Initially a avantgarde thrash metal / prog rock hybrid, Thought Industry's signature sound is showcased on their first two albums; Songs For Insects and Mods Carve The Pig: Assassins, Toads And God's Flesh, however by the time of their third album Outer Space Is Just A Martini Away, the band had started to shed their metal roots and had moved into alternative and art rock by the time they recorded their fourth album, 1997's Black Umbrella. The band are known to have remained active as of 2001 but disbanded shorly after the release of their magnum opus Short Wave On A Cold Day.
Gelatin
Thought Industry Lyrics
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Elated. Elected. Universe. Sedative vein. Whole grain
layered. Brightest sunshine. Brightest day. Spills the
kitten's milk. Cuts my hands. I place the knife to the
ham of her face. Her face.
Say you have to die and I'll keep cutting. Say you
have to die and I'll keep cutting you. It's a magic world.
No skin.
Mick my friend. Some day our understanding will
be described as lovers swapping lies. As how man and
dog relate. I'm under the table. Drop the plate.
Butterfly. Maggot.
The lyrics to Thought Industry's song "Gelatin" are extremely surreal and abstract. The lines seem to be disjointed thoughts and images that are put together in a way that creates a dreamlike aura. At the same time, there seems to be an underlying theme of violence, death, and detachment. The first few lines talk about things that are bright and colorful, like strawberry juice and the brightest sunshine, but then there is a sudden turn towards darkness with the mention of death birds. The idea of death birds is very ominous and could be taken as a foreboding of things to come.
The next lines seem to be about some kind of ritual or sacrifice, with the mention of a sedative vein and the cutting of a person's face. The phrase "It's a magic world" could be interpreted as either ironic or sarcastic, given the context of violence and bloodshed. The image of swimming erratic in water, thick as gelatin, is a metaphor for being trapped and suffocated. The phrase "no skin" also adds to the sense of detachment and depersonalization.
The last few lines seem to be a conversation between two friends, talking about the nature of their relationship. The reference to "lovers swapping lies" could be seen as a metaphor for the way people relate to each other in general. The end of the song is abrupt, with the phrase "Butterfly. Maggot." adding to the surreal and disturbing imagery of the lyrics. Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on the darker aspects of the human experience, although it's up to interpretation exactly what that message is.
Line by Line Meaning
Drip strawberry juice. Open shutters. Death birds.
The scene is set with the drip of strawberry juice, the opening of shutters, and a presence of death birds.
Elated. Elected. Universe. Sedative vein. Whole grain layered. Brightest sunshine. Brightest day. Spills the kitten's milk. Cuts my hands. I place the knife to the ham of her face. Her face.
With an odd combination of disconnected phrases, the singer describes a layered, textured universe and a moment where he cuts himself while holding a knife to someone's face.
Say you have to die and I'll keep cutting. Say you have to die and I'll keep cutting you. It's a magic world.
The singer expresses a disturbing willingness to harm others, even to the point of death, in a world that he considers magical.
Swim erratic in the water. Thick as gelatin. No skin. No skin.
The singer paints a picture of swimming in water that's thick and jiggly like gelatin, with a sense of a loss of skin or identity.
Mick my friend. Some day our understanding will be described as lovers swapping lies. As how man and dog relate. I'm under the table. Drop the plate.
The singer references a friend named Mick and muses about their relationship being one built on lies, comparing it to the relationship between man and dog. The verse ends with a jarring image of someone dropping a plate while hiding under a table.
Butterfly. Maggot.
The final two words of the song are simply 'Butterfly' and 'Maggot', leaving the listener unsure of their actual significance or connection to the rest of the lyrics.
Contributed by Jasmine I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.