Once upon an awkward adolescence, there was a girl that tripped often and s… Read Full Bio ↴Once upon an awkward adolescence, there was a girl that tripped often and spoke very little, a boy who ate too much junk food, but spoke a lot, and his identical twin that hit things and spoke even more. Then along came a pianist with very wiggly fingers and a baseball bat. Hence...the musical misadventures unfolded.

It all started with "The Fratellis," Stolen Babies' original 12+ member group. Horns blared, oversized dolls jumped out of toy boxes, squabbles were had, babies were stolen, turned into flies and fed to giant spiders. Eventually, the blundering theatrics came to an end, but the four stuck together.

More misadventure, more junk food...

Taking their name from a song/skit from the early days, Stolen Babies have been described as playing prog-pop-cabaret-thrash-quirky-goth-rock. Mostly though, they would just like to think that their songs are fun to dance and fall down to.

It's nearly impossible to talk about Stolen Babies without mentioning their ongoing collaboration with graphic novelist extraordinaire Crab Scrambly. His artwork has graced their early releases, website and merch. More notably you can see Crab's original paintings that provide the otherworldly landscapes to Stolen Babies video "Push Button," and of course the artwork for the bands debut full length album "There Be Squabbles Ahead," which was recorded and produced by Dan Rathburn of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. Which now brings Stolen Babies to...the beginning of The End.

STOLEN BABIES are:
Dominique Persi - lead vocals, face paint keeping, accordion sprinkling
Rani Sharone - electric and upright bass swapping, mental guitar playing, programming, sampling, vocals
Ben Rico - multiple keyboard reaching, beating, vocals
Gil Sharone (The Dillinger Escape Plan) - aggressive drumming

Oakland, California, USA in 2002

Civil Disguise
Stolen Babies Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We started out as little kids believing things were hidden
Straight surfaces no cracks beneath
I wanted to believe it

We realize at the time there isn't much of a burn
Wait 'til your turn

Don't try to fool yourself

You're sweating all around your smile
Under civil disguise
Those senses were a human voice

There is another side to all this pressure under your suit
Here on the losing end look at them based on how they looked at you
Such a slave on this chain until the day we are done
Isn't it fun?

Don't try to fool yourself
You're sweating all around your smile
Under civil disguise
Those senses were a human voice

You will find that the fly's based on nothing
Just a way to hide from the fear
You kept avoiding

Don't try to fool yourself
Under civil disguise

Put out my hands to the delusion
When I look at you I'm a fool
I've got one too
I try to fool myself
By wasting time at this fork in the road

Under civil disguise
Those senses were a human voice

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Stolen Babies' song Civil Disguise speak of the inevitable disillusionment that comes with growing up. The opening lines "We started out as little kids believing things were hidden, straight surfaces no cracks beneath, I wanted to believe it" suggest a childlike innocence, a belief that the world is a simple and straightforward place with no hidden depths. However, as the song progresses, the lyrics imply that this idealism is gradually eroded as reality sets in. The lines "Don't try to fool yourself, you're sweating all around your smile, under civil disguise, those senses were a human voice" indicate that the persona is aware of the pretense that exists in society, the gulf that separates the veneer of civility from the messy truth of human nature.

The chorus reinforces this theme- "Don't try to fool yourself, under civil disguise"- implying that this civil disguise is false, a mask that people wear to hide their true selves. The lyrics go on to suggest that the persona has reached a point where they are disenchanted with these pretenses and have become acutely aware of the various chains that tie them to society. The lines "Such a slave on this chain until the day we are done, isn't it fun?" suggest that the persona sees life as a kind of prison, a series of chains that bind us to our respective roles in society.

Overall, the song's message seems to be that life can be a series of disappointments, but it is better to see things as they really are, rather than hiding behind a façade. The lyrics suggest that the persona is aware of the various illusions that dictate society, but instead of becoming dispirited, they have decided to confront these illusions head-on.

Line by Line Meaning

We started out as little kids believing things were hidden
As young children, we naively believed that everything could be kept secret and hidden from us.

Straight surfaces no cracks beneath
We thought that everything was perfect and straightforward with no flaws or issues lurking underneath the surface.

I wanted to believe it
Even though there were signs that things weren't as perfect as they seemed, I wanted to believe in the illusion of perfection.

We realize at the time there isn't much of a burn
As we grow older, we come to realize that there isn't much pain or consequence associated with the imperfections and flaws we uncover.

Wait 'til your turn
Wait until you experience the same realization.

Don't try to fool yourself
Stop deceiving yourself and face the reality of the situation.

You're sweating all around your smile
You're trying to hide your fear and discomfort, but it's evident in the way you're sweating.

Under civil disguise
You're pretending to be polite and civil, but your true feelings are seeping through.

Those senses were a human voice
Even though it's not being explicitly stated, you can sense the true emotions and thoughts of the person through their actions and demeanor.

There is another side to all this pressure under your suit
Beneath the surface of the polite and professional exterior, there is pressure and tension that's causing discomfort.

Here on the losing end look at them based on how they looked at you
You feel like you're losing in this situation, and you're looking at the other person's behavior towards you to try and understand why.

Such a slave on this chain until the day we are done
We feel trapped in this cycle of polite behavior and societal pressure until the end of our lives.

Isn't it fun?
Sarcastic statement implying the opposite; the situation is not enjoyable at all.

You will find that the fly's based on nothing
You'll eventually realize that the things you were scared of or anxious about were unfounded and had no basis in reality.

Just a way to hide from the fear
You used those imaginary fears as a way to distract yourself from the true fear that lurked beneath the surface.

Put out my hands to the delusion
I reached out and clung to the illusion of perfection even though I knew it was false.

When I look at you I'm a fool
When I see you, I realize how foolish I was to believe in the delusion of perfection.

I've got one too
I also have a 'civil disguise' that I put on to hide my true feelings from others.

I try to fool myself
I try to convince myself that everything is perfect and that I don't need to confront the uncomfortable truths of the situation.

By wasting time at this fork in the road
By avoiding the truth and pretending that everything is fine, I'm stalling and not making any progress.

Contributed by Adrian K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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