Fugazi is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., i… Read Full Bio ↴Fugazi is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-transcending music, DIY ethical stance, manner of business practice and contempt for the music industry.

Since its inception, Fugazi has been self-managed and have released almost all their material through Dischord Records, an independent label founded by MacKaye and partner Jeff Nelson in 1980. The band maintained a policy of affordable access to their work through low record and ticket prices and all-ages concerts.

Says AMG All Music Guide, "Along with their stridently underground ethics — which were more out of pragmatism and modesty than anything else — they gained an extremely loyal and numerous global following. To many, Fugazi meant as much to them as Bob Dylan did to their parents."

They played their first show in the fall of 1987 and since then released 7 albums and toured the world extensively covering all 50 United States, Europe, Australia, South America, Japan and many points in between.

In addition to their recorded output Fugazi released a documentary film/video called "Instrument" in collaboration with independent filmmaker, Jem Cohen. The feature length video offers a documentary overview of the the band's career with footage shot in a variety of formats over the last 10 years combining concert, tour and studio material backed with a musical soundtrack by the band unique to the movie.

Fugazi's last musical releases were The Argument, a 10 song LP, and Furniture, a 3 song single, released in the Fall of 2001. These sessions marked the first studio appearance of long time roadie and second drummer Jerry Busher who played additional drums and percussion on a number of the tracks on both releases. The recordings were once again made in collaboration with long time Fugazi engineer Don Zientara at Inner Ear studios.

Prior to forming Fugazi, the members of the band played in various other bands with releases available on Dischord.

Fugazi are currently on hiatus as of 2002, with Mackaye in The Evens, Picciotto having produced various bands including Blonde Redhead and The Blood Brothers, and Lally playing with John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer on both Ataxia releases and working on a solo album.

Nightshop
Fugazi Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Fuck your fucked directives
God, I want a new invective
Custom built to form-fit you
Say it to your face

If I get to choose
I'll take something real
The fight to feel

While your next meal is calling
Loosely trademarked as the best fucking thing
You've had inside your mouth
All comet-cleaned and scrubbed down
Landscaping for a ghost town

While that deficient platform for your head
Causing you to mistake yourself for dead and all that you would issue
Is Capital's incontinence casing you embarrassment?
The wet spot on the carpet that you leave
As the reminder that you need

Of all that it did to you
Adjusting your reception
A welcome self-correction
Make it quick, make it soon
Make it something I can do all by myself

'Cause there's a brain inside it
There's a brain inside the brain deciding
Time to make or break
Find me somewhere else
Time to make or break
How about it?

I've got no patience
No way stationed
Hanging at the nightshop eating shit

Who works for who?
Every asshole says
Side-saluting emptiness instead

But, if I get to choose
I'll take something real

Who works for who?
Who you working for?

Who works for who?
Who you working for?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Fugazi's song Nightshop are charged with anger and deliver a scathing critique of a society that is consumed by consumerism and offers little hope or meaning for its citizens. The first verse takes on the directives of society and calls for a new invective that is tailored to fit the individual rather than the mass. The lyrics ask for something real and meaningful, the fight to feel, as opposed to the empty promises of the capitalist system. The second verse speaks to the emptiness of consumer culture with its loosely trademarked foods and the notion that the crass materialism that defines our world is nothing more than a landscaping of a ghost town. The powerful imagery of the deficient platform for the head and the reminder of the wet spot on the carpet drives home the point that this world is not offering any hope or meaning to individuals who are struggling for purpose and fulfillment.

The third verse is a call for change, a demand for a self-correction that is quick and soon, and that the individual can do all by themselves. The juxtaposition of the brain inside the brain and the time to make or break speaks volumes about the power of the individual to make changes in their own lives and the world around them. The final verse asks who works for whom and makes the point that every asshole is side-saluting emptiness, rather than creating real meaning and purpose. The lyrics of Nightshop are a call to arms for the dispossessed and the disenfranchised, a clarion call to take hold of their lives and create something new and real.

Line by Line Meaning

Fuck your fucked directives
I reject your outdated ideas and arbitrary rules

God, I want a new invective
I wish for a fresh, unique way to express my anger

Custom built to form-fit you
My words will be specifically crafted for you

Say it to your face
I will directly confront you with my opinion

If I get to choose
Given the option

I'll take something real
I prefer authenticity over superficiality

The fight to feel
I struggle to maintain emotional authenticity in a phony world

While your next meal is calling
You are distracted by trivial things

Loosely trademarked as the best fucking thing
You are easily fooled by deceptive marketing

You've had inside your mouth
You have consumed something that is ultimately meaningless

All comet-cleaned and scrubbed down
The things you cling to are superficial and sanitized

Landscaping for a ghost town
You are wasting your time and resources on things that ultimately don't matter

While that deficient platform for your head
Your mind is trapped in shallow and empty thinking

Causing you to mistake yourself for dead and all that you would issue
Your apathy and lack of meaningful action is causing you to become stagnant and unproductive

Is Capital's incontinence casing you embarrassment?
The failings of capitalism are causing you shame

The wet spot on the carpet that you leave
Your mistakes and shortcomings are obvious and cannot be ignored

As the reminder that you need
You should take responsibility for your actions and strive for improvement

Of all that it did to you
You must acknowledge the consequences of your actions

Adjusting your reception
You need to alter your mindset

A welcome self-correction
It is healthy to admit and fix your mistakes

Make it quick, make it soon
I want immediate change

Make it something I can do all by myself
I want to personally take action and not rely on others

'Cause there's a brain inside it
There is intelligence within me

There's a brain inside the brain deciding
My mind is actively making choices and analyzing options

Time to make or break
It is a critical moment of decision

Find me somewhere else
I want to escape from my current situation