Let's get lost
Fingers crossed
It is an ordinary evening
I am broadcasting are you receiving

Sick sick sound
All fall down
It is a necessary evil
Just like highway gas stations and people

I remember gold days when all this was a mystery
And you could write a letter then or god forbid come visit me
And if you find yourself without me
Can you find yourself without me
Can you find yourself without me
Can you find yourself without me

Hi I'm fine
You are saying nothing but your tongue is getting blacker all the time
It is a measurable feeling
Seven on a scale from dead to breathing
I've connected speakers to my suitors at the discotheques
And they don't know the difference
Are they men or are they Memorex?
And if you find yourself without me
If you find yourself without me
C'mon find yourself without me
C'mon c'mon c'mon
And take your Listerine

I remember golden days when all this was a mystery
And you could write a letter then or god forbid come visit me
I remember golden days when all this was a mystery
And you could write a letter then or god forbid come visit me

And if you find yourself without me
If you find yourself without me
C'mon find yourself without me
C'mon c'mon c'mon
And take your Listerine



Lyrics submitted by Seth17

Track duration: 02:55

"Necessary Evil" as written by Amanda Palmer

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Necessary Evil song meanings
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23 Comments

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  • 0
    My Interpretation:I agree with the idea that it's about technology, but my first impression was that it was about a woman in prison who's been framed for a robbery as revenge for "cheating" by her boyfriend.

    let's get lost
    fingers crossed
    (Trying to win a case, perhaps?)

    it is an ordinary evening
    i am broadcasting are you receiving
    (This made me think of talking on the phones between the glass plates in jail visits.)

    sick sick sound
    all fall down
    (Referring to gunfire during a robbery, everyone dropping to the floor.)

    it is a necessary evil
    just like highway gas stations and people
    (I'm assuming the "necessary evil" refers to his revenge, rather than the robbery. It's her way of saying that it all seems perfectly acceptable to him, and it all worked out nicely that she just happened to be at that gas station when it was robbed.)

    i remember golden days when all this was a mystery
    (The days before people thought of her as a criminal.)

    and you could write a letter then or god forbid come visit me
    (Now, her ex is her only friend and won't even come visit her or talk to her.)

    and if you find yourself without me
    can you find yourself without me
    can you find yourself without me
    can you find your self without me
    (Basically saying "I dare you to get along and keep your sanity after what you've done to me.")

    hi i'm fine
    you are saying nothing but your tongue is getting blacker all the time
    it is a measurable feeling
    seven on a scale from dead to breathing
    (Her boyfriend is sharing harmless information about her, but he's still lying even if the rumors mean nothing. Meanwhile, she's still rotting away in prison.)

    i've connceted speakers to my suitors at the discotheques
    and they don't know the difference
    are they men or are they Memorex?
    ("Suitors" probably refers to co-workers who the boyfriend thought she might be cheating with. In the court case, they were used as witnesses, and rather than saying what seemed to be true from what they knew about her, they just spilled out information that had been repeated to them by others.)

    and if you find yourself without me
    if you find yourself without me
    c'mon find yourself without me
    c'mon c'mon c'mon
    and take your Listerine
    (Same as before. Take your listerine is probably another way of saying, "Clean out your filthy mouth and quit saying things about me.)

    Kind of an odd interpretation, but it all made sense in my head. :P
    Flag Lovelaceon February 19, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love the idea of the relying too heavily on technology to communicate, but I NEVER thought that was what it was about.

    I thought it was about a relationship that just ended over time. And the other person just forgets you, or ignores you, and it annoys you.

    "i remember golden days when all this was a mystery
    and you could write a letter then or god forbid come visit me"

    signifying that perhaps after the break up, they decided to be friends. however, now they won't even talk to you or come over, for something is in the way. ( a new relationship? )

    And the listerine was about how they, at one time, lived together, and they left their listerine at your house. And your tellin them to take it back. I know that seems kind of out there, butit just makes sense to me.

    **i probably coulve explained this better.
    Flag AlecsPenon November 28, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:where the slogan goes " is it live or is it memorex"
    Flag oldskooLOVEon January 23, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:about me memorex thing it's a slogan from a commercial on "memorex dvds" ..ironic of course
    Flag oldskooLOVEon January 23, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Wow, something hilarious i didn't notice until I hit post-- Right above the comment box is an advert for UV toothbrushes. (0.o)
    Flag charlieSometimeson December 16, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I want to say it's about cybersex, but that would only explain about a third of it. It would make sense with the whole Connecting of the Speakers to the Suitors at the Discotheques...

    But yeah, i like this song.
    Flag charlieSometimeson December 16, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I've always heard "fingers first/crossed" as "Feeling goes first", and took it as a reference to "since feeling is first" by ee cummings.

    I like it this way better.
    Flag arturuson August 11, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Sounds to me as though at least part of this song is about technology and the advancement of things and nostalgia for the good old days, or the 'golden days'.

    "i remember golden days when all this was a mystery"
    Back in the good old days, noone knew of email, TV, that sort of thing, it was a mystery.

    "and you could write a letter then or god forbid come visit me"
    Before telephones or email, this is how you'd talk to someone. Go out in the world and see them, instead of hiding, boxed up in a room and talking from there.

    "you are saying nothing but your tongue is getting blacker all the time"
    Talking to people through the internet. You don't physically talk, but you sit there and lie about yourself and your life, which in many faery tales turns your tongue black.

    "and if you find yourself without me
    can you find yourself without me"
    That sounds as though she is speaking (or sing rather) in the voice of the technology. What would people do without the internet and all that? How different would they be?

    "c'mon c'mon c'mon
    and take your Listerine"
    Society's obsession with looking good? The advancement of all things, like oral hygiene? That people now think that things like Listerine are necessary, but decades in the past it wasn't here. Or perhaps it is to clean your black tongued mouth out, the modern day version of washing your mouth out with soap.
    Flag lextheblackon June 25, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I don't know about that above answer... that's a little out there... but I've always liked how Amanda's music can be interpreted differently for every single listener... I think the general idea of the explosion of technology and the loss of real communication is the theme of the song... I mean, I say that I am still really close to some people, and by "really close" I mean we are myspace friends who occasionally leave each other comments... relationships aren't quite what they used to be... and now it's like we are always available... we have cells, pagers (that's kinda dead now but still), email, etc, so by "can you find yourself without me" I see that as "we never spend time alone, we are always connected to everyone through the advances in communications... but with those advances we no longer have the physical relationship anymore.
    Flag lizzieluvs2playon February 27, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I know this probaby isn't right, but the first half of the song makes me think of how today's society pressures kids to have sex more than ever, and little things like oral and manual sex are pretty much expected now.

    "Let's get lost
    Fingers FIRST
    It is an ordinary evening
    I am broadcasting, are you receiving?"

    This is about how no matter how ordinary the time is, how unspecial the occasion, no matter HOW LONG you've known this person, you're going to have some form of sex that comes short of the type that gets you pregnant. And basically, if you're not having real sex, one person is "broadcasting" and the other is "receiving".

    Sick sick sound
    all fall down
    It is a necessary evil
    just like highway gas stations and people.

    Mk, we all should know about "sick sounds". (Ha...) And I see "necessary evil", as Amanda saying that, y'know, sex is bad, mk. But oral sex and such? Those are pretty much necessary in any kind of relationship now.

    I remember golden days when all this was a mystery
    and you could write a letter then or god forbid come visit me.

    It's Amanda, reminiscing about how "way back when", it was somethin' special if a boy wrote you a letter, or if you two had known each other for a LONG time, he could come over to the house and talk or something.

    Just my 2 cents worth.
    Flag MSI672on November 04, 2006   Link

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