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.

Murder of Lawyers
Soul Coughing Lyrics

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A murder of lawyers in overcoats.
A murder of lawyers in overcoats.
A murder of lawyers in overcoats,

shoulders up, heads slung low, looking like a swarm of M's swarming the crosswalk.
Looking up at a window on the forty-fourth floor.
Blue eyed Jew Mystic from a rhythm section,
his hands cupped around the dignified hijiki of human speech.

Muslim baritones idle with their hands down.

And the gat that fattens your jacket pocket
Plugs slugs in vain
Through the body of the immaterial witness.
And that which is Ugly and feeds on The Law comes into the conference room singing federal jargon. Their necks are covered in chocolatey growths.
Spat up an eyeful of steam in the lumber yard parking lot.

Written in her own shit with a ground down fork.
Written in her own shit with a ground down fork

Written in her own shit with a ground down fork.
Written in her own shit with a ground down fork.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Soul Coughing’s “Murder of Lawyers” can be interpreted as a commentary on the legal system and the power dynamics within it. The repetition of “a murder of lawyers in overcoats” emphasizes the overwhelming presence of lawyers in society, perhaps suggesting that they are a force to be reckoned with or even feared. The image of them all looking like a swarm of M’s swarming the crosswalk adds to this sense of their omnipresence and power.

The focus then shifts to a specific individual, a “blue eyed Jew Mystic from a rhythm section” who is cupping his hands around “the dignified hijiki of human speech”. This could be interpreted as a reference to the power of words and the importance of being able to communicate effectively in a legal setting. Meanwhile, the “Muslim baritones” are “idle with their hands down”, perhaps suggesting a sense of powerlessness or oppression.

The lyrics then take a darker turn with the mention of a “gat” (a slang term for a gun) and the “immaterial witness” being shot through. This could be a critique of the way the legal system often values physical evidence more highly than witness testimony. The reference to something “Ugly” that “feeds on The Law” could be interpreted as a commentary on the greed and corruption that can be present in the legal system.

The mention of someone writing in their own feces with a ground down fork adds to the dark and disturbing tone of the song, perhaps suggesting that even those within the legal system are not immune to the corruption and ugliness that can come with it.

Line by Line Meaning

A murder of lawyers in overcoats.
A group of lawyers dressed in overcoats appears.

shoulders up, heads slung low, looking like a swarm of M's swarming the crosswalk.
The lawyers walk with their shoulders hunched and heads down, looking like a swarm of letter M's crossing the road.

Looking up at a window on the forty-fourth floor.
The lawyers are staring up at a window on the forty-fourth floor of a building.

Blue eyed Jew Mystic from a rhythm section, his hands cupped around the dignified hijiki of human speech.
A person with blue eyes who is Jewish and mystic, perhaps a musician or artist, holds his hands around the eloquent expressions of human speech.

Muslim baritones idle with their hands down.
Muslim singers with deep voices are standing idle with their hands hanging down.

And the gat that fattens your jacket pocket Plugs slugs in vain Through the body of the immaterial witness.
A gun that is kept in your jacket pocket fires bullets uselessly through a ghostly witness.

And that which is Ugly and feeds on The Law comes into the conference room singing federal jargon. Their necks are covered in chocolatey growths.
Something ugly and law-abiding enters the conference room and speaks in legal jargon. They have growths on their neck that resemble chocolate.

Spat up an eyeful of steam in the lumber yard parking lot.
Steam is ejected from something in the parking lot of the lumber yard.

Written in her own shit with a ground down fork.
Someone has written something, possibly a message or insult, using their own feces and a dull fork.

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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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