After another solo US tour, Edwards played at CMJ in the fall of 1987 where he met Gerard Cosloy and eventually signed a contract with Homestead Records early the following year, releasing Let's Skip the Details in May 1988.
Soon after, he added the first band members to the revolving My Dad Is Dead touring lineup: bassist Jeff Curtis and drummer John McEntire (later to gain fame in Tortoise). The Best Defense, an album of material from the previous album's sessions, was released on Homestead in December 1988. In the spring of 1989 the band toured with Homestead labelmates Bastro. Shortly after the tour Mcentire left the band and joined Bastro,
In June of 1989 the band participated in a European tour dubbed the "Homestead Package Tour" with Happy Flowers and Bastro, coinciding with the release of it's last album for Homestead, a double LP titled The Taller You are the Shorter you Get. With McEntire gone on to Bastro and Curtis unwilling to tour, Edwards recruited the Prisonshake rhythm section — Chris Burgess on bass and Scott Pickering on drums — for the tour. .
After Gerard left Homestead, My Dad Is Dead moved to Scat Records in April 1990 for the Shine EP, which was recorded after the first European tour with the 1989 lineup. With yet another lineup (this time guitarists Tim Gilbride and Doug Gillard plus Burgess on bass), the band toured Europe again in June 1990 with Gillard and Edwards splitting drumming and guitar duties. and the same band performed as opening act for half of the fall Pixies tour that year.
The band's first album for Scat, Chopping Down the Family Tree, was released in October 1991, just after Nirvana's breakout Nevermind. In 1992, Burgess, Pickering and Gillard became more active in Doug's band Gem. Matt Swanson (Clockhammer/Lambchop) joined on bass, and toured in 1992 with a drum machine again, this time an Alesis HR-16. Pickering rejoined on drums for half of the songs on 1992's Out of Sight, Out of Mind which also appeared on Scat in the fall of that year.
Edwards and co. moved to Emperor Jones the following year, and recorded For Richer, For Poorer in Nashville in 1994, releasing the album in the spring of 1995..
The band released 2 more records for Emperor Jones (1996's "enhanced" 20 song version of the Scat Records Shine 2x7" called Shine(r), and 1997's Everyone Wants the Honey but Not the Sting (with Shayne Ivy replacing Pickering). The band toured sparingly in 1995-1997 before taking a 5 year hiatus.
In 2002 Edwards returned with "Engine of Commerce" for Vital Cog records. Recorded mostly at home and with Mark Edwards playing all the instruments again, the record came full circle back to the beginning days of the "band".
2005 saw the release of "A Divided House", back to a full band format and joined again by old friends Scott Pickering, Chris Burgess, Tim Gilbride and Scott Lasch in Don Depew's 609 Studios in Cleveland. This was the first release on the band's own "Unhinged Records" label.
In the fall of 2009 the band is preparing to release it's 13th LP, "A New Clear Route". Pickering remains on drums and the band is joined by new member Billy Buckley on bass.
Edwards ended the project in 2010.
World On A String
My Dad Is Dead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you ain't gonna get it from me
My head is screwed on like a lightbulb in it's socket
And you ain't getting nothing from me
I am right, you are wrong, end of conversation
I don't want to hear anymore
I've got the world on a string in my back pocket
So how come I'm feeling so poor?
I can't change
No matter how I try
I can't change you
No matter how I wanted you to change
We're at crossroads, honey
And either way we're lost
I've got the world on a string in my back pocket
And you ain't gonna get it from me
My head is screwed on like a lightbulb in it's socket
And you ain't getting nothing from me
I am right, you are wrong, end of conversation
I don't want to hear anymore
I've got the world on a string in my back pocket
So how come I'm feeling so poor?
I can't change
No matter how I try
I can't change you
No matter how I wanted you to change
We've got to face the facts now
And the facts ain't forgiving
The lyrics of "World On A String" by My Dad Is Dead convey a feeling of frustration and an inability to change the current situation. The singer speaks with confidence as they claim to have the world on a string in their back pocket and their head screwed on like a light bulb in its socket. They refuse to let someone else take away their power or dictate the conversation. Despite this, the singer still feels a sense of lack and poverty which is at odds with the confidence they show earlier.
The singer then expresses a sense of helplessness as they claim they cannot change, and even if they tried, they cannot change the other person. The idea of being at a crossroads implies that a decision must be made, but the outlook is bleak in either direction. The singer then repeats the assertion of having the world on a string and not wanting to hear any more disagreement. However, the final line suggests that some hard truths must be faced, and they might not be easy to handle.
Overall, the song is about the tension between confidence and power, on the one hand, and a sense of powerlessness and lack on the other. It suggests that even though someone may have everything they need, they can still feel impoverished emotionally or personally.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got the world on a string in my back pocket
I have control over everything and feel like I am on top of the world
And you ain't gonna get it from me
You cannot take that control from me
My head is screwed on like a lightbulb in it's socket
I am very focused and determined
And you ain't getting nothing from me
You cannot distract me or change my mind
I am right, you are wrong, end of conversation
I believe that I am correct and refuse to hear any other opinions
I don't want to hear anymore
I am not interested in any further discussion or dissenting viewpoints
So how come I'm feeling so poor?
Despite my perceived control, I am feeling unhappy and unfulfilled
I can't change
I am unable to alter my own behavior or situation
No matter how I try
Despite my efforts to change, it is impossible for me
I can't change you
I cannot force anyone else to change
No matter how I wanted you to change
Despite my desire for your behavior to be different, I cannot make that happen
We're at crossroads, honey
We are at a difficult point in our relationship
And either way we're lost
No matter which path we take, the outcome is unclear or disappointing
We've got to face the facts now
We must address the harsh reality of the situation
And the facts ain't forgiving
The truth is harsh and unforgiving
Contributed by Blake F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tom Meares
Everything instrumentally is unexpected about this song, initially -- it just transfixes you. Great music.
Steven Streight
One heck of a great sound. Intelligent lyrics. Sorry I missed seeing this band in NYC around 1989. Also see "The Big Picture" and "Hill of Beans".
Daniel Pall
real 80s! real indie! real music! my youth!
kurtispopp
This is a band I've somehow overlooked all these years. They sound like a darker, more depressed R.E.M. Very cool.
Matias Melow
No puedo creer que esta banda no sea mas grande el mundo es una mierda
Katt AD
this has the style and energy of nirvana.
Matias Melow
Whats? Donde esta la distorsión los riffs Dios no tienen oidos?
Steven Streight
Way, way, way better than the emo grunge of Nirvana.
CooperSlyKing
I agree sooooo much!
Николай Куликов
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