Zammuto and de Jong met through a friend in New York City. Sharing similar interests but different backgrounds in acoustic music and found sound, Zammuto and de Jong took their sonic experiments to the studio. Eventually, with some urging by Tom Steinle of Tomlab Records, they created what would become their debut record, 'Thought for Food', in 2002. Within a year, the Books relocated to Hot Springs, NC, and recorded and released 'The Lemon of Pink'. With a lot of favorable word of mouth and critical buzz from the first two records, the Books relocated again in winter of 2004 and recorded in an old Victorian home in North Adams, MA. With the release of 'Lost and Safe' in April of 2005, the Books prepared to tour with their unique blend of samples and acoustic music. All three Books albums were released on Tomlab Records.
One of the most unique aspects of the band was the video compositions which play during their live performances. Video was synched with the music and provide visuals to coincide with the many found-sounds the band employs. According to the band, much of the video was pulled from home movies and ephemeral films bought from thrift stores. For example, on the track entitled 'A Cold Freezin' Night', the many audio samples were pulled from Tiger Electronics Talkboy tapes also acquired from thrift stores.
In the late 2000s, The Books announced the addition of a third member of the band, who plays violin, guitar, and electronics. In August 2010, their final album entitled 'The Way Out' was released on Temporary Residence. 2012 saw a compilation release 'A Dot in Time.'
In early 2012, Nick Zammuto announced the end of the duo and the beginning of his solo project Zammuto. Subsequently, Paul de Jong released two solo albums.
NO WAY
The Books Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This living hell
Everyone inside
Pretends they’re doing well
We come here for our daily dose of madness
We come here for our daily dose of shock
There is no way out
If the universe is everywhere
There is no way out
I hate this place
And it hates me back
Everyone in here
Is ready to attack
I cancel my subscription to your anger
I cancel my subscription to your hate
There is no way out of here
There is no way out
If the universe is everywhere
There is no way out
There is no way out of here
There is no way out of here
There is no way out of here
There is no way out of here
There is no way out of here
There is no way out
If the universe is everywhere
There is no way out
The lyrics to The Books's song "No Way" depict a deep sense of dissatisfaction and frustration with the current state of existence. The opening lines, "I hate this place, this living hell, everyone inside pretends they're doing well," convey a feeling of being trapped in a world where people wear masks and put on a facade of happiness, while deep down they are struggling.
The chorus, "There is no way out of here, there is no way out, if the universe is everywhere, there is no way out," reflects a sense of hopelessness and resignation. It suggests that there may be no escape from the chaotic and confining nature of our reality, as the universe is all-encompassing.
The song seems to be a critique of societal expectations and the toxic emotions that pervade daily life. The lines "We come here for our daily dose of madness, we come here for our daily dose of shock" may highlight the addictive nature of negative experiences and how they have become ingrained in our routines. The repetition of "I hate this place, and it hates me back" emphasizes the mutual animosity between the individual and the environment they find themselves in.
Overall, "No Way" speaks to a sense of disillusionment with the world, expressing a desire to break free from the repetitive cycles of anger, hatred, and madness that seem inescapable.
Line by Line Meaning
I hate this place
I despise this environment
This living hell
This unbearable existence
Everyone inside
All individuals within
Pretends they’re doing well
Falsely portrays themselves as happy
We come here for our daily dose of madness
We visit this location for our regular share of chaos
We come here for our daily dose of shock
We come here seeking our daily portion of surprise
There is no way out of here
Escape from this place is impossible
There is no way out
There is absolutely no exit
If the universe is everywhere
Considering the universe's omnipresence
There is no way out
There is absolutely no escape
I hate this place
I despise this environment
And it hates me back
And it reciprocates this hatred towards me
Everyone in here
All individuals present within this place
Is ready to attack
Are prepared to launch an assault
I cancel my subscription to your anger
I terminate my affiliation with your rage
I cancel my subscription to your hate
I terminate my affiliation with your animosity
There is no way out of here
Escape from this place is impossible
There is no way out
There is absolutely no exit
If the universe is everywhere
Considering the universe's omnipresence
There is no way out
There is absolutely no escape
There is no way out of here
Escape from this place is impossible
There is no way out of here
There is absolutely no exit from this place
There is no way out of here
There is absolutely no escape from this place
There is no way out of here
There is absolutely no escape from this place
There is no way out of here
There is absolutely no exit
If the universe is everywhere
Considering the universe's omnipresence
There is no way out
There is absolutely no escape
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Matthias Kräutli, Albert Den Dekker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@daniellewis9616
Absolutely wonderful, Allie! Working at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, I was required to wear (heavy) cotton gloves, and then given a microspatula in order to turn the pages, since the gloves themselves obviously were impractical to actually handle rare materials. What could possibly go wrong? :-) Dan Lewis / Dibner Senior Curator / The Huntington
@fancifuldevices
This is so cool. You turned it into a whole dive into the history of handling old books.
@ExLibrisBookCollector
Maybe an idea for a next Bite Sized Book History: To keep track in a book: Tab's, dog ears, chapter sticks, book marks, et cetera.
@ejohnsondebaufre
An excellent video, Allie! I like the way you used this issue to do a deeper dive into the history of book handling practices.
@ExLibrisBookCollector
Cool! Now I can refer to this video when I get questions about wearing gloves. Thank you!
@barbaraalvis2881
This is such an important reminder!! And a very well done and kind explanation. Always love your videos!!
@greenshot1584
reminds me of the time my chemistry teacher advised against wearing nitrile gloves when handling acid unless absolutely necessary so we'd notice spills instead of spreading it around with our gloves
@archivistallison
This will be a great video to show my student workers in the archives!
@octavius32a64
I had always wondered why they used cotton gloves rather than nitrile
@lorikendrick5076
Learned a lot. Thank you.