Paper Arms are an Australian melodic punk rock band from Adelaide, South Au… Read Full Bio ↴Paper Arms are an Australian melodic punk rock band from Adelaide, South Australia. The band includes vocalist/guitarist Josh Mann, bassist Michael Smith, drummer Tom Crosby and lead guitarist James Hastings; who replaced original guitarist Max Hunt in 2014. The band was formed in 2007, released a self-titled EP in 2008 and their debut album, Days Above Ground, in 2010. The latter was produced and recorded by Walter Schreifels of Rival Schools. The band toured extensively in support of it, finishing some eighteen months after its release.

In February 2013, the band released its second studio album, entitled The Smoke Will Clear. The release saw the band tour internationally, as well as the release of music videos for singles "Tanks of Dust" and "Snake Oil." Following a line-up change, the band recorded and released its third album, Great Mistakes. The album was put out via Poison City Records in May 2015.

Snake Oil
Paper Arms Lyrics

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And they said you were a martyr
And they said you were a saint
And I waited up for hours
Just to see what you might say
And you played me like a piper
All the whistles and the bells
And you opened up for business
And I cleaned off all your shelves.

Snake oil.
Should have known.
Snake oil.
In your bones.

And I took it down with water
And I rubbed it in my wounds
And to my surprise it just
Made me slippery too

When it all came out
you were left there on your own.

When it came out
we all just said

Overall Meaning

"I told you so".

The lyrics to Paper Arms's song Snake Oil, appear to convey a sense of betrayal and deceit. The first verse indicates that the subject of the song was revered by others as a martyr and saint, but the singer of the song must wait to hear what this person really has to say. The second line of the chorus, "should have known," suggests that the singer had some inkling that the subject of the song was not all that he or she appeared to be. The use of the term "snake oil" in the song refers to a form of quack medicine that was once widely available in the United States. Snake oil was marketed as a cure-all for various ailments, but in reality, it was little more than a mixture of mineral oil and a variety of other substances. The term "snake oil salesman," has since been used to describe someone who peddles false or ineffective products.

The second half of the song appears to describe the consequences of taking the supposed cure. The singer drinks it down with water and rubs it into his or her wounds, but instead of finding relief from his or her suffering, the singer becomes "slippery too." The final lines of the song suggest that the subject of the song was eventually exposed as a fraud, and those who had put their faith in him or her were left to say "I told you so."

Contributed by Ellie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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