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Dear Mr. and or Mrs. sender
We're pleased to inform you that your application's been accepted
Starting from the time you get this letter
Your life will be one never-ending "hope you're feeling better"
You get your choice of an aesthetic
Ah we need to chop your clock off tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock
It might not be what you expected
There is no money back once you've been ripped off, ripped off, ripped off
Today's a very special day
The boys'll murder for it but what will the neighbors say?
It leaves you feeling pretty hollow it might be nice to look at
Don't forget you're stuck with it tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
You're big enough to stop pretending
You'll start to really show it in a week or so
So don't go saying it's just come to your attention
You'll get more than you're asking for without the right protection
Today's a very special day
And how you'd love to have a little thing with which to play
But love won't get you very far, today be still your beating heart
You'll have to keep on feeding it tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
Boys will be boys, will be boys, will be boys, will be boys
Will be boys, will be girls with no warning
Girls will be girls, will be guys, will be boys that don't cry over toys
That they use to beat girls they despise by the morning
They always said that sex would change you
Change you, change you, change you
No second thoughts the knife is nearing
You'll never hear the little pitter patter pitter patter
Of this little feat of engineering
Of course I love you and of course it's what's inside that matters
But I think the whole charade is ending
It seems to me to be the only way to keep from getting
Caught up in a long life of regretting
The doctors say that once you get a taste for it should keep on cutting
But while you happen to be here
Why don't you whisper all those sweet forevers in my ear?
Stiff upper lip in all this sorrow, hurry up and stick it in
You never know when it will end tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow
Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
They always said that sex would change you
Change you, change you, change you
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I think that this idea in and of itself is pretty valid, it happens a lot with any type of plastic surgery. However, cis (non-trans) people's obsession with sex change surgery sometimes borders on mania. It is the most talked about aspect of a trans person's life, and in reality it is a very small part of the trans experience. Most trans people don't even opt for surgery either because of the expense or because they learn to give their bodies new meaning and love them just the way they are, just like feminism encourages women to reject society's idea of what a woman should look like and accept their bodies in all of their diversity.
Of course many trans people have issues, often having to do with gender dysphoria (the experience of having a gendered body that the trans person does not identify with). But there is so much criticism in the cis (non-transgendered) world about trans people's choices. Trans people should be encouraged to talk about their own issues, and they should be listened to. They shouldn't be subjected to yet another cis-person telling them what is wrong with them.
One thing that is really powerful about this song is how Amanda Palmer acknowledges the violence against trans women. About 100 trans women die every year as victims of hate crimes, a fact that is virtually ignored in the media.
I believe this song is about literal sex changes, the way things change after having sex and abortion.
Sex change: "Dear Mr and/or Mrs sender, we're pleased to inform you that your applications been accepted, starting from the time you get this letter, your life will be one never ending "hope your feeling better", you get your choice of anesthetic, we need to chop your clock off" application, surgery including "chopping something off". The line "it leaves you feeling pretty hollow, it might be nice to look at, don't forget your stuck with tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" could be about both a sex change (buyers remorse actually happens post op in some people) and/or a child.
Having sex, losing virginity: "Today's a very special day, the boys will murder for it but what will the neighbours say?", "you'll get more than your asking for without the right protection" STD's and pregnancy.
Pregnancy/Abortion: "And how you'd love to have a little thing with which to play, But love won't get you very far, today be still your beating heart, You'll have to keep on feeding it tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow", "You'll never hear the little pitter patter pitter patter Of this little feat of engineering"
It's all about the layers people.
...on a friendlier note, i think you're interpreting it backwards, op--the 'surface meaning' is meant to allude to sex reassignment surgery, but the underlying meaning is that sex--as in, sex-for-pleasure AND sex-for-reproduction--has consequences. as far as i'm aware, amanda palmer isn't against abortion [see also "oasis"] but definitely seems in favor of people taking preventative measures so they won't have to.
practice safe sex, kids!
The first verse is about a literal sex change; sex reassignment surgery, that is. The references to surgery are obvious: "you get your choice of anesthetic," "we have to chop your (clock? sounds like cock to me) off." She finishes by reminding how permanent the change is: "don't forget you're stuck with it tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow."
The next verse is about a pregnancy: a kind of "sex change" because it is a way in which sex can change your body. "You'll start to really show it in a week or so, "you get more than you're asking for without the right protection." And again, she reminds that this is a change that goes on forever: "you'll have to keep on feeding it tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow."
first verse is about, someone sending a letter 'dear Mr and or Mrs sender' since you know, these people like you know, like to be called by the name of their desired sex, it's about having an operation and realizing, well you're not really a woman/man, so yes it's a rip off.
Verse 2
The boys will murder for it, a vagina, the man is getting a sex change, what will the neighbors say? It's not like they will notice & and sure, it will be nice to look out, since that's what you want at the moment but don't forget you're stuck with your new part tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. (I can see how it can translate to once losing their virginity)
and at the end of the song it talks about you know the day of the operation, the girl saying oh don;'t worry I still love you! and possibly saying, to have sex while they can, since they don't know where it will end tomorrow, since they get rid off of the penis after an operation I am sure.
And you know, cutting away a part of them so they won't regret their life because he will the need to be a woman
Everybody knows that, regarding songs, we hear what we want to hear. For me, it doesn’t make sense the “first time having sex” hypothesis, but the transgender and abortion ones work almost perfectly. I think Amanda thought of both. I, personally, listen to the song thinking about transgenderism, so that’s what I’m gonna talk about, but it’s very likely that I only think of this because that’s what applies the most to my own life. That said, let’s go.
{dear mr. and/or mrs. sender-
we’re pleased to inform you that your applications been accepted
starting from the time you get this letter}
I like to think that the letter means de x or the y chromosome, a metaphor to a sex change. But it could also mean a transgender therapist report.
{your life will be one never-ending “hope you’re feeling better”}
It’s my favorite line, and it sums the “after transition” time (on quotes because the transition kind of never ends, and because I, personally, don’t like the word transition). People that know you before and that weren’t “pro” your transition will ask you this with scorn, meaning something like “do you feel better now that you fucked up the family?”. And people who were comprehensive will ask this too, but meaning the words.
{you get your choice of an aesthetic
we’ll need to chop your clock off (tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock)}
It’s a joke with “chop your COCK off” (I think the song speaks both of mtf and ftm transition) e also the end of the waiting for the surgery.
{it might not be what you expected
there is no money back once you’ve been ripped off}
Speaks for itself, I guess. Everybody, regarding anything, creates expectations – sometimes really hard to be met. And it could happen to your transition too, but you won’t get your money back, you won’t be able to come back (actually, sometimes you can, but that’s what the song says).
{today’s a very special day
the boys’ll murder for it but what will the neighbors say}
I’m not sure, but I guess it talks about the prejudice that people have with men who date trans girls.
{it leaves you feeling pretty hollow}
That feeling of when you want something so bad and after you get it… you feel empty. You don’t have anything left to wait for. I guess it also has a double meaning about mtf srs.
{it might be nice to look at
don’t forget you’re stuck with it tomorrow (and tomorrow, and tomorrow….)}
GOODBYE TO MALE PRIVILEGE (in the mtf case. It could also be about getting it, in the ftm case, but I think “stuck” has a negative connotation and most people wouldn’t think that’s a bad thing. For me, it is, but yeah). I love this part.
{you’re big enough to stop pretending
you’ll start to really show within a week or so}
Even though I don’t like this idea, it’s the only one I got: you stop “pretending” and really “being” your gender. I said it wasn’t a nice idea.
{so don’t go saying it’s just come to your attention
you’ll get more than you’re asking for without the right protection}
I think it’s again about male privilege loss and how she, while living as man, hadn’t given any thought to how this was there is her life, until she lost it. Suffering with sexism came as an unexpected bonus.
{today’s a very special day
and how you’d love to have a little thing with which to play}
It seems to me to be too obvious and lame that the little thing she’s talking about is a penis, but it’s my only idea.
{but love wont get you very far
today be still your beating heart
you’ll have to keep on feeding it tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow}
You are still the same person, and needs to remind everyone of this all the time. And sometimes, even yourself.
{boys will be boys will be boys will be boys will be boys will be boys will be girls with no warning}
Self-explanatory. Pun with “boys will be boys”.
{girls will be girls will be guys will be boys that don’t cry over toys that they use to beat girls they despise by the morning}
A reference to Boys Don’t Cry, the movie about Brandon Teena’s history. And the “girl” he despised was himself.
{they always said that sex would change you…}
Another pun intended.
{no second thoughts the knife is nearing}
You, in theory, cannot change your mind after you decide to have the transition.
{you’ll never hear the little pitter patter pitter patter
of this little feat of engineering}
Trans people sometimes have worries about time and age. When you’re still not living full-time in your true gender, your age seems to be wasted time. When you have the surgery, it’s like you stopped hearing this imaginary clock reminding you all the time you’re wasting your time.
{of course I love you and of course it’s what’s inside that matters}
You’re gonna get this a lot. How many people really mean it?
{it seems to me to be the only way to keep from getting
caught up in a long life of regretting
the doctors said that once you get a taste for it you’ll keep on cutting}
I’ve heard from a lot of people “can you just try to live as *gender the person had assigned at birth*? It would be a lot easier!”. But no, it wouldn’t. They are just trying to get a little peace, you know, in order to not die thinking you didn’t live anything you wanted. And once they realize they can be happy being outside what they are inside, they can’t give up, pretending they don’t know.
{but while you happen to be here
why don’t you whisper all those sweet forevers in my ear
stiff upper lip for all this sorrow}
Once we can’t change it, let’s try to forget about, pretending we don’t know all the discrimination we’re gonna suffer.
{hurry up and stick it in
you never know when it will end
tomorrow or tomorrow or tomorrow…}
I guess it’s another reference to mtf srs. And it’s about the fact you don’t know when transition – and life – is gonna end, so we have to live while we can.
I think I generalized a little about surgery; so it’s important to remember that not every trans person have surgeries or other physical changes. Well, that’s it, I hope somebody had patience to read all this.
i don't regret mine or feel as hopeless as the song lets on, but i do understand where amanda is taking it. it does feel like a hopeless venture at times. also, my girlfriend (who supported me through my entire social/emotional transition) left me after my first surgery... so the line "of course i love you, and of course it's what's inside that matters" (sarcastically) matches so closely to my own experience. bullshit.
i just FEEL this song--so if anyone else feels it matches your experience: abortion, sexual encounters, whatever--i'm glad you do, i'm sure amanda meant it to have multiple meanings. she's a genius, after all.
dear mr. and/or mrs. sender >>> MALE OR FEMALE
we're pleased to inform you that your applications been accepted >>> FOR A SEX CHANGE
“hope you're feeling better” >>> FEELING BETTER NOW THAT YOU ARE SOMEONE ELSE
we'll need to chop your clock off (tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock) >>> I THINK THE WAS SHE SINGS IT MIGHT EMPHASIZE THAT SHE IS TRYING TO DISGUISE A HIDDEN MEANING, CHOP YOUR COCK OFF MAYBE??
there is no money back once you've been ripped off >>> PENIS RIPPED OFF
THE SECOND VERSE MIGHT ALLUDE TO BREASTS
THE THIRD VERSE IS ABOUT HOW SEX CHANGES THINGS, PREGNANCY
THE FOURTH VERSE IS ABOUT HAVING A BABY, AND POSSIBLY PLAYING WITH A PENIS
THE FIFTH VERSE IS ABOUT GENDER CONFUSION AND EXPERIMENTATION
THE SIXTH VERSE IS ABOUT HOW THE PERSON WHO'S SEX HAS BEEN CHANGED WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO BE A REAL WOMAN, CARRYING A CHILD
This is just my opinion. Hope my 2 cents makes sense, writing it while i am watching alice in wonderland. WHOOP!