Under the Lemon Demon name, Neil has released seven full length albums and two EPs. Neil is also known for being the creator of a genre of Flash animation called "Animutation" which is characterized by unpredictable montages of pop-culture images set to music, often in a language foreign to the intended viewers. He is also known from his YouTube channel, 'NeilCicierega', most famous for his Potter Puppet Pals series.
Ben Bernanke
Lemon Demon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're the architect of my dreams, Spencer. You plan them, and build them on blue paper and hand them to me,
And then I dream them, Spencer. It's what you do for me. Thank you for that, Spencer.
You prick.
I'm a magician, Spencer. A furious magician. Ooooh.
Avada Kedavra, Spencer, to you, Spencer. Avada Kedavra to you, Spencer.
You think you're something brand new,
But you're old oats, Spencer. You're old, dry, stale oats, Spencer.
I'm a magician, Spencer. A furious magician. Ooooh.
You're a tall glass of water, aren't you, Spencer? You boy, precious boy.
I'm Ben Bernanke, Spencer, and I want your teeth for the federal reserve.
I'm cutting interest rates in half, Spencer, and I need your teeth.
I'll admit, Spencer, you're handsome, but what have you done with it?
You think you can mock me, Spencer? Do you?
Do you think you can mock me, Spencer? Do you think you can capture my essence and throw it back at me.. with humour and rhetorical devices?
Well, you can't, Spencer; you don't know what I'm capable of. I need your teeth for my Lonely Hearts Club Band, Spencer.
Ben Bernanke.
I'm a magician, Spencer. A furious magician. Ooooh.
Are you proud of your country? Are you proud of your country?
I bet you are. You pretty little boy. Sitting up there in your high chair, demanding more
Applesauce.
You've already got enough applesauce, Spencer.
There's plenty of apple sauce on your plate.
I'm going to kiss you, Spencer, on the lips.
You sexy little rattlesnake. You naughty little baby boy.
You you you you rambunctious little infant. My mother tries to get me to go on dates, Spencer.
You know what that's like? You know how humiliating that is, Spencer?
Spencer...
Ohhhhh my gooooood
You tall drink of water!
Spencer.
I'm a magician, Spencer. A furious magician. Oooh. I'm a magician, Spencer. A furious magician. Magician.
Magician.
I love you, Spencer. I'm gonna spank you silly.
The song "Ben Bernanke" by Lemon Demon is a satirical take on the former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, Ben Bernanke. The lyrics begin by addressing an individual named Spencer, who is portrayed as the architect of the singer's dreams. However, the tone quickly becomes hostile with the singer using spells from the Harry Potter series to threaten Spencer. The song then shifts to the singer, Ben Bernanke, addressing Spencer as a potential source of teeth for the Federal Reserve. The lyrics go on to question Spencer's national pride and end with the singer declaring their love for Spencer, albeit in a twisted and violent manner.
The song is a commentary on the perceived abuses of power by bankers and politicians, particularly during the 2008 financial crisis. Bernanke is portrayed as a manipulative figure that will stop at nothing to maintain control. However, the song does not place all the blame on Bernanke, as Spencer is also criticized for his ignorance and lack of humility.
Overall, "Ben Bernanke" is a darkly humorous song that serves as a critique of those in power.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello there, Spencer. I see you, you boy boy. I see you, Spencer, with my eyes.
The singer acknowledges Spencer's presence and compliments him in a somewhat condescending tone.
You're the architect of my dreams, Spencer. You plan them, and build them on blue paper and hand them to me,
And then I dream them, Spencer. It's what you do for me. Thank you for that, Spencer.
You prick.
The singer sarcastically thanks Spencer for being the architect of their dreams, finishing with an insult.
I'm a magician, Spencer. A furious magician. Ooooh.
The singer emphasizes his/her desire to be known as a magician and expresses his/her anger.
Avada Kedavra, Spencer, to you, Spencer. Avada Kedavra to you, Spencer.
You think you're something special, Spencer.
You think you're something brand new,
But you're old oats, Spencer. You're old, dry, stale oats, Spencer.
The artist draws on an incantation from Harry Potter to threaten Spencer, belittling him with a metaphor of stale oats.
You're a tall glass of water, aren't you, Spencer? You boy, precious boy.
I'm Ben Bernanke, Spencer, and I want your teeth for the federal reserve.
I'm cutting interest rates in half, Spencer, and I need your teeth.
The artist continues to mock Spencer, presenting himself/herself as Ben Bernanke and threatening to take his teeth for the federal reserve, as well as referencing an economic policy.
I'll admit, Spencer, you're handsome, but what have you done with it?
You think you can mock me, Spencer? Do you?
Do you think you can mock me, Spencer? Do you think you can capture my essence and throw it back at me.. with humour and rhetorical devices?
Well, you can't, Spencer; you don't know what I'm capable of. I need your teeth for my Lonely Hearts Club Band, Spencer.
Ben Bernanke.
The singer continues to insult Spencer for his perceived arrogance and inability to match his/her wit, claiming to need his teeth for a fictional band.
Are you proud of your country? Are you proud of your country?
I bet you are. You pretty little boy. Sitting up there in your high chair, demanding more
Applesauce.
You've already got enough applesauce, Spencer.
There's plenty of apple sauce on your plate.
The singer mocks Spencer's patriotism and paints him as childish and entitled, telling him he has enough applesauce.
I'm going to kiss you, Spencer, on the lips.
You sexy little rattlesnake. You naughty little baby boy.
You you you you rambunctious little infant. My mother tries to get me to go on dates, Spencer.
You know what that's like? You know how humiliating that is, Spencer?
The artist's tone becomes increasingly sexual as he/she describes wanting to kiss Spencer and insults his character, revealing a personal anecdote to emphasize his/her frustration.
Spencer...
Ohhhhh my gooooood
You tall drink of water!
Spencer.
The artist continues to utilize a tone of condescending admiration, repeating Spencer's name in awe.
I'm a magician, Spencer. A furious magician. Oooh. I'm a magician, Spencer. A furious magician. Magician.
Magician.
The artist repeats his/her desire to be known as a magician, emphasizing his/her anger.
I love you, Spencer. I'm gonna spank you silly.
The singer says he/she loves Spencer, but immediately adds a sexual threat, suggesting he/she plans to physically harm him.
Contributed by Callie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@toomanywhales
@@alictyne
I would love to! I don't usually get to talk about lemon demon because none of my friends are into this type of music, so it will be my pleasure :)
I'll post the links on a separate comment so YouTube doesn't delete this one. Also, English is not my first language, so I'm sorry if I made any mistakes!
1 I've seen a lot of comments quoting Neil on this comment section, and at first I got very confused because view monster doesn't have a finished commentary track. But I managed to find the official page of VM on geocities, which contains the lyrics to all its songs, as well as Neil's text-commentary. That's where most of the quotes came from! Navigating the website is a bit confusing at first but all you have to do is click the lyrics until a comment appears.
2 You probably know about the original Ben Bernanke video. It features Ryan Murphy as Spencer and Jake Quilty Dunn as Ben Bernanke. Both are close friends of Neil, and have appeared in other videos (such as the sixth episode of new kids on the rock). Jake is currently a philosopher of cognition, while Ryan is still working with Neil, producing short movies and also co-hosting two podcasts.
3 I'm not sure about the origin of the name Spencer. Some people have said it's a reference to Spencer Bachus, another US politician who has been on debates with Bernanke before. On the other hand, I've seen claims that the name was just a nod to a friend of Ryan's called Spencer Hensel.
4 At one point, this song used to have a music video that was also edited by Neil. It was uploaded to his YouTube channel and consisted of an altered version of the original video, edited so Jake's lines would be perfectly synced with the music. Sadly, either Ryan or Jake asked him to take the video down, because they were afraid it could be misinterpreted by potential employers. Theres still a backup of this video on YouTube though!
5 "Spencer" is heard 34 times in the song.
6 apparently "are you proud of your country?" was another line Ryan and Jake overheard at the mall.
That's about all the info I've gathered so far, if I'm not forgetting anything. Looking for these bits of information has been a lot of fun, and everytime I learn something new my respect for Neil increases. It's crazy how much care he puts into each of his songs and how creative he and his friends are!
@smartchick4528
This sounds like a drunk guy singing improv karaoke to his best friend/secret crush.
@cryptid221
Shit I can’t un hear that now
@stackofpancakes
Idk about the drunk part, but this was literally improvised and like a third of the lyrics are stuff they heard at the mall
@alexf225
"secret"
@sketchie251
Just realized Spencer needed applesauce because Neil took his teeth
@smoothblink
I'm so mad I never thought about this
@LeGoodMusica23
@Charlotte K. you dont need teeth to kiss
@LeGoodMusica23
@Charlotte K. oh ok
@ThatOneIrishFurry
TIL
@niratomata
You mean Ben Bernanke took his teeth.