The FemBots began as a home recording project of Dave MacKinnon and Brian Poirier and their debut, Mucho Cuidado (2000), featured songs written and performed on power tools, toys and broken down thrift store instruments. The duo quickly carved a unique space in the Toronto music scene bringing their post-industrial folk songs to the stage using tape loops and reel-to-reel machines mixed with often frantic live performances.
Their critically acclaimed second release, Small Town Murder Scene (2003), adopted a more atmospheric approach with traditional instrumentation and soulful laments. The third FemBots record, The City (2005), built on this earlier work while taking it up several notches with banging piano chords, catchy choruses, soulful vocals, swinging guitars, woven strings and horns. The City – that landed on several top ten lists for 2005 – pushed the stark black and white vision of their earlier albums into full Technicolor.
The FemBots originally envisioned their fourth album Calling Out (2008), as an entire album using an assortment of junkstruments, musical instruments created from garbage by artist Iner Souster. Eight months into the project it became clear that the junkstruments were simply too unpredictable and too difficult to work with to sustain an entire album. Rather than scraping the project entirely, the FemBots used the junkstrument instrumentals they had recorded as rhythm tracks, the rock and roll chassis that the rest of the songs are built on.
So Long
FemBots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your name misspelled on cards that wish you well, pills and pocket watch unwound
Ten to three, nurses fold the sheets and fold the blinds the light
The cruelest joke, as time stretch and as it slows, still the body stutters on
It's so long, so long
This life is so long
The lyrics of FemBots' song "So Long" are reflective and melancholic. The words describe a person's experiences during their last moments of life. The first verse describes the mundane nature of life and the pain that the person feels on a daily basis. The second verse brings a sense of finality with the mention of a pocket watch being unwound and nurses folding the sheets. The chorus repeats the phrase "so long" multiple times, emphasizing the length of life.
The lyrics paint a picture of a person who is tired of living, enduring pain and taking pills just to make it through the day. They are in a hospital bed, slowly losing their grip on life as time passes by. The nurses' routine of folding the sheets and closing the blinds seems cruel as the body struggles to keep going. The chorus could be interpreted as the person saying goodbye to life, acknowledging that it was a long journey.
Overall, the lyrics are poignant and thought-provoking. They evoke a sense of sadness and inevitability, reminding us of the fleeting nature of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Coffee stains, familiar aches and pain meter out the day to day
Everyday life is full of mundane experiences that cause discomfort and serve as a reminder of the monotony.
Your name misspelled on cards that wish you well, pills and pocket watch unwound
Even in moments of supposed care and kindness, there are still errors and a sense of disconnection from reality.
Ten to three, nurses fold the sheets and fold the blinds the light
In the face of death, the process of preparing for it is clinical and detached.
The cruelest joke, as time stretch and as it slows, still the body stutters on
Despite the cruel irony of time seeming to move slower in moments of suffering, the body continues to endure pain and struggle.
It's so long, so long
The feeling of time dragging on can be overwhelming and oppressive.
This life is so long
The weight of existence and the inevitability of death make life feel endless and daunting.
Contributed by Sophia E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nybooboo Kitty
She made the greatest album of 2010. It's an extraordinary piece of work.
SheikMMO
Legendary album.
Jeffrey Ellis
Heard this song for my first time today.... I love it.
RandomU5erName
This song was ahead of its time
Brices Lorene
RandomU5erName Fuck, yes, still !!!!!!!!!
atmo
Honestly! I think Nicki Minaj was kinda similar in her Super Bass phase (and I think it came out around the same time). But I like this better and Robyn is a pop futurist
Korra Rain
I went to a drag show a few weeks ago and one of the queens (Ben Dovah Plenti, check her out) performed to this, so much fun. Seriously in love with this now.
dj pilot:]]
Korra Rain Is the performance on YouTube? I’ve been looking for a Fembot lipsync for the longest time haha
Elżbieta Stojecka
Doskonała muzyka👍
Phi Live
So this song popped into my head today for no reason... I still love it :D