General Elektriks is the brainchild of RV Salters. A French national and ke… Read Full Bio ↴General Elektriks is the brainchild of RV Salters. A French national and keen vintage keyboard player (check the RV Music section for records he’s played on at www.general-elektriks.com), he initiated GE just before moving to San Francisco. Using a computer, his oldschool keys and a SM-57 mike, he started sewing together loops, Funky keyboard licks, ethereal melodies and digital tweaking. GE became a musical journal that followed RV through his move to Seattle, then back down to the Bay Area, Berkeley, where he currently resides. There, he started laying keys down for the Quannum crew. Quannum’s own Lateef The Truth Speaker and Chief Xcel returned the favor by guesting on GE. Consisting of 12 songs from the journal, ‘Cliquety Kliqk’ was first released in France by Bleu Electric, then picked up by Compost for Europe and by Quannum for the US.

Aesthetically, GE is a project that refuses to land in a particular bin at the record store. A mix of vintage sounds, hip hop beats, noir riffs, dreamy vocals, cinematic arrangements and digital twinkle, ‘Cliquety Kliqk’ embraces all of RV’s musical addictions. Radically new yet strangely familiar, General Elektriks is like a friend that you meet for the first time but feel like you’ve known all your life.

The Man Who Unraveled
General Elektriks Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Looking at my thumb today
My fingerprint seemed to sway
I looked a little closer still and found
The groove of my thumb unwound

And I thought: can this be real?
There’s no symptom that I feel
Someone help me! Won’t you help me?

And the groove is spinning out
Tell me: what’s this all about?
Now it’s gone! The print is gone!
And the lines inside my hand
Are being pulled out like threads
And I’m watching as I’m unweaving
And I wonder if it’s me
Or if someone else can see
See this man unravel

I check the birthmark on my chin
Blank skin where it should have been
Then check my other hand but as I feared
All prints and lines have disappeared

And I think: can this be real?
There’s no symptom that I feel
Someone help me! Won’t you help me?
Look at me, what do you see?
Blank page where I used to be
Stop it now! Show me how!
And I’m walking out the door
Neighbor down the corridor
He walks past me, he doesn’t see me
Now I’m running down the street
Hoping someone else will see

See this man unravel

And I think: can this be real?
There’s no symptom that I feel
Someone help me! Won’t you help me?
Look at me, what do you see?
Blank page where I used to be
Stop it now! Show me how!
My friends had nothing to say
When they saw me changed this way
They walked past me, didn’t see me
Now I’m running down the street
Hoping someone else will see
See this man unravel

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "The Man Who Unraveled" by General Elektriks delve into themes of identity and surreal transformation. The singer of the song begins by observing his thumb and noticing a strange phenomenon - his fingerprint seems to be unwinding, as if the groove of his thumb is coming undone. This physical unraveling triggers a sense of disbelief and urgency within him, seeking help from others to understand what is happening. As the lines in his hand start disappearing like threads being pulled out, he questions whether it is truly himself experiencing this unraveling or if others can witness it as well.

The sense of unease intensifies as the singer checks for familiar physical markers on his body, only to find them missing or altered. The birthmark on his chin is gone, and all prints and lines on his hands have vanished. This loss of identity and visibility further fuels his desperation for assistance and a sense of isolation as he navigates through a world where he no longer recognizes himself. The repetition of the plea for help and the frantic questioning of his own existence underscore the deepening sense of alienation and confusion he experiences.

As he walks out of his familiar surroundings and encounters a neighbor who does not acknowledge him, the singer's fear and detachment escalate. Even his friends fail to recognize him, adding to his growing sense of isolation and abandonment. The lyrics vividly depict his desperate attempt to make others see the unraveling he is undergoing, symbolizing a profound struggle with identity loss and disconnection from the world around him. The repeated refrain highlights his plea for recognition and validation in the face of a disintegrating self, culminating in a poignant portrayal of a man unraveling both physically and emotionally.

Line by Line Meaning

Looking at my thumb today
Reflecting on my physical self

My fingerprint seemed to sway
My identity felt unstable

I looked a little closer still and found
Upon further inspection

The groove of my thumb unwound
My sense of self unraveling

And I thought: can this be real?
Questioning the reality of the situation

There’s no symptom that I feel
No apparent cause for concern

Someone help me! Won’t you help me?
Seeking assistance and support

And the groove is spinning out
Continued unraveling

Tell me: what’s this all about?
Seeking explanation for the changes

Now it’s gone! The print is gone!
Loss of identity markers

And the lines inside my hand
Internal conflicts and doubts