Frenetically creative, and playing only by his own rules, Thirlwell has never stopped experimenting and evolving his sound. While his music is most often outside of any genre, it is most frequently described as Industrial or No-Wave. His earlier music is usually quite harsh and distorted, although since Love, his music has become increasingly orchestral and symphonic, sometime sounding like a full orchestra, but is actually only J.G Thirlwell himself, though sometimes assisted by guest musicians on select tracks. His latest album, Hide, goes even further in this direction than Love did, beginning with an operatic piece sung by Abigail Fischer.
He has inspired many following industrial artists; like Nine Inch Nails, Pig and Cop Shoot Cop, among others, with his sonic assault and innovative use of studio technology, and was a key contributor on Coil's groundbreaking debut album Scatology as well as appearing on a few early Nurse With Wound recordings.
Thirlwell has also worked on collaborations under the names of Steroid Maximus (multiple collaborators), Stinkfist (with Lydia Lunch), Flesh Volcano (with Marc Almond), Baby Zizanie (with Jim Coleman) and Wiseblood (with Roli Mosimann of Swans); and does remix work as well, often under the name of Foetus. He also lent his voice to the introduction of album Misguided by Argyle Park.
Thirlwell is currently the Composer In Residence for Adult Swim's "The Venture Brothers".
For the video release of Season 3, a soundtrack album was also released, titled "The Venture Bros.: The Music of JG Thirlwell". This is the same audio CD included as a bonus with the Blu-ray version of Season 3. While the CD release was originally made available at Adult Swim's website, it was given a wide release on May 12, 2009;[15] the vinyl LP release came out a month earlier. It can also be downloaded from most major digital retailers. The CD features 20 tracks, while the vinyl LP release is 16 tracks.[16]
In the episode "The Trial of the Monarch," The Monarch mentions a picture of Dr. Girlfriend "skinny dipping with Jim Foetus," a reference to Thirlwell.
Enter The Exterminator
Foetus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Distractions become bliss
Futility's a luxury
When you sleep in blood sperm vomit and piss
Huddling to the dead for support
Jacking off for warmth
Swaddled in less than ashes and rags
The payoff's always been over the ridge
Now hi-ho, hi-ho
It's off to work we go
Another merry go-down
Go-down go-down go-down
Go-down go-down go-down
I seen a prisoner without a clause
Living on a diet of dirt and water
Being slapped and sliced because
She didn't happen to agree with the war-den
(He had an itchy trigger finger)
Jackboots battering a tattoo on the inside of my skull
Militantly hankering for something never done
High school memories, once a folly
Are now reality due to sheer lack of present
Death without a trial, dyin' ain't a trial
Dying ain't a curse but living sure is worse
Each experience becomes my epilogue
Countin' My ribs for the thousandth time
Dyin' on a diet of gruel and grime
They fall down, they don't rise again
Where the women are trodden and forgotten are men
They're giving birth to orphans
Black-Jew glue
The air is old, the comments are cold
I'm covered in lice and scabs and mold
My days are numbered, I'm in a daze
The door creaks open, the whole room prays
Enter the exterminator
Enter the exterminator
I hear the sweet sound of syringes
Crushed underfoot
See who set the home fires burning
See who set the husbands burning
Make the accusation stick
Morale is thin, the air is thick
Hard earned self-esteem
Goes up in a puff of smoke
I'm waitin' to die
I'm waitin to die
To much of a coward to snuff myself
Guess I'll just have to suffer myself
Countin' My ribs for the thousandth time
Dyin' on a diet of gruel and grime
They fall down, they don't rise again
Where the women are trodden and forgotten are men
They're giving birth to orphans
Black-jew glue
The air is old, the comments are cold
I'm covered in lice and scabs and mold
My days are numbered, I'm in a daze
The door creaks open, the whole room prays
Enter the exterminator
Enter the exterminator
Enter the exterminator
Enter the exterminator
Shoulder to shoulder to detonator
Enter the exterminator
Shoulder to shoulder to detonator
Enter the exterminator
Terminate
Terminate
Terminate
Terminate
Foetus's song "Enter the Exterminator" details the life of a prisoner in a horrific, oppressive environment. The lyrics describe the desperation and anguish of being trapped in a place of suffering and torture, where life is reduced to simply surviving day by day. The prisoner is surrounded by death and decay, with blood, sperm, vomit, and urine pervading their surroundings. The hope of escape or a better life feels like a distant dream, symbolized by the elusive "pot of gold" that turns out to be "full of shit."
The line "Another merry go-down go-down go-down go-down go-down go-down go-down" is a repeated refrain that emphasizes the sense of hopelessness and despair, as though the prisoner is stuck in a cycle of misery that never ends.
The song also touches on themes of injustice and abuse of power, with references to a prisoner being punished for disagreeing with their oppressor, and the use of violence to maintain control. Despite the bleakness of the situation, there is a strong sense of resilience and defiance in the face of this brutality, as the "shoulder to shoulder" stance with the exterminator suggests a refusal to be broken by the system.
Overall, "Enter the Exterminator" is a haunting and visceral depiction of the dehumanizing effects of imprisonment, and the strength of the human spirit to resist and endure even in the darkest of circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
The waiting becomes torture, distractions become bliss
Being constantly stuck in a situation without any hope of success, any sort of distraction is cherished regardless of their quality.
Futility's a luxury when you sleep in blood sperm vomit and piss
When someone is consumed by the disease of hopelessness, they will reach a point at which they stop caring about the quality of their living conditions.
Huddling to the dead for support, jacking off for warmth
When there are no other means of survival, people will cling onto anything that might save their lives no matter how absurd and pathetic that might seem.
Swaddled in less than ashes and rags
People who are forced into situations beyond their control will become exactly like whatever they are surrounded by, in this instance, inanimate objects.
The payoff's always been over the ridge and the pot of gold is full of shit
In situations where the future seems bleak, all that is promised will likely lead to more harm than good.
No hi-ho, hi-ho it's off to work we go
Unlike nursery rhymes which offer hope, here there is none to be found just being caught in a cycle of suffering.
Another merry go-down go-down go-down go-down go-down go-down go-down
A repetition of degradation and misery, as a means of emphasising the crushing, unrelenting nature of their circumstances.
I seen a prisoner without a clause, living on a diet of dirt and water
In these bleak situations, innocent people are imprisoned stripped of their basic rights and left with the bare minimum means to stay alive.
Being slapped and sliced because she didn't happen to agree with the war-den (he had an itchy trigger finger)
The people that hold power in these situations are quick to punish anyone who questions their authority or expresses dissenting opinions, even to the point of violence.
Jackboots battering a tattoo on the inside of my skull
The brutal punishments are so severe that they become physically engraved, ignored, and inherent as part of the person’s being.
Militantly hankering for something never done
The craving and ambition for change is intense but ultimately just an irrational and impossible dream.
High school memories, once a folly, are now reality due to sheer
Lack of present
The better times long gone, all that remains is the droll and dreary present, while the hope of a future has been eliminated completely.
Death without a trial, dyin ain't a trial
Dying in these circumstances is not the worst thing that can happen; being alive and forced to endure this existence is.
Dying ain't a curse but living sure is worse
The idea of dying is actually a relief when living is full of suffering and without hope, death becomes an escape.
Each experience becomes my epilogue
When there is no continuous story to life, it’s better to view each experience as its own separate ending.
Countin'
My ribs for the thousandth time
Dyin' on a diet of gruel and grime
They fall down, they don't rise again
Where the women are trodden and forgotten are men
They're giving birth to orphans
Black jew glue
The air is old, the comments are cold, I'm covered in lice and scabs and mold
My days are numbered, I'm in a daze
The door creaks open, the whole room prays
Enter the exterminator, enter the exterminator
The lyric is a collection and continuation of all the abhorrent experiences and horrifying sights experienced that come together to form a sickening nightmare-filled reality. By the last line, any chance of hope or salvation seems out of reach, and a majority of the poem's themes are wrapped up and concluded.
I hear the sweet sound of syringes crushed underfoot
The victory of the oppressed can also be seen as an embodiment of revenge fantasies against those who have caused such misery.
See who set the homefires burning, see who set the husbands burning
Identifying who is ultimately responsible for creating these circumstances may lead to accountability and solutions.
Make the accusation stick
The only way to make changes occur is to put blame on those who are responsible for these circumstances in hope for change in the future.
Morale is thin, the air is thick
Hopelessness has set in and the future seems even more dire than before.
Hard earned self-esteem goes up in a puff of smoke
Even the most glimmer of hopes that help people endure disappear from these situations.
To much of a coward to snuff myself, guess I'll just have to suffer myself
Even death, the ultimate escape, has been forfeited by their terrible circumstances.
Shoulder to shoulder to detonator, enter the exterminator
If the pain and misery of these circumstances can't be fixed, then the only remaining solution is to destroy the very foundation of these miserable experiences in a final act of desperation or hopelessness.
Terminate, terminate, terminate, terminate
This repetition signifies the increasing severity of the issues and the hopelessness that comes with it. It also represents the extent to which someone can be pushed until they lose all traces of humanity.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James George Thirlwell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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