They describe their heavily art-damaged and theatrical style as "Brechtian punk cabaret", a phrase invented by Palmer because she was "terrified" that the press would invent a name that "would involve the word 'gothic'," and are part of an underground dark cabaret movement that started gaining momentum in the early 1990s.
Palmer accompanies her confessional story-songs with a thunderous and shimmering piano style that rests on the shoulders of Jerry Lee Lewis and Nina Simone. Viglione's jazz and hardcore-influenced drumming and creative percussion are the perfect foil, providing in turns a delicate cradle of rhythm and a piercing bed of nails onto which Palmer lays her raw, tragicomic lyrics.
The release of their debut album The Dresden Dolls, produced by Martin Bisi (Swans, Sonic Youth), has won the band accolades from both mainstream and underground media, and it appears that the Dolls are poised to transcend cult status and smash all commonly held ideas about what a rock band is supposed to be. Their awe-striking live energy and singular look has earned them opening slots for Nine Inch Nails, Beck, the B-52s, Jane's Addiction, OK Go and Panic! At the Disco, a tour with the Legendary Pink Dots, and a victory in the 2003 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble.
Their second album Yes, Virginia was released in 2006, eventually followed by a companion record No, Virginia in 2008, which features b-sides and out-takes from the "Yes, Virginia" sessions, as well as a smattering of new tracks.
At the end of summer 2008 they announced a hiatus. The band has made further announcements saying they will reunite when the time is right for both of them, and have stressed they have not broken up.
In September 2008, rumors began to circulate about the future of the whole band. Viglione confirmed that the band is currently on hiatus but emphasized that he and Palmer are on good terms and that they will get together again when it feels right for both of them. In late July and early August 2009, a rumor began to spread that the band was "reuniting for performances in 2010" but Palmer clarified in her blog on August 7: "There's been a ton of press lately re-printing an old quote from an old interview that's now blown up into a full-fledged press rumour that Brian and I have planned Dresden Dolls' shows for 2010. Not true. We aren't planning any shows. Sorry about that, blame the gossip whores."
In 2010, a reunion tour to selected venues in the United States occurred. It started on Halloween in New York City and ended in San Francisco on New Years Eve.
The Dresden Dolls played a show in Mexico City on 9 December 2011. They had a tour of New Zealand and Australia in early 2012, supported by The Jane Austen Argument and The Bedroom Philosopher.
Girl Anachronism
The Dresden Dolls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the scars on my arms
And the cracks in my hips
And the dents in my car
And the blisters on my lips
That I'm not the carefullest of girls
You can tell
And the strings that're breaking
And I keep on breaking more
And it looks like I am shaking
But it's just the temperature
And then again
If it were any colder I could disengage
If I were any older I could act my age
But I don't think that you'd believe me
It's not the way
I'm meant to be
It's just the way
The operation made me
And you can tell
From the state of my room
That they let me out too soon
And the pills that I ate
Came a couple years too late
And I've got some issues to work through
There I go again
Pretending to be you
Make believing
That I have a soul beneath the surface
Trying to convince you
It was accidentally on purpose
I am not so serious
This passion is a plagiarism
I might join your century
But only on a rare occasion
I was taken out
Before the labor pains set in and now
Behold the world's worst accident
I am the girl anachronism
And you can tell
By the red in my eyes
And the bruises on my thighs
And the knots in my hair
And the bathtub full of flies
That I'm not right now at all
There I go again
Pretending that I'll fall
Don't call the doctors
'Cause they've seen it all before
They'll say just
Let her crash
And burn
She'll learn
The attention just encourages her
And you can tell
From the full-body cast
That you're sorry that you asked
Though you did everything you could
Like any decent person would
But I might be catching so don't touch
You'll start believing
You're immune to gravity and stuff
Don't get me wet
Because the bandages will all come off
And you can tell
From the smoke at the stake
That the current state is critical
Well it is the little things, for instance
In the time it takes to break it
She can make up ten excuses
Please excuse her for the day
It's just the way the medication makes her
I don't necessarily believe there is a cure for this
So I might join your century but only as a doubtful guest
I was too precarious removed as a caesarian
Behold the worlds worst accident
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl
I am the girl
I am the girl
I am the girl anachronism
The Dresden Dolls' "Girl Anachronism" is a haunting ballad about the struggles of mental illness and the feeling of being out of place within society. The lyrics express a heightened level of self-awareness, as the singer points out physical and emotional scars that society often shuns, blurring the line between internal struggle and outward expression. The chorus highlights the disconnection between the singer's true self and the persona she presents to the world, as she struggles to convince others that she is someone she is not, a sentiment that is echoed in the line "It's not the way I'm meant to be, it's just the way the operation made me."
The second verse touches on themes of self-destruction and addiction, with lines about breaking strings and blisters on the singer's lips. The bridge explores the idea of aging and societal expectations, with the singer longing for the ability to act her age, but feeling as though society doesn't take her seriously because of her struggles. The final verse delves into the aftermath of a breakdown, with the singer acknowledging the impact it has had on both her physical and mental health.
Line by Line Meaning
You can tell
From the scars on my arms
And the cracks in my hips
And the dents in my car
And the blisters on my lips
That I'm not the carefullest of girls
My body and belongings show that I am not the most cautious person.
You can tell
From the glass on the floor
And the strings that're breaking
And I keep on breaking more
And it looks like I am shaking
But it's just the temperature
My actions appear erratic, but it's just due to the temperature, and I am continuously breaking things.
And then again
If it were any colder I could disengage
If I were any older I could act my age
But I don't think that you'd believe me
I can't disengage nor act my age, although I could if the temperature were colder or if I were older.
It's not the way
I'm meant to be
It's just the way
The operation made me
My behavior isn't natural, but it's because of the operation that was performed on me.
And you can tell
From the state of my room
That they let me out too soon
And the pills that I ate
Came a couple years too late
And I've got some issues to work through
My messy room indicates they let me go too soon after I took the pills a few years late, and I've got problems to confront.
There I go again
Pretending to be you
Make believing
That I have a soul beneath the surface
Trying to convince you
It was accidentally on purpose
I pretend to be somebody else, convincing you that my passion isn't a copy, but it was intended to be an accident.
I am not so serious
This passion is a plagiarism
I might join your century
But only on a rare occasion
My passion is a copy, and I'm only willing to join your era infrequently.
I was taken out
Before the labor pains set in and now
Behold the world's worst accident
I am the girl anachronism
I was born before my birth pains started, so I am the world's worst accident and girl from another time.
And you can tell
By the red in my eyes
And the bruises on my thighs
And the knots in my hair
And the bathtub full of flies
That I'm not right now at all
My physical appearance demonstrates that I'm not in the right state of mind.
There I go again
Pretending that I'll fall
Don't call the doctors
'Cause they've seen it all before
They'll say just
Let her crash
And burn
She'll learn
The attention just encourages her
I pretend to be unstable, but the doctors have seen it before, and attention just makes me worse, so let me fall.
And you can tell
From the full-body cast
That you're sorry that you asked
Though you did everything you could
Like any decent person would
My injuries demonstrate that you regret asking about me, but you did your best, like an ethical person should.
But I might be catching so don't touch
You'll start believing
You're immune to gravity and stuff
Don't get me wet
Because the bandages will all come off
I might be contagious, so don't touch me, or you'll start believing that you're invincible. Don't get me wet because my bandages will come off.
And you can tell
From the smoke at the stake
That the current state is critical
Well it is the little things, for instance
In the time it takes to break it
She can make up ten excuses
Please excuse her for the day
It's just the way the medication makes her
The smoke at the stake bears witness to my critical condition, and it's the small details that are worth mentioning, for instance, how quickly I come up with excuses. Please forgive me, it's due to my medication.
I don't necessarily believe there is a cure for this
So I might join your century but only as a doubtful guest
I was too precarious removed as a caesarian
Behold the worlds worst accident
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl
I don't think there is a cure for me, so I'll only join your era as an uncertain guest. I was delivered by Caesarean section, making me the world's worst accident, and I am the girl anachronism.
Lyrics ยฉ Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Amanda Palmer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@angethedumbone
@Bailey Moran Exactly this.
And how bipolar disorder damages the brain, either people think we're insane, that we don't deserve respect, or that we're amazing to do so much in a manic state. Nobody really noticed or cared until I got so psychotic of the mania that I was convinced there would be a war soon and i was the only one seeing the signs,
While this sounds funny now, I was so stressed. Couldn't eat, sleep, or even rest.
Suddenly the gifted kid was just a nuisance.
My family still thinks I'll get better from it somehow.
Even though I eat so much medicine to just be able to not go into excessive mania, the depression is too much for me.
I can't eat antidepressants, it makes me spiral like a mad man, so I'm either very dull, emotionless or I'm depressed.
I miss mania sometimes because of the showers of praise I got for my art. Now I'm just another medicated nutcase. At least that's how I feel.
"The attention just encourages her".
I just wish someone would understand how hard bipolar disorder is in my close relationships.
This song kind of represent that for me.
"Look at me! I'm insane. Of course these big words are just me copying you, the sane and smart ones."
Sorry for a rant.
@Oliviacaptain
You can tell
From the scars on my arms
And the cracks in my hips
And the dents in my car
And the blisters on my lips
That I'm not the carefullest of girls
You can tell
From the glass on the floor
And the strings that're breaking
And I keep on breaking more
And it looks like I am shaking
But it's just the temperature
And then again
If it were any colder I could disengage
If I were any older I could act my age
But I don't think that you'd believe me
It's not the way
I'm meant to be
It's just the way
The operation made me
And you can tell
From the state of my room
That they let me out too soon
And the pills that I ate
Came a couple years too late
And I've got some issues to work through
There I go again
Pretending to be you
Make believing
That I have a soul beneath the surface
Trying to convince you
It was accidentally on purpose
I am not so serious
This passion is a plagiarism
I might join your century
But only on a rare occasion
I was taken out
Before the labor pains set in and now
Behold the world's worst accident
I am the girl anachronism
And you can tell
By the red in my eyes
And the bruises on my thighs
And the knots in my hair
And the bathtub full of flies
That I'm not right now at all
There I go again
Pretending that I'll fall
Don't call the doctors
'Cause they've seen it all before
They'll say just
Let her crash
And burn
She'll learn
The attention just encourages her
And you can tell
From the full-body cast
That you're sorry that you asked
Though you did everything you could
Like any decent person would
But I might be catching so don't touch
You'll start believing
You're immune to gravity and stuff
Don't get me wet
Because the bandages will all come off
And you can tell
From the smoke at the stake
That the current state is critical
Well it is the little things, for instance
In the time it takes to break it
She can make up ten excuses
Please excuse her for the day
It's just the way the medication makes her
I don't necessarily believe there is a cure for this
So I might join your century but only as a doubtful guest
I was too precarious removed as a caesarian
Behold the worlds worst accident
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl
I am the girl
I am the girl
I am the girl anachronism
@parushashridhar3189
This song wakes up something inside me that ideally shouldn't be touched.
@LillithJainSumner
explain
@spitkitten
no I totally get this. that's supposed to happen, I think :)
@chrisrapelstapskirappe5367
Yes it should it's something Primal something fierce
@punksiou8890
vagi-
@chrisrapelstapskirappe5367
If this song comes on while i am driving. I have to pull over and slam my head against the steering wheel until its over
@-_k1tt3n_-74
As someone with depression, social anxiety, people-pleasing actions, and a savior complex.. This makes me feel understood and uncomfortable at the same time and I love it.
@Mr.manchester100
Bro really got the mental illness package lol
@nobbynoris
What a fantastic video.
Punk's not dead. It just learned a few instruments.
@lupeortega3869
hahaha yup