The core of Geggy Tah comprises Greg Kurstin and Tommy Jordan. Each of them has a younger sister who was unable to pronounce her brother's name when very young; "Geggy" and "Tah" were the baby girls' mispronunciations of their brother's names.
Geggy Tah's first release, Grand Opening, appeared in 1994 on David Byrne's Luaka Bop label. For their 1996 release Sacred Cow, they added drummer Daren Hahn to the lineup. Also on Luaka Bop, the album spawned the hit single "Whoever You Are." The song appeared in a Mercedes commercial circa 2001.
In 1999, the band announced a new album entitled Music Inspired by The Fragrance, and released two songs ("Space Heater" and "Sweat") on the web in mp3 format. However (in part because of Luaka Bop's move from Warner Brothers to Virgin Records) the album went unreleased until 2001, by which point it had acquired a new title: Into The Oh.
Vegas With The Lights Out
Geggy Tah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Big pyramid silhouettes
Big building silhouettes
Big silhouettes of...
I don't know what that is
It's Las Vegas with the lights out
Las Vegas with the lights out
Las Vegas with the lights out
Big crowd silhouettes
Moving cautiously, arms outstretched
None of the cars are turning over
There's no juice in the batteries
There's plenty of juice in all the people though
Pushing their automobiles in neutral
They aren't automatic anymore
They aren't automatic anymore
It's Las Vegas with the lights out...
Big dealers wanna bet
Roulette wheels wanna bet
Slot machines wanna bet
All resting
Before the night when the lights went out
Was an electrical water spout
Absolutely everything about
Electricity
Has been dead for more than a minute
I don't think this was an accident
The dead presidents are innocent
Made of metal ahh...
It's Las Vegas with the lights out...
The lyrics of "House of Usher" by Geggy Tah tell a story about a world without electricity, specifically Las Vegas without the lights on. The opening lines describe the silhouettes of various large structures, including buildings, pyramids, and dinosaurs. This sets the scene of a world recognizable as Las Vegas, but without the bright lights that are normally associated with the city. The lyrics continue to describe the absence of electricity through various images, such as the lack of cars turning over due to dead batteries, the absence of functioning slot machines, and the absence of power in general.
The most poignant image in the song is the one of the crowd pushing their automobiles in neutral. This image is particularly evocative because it represents the resilience and determination of people in the face of adversity. The lyrics suggest that even in a world without electricity, people will still find a way to move forward. The song ends with a reference to "dead presidents," which can be interpreted in several ways. It could refer to the metal busts of former U.S. presidents that are often found on coins and paper currency. Or, it could refer to actual former presidents who are no longer living, but who are still seen as powerful figures.
Line by Line Meaning
Big dinosaur silhouettes
Large outlines of ancient creatures
Big pyramid silhouettes
Huge shapes of ancient Egyptian structures
Big building silhouettes
Imposing outlines of modern structures
Big silhouettes of...
I don't know what that is
Uncertain shapes looming in the darkness
It's Las Vegas with the lights out
Describing a dark and abandoned version of Las Vegas
Big crowd silhouettes
Large, shapeless groups of people in the darkness
Moving cautiously, arms outstretched
People feeling their way through the darkness
None of the cars are turning over
The vehicles are unable to start
There's no juice in the batteries
The batteries of the cars are drained
There's plenty of juice in all the people though
Despite the blackout, people are still full of energy
Pushing their automobiles in neutral
People are pushing their cars since they can't start
They aren't automatic anymore
Due to the power outage, cars can't operate on automatic function anymore
Big dealers wanna bet
Casino dealers are eager to gamble
Roulette wheels wanna bet
The roulette machines are ready for the next game
Slot machines wanna bet
The slot machines are primed for winning a jackpot
All resting before the night when the lights went out
Everything was fine before the sudden blackout
Was an electrical water spout
An electrical malfunction caused the power outage
Absolutely everything about electricity
Every aspect of electricity stopped functioning
Has been dead for more than a minute
The power has been out for an extended period of time
I don't think this was an accident
The power outage might not have been caused by an accident
The dead presidents are innocent
The U.S. currency, featuring portraits of past presidents, isn't responsible for the blackout
Made of metal ahh...
Explaining what U.S. currency is made of
It's Las Vegas with the lights out...
Repeating the earlier description of the dark and abandoned Las Vegas
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joel Johnson
on Whoever You Are
This song is so catchy, so great in every way. This song can NEVER get old.