited by trash
Man, there's no beating that
It was no big thing to give up the way of life we had
Oh ho oh
My social life is now quite a bit less hectic
The nightlife and the protests are pretty scarce
Now I mostly spend the long days walking through the city
Empty as a tomb
Sometimes I miss the top of the food chain
But what a perfect afternoon
Industry and commerce toppled to their knees
The gears of progress halted
The underclass set free
The super-ego shatters with our ideologies
The obscene injunction to enjoy life
Disappears as in a dream
And as we return to out native state
To our primal scene
The temperature, it started dropping
The ice floes began to freeze
From time to time we all get a bit restless
With no one advertising to us constantly
But the tribe at the former airport
Some nights has meat and dancing
If you don't mind gathering and hunting
We're all still pretty good at eating on the run
Things it would have been helpful to know before the revolution
Though I'll admit some degree of resentment
For the sudden lack of convenience around here
But there are some visionaries among us developing some products
To aid us in our struggle to survive
On this godless rock that refuses to die
Bandstand
Another home run dad.
This Is A Certified Hood Classic
Ok
Inko Infinity2
@House Fire cause it is... that's the joke
House Fire
Your picture reminds me if neutral milk hotel
Bandstand
bearded-ops sure thing bud
MYSTIC YT
lol i see u everywhere
grunkster
Father John Misty is literally the love child of Elton John, John Lennon, and Frank Zappa. Prove me wrong. He has the orchestration of Elton, the voice of Lennon, and the attitude and satire of Frank.
Asimo
Youve got it mixed up, he has the orchestration of john, voice of elton, and attitude of frank
Mat’ t
@Brandon Massey while I agree with the fact that he doesn’t sound as much as John Lennon, it should take you 5 minutes to find out every Elton John album has a guitar in it. Maybe it’s just me who heard Lennon without reverb two times.
Albert R
I related him better with george harrison tho... but you're right he's amazing