Lyrics for Engine as interpreted by buckley

Engine Lyrics
For I am an engine and I'm holding on
The world is all bending and breaking from me
For sweetness alone who flew out through the window
And landed back home in a garden of green

You're riding alone in the back of a steamer
And steaming yourself in the warm shower spray
And water rolls on off the round captain's belly
Who's talking to tigers from his cafeteria tray

And sweet babies cry for the cool taste of milking
That milky delight that invited us all
And if there's a taste in this life more inviting
Then wake up your windows and watch as those sweet babies crawl away

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  • 22 Comments
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vespa
04-27-2003

Rated 0 
Only Jeff Mangum can get away with such lyrics in a childrens song...

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Abex22
05-09-2004

Rated 0 
hahaha-agreed

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communistdaughter
05-11-2004

Rated 0 
The version from the Hype City Soundtrack definately goes, "For I am an engine and I'm holding on, through endless revisions to state what I mean..."

On a live version he talked about how he wrote this song when he was really depressed to make himself feel better; he even recorded it on his answering machine so he wouldn't forget it. I can see what he means, though, because it always makes me feel better.

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nichie
05-12-2004

Rated 0 
it seems to say that in both versions i have, actually
no matter how hard i try, i can't hear 'the world is all bending and breaking from me', although it does sound very mangum-esque

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communistdaughter
05-13-2004

Rated 0 
Also, the third line is something like, "To sweet Mrs. Jones who flew out through the window."

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yossarian23
09-27-2004

Rated +1 
This is the version he did at the in-store show at Aquarius. You can download it at elephant6.com and it's pretty clear what he's saying. I haven't heard the Hype City recording. Do you know where it is possible to get those cassette albums?

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1ke
03-03-2005

Rated 0 
Engine is the most impressive piece of music I've ever heard as a live recording. It pains me to realize that I was living in NC when the Carrboro recording was made and hadn't yet discovered NMH.

Odd that it was written to _elevate_ mood; largely due to time and circumstances it's always going to have a sobering, levelling, disabling effect on me, but it's not bitter or aching, just... Awe-inspiring, I guess.

The first version I found I'm not sure I can identify; it's a live recording in which a happy new year is bade to the audience, followed by a couple of shouts for "Scotty". This is in my opinion still the best performance of the track, the poor mic quality, picking up constant but low chatter from the venue is perfect, it couldn't have been engineered, and Mr Mangum is in absolute top form.

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ringwormone
09-23-2005

Rated 0 
He was in Carrboro? Awesome!

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captainscrummy
05-18-2006

Rated 0 
just for the record, "scotty" refers to The Gerbils member and NMH collaborator Scott Spillane who plays various brass instruments, most notably the trumpet. I've actually seen a video of that performance, and i assume it was one of his later as it was for New Year's 1999 and that was about the end up Jeff's live perfomances. I love this song, it's simple yet brilliant.

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LuckIsAMetaphor
06-12-2006

Rated 0 
I find it strange because in the Jeff Mangum Live at Jittery Joes you can hear a baby in the audience crying or yelling or something in this song, maybe it means less to us because we arent children anymore.

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pumkinhed
06-27-2006

Rated 0 
this really sounds like it should have been on ITAOTS.

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ThePoetYouNeverWere
03-30-2007

Rated 0 
it was holland 1945's b-side.

also, there is a very old album that jeff did with robert of apples in stereo, where he talks about the songs... the version of this song on that is by far my favourite version. It's about four and a half minutes long, much slower and beautiful.

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Tylercwxzy
04-28-2007

Rated 0 
I love all of Jeff's songs, no matter how different or the same they all tell a story

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windhaven186
03-17-2008

Rated 0 
If you've heard the one where he's yelling for Scotty, that's at a new year's eve party in Georgia the 90s. 1996, I think. You can find the video on You Tube. That's the version where it's
"For I am an engine and I'm rolling on
Through endless revisions to state what I mean"

The version off of Live at Jittery Joe's goes
"For I am an engine and I'm holding on
The world is all bending and bending and breaking from me"

I like the former the best, because it seems that's what Jeff does. He revises his work constantly until he can state what he means. The different versions of this song is proof of that.

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windhaven186
03-17-2008

Rated 0 
Also, on Live at Jittery Joe's, he talks about this song, and he mentions that he wrote this when he got back together with a girl that he'd broken up with, and that it was meant to be a children's song.

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hester
05-13-2008

Rated 0 
this song tastes of depression to me. typical of modest mouse & nmh, major chords & simple melodies are often in the most sad songs. it's as if mangum is expressing his sorrow through trying to cling to what may bring pleasure. some regress to childhood delights in their depression

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brandon tautou
06-16-2008

Rated 0 
i would really appreciate it if someone could please explain the whole 'tigers and cafeteria tray' line

my email's brandontautou@aim.com or myspace.com/westfulda

thanks.

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gigadance
10-19-2008

Rated 0 
he played it last night. if only he'd come back.

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dihnekis
10-21-2008

Rated 0 
I was three feet away from him two nights ago and he sang this, completely acoustic with Julian on saw. Best musical experience of my life.

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marriedtoharmony
01-23-2009

Rated 0 
I'm pretty sure that in most versions, at least in the Merge Records aniverssary version it goes:

"for I am an engine and i'm rolling on,
through endless revisions, to state what i mean,
for sweetness alone who flew out through the window,
and landed back home in a garden of green."

to me, he means engine as a human, who just goes and goes and goes and continues, as is a human life. and as we try to convey who we are to the world, we revise ourselves and change as we grow and learn. this song should mean a different thing to each person, and I think it's a song that relates to every single person alive, for we are all engines

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JoeyMcChipmunk
07-21-2009

Rated 0 
Hype City Soundtrack Version ftw!
haha.

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marriedtoharmony
11-20-2009

Rated 0 
on the merge 10th anniversary recording it goes:

for i am an engine
and i'm rolling on
through endless revisions
to state what I mean
for sweetness alone that flew out through the window
and landed back home in a garden of green

you're riding alone in the back of a steamer
and steaming yourself in the warm shower spray
and water rolls on off the round captain's belly
who's talking to tigers from his cafeteria tray

and sweet babies cry for the cool taste of milking
that milky delight that invited us all
and if there's a taste in this life more inviting
then wake up your windows and watch as those sweet babies crawl
away
oooh
de de de de de de de de

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