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.
If you Shoot the Head You Kill the Ghoul
Jeffrey Lewis Lyrics
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Mind-blowing massacre at the cemetery
When the groundskeeper came to check out the place
They knocked him down and they ate his face
Little Billy Baker said he saw it first
A thousand rotten carcasses
Climbed out of the earth
Now we're holding a crisis information meeting at the high school
If you shoot the head you kill the ghoul
Come on, this is the state of national emergency
It's happening in Texas and in Idaho and in Tennessee
Hideous hordes of crumbling undead men
Are slaughtering and eating the population
We've just received word from washington DC
It's every man for himself against the zombies
They say a high-powered, short-range weapon is a man's best tool
And they say if you shoot the head you kill the ghoul
Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot,
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill,
Aahhhhhh....This is a state of national emergency
Why is this happening? What are the dead returning?
Have we gone too far, do we deserve this fate?
Is Hell too full, have they opened up the gate?
It's earth last stand against our final death
They'll eat and eat till there's no one left
We don't know if it's radiation or if it's something biblical
But we know if you shoot the head you kill the ghoul
If you shoot the head you kill the ghoul
The lyrics to Jeffrey Lewis's song "If you Shoot the Head You Kill the Ghoul" paint a very vivid picture of an undead apocalypse. The song describes a state of national emergency where hordes of undead men have risen from their graves and are attacking and eating the living. The singer of the song explains that the only way to stop these undead creatures is to shoot them in the head.
The song starts with a description of a "mind-blowing massacre" at a cemetery where a "groundskeeper" gets knocked down and eaten by "a thousand rotten carcasses" that have just "climbed out of the earth." Little Billy Baker is the first person to witness this phenomenon. In response to this crisis, the town holds an information meeting at the high school where they discuss the importance of shooting the undead in the head to kill them.
The singer then goes on to explain that this is not just happening in one place but is a state of national emergency happening in Texas, Idaho, and Tennessee. The government advises people to use high-powered short-range weapons to kill the undead, and they remind everyone that shooting the head is the only way to kill them.
At the end of the song, the singer asks the questions that everyone is thinking. Why is this happening? Have we gone too far? Do we deserve this fate? Is this punishment for our sins? The only advice given is that if you want to survive, you need to shoot the head to kill the ghoul.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the state of national emergency
The situation is extremely dire and requires immediate action
Mind-blowing massacre at the cemetery
A horrifying and violent attack has occurred
When the groundskeeper came to check out the place
An individual checking on the situation was met with danger
They knocked him down and they ate his face
The attackers were violent and cannibalistic
Little Billy Baker said he saw it first
The situation was witnessed by a young person
A thousand rotten carcasses climbed out of the earth
Numerous undead beings have risen from the dead and are causing chaos
Now we're holding a crisis information meeting at the high school
People are gathering to discuss how to address the crisis
And we say if you shoot the head you kill the ghoul
The best way to eliminate the undead beings is to shoot them in the head
Come on, this is the state of national emergency
The situation is still very serious
It's happening in Texas and in Idaho and in Tennessee
The issue is widespread and affecting multiple states
Hideous hordes of crumbling undead men
The attackers are ugly and damaged-looking and are undead
Are slaughtering and eating the population
The attackers are causing harm and consuming humans
We've just received word from washington DC
Authorities have provided information on what to do
It's every man for himself against the zombies
People are encouraged to protect themselves from the attackers
They say a high-powered, short-range weapon is a man's best tool
The best weapon to use against the attackers is a powerful, short-range weapon
And they say if you shoot the head you kill the ghoul
The most effective way to eliminate the attackers is to shoot them in the head
Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, Aahhhhhh....
A frantic call to action to eliminate the attackers
Why is this happening? What are the dead returning?
Questions about why the situation is happening in the first place
Have we gone too far, do we deserve this fate?
Contemplating whether humans are responsible for the crisis
Is Hell too full, have they opened up the gate?
A hypothetical question about whether the undead are coming from Hell
It's earth last stand against our final death
Humans are fighting to survive a potential final attack
They'll eat and eat till there's no one left
The attackers are vicious and won't stop until all humans are gone
We don't know if it's radiation or if it's something biblical
The cause of the crisis is unclear
But we know if you shoot the head you kill the ghoul
Despite the mystery surrounding the crisis, shooting the attackers in the head is still the best way to eliminate them
Contributed by Adeline V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.