Every week for a year Coulton released a new song for free on his website as part of his Thing a Week podcast, on topics as diverse as vengeful nerds, self-loathing giant squid, partially-imagined historical figures, and devotees of a certain Swedish prefab furniture store. The Thing a Week project is now complete, and all songs can be streamed from his official website. Many of the songs on the site can be downloaded for free. The song "Code Monkey" became the theme song to the G4 television show Code Monkeys.
Coulton's song "Still Alive" has been featured in Valve Software's game Portal (and has become a hit among the gamers who finished the game) . He also made a recording of this song called the "J.C. Mix" which is exactly the same except he is singing rather than Ellen McLain as GLaDOS. "Still Alive" went on to be featured in the game Rock Band, as well as Skullcrusher Mountain and Re: Your Brains
Shop Vac
Jonathan Coulton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Found a place to settle down
Bought a driveway and a swingset and a dog
You got your very own bathroom
I got my very own workshop in the basement
We'll sit around staring at the wall-to-wall
Take fieldtrips to our favorite mall
The kids grow up and leave us here
If you need me I'll be downstairs with the shop vac
You can call but I probably won't hear you
Because it's loud with the shop vac on
You'll be okay 'cause you'll be upstairs
With the TV you can cry and I probably won't hear you
Because it's loud with the shop vac on
We hung a flag above the door
Checked out the gourmet grocery store
I bought a mower I can ride around the yard
But we haven't got real friends
And now even the fake ones have stopped calling
Maybe if you forget to hide the keys
I'll take a ride to Applebee's
Come home drunk on daiquiris
And throw up on the neighbor's lawn
If you need me I'll be downstairs with the shop vac
You can call but I probably won't hear you
Because it's loud with the shop vac on
You'll be okay 'cause you'll be upstairs
With the TV you can cry and I probably won't hear you
Because it's loud with the shop vac on
I like the Starbucks here
That's better than the other one
Because the other one's not as good
They really need to put a light there because it's hard to turn
It's hard to make a left turn
And when it's time to go to bed
I'm still awake inside my head
Floating up above the house and looking down
I guess I gotta go back there
I guess there never was any other answer
And as the freeway hums the cars go by
The headlights roll across the sky
Many miles away and I
Can see them speeding through the dark
If you need me I'll be downstairs with the shop vac
You can call but I probably won't hear you
Because it's loud with the shop vac on
You'll be okay 'cause you'll be upstairs
With the TV you can cry and I probably won't hear you
Because it's loud with the shop vac on
The lyrics of "Shop Vac" by Jonathan Coulton depict the mundane everyday life of a suburban couple who have settled down, bought a home and have a dog. However, beneath the surface lies a sense of ennui and discontentment. They have their own personal spaces, with the singer enjoying his own workshop in the basement and the singer having her own bathroom. They take field trips to the mall and have hung a flag above their front door. However, they are isolated and lack real friends. Even their fake friends have stopped calling.
The singer sings about her partner's habitual use of the shop vac, a symbol of isolation and disengagement, as she watches TV and cries in her own room. The singer admits to enjoying the Starbucks nearby and gripes about the lack of a stop light. When the day is done, the couple lie in bed, contemplating the world outside their suburban home, dreaming of more.
The song serves as a modern-day ballad, set in the suburbs, depicting the mundanity of everyday life, the futility of the American dream, and the human need to seek out something more significant.
Line by Line Meaning
We took the freeway out of town
We left our old life behind us and started somewhere new
Found a place to settle down
We found a place to live a peaceful and stable life
Bought a driveway and a swingset and a dog
We started a family and created a home for ourselves
You got your very own bathroom
We have our own personal spaces in the house
I got my very own workshop in the basement
We each have a space to pursue our hobbies and interests
We'll sit around staring at the wall-to-wall
We'll spend time together simply existing in our home
Take fieldtrips to our favorite mall
We'll enjoy the simple pleasures of life like going to the mall
Waiting for the day when all
We anticipate our children growing up and moving out
The kids grow up and leave us here
We'll become empty nesters and have to adjust to a new phase of life
If you need me I'll be downstairs with the shop vac
I'll be taking care of household chores and maintenance
You can call but I probably won't hear you
I'm focused on my task and may not immediately respond to calls
Because it's loud with the shop vac on
The noise of the vacuum can drown out other sounds
You'll be okay 'cause you'll be upstairs
You have your own space where you can relax and feel safe
With the TV you can cry and I probably won't hear you
You can have privacy to process your emotions without me intruding
We hung a flag above the door
We're proud to be Americans and want to show it
Checked out the gourmet grocery store
We enjoy trying new and fancy foods
I bought a mower I can ride around the yard
I enjoy maintaining our yard and having fun doing it
But we haven't got real friends
We haven't made close connections with people in our new community
And now even the fake ones have stopped calling
We're not even getting invited to superficial social events anymore
Maybe if you forget to hide the keys
I joke about doing something reckless to escape our mundane routine
I'll take a ride to Applebee's
I'll go do something mindless and indulgent by myself
Come home drunk on daiquiris
I'll drink too much and try to forget about life for a little while
And throw up on the neighbor's lawn
I'll do something outrageous and impulsive that will cause trouble
I like the Starbucks here
I appreciate the small things that make our new home pleasant
That's better than the other one
I have preferences and can be critical of things
Because the other one's not as good
I have specific reasons for my preferences
They really need to put a light there because it's hard to turn
I notice small problems and inefficiencies in the town's infrastructure
It's hard to make a left turn
There are specific difficulties and inconveniences in living here
And when it's time to go to bed
At the end of the day we go to sleep, but our minds may still be active
I'm still awake inside my head
I have thoughts and feelings that I can't escape
Floating up above the house and looking down
I'm having an out-of-body experience, seeing things from a different perspective
I guess I gotta go back there
I'll have to face the reality of my life in the morning
I guess there never was any other answer
I'm coming to terms with the fact that this is my life now
And as the freeway hums the cars go by
The outside world is still moving even as we try to create a stable existence
The headlights roll across the sky
The cars passing by create a pattern of light in the darkness of the night sky
Many miles away and I
There is distance between our small world and the vastness of the world at large
Can see them speeding through the dark
We can observe the frenetic pace of other people's lives without leaving our own calm existence
Contributed by Asher R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.