There are two artists called Jeffrey Lewis. One (b. 1975) is an American s… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists called Jeffrey Lewis. One (b. 1975) is an American singer-songwriter, the other is a Welsh composer.

Jeffrey Lewis is an American singer/songwriter and comic-book artist, part of the Anti-folk movement. Several of his musical influences have been acknowledged in his songs such as The Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song, concerning the song by Leonard Cohen, and The History of The Fall. Like Cohen, Lewis' lyrics are complex and literate, often combining a depressing world-view with a hopeful message and sharp wit. Born in New York City and growing up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan Island his songs are also highly informed by his home surroundings, with songs namechecking places such as Williamsburg, the FDR Drive and the East River.

Jeffrey Lewis was born in New York in November 1975. He attended State University of New York at Purchase College and graduated in 1997; his final thesis was on the Alan Moore graphic novel "Watchmen".

After being signed by the British record label Rough Trade in 2001, Lewis released his first official album The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane, and in 2003 he released the album It's the Ones Who've Cracked That the Light Shines Through. Lewis later released the album City & Eastern Songs, in the U.K. in November 2005. All three albums also include his brother, Jack Lewis, who wrote and sang a number of the songs. He has also performed and collaborated with fellow New York Anti-folk singers Kimya Dawson and Diane Cluck.

His latest album, 12 Crass Songs was released on Rough Trade in Europe in September of 2007. As the title suggests, it is 12 covers of the British anarchist punk band Crass. It features vocals, keyboard and recorder from Helen Shriner, bass by both John Kessel and brother Jack Lewis, drums by David Beachamp (live drummer/The Bloodugars) and Raphi Gottesman (who often plays with Jack Lewis). Shwervon's Nan Turner also contributes vocals to various tracks.

Jeffrey Lewis is a Welsh composer. After graduating from University College, Cardiff, he studied composition with Stockhausen, Ligeti, and Boguslaw Schaffer, and electronic composition with Don Banks. His early career was spent as a pianist with the Paris Chamber Ensemble; after his return to the U.K, in 1973 he joined the Department of Music at the University College of North Wales, Bangor.

Amanda Is a Scalape
Jeffrey Lewis Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Grow it black
Cut it back
Amanda is a scalape

Anyone want some water?
Amanda is a scalape
Poor Amanda
Oh Amanda

Stop thinking
Stop being
Amanda is a scalape

Dirty flip-flops
Piss in the pool
Amanda is a scalape
Poor Amanda
Oh Amanda

Truck stop hell
I will collapse
Why would you ask me that?
Why would you ask me that?
Why would you ask me that?

Rhyme and reason
No one needs 'em
Amanda is a scalape

Three-ton trailer
Tire blew out
Amanda is a scalape
Poor Amanda
Oh Amanda

Pissin' in his pores
Amanda is scalape

Beer can, ashtrays
The telephone rings
Amanda is scalape

Poor Amanda
Oh Amanda

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Jeffrey Lewis's song "Amanda Is a Scalape" speaks about a person with a bleak and dehumanizing existence. The repetitive line "Amanda is a scalape" implies that the person referred to as "Amanda" is likened to something stripped of its humanity or reduced to mere components. In this case, a "scalape" could be interpreted as a kind of object with no inherent value, much like a scallop shell or a leftover scallop.

The lines "Cut it back" and "Piss in the pool" demonstrate a disregard for the environment and the self, making it seem as though the person in question does not even care about their own well-being. The singer offers water to others, yet Amanda's condition is pitiable, as suggested in lines like "Poor Amanda" and "I will collapse".

The last lines are particularly interesting, as they include a litany of objects and images which are left there unexplained. The song offers a haunting depiction of a person living a dreary existence, devoid of rhyme or reason. Overall, the song raises questions about the meaning of existence and the value of life, particularly in the face of suffering and hardship.

Line by Line Meaning

Grow it black
Increase the darkness

Cut it back
Reduce it in size

Amanda is a scalape
Amanda is a useless, unimportant thing

Anyone want some water?
This is an irrelevant question

Poor Amanda
Amanda is to be pitied

Oh Amanda
This situation is hopeless

Stop thinking
Cease cognitive processes

Stop being
Cease existence

Dirty flip-flops
Footwear that is unclean

Piss in the pool
Urinate into the swimming pool

Truck stop hell
A difficult, unpleasant place