Soul Coughing was a New York-based alternative rock band. The band found mo… Read Full Bio ↴Soul Coughing was a New York-based alternative rock band. The band found modest mainstream success during the mid-to-late 90's. Soul Coughing developed a devout fanbase and have garnered largely positive response from critics. Steve Huey describes the band as "one of the most unique cult bands of the '90s ... driven by frontman M. Doughty's stream-of-consciousness poetry, Soul Coughing's sound was a willfully idiosyncratic mix of improvisational jazz grooves, oddball samples, hip-hop, electronics, and noisy experimentalism (described by Doughty as 'deep slacker jazz').

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.

Lemon Lime
Soul Coughing Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

But I have not seen it now or ever
Women descending on escalators
Coupled with this but also the same thing
Dolled up and spat out
So many dominations
I remember what you tasted like
A gumdrop
Lemon lime

And the numbers
on the rotary dial
Rewinding
Cinnamon driver
Big sexy jerk
Down in the murk
Of your mystery
That's me, swimming

Down in the water at the corner of your eye
That's me, swimming

Overall Meaning

In Soul Coughing's song "Lemon Lime", the lyrics convey a sense of nostalgia and longing for a past love. The opening lines "But I have not seen it now or ever, women descending on escalators" evoke a sense of longing to see or be with someone who is out of reach. The imagery of women descending on escalators adds to the feeling of inaccessibility, as the singer is only able to watch from afar. The repetition of "coupled with this but also the same thing" highlights the complexity and confusion of the singer's emotions.

The line "Dolled up and spat out, so many dominations" speaks to the objectification and mistreatment of women, as well as the singer's own feelings of insignificance in the face of societal pressures. The memories of the past lover are encapsulated in the lines "I remember what you tasted like, a gumdrop, lemon lime", which suggests a sweet and tangy flavor that is associated with the memory of the past love.

The use of rotary dial phone numbers and rewinding further emphasizes the sense of nostalgia for a time that has passed. The use of the phrase "cinnamon driver" and "big sexy jerk" add a sense of playfulness to the lyrics, but also reveal the complicated emotions that the singer feels toward the past lover. Overall, the song conveys a sense of longing and nostalgia for a lost love, while also touching on themes of objectification, mistreatment, and societal pressures.

Line by Line Meaning

But I have not seen it now or ever
I have never witnessed or experienced this before, either in the present or in the past.

Women descending on escalators
Observing females gracefully descending on moving stairways.

Coupled with this but also the same thing
In addition to witnessing the previous scene, experiencing a similar but related situation.

Dolled up and spat out
Looking beautiful and well-dressed, only to be discarded and rejected.

So many dominations
There are numerous authorities or controlling entities.

I remember what you tasted like
Recalling the flavor of a past experience or person.

A gumdrop
That flavor was sweet and delicious like candy.

Lemon lime
Specifying the exact flavor of the sweet taste remembered earlier as a combination of lemon and lime.

And the numbers
Referring to the digits displayed on a mechanical device.

on the rotary dial
Specifically the numbers on an old-fashioned circular phone dial.

Rewinding
Playing back past events or memories.

Cinnamon driver
A person or experience that reminds the artist of the aromatic spice cinnamon.

Big sexy jerk
A person who is both attractive and rude.

Down in the murk
Moving deeper into a confusing or ambiguous situation.

Of your mystery
Of the enigmatic qualities or characteristics of a person or situation.

That's me, swimming
The artist is metaphorically swimming, or navigating through, this submerged and puzzling situation.

Down in the water at the corner of your eye
Further describing the location and nature of the unclear situation as being at a vulnerable or peripheral angle.

That's me, swimming
Restating the singer's determination to navigate through this vague and uncertain situation.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARK DEGLIANTONI, MICHAEL DOUGHTY, SEBASTIAN STEINBERG, YUVAL GABAY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

DrTomoculus

3y↑3

But I have not seen it
now or ever
Women descending
on escalators
Coupled with this
but also the same thing
Dolled up
and spat out
So many denominations

I remember what you tasted like
A gumdrop
Lemon lime

And the numbers
on the rotary dial
Rewinding

China man driver
Big sexy jerk
Down in the murk
Of your mystery
That's me,
swimming

Down in the water
at the corner
of your eye
That's me,
swimming