After mk Ultra broke up in 1999, Vanderslice wasted little time building a solo reputation. In 2000, he gained national media attention over his single Bill Gates Must Die after concocting an elaborate hoax in which Microsoft supposedly threatened legal action over supposed trademark violations (the disc had a similar etching to a Windows installation disc).
Subsequent albums, Time Travel is Lonely, Life and Death of an American Fourtracker, Cellar Door, Pixel Revolt and Emerald City have gained critical acclaim for their melodic quality and sophisticated narrative lyrical content. Vanderslice has spent much of the last few years on tour across North America, Europe, and Japan.
Vanderslice also founded a recording studio in 1997 called Tiny Telephone. Located in the Mission District of San Francisco, Tiny Telephone has carved out a niche as the last all-analog recording studio in the Bay Area, and has a policy of setting recording rates under market prices. Bands who have used Vanderslice's studio include Beulah, Death Cab for Cutie, Okkervil River and Spoon.
Vanderslice is a proponent of using analog instruments and recording equipment to produce a richer, more raw sound which he has sometimes called "dirty hi-fi". He has collaborated closely with Scott Solter in the production of his recent albums, with Pixel Revolt being notably shaped by Solter.
Vanderslice was a contributing producer on the Spoon album, Gimme Fiction, and has collaborated and toured with The Mountain Goats. He is strongly influenced by film and is a fan of David Lynch, whose work is referenced in his song "Promising Actress". His declared musical influences are diverse, ranging from Neutral Milk Hotel to Public Enemy. He is an avid photography hobbyist. He has incorporated the poetry of William Blake and Robert Lowell into his music.
Several songs on the album Pixel Revolt referenced the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent global political situation. This is also true of Vanderslice's most recent album, Emerald City.
Fetal Horses
John Vanderslice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
today you could be almost anywhere
your boost today
your bruised and pixeled face
it seems to me to be finally dead with you and him
today elise
today i wanted you
you'd break everything i have
you'll turn a hanging man bad
i live with another
I stole her from her lover
fetal horses gallop in the womb
seeing corpses in an empty room
fetal horses gallop in the womb
seeing corpses in an empty room
elise today your pixeled bloodied face
it seems to me to be finally dead with you and him
come back to me again
you'd break everything i have
you'll turn a hanging man bad
i live with another
i stoled her from her lover
fetal horses gallop in the womb
seeing corpses in an empty room
fetal horses gallop in the womb
seeing corpses in an empty room
nahhh
nahhh
nahhh
nah nah nah
The song "Fetal Horses" by John Vanderslice is a haunting and melancholic piece that tells the story of a man named Elise, who is struggling with lost love and the consequences of his actions. Throughout the song, the singer speaks to Elise, expressing his longing for her to return to him and admitting his own faults in the situation. He describes her face as bruised and pixeled, alluding to the digital age and the way it can distort our perception of reality. The line "it seems to me to be finally dead with you and him" suggests that Elise may have been involved in a tragic event with another person, possibly leading to her untimely death.
The second half of the song introduces the imagery of fetal horses galloping in the womb and corpses in an empty room, which adds to the eerie and surreal atmosphere. This could represent the singer's feelings of being stuck in a state of limbo, unable to move on from his past mistakes or let go of his love for Elise. He acknowledges that he now lives with someone else, but admits that he "stole her from her lover," indicating that he has yet to fully let go of his old flame.
Line by Line Meaning
today elise
The present day in which the singer addresses a person named Elise
today you could be almost anywhere
Elise has the freedom to be anywhere she wants on this day
your boost today
An energy or motivational boost that Elise experiences today
your bruised and pixeled face
Elise's face is visually damaged, potentially from a physical injury or a distorted digital image
it seems to me to be finally dead with you and him
A relationship between Elise and someone else (referred to as 'him') has ended in a way that the artist perceives as a definitive 'death' of the relationship
today elise
The singer again addresses Elise in the present day
today i wanted you
The singer desires Elise's presence and attention on this day
to come back to me again
The artist wants Elise to return to him after presumably leaving
you'd break everything i have
The artist believes that if Elise were to return, she would bring chaos and destruction to his life
you'll turn a hanging man bad
Elise's presence would negatively influence the artist, potentially leading him to become a worse person
i live with another
The singer is currently in a committed relationship with someone else
i stole her from her lover
The artist started a relationship with his current partner while she was with someone else
fetal horses gallop in the womb
A vivid image of unborn horses running in their mother's womb
seeing corpses in an empty room
A striking contrast between the liveliness of fetal horses and the dead silence of a room filled with corpses
fetal horses gallop in the womb
Reiteration of the unborn horses running in their mother's womb
seeing corpses in an empty room
The image of corpses in a lifeless room is repeated, emphasizing its significance
elise today your pixeled bloodied face
The artist directly addresses Elise again, this time alluding to a facial injury and associating it with digital distortion
it seems to me to be finally dead with you and him
The singer repeats his belief that the relationship between Elise and 'him' has ended irreversibly
come back to me again
Another plea for Elise to return to the singer's life
you'd break everything i have
The artist repeats his fear that Elise's return would bring chaos to his life
you'll turn a hanging man bad
Repeated emphasis on the idea that Elise's presence would negatively influence the artist's behavior and character
i live with another
A repetition of the fact that the artist is currently in a committed relationship
i stoled her from her lover
Reiteration of how the singer's current relationship began
nahhh
Vocalization without any specific meaning
nahhh
Repetition of the same vocalization
nahhh
Another repetition of the same vocalization
nah nah nah
A slightly varied repetition of the same vocalization
Contributed by Isabella N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alejandro Alex
Like the song very much. Sounds great.
Syamantakshobhan Basu
Very stimulating..
firetruckgreen
@ooohwahoowah "Heya, the Shins. Beulah want their everything back." there, I fixed it.