The Nixons were founded in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by singer/guitarist Zac … Read Full Bio ↴The Nixons were founded in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by singer/guitarist Zac Maloy, guitarist Jesse Davis, bassist Ricky Brooks, and drummer Tye Robison. The group released their debut EP Six in 1992 (after a obscure self-titled album, probably released in 1990) on Dragon Street Records and replaced the original drummer with John Humphrey before releasing Halo in 1994 on Rainmaker label. This album features several songs also included in Foma, their first official full length record, released out in 1995 on MCA Records. Foma spawned the radio hit "Sister" and the group capitalized on their success with a big tour (about 300 shows in one year), including dates with Soul Asylum. Two years later, the group replaced Ricky Brooks with Ricky Wolking and released a self-titled album, also known as "the red album" which featured songs like In Spite of Herself and Baton Rouge. Though The Nixons failed to match the success of Foma and the band left MCA, their consistent gigging ensured a strong cult audience for 1999's Scrapbook EP (featuring b-sides, live and acoustic performances), which saw the band return to Rainmaker, and their fourth album The Latest Thing, which was released by Koch in early 2000.

Smile
The Nixons Lyrics

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I'm the one you've always dreamed of,
but could never touch
Say that I don't do anything for you, then I do too much.
Can you see my halo? My halo is wearing thin.
Can you feel the hollow? Somewhere sucks me in.

Move into your own dimensia,
I bounce the world upon my knee

Roll away the stone in your mind, Tell me what you see
Can you see my halo? My halo is fading fast
Can you feel the hell? Burns me somewhere in my past

We don't laugh, we don't cry, we don't even wonder why
We don't give, we don't take, we don't give into your Fate
We're no god, we're no son, we're no holy spirit
We don't smile, but we don't hate you

I'm the one you've always dreamed of,
Never thought to see it through
This is what you want me to be,
what you want me to be,
We don't smile - we don't hate you
Give into your hate

We don't laugh, we don't cry, we don't even wonder why
We don't give, we don't take, we don't give into your fate
We're no god, we're no son, we're no holy spirit
We don't smile, but we don't hate you

We don't laugh, we don't cry, we don't even wonder why
We don't give, we don't take, we don't give into your fate
We're no god, we're no son, we're no holy spirit
We don't smile, but we don't hate you

We don't laugh, we don't hate you
We don't call, we don't hate you

Overall Meaning

The Nixons's song Smile is a complex piece of music. The lyrics revolve around a central theme of estrangement and being uncomfortable with oneself. The singer acknowledges that they are the one that the other person has always dreamed of but cannot touch. The lyrics reveal this person's ambivalent feelings towards the other person - on the one hand, they do too much for them, and on the other hand, they realize that they are not enough for them. The use of the line "Can you see my halo?" is interesting as it implies that the singer is trying to live up to the expectations of the other person, and they feel like they are failing. The line "My halo is wearing thin" suggests that they are not as perfect as the other person thinks they are.

The chorus of the song is particularly intriguing - "We don't laugh, we don't cry, we don't even wonder why, we don't give, we don't take, we don't give into your fate." This suggests that the singer feels detached from the other person and is not really invested in their relationship. They are not interested in making things better or worse; they are content not to express anything. The final lines of the chorus "We're no god, we're no son, we're no holy spirit, we don't smile, but we don't hate you" add an element of confusion to the lyrics, as they seem contradictory.

Overall, Smile by The Nixons is a thought-provoking song that delves into the complexities of relationships and the emotions that can come with them.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm the one you've always dreamed of, but could never touch
I am the person you always wanted in your life, but you could never have me.

Say that I don't do anything for you, then I do too much.
Whenever you feel like I'm not doing enough for you, I exceed your expectations.

Can you see my halo? My halo is wearing thin.
Can you perceive the goodness in me? My kind spirit is slowly fading away.

Can you feel the hollow? Somewhere sucks me in.
Do you sense my emptiness? Something is slowly consuming me.

Move into your own dimensia, I bounce the world upon my knee
Immerse yourself in your own thoughts and feelings, while I handle the challenges of the world on my own.

Roll away the stone in your mind, Tell me what you see
Overcome the obstacles in your mind, and tell me what your true desires are.

Can you see my halo? My halo is fading fast
Can you still perceive the purity in me? It is disappearing rapidly.

Can you feel the hell? Burns me somewhere in my past
Do you feel the pain that torments me? It stems from my past experiences.

We don't laugh, we don't cry, we don't even wonder why We don't give, we don't take, we don't give into your fate We're no god, we're no son, we're no holy spirit We don't smile, but we don't hate you
We don't engage in any strong emotions; we don't submit to your destiny; we're not divine beings, but we hold no ill feelings towards you.

I'm the one you've always dreamed of, Never thought to see it through This is what you want me to be, what you want me to be, We don't smile - we don't hate you Give into your hate
You always desired someone like me, but never expected to attain it. I'm what you hoped for, but we hold no extreme opinions about you. Give in to your own anger.

We don't call, we don't hate you
We're not reaching out to communicate, but we also don't harbor any malice towards you.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JESSE HERRON DAVIS, JOHN STEPHEN HUMPHREY, RICKY BROOKS, ZACHARY DAVID MALOY

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