Some said the local lake had been enchanted
Others said it must have been the weather
The neighbors were trying to keep it quiet
But I swear that I could hear the laughter
So they jokingly nicknamed it the porridge
Cause overnight that lake had turned as thick as butter
But the local kids would still go swimming, drinking
Saying that to them it doesn't matter
If you just hold in your breath til you come back up in full
Hold in your breath til you thought it through, you fool
The genius next door was busing tables
Wiping clean the ketchup bottle labels
Getting high and mumbling German fables
Didn't care as long as he was able
To strip his clothes off by the dumpsters
At night while everyone was sleeping
And to wade midway into that porridge
Just him and the secret he was keeping
If you just hold in your breath til you come back up in full
Hold in your breath til you thought it through, you foolish child
In the morning the film crews start arriving
With donuts, coffee and reporters
The kids were waking up hungover
The neighbors were starting up their cars
The garbageman were emptying the dumpsters
Atheists were praying full of sarcasm
And the genius next door was sleeping
Dreaming that the antidote is orgasm
If you just hold in your breath til you come back up in full
Hold in your breath til you thought it through, you foolish child!
Others said it must have been the weather
The neighbors were trying to keep it quiet
But I swear that I could hear the laughter
So they jokingly nicknamed it the porridge
Cause overnight that lake had turned as thick as butter
But the local kids would still go swimming, drinking
Saying that to them it doesn't matter
If you just hold in your breath til you come back up in full
Hold in your breath til you thought it through, you fool
The genius next door was busing tables
Wiping clean the ketchup bottle labels
Getting high and mumbling German fables
Didn't care as long as he was able
To strip his clothes off by the dumpsters
At night while everyone was sleeping
And to wade midway into that porridge
Just him and the secret he was keeping
If you just hold in your breath til you come back up in full
Hold in your breath til you thought it through, you foolish child
In the morning the film crews start arriving
With donuts, coffee and reporters
The kids were waking up hungover
The neighbors were starting up their cars
The garbageman were emptying the dumpsters
Atheists were praying full of sarcasm
And the genius next door was sleeping
Dreaming that the antidote is orgasm
If you just hold in your breath til you come back up in full
Hold in your breath til you thought it through, you foolish child!
Lyrics submitted by lemonjuice
Genius Next Door Lyrics as written by Regina Spektor
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Boys ejaculating in the lake as they die? WTF?
I think people are reading too much into the line, "dreaming that the antidote was orgasm."
The way I see it, the "genius" is someone of higher intelligence, who under different circumstances could have changed the world, but instead he is stuck "busing tables," leading an unfulfilled and meaningless life, which perhaps causes him depression. The first time he is mentioned we learn that he gets high and wades naked into the lake in the middle of the night, which makes me think that he is seeking some kind of epiphany or rush that will elevate him to a higher standard of living. Everyone's favorite line, "dreaming that the antidote was orgasm," also reinforces that idea - that the he has convinced himself that the cure to his depression and aimlessness is a short moment of bliss, aka A CLIMAX!
I do agree with the idea that the genius drowned himself in the lake in his pursuit of a climax (not a literal orgasm). I also believe that the lake is a symbol for all the messy, everyday problems in the world that the neighbors try to keep quiet. The genius wading into it naked and eventually drowning in his desire for something greater is an incredibly powerful and tragic metaphor.
"If you just hold in your breath, till you come back up in full/ Hold in your breath till you thought it through, you foolish child." The chorus I think is advising him to wait it out and settle for what he has in life - basically GET THROUGH life until he breathes again in death. In this part of the song he is referred to as a foolish child for giving up and abandoning his life even though the alternative (holding in your breath) does not sound too good either.
This leaves open two possible theories: Either the subject of this song is a foolish child who could not handle mediocrity and over-intellectualized his life, or he really was a genius who found an escape from his trapped existence. After all, Regina swears she could hear laughter coming from the "haunted" lake. It could be in triumph.
Sorry if this is a more depressing take on it than diddling ghosts.
Oh, I can make you bitchy really fast; I'm an expert when it comes to you. Never mind what I've been drinking. Consider yourself fortunate that you're not here due to my friskiness after downing two.