Phair's 1993 debut studio album, Exile in Guyville, was released to acclaim; it has been ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Phair followed this with her second album, Whip-Smart (1994), which earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and Whitechocolatespaceegg (1998). Ten years after the release of her debut, Phair's fourth album, Liz Phair (2003), released on Capitol Records, moved towards pop rock, earning her a mainstream audience but alienating critics.
After the release of her fifth album, Somebody's Miracle (2005), Phair left Capitol and released her sixth album Funstyle independently in 2010. In 2018, it was announced that Matador Records would be releasing a retrospective set for Phair's debut album Exile in Guyville which includes remastered recordings from her original Girly-Sound demo tapes. Phair released her seventh studio album, Soberish, in 2021.
Ride
Liz Phair Lyrics
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And if I die before I wake, I hope the lord won't hesitate
To pluck my coffin from the ground
He need not heed the neighbors now
And throw me up for all to see,
The flies of August swarming me
I get a ride
Under your skin
I'm digging in
Well I don't know, but I've been told
The road to heaven is paved with gold
And if I die before I wake
I need a ride
I need a ride
I need a ride from you
I need a ride
I need a ride
I need a ride from you
Well sticks and stones can break my bones
And boys can make me kick and moan
But when I want it auto drive
I get a ride
I get a ride
I get a ride from you
I get a ride
I get a ride
I get a ride from you
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the lord my soul to keep
And if I die before I wake
I hope the lord won't hesitate
To pluck my coffin from the ground
He need not heed the neighbors now
And throw me up for all to see
The flies of August swarming me
I get a ride
98.5
Positive T-cell
Regeneration
Regeneration
Regeneration
Positive T-cell
Regeneration
The song "Ride" by Liz Phair is a melancholic contemplation on the singer's mortality and the afterlife. It opens with her cursing the devil in her head as she falls into bed, and then quickly shifting to thoughts of dying in her sleep. She hopes the lord won't hesitate to pluck her coffin from the ground and throw it up for all to see. This sentiment is contrasted with a chorus that repeats the phrase "I need a ride from you" - seemingly a desire for physical, sexual companionship.
The most striking line in the song is "Well sticks and stones can break my bones, and boys can make me kick and moan, but when I want it auto drive." This suggests that the physical connection the singer desires is not necessarily emotionally fulfilling, but rather a way to escape her thoughts of mortality and existential despair. The repeated refrain of "positive T-cell regeneration" at the end of the song feels like a plea for life and health, suggesting that the singer may be grappling with illness or mortality in a more literal sense.
Overall, "Ride" is a poignant meditation on what it means to be alive, and the contrasting desires for companionship and escape that come along with that.
Line by Line Meaning
As I stumble into bed, I curse the devil in my head
The singer is tormented by negative thoughts
And if I die before I wake, I hope the lord won't hesitate to pluck my coffin from the ground
The singer is concerned about dying and being buried alive
He need not heed the neighbors now, and throw me up for all to see, the flies of August swarming me
The singer is afraid of being buried and left to decay without proper ceremony or respect
I get a ride, right by your side, under your skin, I'm digging in
The artist desires a deep connection with someone
Well I don't know, but I've been told, the road to heaven is paved with gold
The artist is pondering the unknown and the possibilities of the afterlife
I need a ride from you, I get a ride from you
The singer is asking for someone to be there for them
Well sticks and stones can break my bones, and boys can make me kick and moan, but when I want it auto drive
The singer acknowledges physical pain and emotional distress but seeks comfort from someone
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the lord my soul to keep, and if I die before I wake
The artist is fearful of death and wants to be spiritually protected
98.5, positive T-cell, regeneration
These lines are unclear and do not have an obvious meaning
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