Soul Coughing,was founded by vocalist and guitarist Mike Doughty (who billed himself at the time as 'M. Doughty'), a folk singer, slam poet, and music writer.
Doughty was a doorman at the old Knitting Factory on Houston Street in New York. While working there he met sampler artist Mark De Gli Antoni, upright bass player Sebastian Steinberg, drummer Yuval Gabay, and artist David Linton. Doughty convinced them to join him in forming a new band. They played their first gig, as 'M. Doughty's Soul Coughing' at the Knitting Factory on June 15, 1992, a late-Monday night slot that Doughty cadged from his boss because nobody else wanted it. In 1993, he founded a club night called SLAW at CBGB's 313 Gallery, which was meant to emulate the popular jazz and hip hop club Giant Step, but eventually became a showcase for Soul Coughing. Posters for SLAW were headlined 'Deep Slacker Jazz' (a parody of The Who's slogan 'Maximum R&B'), which became an enduring description of the band's sound.
The band was signed within a year to Warner Brothers subsidiary Slash Records, and released three albums: Ruby Vroom (1994), Irresistible Bliss (1996), and El Oso (1998). They enjoyed minor hit singles with "Circles," "Super Bon Bon," and "Screenwriter's Blues."
The band broke up in 2000, after years of feuding over songwriting credits and publishing money. Doughty continued as a solo artist, and Gabay, Steinberg, and De Gli Antoni have been involved with other projects including a trio disc sans Doughty in 2004.
Circles
Soul Coughing Lyrics
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And when the wind set down in funnel form and pulled you in
I don't need to walk around in circles
Walk around in circles, walk around in circles
Walk around in
Don't need to walk around in circles
Walk around in circles, walk around in circles
And when the ghostly dust of violence traces everything
And when the gas runs out just wreck it, you insured the thing
I don't need to walk around in circles
Walk around in circles, walk around in circles
Walk around in
Don't need to walk around in circles
Walk around in circles, walk around in circles
Walk around in
Doom da doom da doom
Well I'm going, I'm going
Doom da doom da doom
Well I'm going, I'm going
Doom da doom da doom
Well I'm going, I'm going
Doom da doom da doom
Well I'm going, I'm going
But I can't sigh now that you made the move
It has gone and gone to dogs
Lay down on the floor
For the right price I can get everything
Slip into the car
Go driving to the farthest star
I don't need to walk around in circles, walk-a
In circles, walk around in circles
Walk around in-a
Don't need to walk around in circles
Walk around in circles, walk around in circles
Walk around in
Don't need to walk around in circles
Walk around in circles, walk around in circles
Walk around in
The lyrics of Soul Coughing's "Circles" is enigmatic and challenging, prompting the audience to interpret its meaning based on their personal point of view. The singer addresses someone who has been trapped in a room that he has built. The singer speaks about the wind or some kind of force, pulling that person into the singer's room or sphere. The lyrics suggest a sense of control and domination, giving the impression that the singer is the one who is responsible for the other's circumstances. However, the verses that follow portray the singer's indifference towards the other's situation, and he states that he does not need to walk around in circles, suggesting that he has no intention of getting tangled up in the other's predicament.
The rest of the lyrics are equally hard to decipher, with references to violence, an item that has been insured, and a car ride to the farthest star. The song's stream-of-consciousness style and the surrealistic imagery can be interpreted in many ways. Soul Coughing's frontman, Mike Doughty, has said that the lyrics of the song were inspired by his experience of reading Beckett's "Waiting for Godot," and therefore, the song reflects themes of existentialism, isolation, and the futility of life.
Line by Line Meaning
When you were languishing in rooms I built to file you in
When you were stuck in the rooms that I built to contain you
And when the wind set down in funnel form and pulled you in
And when the wind sucked you into its funnel-like shape
I don't need to walk around in circles
I don't need to keep going in circles
Walk around in circles, walk around in circles
Moving aimlessly without direction
Don't need to walk around in circles
I don't need to keep repeating the same actions
When the ghostly dust of violence traces everything
When the remnants of violent acts haunt and pervade everything
And when the gas runs out just wreck it, you insured the thing
And when the gas runs out, just destroy it because you have insurance
But I can't sigh now that you made the move
But I can't complain now that you've taken action
It has gone and gone to dogs
It's gone completely wrong
Lay down on the floor
Giving up or feeling defeated
For the right price I can get everything
Everything has a price and can be bought
Slip into the car, go driving to the farthest star
Escape to a far-off place, even if it's just in your mind
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARK DEGLIANTONI, MICHAEL DOUGHTY, SEBASTIAN STEINBERG, YUVAL GABAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind