Dull… Read Full Bio ↴Greg Dulli (born May 11, 1965) is a singer and instrumentalist.
Dulli was born and brought up in a working-class suburb of Hamilton, Ohio. He is of Greek (father) and Irish (mother) descent. He first came to public attention in Cincinnati in the late 1980s with The Afghan Whigs, when Dulli joined D.C. transplant bassist John Curley and Louisville, Kentucky, guitarist Rick McCollum. Dulli's half-hour-long on-stage cigarette breaks, complete with running commentary on sexual politics and attempts at matchmaking at first enraged, but later fascinated the clientele.
Dulli's budding career in the rock and roll production business was halted as The Afghan Whigs began playing more and better gigs, drawing bigger and bigger crowds. The band was soon brought to the attention of Sub Pop Records in Seattle. Sub Pop's signing of The Afghan Whigs created quite a stir; they were the first non-Northwestern U.S. band to record for the label. The Whigs split in 2001.
In 1994, Dulli was a lead vocalist in the Backbeat Band, an alternative-rock supergroup that recorded the soundtrack to The Beatles biopic, Backbeat. Other members of the Backbeat Band were Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Don Fleming (Gumball), Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, later Foo Fighters), and Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum).
In 1997, Dulli (with Ted Demme and director Mark Pellington) bought the movie rights to a book by Ann Imbrie called Spoken in Darkness but the film was never made. He is now the lead singer and main songwriter of the band The Twilight Singers who released their fourth album titled Powder Burns in May 2006.
Dulli is working with Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age, Mark Lanegan Band) in the project, The Gutter Twins. Lanegan also appears on The Twilight Singers new EP, A Stitch In Time. He released his first CD under his own name in 2005, Amber Headlights, and followed it with a live recording in 2008, Live At Triple Door.
Cigarettes
Greg Dulli Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got to get a light before I hit the door
Does anybody have a light?
Well, aidez moi, ‘cause I need to get right
So come on and dial the phone
‘Cause I need to get some more
A little something from behind the door
Get the wheel, let's go for a ride
If you're trouble, then I'll follow you down
Now you say you miss me
Say I want you back, ain't that a little symphony?
Nobody ever taste so sweet
Some day they going to ask, whatever happened to me, well
So come on and dial the phone
‘Cause I need to get some more
A little something from behind the door
‘Cause I get lonely, baby, lonely
Get the wheel, let's go for a ride
If you're trouble, then I'll follow you down
Last night, last night was all right
I want to see you again
The cigarettes are going to kill me I know
I got to get a light before I hit the door
Does anybody have a light?
Well, aidez moi, ‘cause I need to get right
Get the wheel, let's go for a ride
If you're trouble, then I'll follow you down
Last night, last night was all right
I want to see you again
Get the wheel, let's go for a ride
If you're trouble, then I'll follow you down
In Greg Dulli's song "Cigarettes," the lyrics explore the idea of addiction and the search for connection in a world that can often feel isolating. The repeated lines about the cigarettes and needing a light suggest a physical addiction, while the search for something more behind the door is representative of a deeper emotional need. The line "if you're trouble, then I'll follow you down" speaks to a willingness to go to dark places in order to feel something.
The chorus, which repeats throughout the song, emphasizes the feelings of loneliness and the need for connection. The line "last night was all right, I want to see you again" suggests a desire for a repeat experience, even if it wasn't necessarily healthy or positive.
Overall, the song paints a picture of someone struggling with addiction and searching for meaning in the midst of that struggle. It's a complex look at the ways in which we try to cope with our pain and the ways in which we seek out connection, even when that search may lead us down a dangerous path.
Line by Line Meaning
The cigarettes are going to kill me I know
Greg knows that smoking the cigarettes is harmful and will eventually cause his death.
I got to get a light before I hit the door
Before leaving the place, Greg needs a lighter to ignite the cigarette.
Does anybody have a light?
Greg is asking if anyone around has a lighter which he can use to start smoking his cigarette.
Well, aidez moi, ‘cause I need to get right
Using a French phrase, Greg is humbly asking for help from someone to light his cigarette, as he needs to satisfy his craving and feel better.
So come on and dial the phone
Greg wants someone to call the dealer on his behalf.
‘Cause I need to get some more
Greg needs more cigarettes or perhaps something more specific that he could not procure before.
A little something from behind the door
This could be a reference to drugs, which he may intend to use along with his cigarette to escape from the reality of his life.
‘Cause I get lonely, baby, lonely
Greg is smoking and maybe using drugs to cope with his loneliness and to emotionally detach himself from his problems.
Get the wheel, let's go for a ride
Greg wants to get into a car and go away, possibly to score something or to escape from his life.
If you're trouble, then I'll follow you down
Greg is trying to say that he is ready to accompany the person, even if they are headed towards trouble, as he seeks the same escape.
Now you say you miss me
Someone in Greg's life claims that they miss him.
Say I want you back, ain't that a little symphony?
Greg mocks the person as they are just pretending to want him back, trying to lure him from his addiction.
Nobody ever taste so sweet
He says 'nobody ever tasted so sweet', which probably refers to the way the cigarettes or the drugs make him feel, bringing a temporary distraction from his problems.
Some day they going to ask, whatever happened to me, well
Greg acknowledges that his addiction and self-destructive behavior is not sustainable, and he might eventually be forgotten after his demise.
Last night, last night was all right
Perhaps a reference to a night where he had a good time by indulging in his addiction.
I want to see you again
Greg wants to experience the same high again.
Contributed by Charlotte H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.