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The Copper War
The Cog Is Dead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The home of Wilbur Redpot, finest coppersmith around
He was famous for his products, as they sold extremely well
Competitors were livid as their business income fell
Now, Alexander Copperplate, a man from out of town,
Declared his gang was coming soon to shoot poor Wilbur down
The town was in a panic, they knew something should be done
And they had till morning sun!
So saddle up your steam-bike and put your goggles on
We've got to be prepared or else we'll all be dead by dawn
Copperplate is coming, and his eyes are seeing red,
And he's after Wilbur's head!
The townsfolk got together and they figured out a plan
They knew they'd have to do their best to save their fellow man
And, though they had no weapons, they all had a lot of brains:
They'd build machines to leave their villain in a world of pain!
So Wilbur brought the copper, old Frank supplied the steel;
Bob and Sue had extra chains, and Tommy brought the wheels;
They knew they'd have a chance with these, they knew they'd win the fight,
And they worked all through the night!
So saddle up your steam-bike and put your goggles on
We've got to be prepared or else we'll all be dead by dawn
Copperplate is coming and his eyes are seeing red,
And he's after Wilbur's head!
Well Copperplate arrived at dawn, he stayed true to his word
But the town was deathly silent, not a soul was to be heard
He yelled out, "Redpot! Come on out, and fight me like a man!"
And that was when the churning and the chugging sounds began
An army of the townsfolk soon poured out into the street
Each of them on steam-bikes, and they all were packing heat
They had his men surrounded, there was fear on every face
And they put them in their place!
Power up your steam-bike, let's show 'em who's in charge
We've got our ropes and grappling hooks and weapons to discharge
Copperplate is panicked and his face is turning white
And we're gonna win this fight!
That's right! Let's go!
Now power down your steam-bike, we finally took 'em down
We strung 'em up and licked 'em good and ran them out of town
Verdigris Patina is a peaceful town once more
And we won the Copper War!
Hyah!
The song The Copper War by The Cog Is Dead tells the story of a peaceful town called Verdigris Patina that is home to Wilbur Redpot, a master coppersmith whose products are sold all around the town and beyond. His competitors are envious of him and are unhappy about their dwindling sales. When Alexander Copperplate arrives in town with his gang and declares that he is coming to shoot Wilbur down, chaos ensues, and the townsfolk know they have to act fast. They come together and plan to build machines to defeat Copperplate's gang. With the help of Wilbur, old Frank, Bob and Sue, and Tommy, they work all through the night to build their weapons.
The next morning, Copperplate arrives, looking for a fight with Wilbur. However, the townsfolk have a plan, and they emerge from their hiding places on steam-bikes armed and dangerous. Copperplate's gang is surrounded and overpowered, and the townsfolk emerge victorious. The story concludes with the town once again peaceful and the Copper War won.
One interesting fact about The Cog Is Dead's The Copper War is that it was inspired by a real-life conflict in the late 1800s between two copper-mining towns in Michigan, Calumet and Hecla, and the story was adapted to fit the steampunk genre. Another interesting fact is that The Copper War is one of the most popular songs by The Cog Is Dead and is often considered a fan favorite. It is also one of the most upbeat and lively songs by the band, incorporating elements of rock, punk, and blues.
Line by Line Meaning
Verdigris Patina was a peaceful little town
The setting of the story is a peaceful town called Verdigris Patina.
The home of Wilbur Redpot, finest coppersmith around
Wilbur Redpot, a coppersmith, resided in the town and was considered the best.
He was famous for his products, as they sold extremely well
Wilbur's products were popular and sold very well.
Competitors were livid as their business income fell
Other coppersmiths were angry because Wilbur's success caused their businesses to suffer.
Now, Alexander Copperplate, a man from out of town,
A new man named Alexander Copperplate came to town.
Declared his gang was coming soon to shoot poor Wilbur down
Alexander threatened to bring his gang to kill Wilbur.
The town was in a panic, they knew something should be done
The townspeople were worried and knew they needed to take action.
And they had till morning sun!
They only had until the morning to prepare.
So saddle up your steam-bike and put your goggles on
The townspeople had to gear up for battle on their steam-bikes.
We've got to be prepared or else we'll all be dead by dawn
If they didn't prepare, they feared that they all would die.
Copperplate is coming, and his eyes are seeing red,
Alexander Copperplate was coming with revenge in his heart.
And he's after Wilbur's head!
Alexander wanted to kill Wilbur.
The townsfolk got together and they figured out a plan
The townspeople gathered and came up with a plan.
They knew they'd have to do their best to save their fellow man
They realized that they needed to work hard to save Wilbur.
And, though they had no weapons, they all had a lot of brains:
They did not have weapons, but they used their intelligence to come up with a strategy.
They'd build machines to leave their villain in a world of pain!
They constructed machines to inflict harm on Alexander and his gang.
So Wilbur brought the copper, old Frank supplied the steel;
Wilbur provided the copper while another person supplied the steel.
Bob and Sue had extra chains, and Tommy brought the wheels;
Bob and Sue had chains and Tommy provided wheels.
They knew they'd have a chance with these, they knew they'd win the fight,
They were confident that their machines would enable them to emerge victorious.
And they worked all through the night!
They stayed up all night working on their plan.
Well Copperplate arrived at dawn, he stayed true to his word
Alexander arrived at the town as promised, just as the sun was rising.
But the town was deathly silent, not a soul was to be heard
The town was silent and empty when Alexander arrived.
He yelled out, "Redpot! Come on out, and fight me like a man!"
Alexander challenged Wilbur to come out and face him directly.
And that was when the churning and the chugging sounds began
The townspeople then emerged with their machines, which caused a loud noise.
An army of the townsfolk soon poured out into the street
Many townspeople came out into the street to face Alexander and his gang.
Each of them on steam-bikes, and they all were packing heat
Each of them rode steam-bikes and were armed with weapons.
They had his men surrounded, there was fear on every face
Alexander's gang was surrounded and frightened.
And they put them in their place!
The townspeople won the battle against Alexander.
Power up your steam-bike, let's show 'em who's in charge
The townspeople powered up their steam-bikes and asserted their dominance.
We've got our ropes and grappling hooks and weapons to discharge
They had various weapons and tools to use against Alexander.
Copperplate is panicked and his face is turning white
Alexander was scared and his face paled in fear.
And we're gonna win this fight!
The townspeople were confident they would win.
Now power down your steam-bike, we finally took 'em down
The townspeople were able to take down Alexander and his gang.
We strung 'em up and licked 'em good and ran them out of town
They captured Alexander and his gang, gave them their punishment, and made them leave town.
Verdigris Patina is a peaceful town once more
After the battle, the town returned to its peaceful state.
And we won the Copper War!
The townspeople emerged victorious in the battle against Alexander and his gang.
Hyah!
A cheer of triumph.
Contributed by Aria G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.