Segall began his recording career as a part-time musician in various underground bands in Orange County and the San Francisco Bay Area, before beginning a solo career in 2008. Segall's first solo release was the cassette Horn The Unicorn released on the Wizard Mountain label (later re-released by HBSP-2X on vinyl record). Around the same time, Wizard Mountain also released a split cassette featuring Segall and the band Superstitions entitled Halfnonagon.
In 2012, Segall released three LPs: His solo album, Twins; a collaboration with White Fence titled Hair and Slaughterhouse, an album with the Ty Segall Band.
Papers
Ty Segall Lyrics
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The lines of meat living here
I shall keep all I'm doing
And when it speaks I write the view
But my papers, they depend on tape
I stuck them to the wall
Yes, the papers depend on tape
Let's take your home made of plaster
And make it run like your hair
Here the cries "I am lazy"
The notation writes "when you're full"
But my papers, they depend on tape
I stuck them to the wall
Yes, the papers depend on tape
So they do not fall, they do not fall
There is blood on my ride
Take me back there
Take me home
In Ty Segall's song "Papers," the lyrics appear to touch on themes of perception, self-reflection, and the fragility of one's own existence. The opening lines, "When it speaks, I am viewing / The lines of meat living here," suggest a sense of detachment and observation as the singer contemplates their own life and experiences. It implies a heightened awareness of the physical body and the complexities of existence.
The repeated refrain, "But my papers, they depend on tape / I stuck them to the wall / Yes, the papers depend on tape / So they do not fall, they do not fall," serves as a metaphor for the need to hold onto and preserve one's thoughts and experiences. The papers represent the ephemeral nature of human memory and perception, while tape symbolizes the effort to keep them intact, to prevent them from fading or falling away. It could reflect the desire to hold onto and make sense of one's own life, even in the face of its transient and fleeting nature.
The song's imagery takes a slightly surreal turn with the lines, "Let's take your home made of plaster / And make it run like your hair / Here the cries 'I am lazy' / The notation writes 'when you're full'." These lines may suggest a manipulation of reality or perception, as the home made of plaster (which one might associate with stability and solidity) is described as running like hair, something fluid and dynamic. It could signify a desire for change or a longing for a different reality. The contrasting statements of laziness and fullness further emphasize the complexity of one's emotional and mental state.
Overall, "Papers" appears to delve into the introspective realm of personal experience, digging into the nature of perception, memory, and the constant quest for meaning within one's own existence.
Line by Line Meaning
When it speaks I am viewing
I am observing and paying attention when something speaks
The lines of meat living here
I am witnessing the actions and experiences of living beings
I shall keep all I'm doing
I will hold onto and remember everything I am engaged in
And when it speaks I write the view
Whenever something communicates, I document and express my perspective
But my papers, they depend on tape
The papers I have rely on adhesive tape to stay in place
I stuck them to the wall
I have affixed them onto the wall by adhering them with tape
Yes, the papers depend on tape
Indeed, the papers rely on tape for support
So they do not fall, they do not fall
To prevent them from descending and becoming disorganized or lost
Let's take your home made of plaster
Allow us to transform your abode constructed from plaster
And make it run like your hair
And make it function or operate smoothly like your hair
Here the cries 'I am lazy'
Here, we hear the expressions of laziness
The notation writes 'when you're full'
The written symbol marks down 'when you are satiated'
But my papers, they depend on tape
Nevertheless, my documents rely on adhesive tape for stability
I stuck them to the wall
I affixed them to the wall using tape
Yes, the papers depend on tape
Certainly, the papers rely on tape for their support
So they do not fall, they do not fall
So that they do not descend or come loose
There is blood on my ride
There is evidence of blood on the means of transportation I used
Take me back there
Transport me back to that location
Take me home
Guide me back to my place of residence
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: Ty Garrett Segall
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind