Say Anything is virtually unknown, and yet, it’s a great band bursting with creative intelligence and potential. However, some of the lyrics are confusing and as many songs are full of metaphors, I decipher my top favorite five.
Number One: An Orgy of Critics.
Automatically a catchy and confusing song. Max Bemis is speaking of the music industry, as he does often in many of the bands’ songs. The first couple of lyrics are about bands who start out a certain way and change to fit the world’s needs, (music industry, critics, fans,) and then swear they haven’t changed and that they are “real”. The third verse takes an immediate turn and states, “you brought me to my knees, your art it brought me to my knees,” Obviously in admiration of a band, whether past or present admiration that’s up to you. Following, the fourth set speaks as the “man” or the “music industry,” saying how the band is doing “so great” and to take off all the clothes that aren’t theirs and sing, and also that they will give them big hopes and then take it away, only to do it to another band. The last set of verses I believe is the band saying that they are “real” and just “being their selves” when in all reality this isn’t true.
Number Two: It’s a metaphor, fool.
As the name states, this song is full of metaphors. The first six lines the singer sing’s of a girl who was the best he ever had, and she was the most amazing to him, although she had defiantly done him wrong. The next four he compares her to “dead skin” which is a metaphor for saying that she doesn’t matter anymore to him and that she is “flaky” i.e. not solid, fickle, non dependable, and then states “breaking up my band won’t give you payment. Obviously channeling that they girl had tried to cause problems with them. On to the next set of four lines,(that are almost identical,) he pokes fun at “love like no other”, which would mean the love was withstanding, however he is being sarcastic and ironic. And “we told your mother”, which is self explanatory. The next six lines are about the girl being blackmailed to do everything they ask, including buying the band their own apartment. He says the “past is coming back to whip your ass”, which means her previous decisions are coming back and causing her pain. The remaining lyrics were previously explained.
Number Three: Alive with the glory of love
The first four lines the singer speaks of a no-doubt-about-it sexual attraction to a girl. The last second lines makes reference to the war, (i.e. “this war is crazy, the whole ghetto, the boot stomped meadow.) The second set of lyrics he says he won’t let “them” take “you”. Meaning, he won’t let her come into danger. The next set of lyrics say when the cities fall to the “Axis” which is a reference to the three power countries during War World II, which would mean the city is taken over by the holocaust and war. He then say’s she looks better with each “day in hiding”, perhaps referencing her to being a Jew or otherwise enemy of Hitler, the dictator at that time. The chorus is him shouting “Alive!”, among other things, perhaps saying that their love could be a refuge. Later on he says that if they catch both of them and “dispatch” us to separate “work camps” (used for the Jewish race during World War II), that he will dream of her and that her love would fill him as “warm as the bullets” referencing, getting shot.
Number Four: Sorry, Dudes, My Bad.
The first set of lyrics he’s apologizing about ruining a tour. This is based on a real event. Max Bemis caused the band to drop out of a tour after a mental breakdown and as he states in here, the cause of drugs. The second set of lyrics say he want’s to be back “in the van.” Most likely referencing the band before it got popular and stating that evil never happened there. He’s obviously nostalgic for the “old days.” The third set is one band member telling him not to give up. The verse directly after wards is referencing a band member offering him drugs. The next two are self explanatory. After he’s pledging himself to his band. Almost as if they are a lover.
Number Five: Church Channel
The first three lines are most likely about Max’s stay at mental institutions. He say’s he’s been in them five times, and he often eats PB and J’s and watches the church channel at night. The next three lines sounds like his “tripping”. He says he didn’t mind what he did (an act to get him into the facility) and that he fell behind on his four course meal (irony for being enjoyable) of rainbow pills (pills to make you happy, like rainbows, anti-depressants). And how he’s wondering whats fake and what’s real (i.e. if he is hallucinating or not.) The next four lines he says there is a “ghost” (a ghost girl who wears thick rimmed glasses” walking by his door, that watches him when he sleeps and showers.) The next four lines he says he tries to draw infinity, which is suspect is saying he’s frustrated because he can’t reach a certain point. He says he reads the bible to pass the time and then one day out of nowhere she’s looking over his shoulder and he’s “shaking harder than ever before” which could mean he is afraid or just overwhelmed. He MAYBE might be referencing the bible to show a contrast between it and the girl (that she might be evil.) The next five lines she’s singing to him. She asks if his mind has been through so much that he can’t remember her. She says they were both born to be scorned by the public. She says even though he was depressed with drugs and porn, that no one will be sad when they’re gone, and to lay his head on her, to be comforted.
Hope you enjoyed!
