Souvenir
milo feat. Hemlock Ernst Lyrics

It's the lazy theologian
The song's protagonist is an unenergetic theologian.

The clumsiest poet
The singer also fancies himself a poet, albeit a very unskilled one.

Stumbling through the poplar grove
He is wandering aimlessly through a grove of poplar trees, likely in a state of confusion or uncertainty.

And he doesn't even notice
Despite his clumsy movements and general lack of direction, he doesn't seem to be bothered by it.

Though his toes bled a little
The artist has injured himself somehow, likely while wandering through the grove.

The bathroom's a sacred space
The singer places great importance on the privacy of the bathroom.

And faith is under the left nipple
He associates his faith with a physical location on his body, specifically his left nipple.

That's the king, no Martin Luther
He considers himself to be important in some way, but he's not as significant as historical figures like Martin Luther.

You might have seen him riding on a green Markham scooter
He rides a distinctive green Markham scooter, which may make him stand out in a crowd.

Clutching a Hewlett Packard computer
He carries a Hewlett Packard computer with him on his travels.

Indeed, he's ageless like Treva Throneberry
He feels as though he doesn't age and is perhaps timeless in some way, like the obscure actress Treva Throneberry.

I don't worship Norse gods or stone fairies
The artist is not interested in mythological or fantastical beliefs, preferring to focus on more concrete aspects of life.

At home on a cracked iPhone
He spends a lot of time on his cracked iPhone, perhaps using it as a means of escape or distraction.

Alone and hairy, casting post-modernist abra cadabra
The singer is by himself and hairy, using post-modern language and ideas to describe his existential state.

It starts like this Dum dum dum dum doo (I don't know)
A musical section of the song begins with an uncertain vocalization from the singer.

I thought they might have killed me
He has had thoughts of someone wanting to harm or kill him.

So I read the Hagakure
To cope with these thoughts, he has turned to reading the Hagakure, a Japanese text on the samurai code of conduct.

On a very long drive From Chicago to here
He has undertaken a long journey, presumably by car, from Chicago to his current location.

Holding viking spears
At some point during the journey, the singer was holding viking spears for some reason.

And I cried a lot of tears
The journey was emotionally difficult for him and he shed many tears along the way.

But you know I kept an ox bow lake In my thoughtful cave And we both thought in gray Or shades Maybe even monochrome This monotone is great
He reflects on his own inner world, describing it as a 'thoughtful cave' where he thinks in shades of gray or monotones.

To the monotony Sought its own philosophy To justify the dimples in its face (in its face?)
He feels that monotony - perhaps in his own life - creates its own philosophy to justify its existence.

So we made a couple sticker packs And pretended we didn't hear When white fans said 'nigger' fast
He acknowledges the prevalence of racism among some of his fans and how it can be deeply hurtful.

Ummm, there's pollo in this menudo
He comments on the presence of pollo (chicken) in the Mexican dish menudo.

I'm the newest fellow in this group though And they're all feasting on my naïveté
He is new to an unidentified group and feels as though the other members are taking advantage of his inexperience.

I guess it's picture day
The day in question might be when a group photograph is being taken.

I guess it's pizza day
The group may have also planned to have pizza on that day.

If purity of heart is to will only one thing Then you have some explaining to do
He references a concept involving purity of heart and notes that it carries certain implications.

I can rap like the Afghan I can rap like my last name was 'Blackman' I can rap like the son of Mike Ladd Let me take out a full-page Vice ad
He shows off his rap skills by claiming he can rap like diverse performers such as the Afghan and Mike Ladd.

That supposes it might ask If underground hip-hop was just one tight fad This is an all-seeing-eye eye patch, if I might add
He questions if underground hip-hop is just a passing fad and notes that he's wearing an all-seeing-eye patch.

Got many styles This time just tryin' to follow Milo These days, most of the time I'm chillin' in the hollow
He has many styles of performance, but in this instance he is attempting to follow Milo specifically.

City slacks Back in high school I wanted to be abstract Not like Q, but pretty cool
He acknowledges that he used to dress in a certain way in high school and had aspirations of being artistic in some capacity.

In my heart Was always more Busy Bee than Moe Dee Lunch line headsets had me thinking yoghurt backwards
Despite his artistic aspirations, he always felt a certain affinity for the rapper Busy Bee and recalls a memory of thinking of yoghurt backwards while wearing headsets in a lunch line.

Plug in the baptist fear Lake Champlain is crystal clear
He makes an obscure reference to the 'baptist fear' and then comments on the clarity of Lake Champlain, likely referencing his own nostalgia for a certain time and place.

I owe it to myself to speak free Kelly brought me green tea ice cream I could never forget Eating sushi off ten dollars Feeling rich That was '06
He values his own personal freedom and recalls a time when he felt wealthy while eating green tea ice cream and sushi, despite having limited funds.

Then I wrote a lot of mean shit But only got love in my heart To go along with all them sad ships That never came But that's just life And life is strange
He reflects on a time when he wrote unkind things, but has since changed, filling his heart with love and contemplating the idea of life's twists and turns.

How do you change the way you change the way you feel? Rain to wash the window clear Wipe away constellation atmosphere
He poses a question about the nature of changing one's feelings and then uses a poetic metaphor about rain to describe the process of clearing one's mind.

Blue lagoon, my isolation Now I'm paper plane folding Myself into a fortune Hoping missing ocean will find some luck
He describes a sense of loneliness and then adopts an imaginative mindset by comparing himself to a paper plane. He also expresses a desire for good luck to come his way.

My brother questioned once Life in a fish bowl leaves me floating in the punch Just trying to stay sober
His brother may have raised the issue of how living in a fishbowl-like existence affects him. The singer struggles to stay sober in this environment.

Never read the Hagakure Think you'd loan me a copy? I'm still stuck on Murakami Calvino looming
He admits to never reading the Hagakure and asks if someone would be willing to loan it to him. He is more interested in the works of Murakami and Calvino.

Looking down on vistas coolly Through open windows moving Grass on sand patch Move swapped by red clouds see dead sounds Dead sea snails circling metamorphosis Circling dumbly lit intellectual grumbling
The song takes on a more abstract, impressionistic tone at this point, with the artist offering disjointed imagery of landscapes and natural phenomena.

Circling humbly Numbly picked from keypad Like Cabbage Patch Kids Picked from key-latch Dream sagged and on logo tags Wondering sullenly Will Tiger ever recover comfortably
He continues to offer disjointed images and describes feeling small and insignificant like a Cabbage Patch Kid.

Hang heroes' heads on pillows eve Makes more humans relate Makes more human mistakes
He suggests that glorifying heroes can lead to more relatable human mistakes.

My humanity pleases head next to dinner plate Eat myself Without feeding myself Sometimes I'm treating inside cell walls
He reflects on the nature of his own humanity, feeling as though his own existence somehow pleases others. He also acknowledges engaging in self-destructive behaviors at times.

The band simply plays on Sitting, wishing you were here Next time you're gone Just remember to buy yourself a souvenir
The song ends with a melancholy reflection on the fleeting nature of time and the desire to hold onto memories through tangible objects like souvenirs.