1) A mononym of Aurelio V… Read Full Bio ↴Voltaire is a name of at least three acts:
1) A mononym of Aurelio Voltaire Hernández (b. 1967, Havana, Cuba), a singer/songwriter whose music has its roots deeply embedded in European folk and also has influences from the gothic scene. He has also been directing commercials and animating short films for ten years, the best known of these are his Hieronymus Bosch-inspired station MTV IDs.
Inspired by the films of Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad), Voltaire began animating at the age of ten on a super8 camera. By piecing together snippets of information from fanzines, he eventually was able to teach himself how to make foam rubber animation models and animate them. The films of his childhood landed him his first directing job in 1988 with MTV. The stop-motion tour of the hellish Garden of Earthly Delights won several awards.
He also teaches stop-motion animation at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
He also wrote the song "BRAINS!" for the Cartoon Network show "Grim and Evil" which has since split into two separate shows (The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Evil Con Carne) and the song can also be found on his album "Boo Hoo".
An avid fan of Star Trek, Voltaire frequently attends conventions and released a four track E.P. called "Banned on Vulcan". It was a set of comedy recordings poking fun at characters from the show.
He often takes part in Adventure Quest Worlds special musical events in which he is drawn incredibly well!
Discography:
The Devil's Bris (1998)
Almost Human (2000)
Boo Hoo (2002)
Then and Again (2004)
Ooky Spooky (2007)
To the Bottom of the Sea (2008)
Hate Lives in a Small Town (2010)
Riding a Black Unicorn Down the Side of an Erupting Volcano While Drinking from a Chalice Filled with the Laughter of Small Children (2011)
BiTrektual (2012)
Raised by Bats (2014)
Heart-Shaped Wound (2017)
What Are the Oddz? (2019)
The Black Labyrinth (TBD)
2) A German indie rock group from Bonn, too. They were founded in 2003 by Roland Meyer de Voltaire, who is the singer, songwriter and producer of the band. Their discography includes one EP and two albums, called "Heute ist jeder Tag" (2006) and "Das letzte bisschen Etikette" (2009).
Sites: Voltaire-Musik.De (official)
3) A Polish punk rock band who have released two albums.
4) An 18th-century French writer and philosopher, who might be scrobbled by people listening to audiobooks of his works.
Dunce
Voltaire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and everyone turns around
To see the source of all the noise
and here I stand
Its not as thought I mean to upset you
with the things I say and do
I should know better but I said so anyway
Its easier to play a part
And read your lines
than freely speak what's
in your heart and in your mind
Is it me?
who says these things that so offend you?
Innapropriate ???
I'd say I'm sorry
but it's hard to speak
with both feet in your mouth
all hail the king of dunces
You best hold on
I'm opening up my mouth
bring out the maypole
and tie up and shut me out
devil knows what possessed me
To shoot my arrow straight into the sky
String me to the mast and
hoist me up and hang me high
I put no blame on you
I brought this all upon myself
It's just this thing I do
I wish I was someone else
At times like this
There's a lever inside head
Between my mouth and my brain
Keeps me from hearing
what I've said until its too late
Now it's too late
smear my lips with vaseline
Because I'm a vocal libertine
I try to explain but even
I'm not quite sure what I mean
all hail the king of dunces
You best hold on
I'm opening up my mouth
bring out the maypole
and tie up and shut me out
devil knows what possessed me
to shoot my arrow straight into the sky
String me to the mast and
Hoist me up and hang me high
I put no blame on you
I brought this all upon myself
It's just this thing I do
At times like this
I wish I was someone else
I don't know what to say
I was only trying to make you smile
and bring some needed levity
to your world for a while
I never meant to make you cry
but I did it all by myself
Its just this thing I do
At times like this
I wish I was someone else
All hail the king of dunces...
All hail the king of fools
This boy's been bad
let's keep him after school
send me to the blackboard
and write a hundred times "I am the dunce"
devil knows what possessed me
to shut my mind and open up my mouth
string me to the anchor
and watch me drown in myself
In Voltaire's song Dunce, the singer is grappling with his tendency to speak out of turn and blurt out inappropriate things, which earns him the unwanted title of "king of dunces" or "king of fools." He acknowledges that he often doesn't mean to offend people, but he can't seem to help himself. However, he also desires to be someone else, someone who's more controlled and tactful in his interactions. He compares himself to an arrow shot into the sky and a ship sinking to the bottom of the sea, indicating his awareness of the dire consequences of his behavior. He wishes he could take back his words and become a different person entirely.
The song's chorus is sarcastic and self-deprecating, with the singer mocking himself and inviting others to do the same. He jokes about being sent to the blackboard, writing the words "I am the dunce" repeatedly, and being punished for his inability to control his tongue.
The lyrics also describe the inner turmoil that the singer experiences, with a "lever" in his head that separates his mouth and his brain, preventing him from being aware of what he's saying until it's too late. He wishes he could change this aspect of himself and be able to speak freely and honestly from his heart, rather than hiding behind a mask and reading lines like an actor.
Overall, the song Dunce explores the theme of social awkwardness and the tension between authenticity and conformity. It's a poignant critique of the societal pressure to conform to social norms and the difficulty of breaking free from this mold.
Line by Line Meaning
I break the silence with my voice
I speak up and interrupt the quietness.
and everyone turns around
People turn their attention towards me.
To see the source of all the noise
They look at me to find the reason for the disturbance.
and here I stand
I am standing there and facing everyone's attention.
Its not as thought I mean to upset you
I don't have any intentions to make you upset.
with the things I say and do
But my words and actions might make you upset anyway.
I should know better but I said so anyway
Even though I know it's not the wisest thing to do, I say it anyway.
Its easier to play a part
It's simpler to impersonate someone that society deems as acceptable.
And read your lines
To perform as expected and follow the rules.
than freely speak what's
Rather than express freely.
in your heart and in your mind
What's going inside my heart and my mind.
Is it me?
Am I the one responsible for causing all the trouble?
who says these things that so offend you?
Did I say something that hurt you?
Inappropriate ???
Was it deemed inappropriate for me to speak my mind?
I'd say I'm sorry
I want to apologize.
but it's hard to speak
But with my tongue tied, it's difficult to express my emotions.
with both feet in your mouth
I made such a severe blunder that I can't seem to find a way to apologize anymore.
all hail the king of dunces
I am the one who everyone ridicules and makes fun of.
You best hold on
Hold on tight because I am about to speak again.
I'm opening up my mouth
I am going to speak my mind now.
bring out the maypole
Get ready to hang me and parade me around as a public spectacle.
and tie up and shut me out
Tie me up and gag me to stop me from causing any more trouble.
devil knows what possessed me
Some unknown force made me say what I shouldn't have.
To shoot my arrow straight into the sky
To create problems that have dire consequences.
String me to the mast and
Tie me up to the mast of the ship and leave me stranded.
hoist me up and hang me high
Suspend me in the air by hanging so that everyone can see me.
I put no blame on you
I am fully responsible for what has happened.
I brought this all upon myself
I am the one who is accountable for the consequences of my actions.
It's just this thing I do
I have an uncontrollable urge to speak my mind.
I wish I was someone else
I wish I was somebody who could keep their mouth shut and not cause this kind of destruction.
There's a lever inside head
There's a switch in my brain that controls what I say.
Between my mouth and my brain
It's a gatekeeper between my mouth and my mind.
Keeps me from hearing
It's stopping me from realizing what I am saying.
what I've said until its too late
It makes me realize what I have said after the fact, when it's too late to take it back.
Now it's too late
Unfortunately, there is no going back now.
smear my lips with vaseline
Put some lubrication on my mouth so that I can just keep on talking.
Because I'm a vocal libertine
I am someone who can't hold their tongue and speaks without a filter.
I try to explain but even
I attempt to clarify, but it's not helping.
I'm not quite sure what I mean
I am not even convinced of the validity of my own words.
All hail the king of fools
I am the showpiece for all the absurd and ridiculous things that humans can do.
This boy's been bad
I have made some regrettable mistakes.
let's keep him after school
Punish me, so that I will not repeat my mistakes.
send me to the blackboard
Make me write on the blackboard as a form of punishment.
and write a hundred times "I am the dunce"
Write the phrase 'I am the dunce' numerous times as an admission of guilt.
devil knows what possessed me
Some unknown force made me say what I shouldn't have.
to shut my mind and open up my mouth
To stop thinking and start speaking.
string me to the anchor
Attach me to the ship's anchor and let me sink.
and watch me drown in myself
I will suffer the consequences of my actions alone.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind