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.
The Squid
Thought Industry Lyrics
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She walks beneath a presley stare. Swivel hips a smile. Pissed on morning charm. Shaves her head with a lawnmower. Her toenails painted Jesus blood. Her facial cake is mud. Chloroform and girl. Strolled to the barstool, grabbed the pole. I heard her saying "As I was walking. Yes, I was talking looking for the sunset to give me nothing. I will hold you tight. Five drinks later, stumbling in the moonlight."
Club stupid is a ginger house. The bar a welfare line I think we'll start with gin. Then to scotch with a soda chase. Slide across the marble floor. Through a pair of doors. Volvo release a purr. Back on garbage. A you-turn. I will hold you tight, eight drinks later speeding in the lamplight.
The squid I say I am the world. Swank as heat my style. Polished wingtip. Whirl. Stiletto sticking hairspray curl. Sixty-two a year for you. Drinks and drugs go round. My mind a razor blade. Rusty maybe, but fair today.
I will hold you tight, ten drinks later dangling on a clothesline.
Ya.
"I'm still waiting for Ron Wood to join us on this
one." - Crossoverture
The lyrics of Thought Industry's song The Squid are packed with vivid and surreal images, which make it a challenging task to interpret the meaning. The song begins with the description of a woman, who walks with a Presley stare and has Jesus blood painted toenails. She shaves her head with a lawnmower and covers her face with mud. The singer tells us that he heard her saying that she was looking for the sunset to give her nothing, while she grabbed the pole at the barstool. The woman drinks heavily, and the singer holds her tight while she stumbles around in the moonlight.
The scene then shifts to a club called "Club stupid," where the singer and some others start with gin before moving on to scotch with a soda chaser. They slide across the marble floor and escape through a pair of doors. The singer hears a Volvo purring and makes a U-turn back to the garbage. The imagery is disjointed and doesn't follow a logical sequence. It appears to be a stream of consciousness, where the singer is recounting a night of drinking and debauchery that's full of bizarre experiences.
The chorus of the song is "The Squid, I say I am the world" repeated several times, which adds to the overall surrealist tone. The lyrics continue with the singer boasting about his swank style, polished wingtips, and stiletto sticking hairspray curls. He mentions that he spends sixty-two a year on drinks and drugs and that his mind is a razor blade. The song ends with the singer holding someone tight after ten drinks, and he's dangling on a clothesline.
Line by Line Meaning
She walks beneath a Presley stare.
The woman is walking and is observed by someone with an intense stare, similar to the stare of the celebrity Elvis Presley.
Swivel hips a smile. Pissed on morning charm. Shaves her head with a lawnmower. Her toenails painted Jesus blood. Her facial cake is mud. Chloroform and girl.
The woman's appearance is described in details. She has a beautiful smile and a seductive walk but also has quirky habits like shaving her head with a lawnmower, painting her toenails with a weird color, and wearing a mud-like facial mask. The line 'chloroform and girl' is an allusion to the novel/book/film with a similar name, 'Girl, Interrupted', and may suggest that the woman has mental health issues.
Strolled to the barstool, grabbed the pole. I heard her saying 'As I was walking. Yes, I was talking looking for the sunset to give me nothing. I will hold you tight. Five drinks later, stumbling in the moonlight.'
The woman walked smoothly towards a pole near the bar and said lines that suggest she's looking for something/someone as she wanders around. She is heard to say that despite finding nothing, she is determined to hold someone tight and seems to be heavily drinking as suggested by her stumbling in the moonlight.
Club stupid is a ginger house. The bar a welfare line I think we'll start with gin. Then to scotch with a soda chase.
The club is referred to as 'club stupid', and the bar is compared to a 'welfare line' meaning it's a place people go to drink to forget their worries. The artist mentions his preferences for alcoholic beverages, gin being the first drink of choice, followed by a scotch with a soda chase.
Slide across the marble floor. Through a pair of doors. Volvo release a purr. Back on garbage. A you-turn. I will hold you tight, eight drinks later speeding in the lamplight.
The artist is describing their actions, sliding across a marble floor, going through a pair of doors, and hearing a Volvo car making a sound. After that, the artist seems to turn the car around and drives through garbage. Yet again, he mentions holding someone tight and speeding up while driving under the lamplight after having eight drinks.
The squid I say I am the world. Swank as heat my style. Polished wingtip. Whirl. Stiletto sticking hairspray curl. Sixty-two a year for you. Drinks and drugs go round. My mind a razor blade. Rusty maybe, but fair today.
The squid is the subject of the song, and the author says he is the world, describing his style as something bold and attractive with metal wingtip, curly stilettos, and highly price value. The author mentions alcohol and drugs circling within his life, describing his mindset as sharp as a razor. The singer is feminine, using female gender pronouns in reference to herself in the lyrics. The author mentions rust as a comparison to his personality's reliability and suggests that on this day, he is fair.
I will hold you tight, ten drinks later dangling on a clothesline.
The singer again mentions holding someone tight after ten drinks, but also the phrase 'dangling on a clothesline' could imply being in a precarious situation or a situation where they are left hanging with no support.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRENT LEE OBERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind