After a brief run as a recording-only project based in Austin, founding vocalist David Yow, bassist David Wm. Sims and guitarist Duane Denison relocated to Chicago, Illinois in 1989, finding kindred spirits in recording engineer Steve Albini and the Touch and Go Records imprint. With the addition of drummer Mac McNeilly, they began operating as a live band, expanding their following beyond Chicago's alternative scene into an international audience. Drummer Jim Kimball replaced McNeilly late in 1996, and was himself replaced by Brendan Murphy two years later.
Despite releasing a split single with leading alt-rockers Nirvana and signing to Capitol Records, the band failed to find commercial success amid the alternative rock explosion of the 1990s, and disbanded in 1999. Their reunion from 2008 to 2010 and following tour enjoyed positive responses from audiences and critics.
In October 2013, The Jesus Lizard were set to play at the All Tomorrow's Parties event Release the Bats in Melbourne, Australia. They cancelled this show due to "unforeseen circumstances."
Members:
David Yow - vocals;
Duane Denison - guitars;
David Wm. Sims - bass;
Mac McNeilly - drums.
Former members:
Jim Kimball - drums;
Brendan Murphy - drums.
http://www.thejesuslizard.net
Queen for a Day
The Jesus Lizard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the White House
I sat in my office and ovulated
A full length mirror
I'm queen for a day
Look up the skirt of our nation
In the shit house
My palace
Is just a Goddamned rest home
I fit the prince
In and out of my schedule
A full length mirror
I'm queen for a day
I'll spend the rest of my years alone
"Before they turned left face
along the bank
each one gave their good
captain a salute
with farting tongue pressed
tightly to his teeth
he blew back with his
bugle of an asshole"
I called the president
In the White House
I sat in my office and ovulated
A full length mirror
I'm queen for a day
etc...
The Jesus Lizard's song "Queen for a Day" is a surreal and darkly humorous commentary on power, politics, and gender roles. The lyrics are filled with vivid and disturbing images that challenge traditional notions of authority and identity. The opening lines describe a woman who calls a senator from the White House and then sits in her office, apparently ovulating. This juxtaposition of political power and bodily functions is both absurd and unsettling, suggesting that the singer is not only in control of the political system but also of her own biology.
The next verse features a full-length mirror, which is a symbol of beauty and vanity, but also of self-reflection and self-awareness. The singer claims to be queen for a day, but this is not a fairy tale fantasy. Instead, it is a grotesque vision of a world where power is arbitrary and fleeting. The queen's palace is just a rest home, and the prince is just another item on her to-do list.
The final lines of the song are an obscure and scatological reference to military protocol, suggesting that even the most formal and disciplined systems can be undermined by primitive bodily impulses. The song ends with the singer claiming to have called the president and ovulated again, reinforcing the idea that power and sexuality are intertwined in unpredictable and unsettling ways.
Line by Line Meaning
I called that senator
I contacted a person of high authority within the government
From the White House
A reference to the location or nearby the White House, a symbol of American political power
I sat in my office and ovulated
While sitting in the comfort of my office, I felt empowered like I was in control of my own body
A full length mirror
A reflection of myself from head to toe, used to admire my physical appearance
I'm queen for a day
I feel powerful and in charge for a short period of time
Look up the skirt of our nation
To examine with scrutiny, the inner workings of our society
I saw the prime minister
I encountered an important foreign leader in my travels
In the shit house
In a difficult situation or place
My palace
A sarcastic reference to a place not fit for royalty
Is just a Goddamned rest home
To express dissatisfaction with one's living situation
I fit the prince
I arranged my schedule to accommodate an important visitor
In and out of my schedule
To make time in one's schedule for an important obligation
I'll spend the rest of my years alone
A expression of sadness or loneliness, despite one's position of power
"Before they turned left face
An abrupt change in topic or mood
along the bank
A description of a scene or setting
each one gave their good
Each person involved in a situation did their best
captain a salute
To show respect or honor to a leader
with farting tongue pressed
To make a vulgar, disrespectful gesture
tightly to his teeth
To do so with force or determination
he blew back with his
He reciprocated with an equally vulgar response
bugle of an asshole"
A vulgar insult or statement
I called the president
I contacted the most important person in the government
In the White House
A reference to being inside the White House, a symbol of American political power
I sat in my office and ovulated
While sitting in the comfort of my office, I felt empowered like I was in control of my own body
A full length mirror
A reflection of myself from head to toe, used to admire my physical appearance
I'm queen for a day
I feel powerful and in charge for a short period of time
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind