Perfume-V
Pavement Lyrics


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Fun for an hour when the he's gone-
Can one trick nights feed 40 days?
In my bed at the break of dawn she
Shivered like a vein slashed bright and new-

She's got the radio active, it makes
me feel ok (I don't feel ok)
Grip- force the vials, strip the locks, smash
The set and slash the beds, and when it

Looks like a wife's ex-plot, we'll cover
All the rugs with cheap perfume
Like a docent's lisp
Like a damsel's spit

Like a dry gin's twist (of lime)
Like a poor droll sir




Like a poke's dull spurs
Like a pastor's flock (no church)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Pavement's song "Perfume-V" contain enigmatic and surreal imagery that reflects a sense of disconnection and confusion. The opening lines suggest a momentary escape from reality - "Fun for an hour when he's gone" - but quickly pose a rhetorical question about whether this is enough to sustain a person in the long-term: "Can one trick nights feed 40 days?" The singer then describes a sexual encounter with a woman who seems vulnerable and almost self-destructive - "Shivered like a vein slashed bright and new" - before turning to a more abstract description of their shared experience: "She's got the radio active, it makes me feel ok (I don't feel ok)." This could be interpreted as a reference to the way that people use distractions or forms of escapism to mask deeper emotional problems.


The second half of the song continues with a series of disjointed and cryptic phrases that resist easy interpretation. The lines "Grip- force the vials, strip the locks, smash the set and slash the beds" suggest a violent outburst or act of destruction, but it's unclear what this is in reference to. The reference to "a wife's ex-plot" could imply a complicated domestic situation or a sense of betrayal, while the idea of "covering all the rugs with cheap perfume" is again open to multiple meanings - perhaps a form of covering up or disguising something unpleasant, or an attempt to inject some life into a stale environment. The final three lines of the song contain a series of similes, each of which paints a picture of something strange or unappealing - "Like a poke's dull spurs" - before finishing with the ambiguous phrase "Like a pastor's flock (no church)".


Overall, the lyrics to "Perfume-V" remain somewhat opaque and difficult to pin down, but they create an evocative atmosphere of uncertainty and tension. The song seems to be grappling with questions about how we deal with boredom, loneliness, and frustration, and how we find meaning in a world that often feels out of our control.


Line by Line Meaning

Fun for an hour when the he's gone-
Temporary pleasure when he is not around


Can one trick nights feed 40 days?
Can fleeting moments sustain a long time?


In my bed at the break of dawn she
She was in my bed at daybreak


Shivered like a vein slashed bright and new-
She was shivering violently like a freshly cut vein


She's got the radio active, it makes
She listens to the radio loudly, and it affects me


me feel ok (I don't feel ok)
It calms me down, but I'm not really okay


Grip- force the vials, strip the locks, smash
Hold on tight - break open the containers, unlock the doors, smash everything


The set and slash the beds, and when it
Destroy the surroundings - including the beds - and when


Looks like a wife's ex-plot, we'll cover
If it looks like someone has planned revenge against a former spouse, we'll cover


All the rugs with cheap perfume
We'll douse all the rugs with low-quality fragrance


Like a docent's lisp
As if spoken by an educational guide with a speech impediment


Like a damsel's spit
Like saliva from an innocent girl


Like a dry gin's twist (of lime)
Like the addition of lime to a dry gin


Like a poor droll sir
Like an impoverished, yet amusing gentleman


Like a poke's dull spurs
Like the ineffective spurs of an unskilled horse-riding prodder


Like a pastor's flock (no church)
Like followers without a congregation




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Scott Kannberg, Stephen Malkmus

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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