http://www.marklenover.com/
http://facebook.com/marklenove
http://twitter.com/marklenove
http://www.youtube.com/user/marklenover
One in Six
Mark Lenover Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Catch butterflies in plastic tubes
To crush, crush, crush them into paste
But now his neck-tie has him
He scours the newspaper for clues
About how his tails get tucked away
For the day, every day
Clickety-click-click-clickety-click
Is five clicks and a bang
A halting, reckless fantasy
He dreamt to chase the rain away
A dancing, dirge-ious, curious clink
One wonders what his wife will think
He'll dance to one in six
He remembers how to type,
And when it's best to clear the room
He remembers daddy's hand-shake
Slap-slap, you'll be a man soon
He wants to chill the waters
He wants to stew in silence
He wants to play the victim
Wants to snap-snap the carousel shut
Clickety-click-click-clickety-click
This bastard's favourite threnody
Is five clicks and a bang
A halting, reckless fantasy
He dreamt to chase the rain away
A dancing, dirge-eous curious clink
One wonders what his wife will think
He'll dance to one in six
In Mark Lenover's song "One in Six," the lyrics depict a disturbing portrait of a disturbed and potentially dangerous individual who seems to revel in causing harm to living creatures. The first verse begins with the singer explaining how he used to catch butterflies as a child and then crush them into a paste. The second part of the verse shows him trying to suppress this dark urge as his "neck-tie has him" and he tries to live a more normal life. However, he is often tempted to give in to his violent tendencies, as evidenced by his fascination with a "threnody" consisting of "five clicks and a bang," suggesting an obsession with firearms.
The second verse reveals even more about this character's troubled past and present. He remembers his father's harsh treatment and instruction ("slap-slap, you'll be a man soon"), and seems to be haunted by memories of abuse. He wants to "chill the waters" and "stew in silence," perhaps indicating a desire for solitude or escapism. He also seems to want to play the role of the victim and "snap-snap the carousel shut," an evocative line that hints at a desire to hurt himself or others.
Overall, "One in Six" is a deeply unsettling and thought-provoking song that probes the dark recesses of the human psyche. It is a stark reminder of the fact that violence and cruelty are not unique to "monsters" or "psychopaths," but can lurk within the hearts of ordinary people as well.
Line by Line Meaning
He'd tell his mother how to
He used to instruct his mom on
Catch butterflies in plastic tubes
the method to trap butterflies in plastic cylinders
To crush, crush, crush them into paste
to forcefully grind and squish them to pulp
But now his neck-tie has him
But now his professional life has taken over him
He scours the newspaper for clues
He looks through the paper for hints
About how his tails get tucked away
About how he can blend in and hide his true self
For the day, every day
Throughout the days, every single day
Clickety-click-click-clickety-click
Repetitive sound of keyboard keys being pressed
This bastard's favourite threnody
This sinister person's frequent tune of mourning
Is five clicks and a bang
Is a certain pattern of mouse clicks followed by a loud noise
A halting, reckless fantasy
An unfeasible, impulsive dream
He dreamt to chase the rain away
He fantasized about controlling the weather
A dancing, dirge-ious, curious clink
A peculiar, mournful clinking sound used in dance
One wonders what his wife will think
It's uncertain what his spouse's reaction will be
He'll dance to one in six
He'll be happy with a small probability of success
He remembers how to type,
He can still recall how to type
And when it's best to clear the room
And when to evacuate the space for privacy reasons
He remembers daddy's hand-shake
He still holds the memory of his father's firm grip
Slap-slap, you'll be a man soon
His dad taught him that a slapping hand gesture is significant for becoming a responsible adult
He wants to chill the waters
He desires to calm things down
He wants to stew in silence
He desires to be alone and think by himself
He wants to play the victim
He wishes to act as the sufferer
Wants to snap-snap the carousel shut
Wants to instantly stop the ongoing cycle
One wonders what his wife will think
It's uncertain what his spouse's reaction will be
He'll dance to one in six
He'll be happy with a small probability of success
Contributed by Luke C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.