There's a time
And a place,
This is neither the time nor the place.
"Where do i fit in, in this jigsaw of a relationship?!?" Why should I play the fall guy to your love? I keep getting snubbed...
What dumb luck, what dumb luck."

"So rub it in... with your dumb lyrics. Yeah, that's the time and place to wring out your bullshit. And each album I'll get shit on a little more, "Whose Tim's latest whore?"
Now, that's not fair - no, that's just obscene.
I'll stop speaking for you if you stop speaking for me.

I'm writing songs to entertain,
but these people... they just want pain.
They want to hear my deepest sins
The songs from the ugly organ.
And what comes out is a horrible mess,
Songs I can't forget
What's been said and this guilt I can't shed.
It still rings in my ears - oh get out the butchers knife.

The organ's playing my song,
But the song's gone on too long.
What a day to sever such ugly extremities.
"What a lovely day." says the butcher
As he raises his arm.



Lyrics submitted by ruben, edited by bobyhopkns, Mellow_Harsher

Track duration: 03:31

"Butcher the Song" as written by Gretta Mindy Cohn, Tim Kasher, Matthew Ryan Maginn, Clint Frederick Schnase, Ted James Stevens

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Butcher the Song song meanings
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22 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I believe that the butcher's knife aspect is that he means that this inner pain that he deals with and doesn't really want to share has to come out because of his fans. All his fans want is for pain and misery from him and he figuratively cuts himself open and lets that misery flow. "I've been screaming for years, but it gets me nowhere." He means that this is the only way for his fans to like him, so to speak.

    Originally, I thought that Tim was in a relationship with someone else in a different band and *they* were the ones talking shit about him. Now, I see that it's the other way around and that this is probably a persona song (in a way). I also think that his lady friend thinks that he does this because he wants to, but this song is a response to that, saying that he has to.
    Flag medicapuliston March 15, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The phallus is a certainly motif in this album, and it's not a joke. This song in particular has to do with castration, self loathing, etc., all due to his infidelity.

    In fact, it seems like *a lot* of Tim Kasher's music has to do with his infidelity destroying his relationships (Domestica, this album, Album of the Year by the Good Life, etc.)

    Flag Cr4wfordon September 11, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i love tim's voice here:
    "No, that's not fair.
    No, that's just obscene."

    the cello in this song is do damn striking.

    and yes, if you don't own the album, buy it, now. it's a lot easier to understand and appreciate when you have the booklet.

    i think BDPosseJon has a good idea of what he's talking about. "what a day to sever such ugly extremities" does seem rather like it's referring to his penis, but femmesofrussia, that's a really good point too, and both are probably right. the theme of "art is hard" definitely carries into the rest of the album (and seems to excuse some of it, too)--he does write about meaningless/ruined relationships, and that's really all the "fans" want to hear about, his pain. this song seems to deal with both themes.
    Flag wallflower_punchon October 27, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is the best song about a penis ever written.
    Flag NoLightToSeeByon April 28, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I always thought it was "set in verse such ugly extremities"
    but i guess it is sever :(
    I like mine better
    Flag Knife2aGunFighton February 25, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Of course it's a dialogue, they use quotation marks in the lyrics. its not shown on this site though.. there's also stage directions and shit. like at the start it says something like (service station carpark. girl refuses to get into her boyfriends car.) and before the "so rub it in.." bit it says that shes in the car but her thoughts are audible, shit like that.
    Flag Dangon February 18, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I have heard a lot of people talking about this whole cd as being about the penis...whether it is or not, I have my own view.

    I believe this is a dialogue, with Tim and possibly his ex-wife. Tim starts off:
    "there's a time and a place
    this is neither the time nor place
    where do i fit in
    in this jig-saw of a relationship
    why should i play the fall-guy to love
    i keep getting snubbed
    what dumb luck, what dumbe luck "

    Then she responds with:
    "so rub it in with your dumb lyrics
    yeah that's the time and place
    to wring out your bullshit
    and each album i get shit on a little more
    who's tim's latest whore? "

    Then I belive when Tim talks about ugly extremities, I think he's tlaking about cutting off people who cause him this pain.
    Flag midorkaon January 19, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this shit rocks.
    Flag KaTeSbAdDAYon August 23, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think that the entire album is a concept album each song has its own meaning but as a whole one major story/meaning behind the whole thing. (i think)
    ugly organ being penis 1st then liberty taken to mean heart soul etc.
    Flag kevinguyon August 23, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think that the butchers knife thing could be talking about the song itself, or collectively the entire works of the artist; that the butcher is an expresison of Tim's inner hate or depression or whatever you wnat to call it, the resentment he expresses earlier in the song in regard to what he writes. So the butcher's knife could be his way of destroying the songs as such, the ugly extremety being his art, his music. This is a very ambiguous song though, which is kind of the point; you bring your own context and understanding to it, therefore your own meaning.
    Flag Dangon June 19, 2005   Link

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