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.
Supra Genius
Soul Coughing Lyrics
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Something so complex and
Couched in its equation
So dense that light cannot escape from
In the dark your brain glows
And it goes
Way um way, way um way um
I know you're a supra genius
Will you shoot the blue earth down?
In the space station
Polishing the ray gun
You say correllation is not causation
The lyrics of Supra Genius by Soul Coughing depict an enigmatic and perplexing subject matter that is beyond comprehension. It describes something that is complex and dense, so much so that light cannot escape from it. This could be a metaphor for the human brain and its infinite complexities that are so profound that can only be hinted at or not fully understood. The second verse talks about how the brain glows in the dark, which might indicate the idea that the human mind operates in mysterious ways that can only be revealed in exceptional circumstances.
The song's chorus, "I know you're a supra genius," refers to the subject of the song as an intellectual genius beyond ordinary human standards. The lyrics describe the person as being capable of shooting the blue earth down and polishing a ray gun in a space station. The line "correlation is not causation" may be suggesting that this supra genius is aware that even if two variables appear to be related, it does not always mean they cause each other. They may be able to see beyond the surface level of things to understand deeper meanings and relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Something I can't comprehend
There's something I just can't understand
Something so complex and
It's incredibly complex
Couched in its equation
But it's all summed up in this equation
So dense that light cannot escape from
It's so dense that not even light can escape it
In the dark your brain glows
But even in the dark, your brain still works
And it goes
Just keeps on working
Way um way, way um way um
Continuously, without interruption
I know you're a supra genius
I know you're a genius above all others
Will you shoot the blue earth down?
Are you capable of destroying the entire planet?
In the space station
Up in a space station
Polishing the ray gun
Working on a weapon
You say correlation is not causation
You understand that correlation doesn't always imply causation
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARK DEGLIANTONI, MICHAEL DOUGHTY, SEBASTIAN STEINBERG, YUVAL GABAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind