In 1990, Coomes, Weiss, and Brad Pedinov formed the band Motorgoat. The band released two self-released cassettes and one 7" single before dissolving in 1993. Quasi started recording as a duo in 1993. They played with various additional musicians in early live appearances, but eventually settled on playing live as a duo as well. They self-recorded and self-released a cassette and a CD in 1993. They recorded R&B Transmogrification in the Portland band Pond's basement recording studio and released it on Up Records in 1997. They released two more albums with Up: Featuring "Birds" in 1998 and Field Studies in 1999; both albums were recorded at Jackpot Studios in Portland, Oregon.
In 1998 and 1999 they toured the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Japan opening for and serving as the backup band for Elliott Smith (who Coomes had played with in Heatmiser) as well as touring on their own in the U.S. and Europe. In 2001 They home-recorded The Sword of God and released it on Touch & Go. Quasi had been somewhat political since its inception, but their opposition to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq showed through in a straight-forward way with the release of Hot Shit! in 2003, particularly in the songs "White Devil's Dream" and "Master and Dog." When the Going Gets Dark followed in 2006, released on Touch & Go in the U.S. and Domino Records in Europe, as with Hot Shit!.
In Spring 2009, the band announced that they had signed to the Kill Rock Stars label, and were due to release their already recorded next album in the latter half of the year. That album, entitled American Gong, was released February 23, 2010 to generally favorable reviews. It was their first and only album to feature third member Joanna Bolme. Following a tour of Japan, Europe, and the United States in support of the full length, Bolme left the band. A duo again, Sam and Janet are recording material for a new album.
The Happy Prole
Quasi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But it takes its toll to play the happy prole.
The buy your labor, try to steal your soul -
Bite the bullet, hold your tongue and play the happy prole.
Paranoid and tired - quit before you're fired.
But they've got you in the hole, so you play happy prole.
You need the money so you got to play it dumb,
but if you play it long enough it's just what you become.
So you can work another day, as life slips away.
The first line of the song, "Everyday we earn our meager pay," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The lyrics are about the struggle of the working class, where they work hard every day to earn their livelihood, but in return, they only get a meager pay. The phrase "happy prole" refers to the idea of a working-class person who seems content with their monotonous daily routine, even though they are being exploited by those in power. The second line, "But it takes its toll to play the happy prole," describes how it is not easy to pretend to be satisfied with your work and life, and it takes a toll on the person.
The third line, "The buy your labor, try to steal your soul," refers to how the owners of companies buy labor from the working class and try to exploit them to make a profit. They try to steal the workers' soul by making it seem like they have no other option than to work for them. The next line, "Bite the bullet, hold your tongue and play the happy prole," shows how the workers have to suppress their feelings and emotions to conform to their jobs.
Line by Line Meaning
Everyday we earn our meager pay
We work hard every day to earn a small amount of money
But it takes its toll to play the happy prole.
Working hard every day and pretending to be happy is difficult and exhausting
The buy your labor, try to steal your soul -
Our employers pay us for our work, but they also try to control us and take advantage of us
Bite the bullet, hold your tongue and play the happy prole.
We have to endure hardships and keep quiet about our complaints to keep our job and appear happy
Paranoid and tired - quit before you're fired.
We become anxious and exhausted, and some of us leave our job before we are fired
But they've got you in the hole, so you play happy prole.
Our employers have power over us, so we have to pretend to be happy to keep our job
You need the money so you got to play it dumb,
We need the money from our job, so we have to act like we don't know better
but if you play it long enough it's just what you become.
When we pretend to be happy at work for a long time, we start to believe it and it becomes a part of who we are
Pay your rent, pay your bills, pay the doctor for your pills
We have to pay our expenses such as rent, bills, and healthcare from our meager income
So you can work another day, as life slips away.
We keep working every day to survive, but our life is slowly slipping away from us
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SAMUEL J. COOMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind