The legend of Ugly Casanova was based around the character of Edgar Graham, a.k.a. "Ugly Casanova", who (according to the Ugly Casanova press release) met the band Modest Mouse while backstage at a concert in Denver, Colorado.
"After some prodding, he shared his work with the band, and began performing it early before shows while some people were milling around. Whenever he completed these performances, he retreated quickly with a look of anger and shame. After a time, a few small recordings were created, after which Edgar vanished." The release goes on to mention that the batch of songs found on Sharpen Your Teeth was delivered to Sub Pop, "in a strange parcel filled with Silly Putty and pelts of three unidentifiable rodents."
In truth, Ugly Casanova is a side-project of Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock and a number of other collaborators. In fact, two U.C. tracks -- Baby's Clean Conscience and Parasites have appeared as unreleased Modest Mouse demos from their 1993 "Paracite Sessions".
The origin of the band name itself is contested. Brock has admitted he created the pseudonym to "escape having to do interviews", but Modest Mouse's 1996 EP The Fruit That Ate Itself was credited to the production company "Ugly Casanova", suggesting Brock may have used the name to retain creative control and publishing rights while under a major label.
Though Ugly Casanova is Brock's brainchild, he shares some co-writing and vocal duties with Holopaw's John Orth. The collective also included Tim Rutili (Califone, Red Red Meat), Pall Jenkins (The Black Heart Procession) and Brian Deck.
It seems that another release is unlikely, owing to contract issues between Modest Mouse's label, Epic Records, and the contract Brock signed with Sub Pop Records to produce the record.
Pacífico
Ugly Casanova Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here's the part that made me laugh.
They didn't give me anything
And then they took half of that.
So sharpen your teeth or lay flat!
You said you'd play clean, oh what a load of crap,
By the time that you were through with me
I had to take a bath
They said that it'd go good for me,
Rain diamonds and all that.
I stood out in the downpour
Getting hit by broken glass.
So sharpen your teeth or lay flat.
[Pacifico]
In Ugly Casanova's song Pacifico, the lyrics describe the disappointment and betrayal of promises made by someone who was meant to give everything to the singer. The first line states that they promised to give everything, but the second line reveals that it was a lie that ended with the singer finding it humorous. The person who made the promise took everything and left the singer with only half of what was promised. The singer then tells his listeners to prepare for the worst, urging them to sharpen their teeth, suggesting that the world is a place where only the strong can survive.
The third verse describes more promises made and ultimately broken. The singer was told that good things would come to him, even as special as raining diamonds, but instead was left outside in the rain, being struck with broken glass. The lyrics end with the repetition of "sharpen your teeth or lay flat," as a warning to be strong and prepared or be left vulnerable in a world of broken promises.
The song is truly open to interpretation, but some possible explanations or perspectives are that it highlights the dangers of trusting in false promises and the importance of being prepared or strong in difficult situations. The lyrics also might be representing the realities of the music industry and the struggles of an artist trying to make it in a world full of shattered expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
They said they'd give me everything,
The singer was promised a lot, but this was actually amusing to them
Here's the part that made me laugh.
The singer finds the situation funny
They didn't give me anything
The singer received nothing
And then they took half of that.
Not only did the artist receive nothing, but they had things taken away as well
So sharpen your teeth or lay flat!
The artist gives a warning to be prepared for anything
You said you'd play clean, oh what a load of crap,
The person the singer is addressing made promises they did not keep
By the time that you were through with me
The person the singer is addressing hurt them in some way
I had to take a bath
The artist was so wronged that they needed to cleanse themselves
They said that it'd go good for me,
The artist was promised a positive outcome
Rain diamonds and all that.
The promised outcome was extravagant and unrealistic
I stood out in the downpour
Instead of receiving the promised outcome, the singer ended up in a difficult situation
Getting hit by broken glass.
The situation was not only difficult, but painful as well
So sharpen your teeth or lay flat.
The singer gives a warning to be prepared for anything, reiterated from earlier
[Pacifico]
The title of the song
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAIN MANARANCHE, CORINNE TERNOVTZEFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@andregracio6882
They said they'd give me everything,
Here's the part that made me laugh.
They didn't give me anything
And then they took half of that.
So sharpen your teeth or lay flat!
You said you'd play clean, oh what a load of crap,
By the time that you were through with me
I had to take a bath
So sharpen your teeth or lay flat!
They said that it'd go good for me,
Rain diamonds and all that.
I stood out in the downpour
Getting hit by broken glass.
So sharpen your teeth or lay flat.
(Pacifico)
@ReddyRAD
This song really gives me the feeling of being stranded out at sea, on a lonely little ship
@Gamez7Machinery
Best use of an anvil in music possibly ever
@coldpaint1537
BossaNova Redstone what is an anvil?
@CedarPinesFieldGrove
@@coldpaint1537 wile e coyote used them a lot in his hair brained schemes to foil the roadrunners evasive antics
@thomastruant8837
I hear cowbell no anvil though
@longjonston
@@thomastruant8837 I hear Issac farting at 0:05
@AstralMarmot
@@coldpaint1537 It's a large black stone object that blacksmith's use to shape metal. If you've ever seen a blacksmith hammering a sword, the surface they're hammering it on is an anvil. And as someone else said, Wil E Coyote would often use them in Looney Tunes cartoons. Honestly this sounds more like a cowbell than an anvil to me. You can hear what an anvil sounds like musically in Song of the Blacksmith, which is the third movement of Second Suite in F by Gustav Holst.
@andregracio6882
They said they'd give me everything,
Here's the part that made me laugh.
They didn't give me anything
And then they took half of that.
So sharpen your teeth or lay flat!
You said you'd play clean, oh what a load of crap,
By the time that you were through with me
I had to take a bath
So sharpen your teeth or lay flat!
They said that it'd go good for me,
Rain diamonds and all that.
I stood out in the downpour
Getting hit by broken glass.
So sharpen your teeth or lay flat.
(Pacifico)
@michaellobianco987
This song reminds me of my family life growing up.
@TrevorGarford
favourite ugly casanova song.