The line-up, in case you haven’t been paying attention: Jon Langford (Mekons, Pine Valley Cosmonauts), Steve Goulding (Mekons, Pine Valley Cosmonauts, Graham Parker & the Rumour), Alan Doughty (Jesus Jones), Deano (Dollar Store, Wreck), Tracey Dear (World’s Greatest Living Englishman), and Marc Durnate (KMFDM).
In a world of corporate-sponsored tours by lame-o alt-rockers complaining about their hotel suites and “country” stars who owe more to Boston than Bakersfield, the Wacos go out every night and play as if their lives depended on it. Their shows at SXSW and CMJ are legendary, and every year threaten to actually collapse under the weight of their runaway brilliance. If you’re not drunk, sweaty and out of money at the end of one of their shows, then brother, we pity you.
Their mix of hellfire country and mournful punk truly inspire. They are working to save music so you don’t have to.
“The band’s songbook is filled with political parables fused to a lost highway aesthetic and loads of black humor…pass the bottle and turn up the jukebox.” Time Out Chicago
For More Information, go to www.bloodshotrecords.com
Nothing To Say
Waco Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This neighborhood got to fat to run
Buck and a half to pull the old shell down
Broken smile new white crown
Thank God it's boom or bust Cant think past Friday
New Tarzan new Jane Spend a Million Dollars
Got nothing to say
15 years old she sings like a bird
Down in the studio locked away
Spend a million Dollars got nothing to say
It won't fly the endings all wrong
I bought the book and I bought the play
Don't try to tell me what's going on
I own the rights and it will end this away
Thank God it's boom or bust I can't think past Friday
Now all the communists have gone away
Spend a million dollars got nothing to say
Satellite Flash / war drips in
Dan Rather is my kinky kin
GIMME new machines day by day
Long trudge round the victory lap of style over content and cash into crap
It's all looks so simple but no way - another fast edit and cut away
The song "Nothing to Say" by Waco Brothers begins with a critique of urban development and gentrification. The lyrics describe how the neighborhood has become too expensive to live in, leading to the demolition of older buildings and the construction of new, more expensive ones. The singer expresses gratitude that the economy is good, but admits that they cannot see past the immediate future. The chorus "Spend a Million Dollars/Got nothing to say" indicates a certain emptiness or lack of substance in contemporary culture, as people are willing to spend money on flashy new things without having anything important to say.
In the second verse, the song turns to a different kind of emptiness: that of the music industry. The singer describes a young singer with a beautiful voice who is being locked away in a studio to record an album with a huge budget, yet still has "nothing to say". The lyrics suggest that the music industry is more focused on the money than on the art, leading to a lack of creativity and substance in contemporary music. The bridge of the song references mass media and the military-industrial complex, with the singer name-dropping CBS anchor Dan Rather and implying a connection between the two.
Overall, "Nothing to Say" is a critique of contemporary culture and society, focusing on the emptiness and lack of substance in various fields, from urban development to popular music to mass media.
Line by Line Meaning
Here they come buying up the street
People are coming to buy properties in the neighborhood
This neighborhood got too fat to run
The neighborhood became too expensive to afford a living
Buck and a half to pull the old shell down
It costs $1.50 to demolish an old building
Broken smile new white crown
New teeth but still unhappy
Thank God it's boom or bust, Can't think past Friday
Thankfully, we are either making a lot of money or losing it all, and there is no time to think beyond the immediate future
New Tarzan new Jane Spend a Million Dollars
Spending a lot of money on new things
Got nothing to say
There is nothing important or meaningful to say
15 years old she sings like a bird
A young girl sings gorgeously
Sweetest voice you ever heard
Her voice is very sweet and pleasing to the ear
Down in the studio locked away
She is practicing her singing locked in a studio
Spend a million Dollars got nothing to say
Even though she spent a million dollars, she doesn't have anything meaningful to say
It won't fly the endings all wrong
Something (movie, book, etc) is not going to be successful because the plot has flaws
I bought the book and I bought the play
The singer bought both the book and the play version of the same story
Don't try to tell me what's going on
The singer does not want others to explain the plot of the story, as he/she already knows
I own the rights and it will end this away
The singer possesses the legal rights to the story, and the ending will reflect the singer's vision only
Now all the communists have gone away
The communists (possibly referring to a political group) are no longer relevant
Satellite Flash / war drips in
There is news of a war flash on the satellite channel
Dan Rather is my kinky kin
The singer is jokingly saying that he/she is related to the famous news anchor Dan Rather in a strange way
GIMME new machines day by day
The singer wants new machines/providers readily accessible every day
Long trudge round the victory lap of style over content and cash into crap
The artist expresses disdain for the focus on superficial style and making profits over content quality, leading to a decline in quality
It's all looks so simple but no way - another fast edit and cut away
Although the process looks effortless, there is more work behind the scenes to make everything look polished
Contributed by Alyssa L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.