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 .
Mission Accomplished
Todd Snider Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wait, let me back up and make sure I got that right.
He might of liked every man he met, that?s true.
But he never said he liked every man that he knew.
I met a woman with a Midas touch,
I never could get her to touch very much.
He never offered any of it to me.
I met a soldier at a recruit booth
Said he?d make a man out of me and stole my youth.
Working for a man who could not stop lying,
Drove us all off a cliff and called it flying.
That ain?t flying.
Most men flying seem to understand
That a man technically hasn?t flown ?til he lands
If you?re coming into land and you crash and die,
All you really did for sure was get too high.
You ever get too high?
No. Neither have I.
But I will have to, to prove to you guys
I?m so turned around I could calm up a riot.
Fighting for peace? That?s like screaming for quiet.
I don?t know what I?ve been told
Might meet a little fox in an atheist hole
I don?t know what I?ve been told
I don?t know what I?ve been told
I don?t know what I?ve been told
I don?t know for sure, I?ve just been told
The song Mission Accomplished by Todd Snider contains powerful lyrics that delve into society's flaws and the contradictions of life. The opening lines reference Will Rogers by stating that he never met a man he didn't like. However, the singer backs up to correct himself by acknowledging that Rogers may have liked every man he met, but he never claimed to like every man he knew. This sets the tone for the rest of the song, where the singer questions the motives of the people he meets and their claims to success.
He then goes on to tell us about a woman with a Midas touch who doesn't share her wealth, a man of opportunity who denies him any chance, and a soldier who promised to make a man out of him but only took away his youth. The singer also makes a direct reference to the missions in Iraq by mentioning the phrase "Mission Accomplished" in the title. He talks about working for a man who cannot stop lying and claiming to fly when driving people off a cliff. The lyrics mock and criticize the concept of war, flying, and the misguided attempts at achieving peace.
At the end of the song, the singer admits to not knowing what he has been told and what to believe. The song is all about questioning the actions of powerful people versus the outcomes that they claim to have achieved. Snider's lyrics subtly criticize the idealistic attitude of leaders that ultimately leads to disillusionment.
Line by Line Meaning
Will Rogers said he never met a man he didn?t like
Will Rogers once claimed that he never met a man he didn't like
Wait, let me back up and make sure I got that right.
Wait, let me double-check that I remember the quote correctly
He might of liked every man he met, that?s true.
While it's true that he likely liked every man he met
But he never said he liked every man that he knew.
He never explicitly claimed to like every man he knew
I met a woman with a Midas touch,
I once met a woman with a talent for success
I never could get her to touch very much.
But I was never able to benefit much from her talent
I met a man of opportunity,
I once met a man who had many opportunities
He never offered any of it to me.
But he never shared any of it with me
I met a soldier at a recruit booth
I encountered a soldier recruiting others for service
Said he?d make a man out of me and stole my youth.
He promised to make me a better person but ended up taking away my youth
Working for a man who could not stop lying,
I worked for a dishonest man
Drove us all off a cliff and called it flying.
He led us to disaster and pretended it was success
That ain?t flying.
That is not really succeeding
Most men flying seem to understand
Those who truly succeed seem to recognize
That a man technically hasn?t flown ?til he lands
That someone has not truly succeeded until they reach their goal
If you?re coming into land and you crash and die,
If you attempt to reach your goal but fail and suffer consequences
All you really did for sure was get too high.
Then all you can say for certain is that you were overconfident
You ever get too high?
Have you ever been overly confident?
No. Neither have I.
No, and neither have I
But I will have to, to prove to you guys
But I might have to become overconfident, just to convince you
I?m so turned around I could calm up a riot.
I'm so discombobulated that I could confuse even a chaotic situation
Fighting for peace? That?s like screaming for quiet.
Trying to achieve peace through violence is as futile as trying to achieve silence by shouting
I don?t know what I?ve been told
I've heard some things, but I am not sure if they are true
Might meet a little fox in an atheist hole
I might encounter something unexpected in a place where I'd least expect it
I don?t know what I?ve been told
Again, I've heard some things, but I remain unsure of their veracity
I don?t know what I?ve been told
Once more, I've heard some things, but I don't know if they are true
I don?t know for sure, I?ve just been told
Overall, I cannot say with certainty, I've only heard rumors
Contributed by Benjamin O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.