American indie rock and avant-garde musician, composer and producer Jim O'R… Read Full Bio ↴American indie rock and avant-garde musician, composer and producer Jim O'Rourke (born January 18, 1969, in Chicago) has been a key component in the increasing overlap of the American and European experimental music avant-garde, working in everything from jazz and rock to ambient and electro-acoustic and building many a bridge in between. He currently resides in Yamanashi, Japan.

A Chicago native, O'Rourke's work has found equal luck with experimental jazz and noise fanatics, chill room denizens, and bedroom experimentalists, and has had the resultant effect of cross-pollinating many otherwise isolated compositional communities. In early 1993, he formed an avant-rock group with Darin Gray and Dylan Posa called Brise-Glace. The band released one studio album, When in Vanitas..., in 1994.

Subsequently, O'Rourke has released a fair bit of material as a soloist, although more often in the electro-acoustic/musique concrète vein. Dealing most often with prepared guitar in improvisational group settings, he's collaborated with such contemporary improv heroes as Derek Bailey, Henry Kaiser, Eddie Prevost and Keith Rowe (of English improv group AMM), KK Null, David Jackman (Organum), and early Krautrock experimentalists Faust. O'Rourke is also engaged in an ongoing exploration of experimental rock as a member of Gastr del Sol, who've released albums through the Teen Beat and Table of the Elements labels.

Beginning with guitar at the age of 6, it wasn't until his collegiate career at DePaul University that O'Rourke's interest in the less obvious possibilities of the instrument led him through the early catalogs of the post-classical and electro-acoustic traditions. While at DePaul, O'Rourke completed much of the work that would constitute his first few releases. He also had the opportunity to meet up with noted improvisational guitarist Derek Bailey, whose invitation to O'Rourke to play at the British improv festival Company Week led to further collaborative projects with Bailey, Henry Kaiser, Eddie Prevost, and David Jackman. O'Rourke began working with Dan Burke's Illusion of Safety project in the early '90s, releasing three albums through Staalplaat and Tesco, before moving on to form experimental "rock" group Gastr Del Sol with David Grubbs. Although focusing more on collaboration after a string of solo releases in the early '90s, O'Rourke has shifted back to solo work of late, releasing Terminal Pharmacy through John Zorn's Tzadik label and completing commissioned pieces for the Kronos Quartet and the Rova Saxophone Quartet. In 1995, O'Rourke was invited by German experimental electronic label Mille Plateaux (Oval, Steel, Microstoria) to conduct an extended remix of their entire back catalog. He also produced and co-wrote a good portion of innovative German outfit Faust's Table of the Elements release, Rien. O'Rourke is also noted for his work as a producer. This role led to another project during the mixing of Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, when O'Rourke combined with Jeff Tweedy and Glenn Kotche to form Loose Fur.

Get a Room
Jim O'Rourke Lyrics

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Get A Room

It's always me in the only seat
That has a canopy
There to screw up the best laid plans
Of those with company

I'd like nothing more to do

Than to watch the desperation on your face
I might send you straght to hell
Like it's worse to end up in this place

If I gave you, one night to live
Would you know who to choose to take home
And if she falls asleep before the night is through
Because she has to go to work
And you don't

And the night's getting longer
And your skin's getting colder
And you won't get much older

And you try to move towards her
But you can't move your shoulder
And you're sight's getting dimmer
Maybe if you kick her
But your leg's getting weaker
And she's such a deep sleeper
And you would get a snorer
To share your last hour
You sure picked a winner
And time's seeming slower
And now you can't see her
All you see is a timer
Moving backwards and forwards

And the night's getting longer
And your skin's getting colder

Overall Meaning

The song "Get a Room" by Jim O'Rourke contemplates the emotions of a person who is alone and observing couples around them. The lyrics suggest that the singer is envious of the intimate companionship that he sees around him but also contemptuous of it. The first verse establishes that the singer is always alone in a certain seat, which seemingly ruins the plans of others who would like to use the seat. The line "There to screw up the best-laid plans of those with company" suggests that the singer is disruptive and that his presence is an inconvenience to those who are together. The second stanza sees the singer imagining giving someone one night to live and asks them whether they would choose to take someone home. The suggestion is that the singer feels that they have missed out on opportunities for intimacy and is projecting these doubts onto others. However, the final stanza suggests that even intimacy may not be all that it's cracked up to be. The singer imagines a scenario where the only person they can spend their last hours with is a person who is annoying, and the countdown clock creates a sense of urgency and impending doom.

Line by Line Meaning

It's always me in the only seat That has a canopy
I always end up sitting in the one seat that has a cover over it.

There to screw up the best laid plans Of those with company
I unintentionally ruin the plans of those who have someone to be with.

I'd like nothing more to do Than to watch the desperation on your face I might send you straght to hell Like it's worse to end up in this place
I take pleasure in making others desperate or feel uncomfortable. It's as if being here is worse than being in Hell.

If I gave you, one night to live Would you know who to choose to take home And if she falls asleep before the night is through Because she has to go to work And you don't
If I were to let you have one night of your life, would you know who to spend it with? And if the person you choose falls asleep early because they have responsibilities while you don't, what would you do?

And the night's getting longer And your skin's getting colder And you won't get much older
As the night gets longer and your body starts to feel colder, it's evident that you don't have much time left in this world.

And you try to move towards her But you can't move your shoulder And you're sight's getting dimmer Maybe if you kick her But your leg's getting weaker And she's such a deep sleeper And you would get a snorer To share your last hour You sure picked a winner And time's seeming slower And now you can't see her All you see is a timer Moving backwards and forwards And the night's getting longer And your skin's getting colder
You try to go towards the person you're with, but your body is giving up on you. You consider even kicking her to see if she'll wake up, but your leg isn't strong enough. She's such a deep sleeper that you'll end up having to spend your last hour with a snorer. Time seems to be slowing down, and now you can't even see her. All you're seeing is the timer counting backwards and forwards as the night gets longer and your skin gets colder.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JIM O'ROURKE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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