Best known for his wry humor, Snider has been a fixture on the Americana, alt-country, and folk scene since his debut on MCA, entitled Songs for the Daily Planet, named for the bar where Snider used to play regularly in Memphis. On that album were the minor hits "Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues", a folk song about the early '90's grunge scene, featuring a band that "refused to play", and "Alright Guy", which later became the title cut of Gary Allan's 2001 album.
He released two more albums for MCA, Step Right Up and Viva Satellite, the latter often sparking colorful debate amongst fans for its comparisons to Tom Petty. He moved to John Prine's Oh Boy Records where he made Happy to Be Here, New Connection, Near Truths and Hotel Rooms, and East Nashville Skyline. That Was Me: The Best of Todd Snider 1994–1998 was released on the Hip-O label in August 2005.
Todd Snider's next studio album, The Devil You Know, was released in August 2006. It marked Snider's return to a major label, as he is now recording for New Door Records, a subsidiary of Universal Records.
The Devil You Know was named to several critics' year-end "best" lists, including a No. 33 ranking in Rolling Stone magazine's top 50 albums of the year, a No. 25 ranking by No Depression magazine, and No. 14 by Blender magazine.
Snider's songs "Late Last Night" and "I Believe You" have been recorded by the Oklahoma country-rock band Cross Canadian Ragweed. He co-wrote the song "Barbie Doll" with country star Jack Ingram.
Snider's new album, Peace Queer, is set to be released on October 14th, 2008, and will be available as a free download from Oct. 11 to Oct. 31 at http://www.toddsnider.net/store/product/1/Peace-Queer .
Dollface
Todd Snider Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A long time ago
Spent years on that mountain
Before they even built this town below
Had a place on the ridge
With a view for miles around
Until the day those men came up
And dragged me into town
A shame what they did to me
It's a crying shame
It was a shame the way they treated me
Back in town they beat me down so bad
That I passed into something else
And when I woke I looked
I couldn't even recognize myself
I was a completely covered in useless information
Anyone looking could see
In the back of a truck with a rubber band
Stuck around what was left of me
The next thing I know im thrown in a yard
Where I wait a while and then
This old man walks out in a bathrobe
Picks me up and walks me back in
And he freed me from that rubber band alright
But in what seemed like a flash
He glanced me once and then
He threw me into the trash
That's how I ended up
On this land fill here lying around
Waiting for this big old pile of garbage were on
To work its way back under ground
Where I hope to grow up tall again
Maybe right here on this very spot
Might seem like a pipe dream to you
But doll face its all I got
You see man seems to think the world was made for him
And that might be true
But there's is a crack in every side walk
Where the grass breaks through
You know what I'm saying baby
Stick with me
Someday you may have it made in the shade of a tree
Someday you may have it made in the shade of a tree
The lyrics of the song "Dollface" by Todd Snider are a haunting and powerful reflection on the way society treats the marginalized and the forgotten. The song tells the story of a person who used to live on a mountain outside of town, but was eventually dragged into town by a group of men. The singer is beaten so badly that he no longer recognizes himself and is covered in useless information. He is eventually thrown away with the garbage and ends up on a landfill.
Despite this bleak and tragic tale, there is a glimmer of hope in the final verses of the song. The singer holds onto the dream that he will one day be able to grow tall on this very spot, and tells his listener that someday they might have it made in the shade of a tree. This dream represents the resilience of the human spirit, and the possibility of finding hope even in the darkest of circumstances.
"Dollface" is a powerful commentary on the way society treats those who are marginalized or forgotten. The singer of the song represents all those who have been beaten down and cast aside, and his dreams of one day growing tall once again represent the hope that we can all find in the midst of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
I come from not far from here
I am from a nearby place, not far from where I currently am
A long time ago
Many years in the past
Spent years on that mountain
I spent many years living on the mountain nearby
Before they even built this town below
This town did not exist at the time I lived on the mountain
Had a place on the ridge
I had a home located on the peak of the mountain
With a view for miles around
From the ridge, I had a panoramic view of the surrounding area
Until the day those men came up
One day a group of people came up to my home on the ridge
And dragged me into town
They forcefully took me down from the mountain and into the nearby town
A shame what they did to me
It is regretful the way those people treated me
It's a crying shame
It is very unfortunate and makes one feel sorrowful
It was a shame the way they treated me
The way those people treated me was regretful
Back in town they beat me down so bad
When I arrived in the town, they physically abused me severely
That I passed into something else
The beating caused me to become something else
And when I woke I looked
When I regained consciousness, I examined myself
I couldn't even recognize myself
I was unable to identify myself due to the injuries and changes inflicted on me
I was a completely covered in useless information
I was completely covered in meaningless text and symbols
Anyone looking could see
Anyone who saw me can attest to this
In the back of a truck with a rubber band
I was placed in the back of a truck and tied up with a rubber band
Stuck around what was left of me
The rubber band was wrapped around my remaining body parts
The next thing I know im thrown in a yard
Suddenly, I found myself being discarded in a yard
Where I wait a while and then
I remained there for some time before something else happened
This old man walks out in a bathrobe
An elderly man came out wearing a bathrobe
Picks me up and walks me back in
He picked me up and took me back into his home
And he freed me from that rubber band alright
The old man removed the rubber band from my body
But in what seemed like a flash
However, the incident seemed to happen quickly
He glanced me once and then
After looking at me briefly
He threw me into the trash
The man threw me away with the other trash
That's how I ended up
This is how I came to be in my current situation
On this land fill here lying around
I am currently on a landfill, simply lying here
Waiting for this big old pile of garbage were on
I am waiting for the large heap of garbage we are all a part of
To work its way back under ground
For it to decompose and be buried underground
Where I hope to grow up tall again
My hope is to once again grow tall again
Maybe right here on this very spot
Perhaps I will grow right here on this precise location
Might seem like a pipe dream to you
This may seem like a foolish and unrealistic hope to some
But doll face its all I got
But, my dear, this is all I have left and what I cling to
You see man seems to think the world was made for him
Many people believe that the world was created for them
And that might be true
That idea may be accurate in some ways
But there's is a crack in every side walk
However, there are flaws and imperfections in everything
Where the grass breaks through
Places where nature pushes through and claims a spot
You know what I'm saying baby
Do you understand what I am saying, my dear?
Stick with me
Stay close to me
Someday you may have it made in the shade of a tree
One day you may be able to relax comfortably in the cool shade of a tree
Someday you may have it made in the shade of a tree
One day you may be able to relax comfortably in the cool shade of a tree
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: TODD DANIEL SNIDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind