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.
Collapse
Soul Coughing Lyrics
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Says he heard about
Some mulatto girl
Shot him in the mouth,
And left him a hotel Near the mid-south offices.
He worked in distribution,
Regional vice-president.
Collapse, unload it, pop! pop!
I must accumulate, unload it,
Pop! Pop! I must accumulate.
Well the soil is rich
Competition fat
Ripe and vulnerable
Oozing from the slats
And too cash-heavy, bloated
Sitting there all puckered up.
Index of numbers is,
Scrolling upscreen, scrolling up.
Smash it down to digits.
Gut it out and break it down.
Liquid assets are Seeping down, seeping down now.
Seeping down, seeping down now.
The lyrics of Soul Coughing's "Collapse" are somewhat cryptic and vague, but they seem to revolve around the theme of corporate greed and the dehumanizing effects of capitalism. The singer is a mid-level manager who hears about a woman of mixed race who allegedly shoots a man in the mouth and leaves him in a hotel near the offices where he works. The incident seems to symbolize the violent and dehumanizing aspects of corporate culture, where people are reduced to little more than numbers on a ledger, and ruthless competition is the norm.
The singer's internal monologue reveals his own twisted mindset, as he obsesses over accumulating wealth and power at any cost. He sees his competitors as fat and ripe for the taking, and he revels in the power of numbers and the liquid assets that seep down like a plague. The chorus of the song expresses his sense of inevitability and desperation, as if he is trapped in a cycle of accumulation and destruction that he can never escape.
Overall, "Collapse" is a song that explores some of the darker aspects of capitalism and the ways in which it can corrupt both individuals and societies. The lyrics are dense and loaded with imagery, but they ultimately convey a sense of unease and foreboding that is all-too-familiar in the modern world.
Line by Line Meaning
Mid-level manager
The singer begins by describing a mid-level manager.
Says he heard about
The manager tells a story he heard.
Some mulatto girl
The story is about a girl of mixed race.
Shot him in the mouth,
The girl shot the man in the mouth.
And left him a hotel
After shooting him, the girl left him at a hotel.
Near the mid-south offices.
The hotel was located near the mid-south offices.
He worked in distribution,
The man worked in distribution.
Regional vice-president.
He held the position of regional vice-president.
Collapse, unload it, pop! pop!
The chorus contains instructions to collapse, unload, and pop something, likely referring to a business strategy.
I must accumulate, unload it,
The artist emphasizes the need to accumulate and unload something.
Pop! Pop! I must accumulate.
The singer repeats the need to accumulate with more urgency.
Well the soil is rich
The artist shifts to a metaphor about soil.
Competition fat
The competition is fat, suggesting there is plenty of room for the singer's business to grow.
Ripe and vulnerable
The competition is ripe and vulnerable, offering opportunities for the singer's business.
Oozing from the slats
The competition is oozing, suggesting decay or weakness.
And too cash-heavy, bloated
The competition is also described as cash-heavy and bloated, supporting the idea that they are vulnerable and inefficient.
Sitting there all puckered up.
The competition is sitting there in discomfort, like skin that is puckered or wrinkled.
Index of numbers is,
The singer now addresses an abstract index of numbers.
Scrolling upscreen, scrolling up.
This index is scrolling up on a screen.
Smash it down to digits.
The artist instructs to smash the index down to digits.
Gut it out and break it down.
The artist further emphasizes the need to break down the index and remove anything unnecessary from the business strategy.
Liquid assets are
The artist now refers to liquid assets.
Seeping down, seeping down now.
These assets are seeping down, perhaps indicating a need to use them or bring them under control.
Seeping down, seeping down now.
The phrase is repeated for emphasis.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARK DEGLIANTONI, MICHAEL DOUGHTY, SEBASTIAN STEINBERG, YUVAL GABAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind