Lyrics for The Past Is a Grotesque Animal as interpreted by delial

The Past Is a Grotesque Animal Lyrics
The past is a grotesque animal
And in its eyes you see
How completely wrong you can be
How completely wrong you can be

The sun is out, it melts the snow that fell yesterday
Makes you wonder why it bothered

I fell in love with the first cute girl that I met
Who could appreciate Georges Bataille
Standing at Swedish festival discussing "Story of the Eye"
Discussing "Story of the Eye"

It's so embarrassing to need someone like I do you
How can I explain, I need you here and not here too
How can I explain, I need you here and not here too

I'm flunking out, I'm flunking out, I'm gone, I'm just gone
But at least I author my own disaster
At least I author my own disaster

Performance breakdown and I don't want to hear it
I'm just not available
Things could be different but they're not
Things could be different but they're not

The mousy girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
The mousy girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
She gets hysterical because they're both so mean
And it's my favorite scene
But the cruelty's so predictable
It makes you sad on the stage
Though our love project has so much potential
But it's like we weren't made for this world
(Though I wouldn't really want to meet someone who was)

Do I have to scream in your face?
I've been dodging lamps and vegetables
Throw it all in my face, I don't care

Let's just have some fun
Let's tear this shit apart
Let's tear the fucking house apart
Let's tear our fucking bodies apart
But let's just have some fun

Somehow you've red-rovered the gestapo circling my heart
And nothing can defeat you
No death, no ugly world

You've lived so brightly
You've altered everything
I find myself searching for old selves
While speeding forward through the plate glass of maturing cells

I've played the unraveler, the parhelion
But even apocalypse is fleeting
There's no death, no ugly world

Sometimes I wonder if you're mythologizing me like I do you
Mythologizing me like I do you

We want our film to be beautiful, not realistic
Perceive me in the radiance of terror dreams
And you can betray me
You can, you can betray me

But teach me something wonderful
Crown my head, crowd my head
With your lilting effects
Project your fears on to me, I need to view them
See, there's nothing to them
I promise you, there's nothing to them

I'm so touched by your goodness
You make me feel so criminal
How do you keep it together?
I'm all, all unraveled

But you know, no matter where we are
We're always touching by underground wires

I've explored you with the detachment of an analyst
But most nights we've raided the same kingdoms
And none of our secrets are physical
None of our secrets are physical
None of our secrets are physical now

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Clap Your Hands
09-14-2006

Rated +3 
This song is fucking EPIC. I listen to it atleast 5 times a day.

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HyperGlitter
09-16-2006

Rated +1 
this song makes me want to vomit. but it's really good. it's just y'know. maybe you don't. no biggie.

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mrs-mojo-risin
09-21-2006

Rated 0 
how amazing is this song?

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Sidetrak
10-01-2006

Rated 0 
Definitely angrier and more negative than most Of Montreal songs.

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nicola234
10-04-2006

Rated -1 
wow, awesome song. reminds me of how negative and cynical i am.

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heartbeats_xxx
10-08-2006

Rated 0 
"the mousey girl screams violence, violence
the mousey girl screams violence
she gets hysterical
'cause they're both so mean
and it's my favorite scene
oh, the cruelty so predictable
makes you sad on the stage"

Reference to Edward Albee's play Who's Afriad of Virginia Woolf. Honey, the mousey character, does scream "Violence! Violence!" at a point in the play when George and Martha are at each others throats.

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quitecomely
10-22-2006

Rated 0 
I hear "poor hellion" as opposed to Paul Hellion, which would make more sense. I looked up Paul Hellion and he's a minor actor who's first film comes out next year. However, 'poor hellion' would mean that of a poor troublesome individual which would definitely fit the song.

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stars&satellites
10-24-2006

Rated 0 
it's red-rovered, not rediscovered.

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SakAttak
12-29-2006

Rated 0 
I don't think it's "Paul Hellion" or "poor hellion". It's probably "parhelion" (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_dog). Given Kevin's tendency to use obscure references, it wouldn't surprise me if this was the case.

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lepidoptera3
01-06-2007

Rated 0 
You're right. It is parhelion.

Also, definitely a "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" reference. Honey is described as "mousey" and referred to as a mouse/mousey girl throughout the play. In the movie version (starring Elizabeth Taylor) she seems delighted at George and Martha's fighting, and she drunkenly exclaims "Violence! Violence!" as if it's the best thing she's ever seen.

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lamp
01-21-2007

Rated 0 
THIS IS SICK

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lamp
01-21-2007

Rated 0 
THIS IS SO A SPEC IT IS EPIC AND PAINS ME LIKE A RABBIT THATS SO SOFT AND CUTE WITHA A NOZZLE

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scottishfold
01-25-2007

Rated 0 
i can't handle this song '07 has rocked so hard

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jakeisgiaco
01-25-2007

Rated 0 
Was anyone else blown away by this song? And, more acutely blown away by the lines "Some how you red rovered the Gestapo circling my heart" ?
I'm utterly amazed. I can't wait to see them come to philadelphia for this album, it's going to be ridiculous.

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triciaagogo
01-29-2007

Rated 0 
i agree jakeisgalaco... that line is amazing. its a great way to describe how this person has broken through whatever he is using to protect himself. ah, just what i need... another song to help me describe the issue i've been living with for 3 years now... so many of these lines are perfectly put... so many of them. So much so, I can't believe that this song is real. This is BY FAR my new fav Of Montreal song, the lyrics are freaking GREAT and the song is well played.

"it's like we weren't made for this world
Though I wouldn't really want to meet someone who was"

I agree Kevin... so excited to see them this Wednesday, I have hopes they will play this song.

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Sunset Rubdown
01-29-2007

Rated 0 
i die inside a little each time i listen to this song but damn it is so good!

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JACKIE THE HOBO
02-04-2007

Rated 0 
i love this song.
have any of you actually read story of the eye?
one of the worst books ever, i mean its ohkay once you're done it and can look at it collectivley as a whole, but it really is disgusting.
im slightly repulsed that kevin enjoys it so much.

like the book is pretty much straight up porn.

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1 Reply
heroinhotwater
02-07-2007

Rated +1 
This is without a doubt the most powerful song Of Montreal has ever created.

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heroinhotwater
02-07-2007

Rated 0 
This is without a doubt the most powerful song Of Montreal has ever created.

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aubbydaubbydoo
02-09-2007

Rated 0 
i cannot easily describe the retarded amount of joy my heart holds for this song...let's tear our fucking bodies apart...i like to repeat that part in the car...so fucking powerful...i can't wait to see them at the troc in filthydelphia...AND that same day i will tour the king tut exhibit...twill be magical

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jakeisgiaco
02-10-2007

Rated 0 
hell yeah aubbydaubby, the show at the troc is gonna be messy! I can't wait, I saw them last year at the starlight in N.filthy and it was awesome, but this will just be such a huge, funky show. I'll be the guy dancing his ass off while hipsters sneer at me.

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donutdan
02-17-2007

Rated 0 
I went to see Of Montreal live when they came to San Diego with The Blow and sweet jesus when they played this song, i was in heaven. yes it does get tetious at times but the lyrics do fit the mood of the song. it amazes me how he can memorize all 12 minutes of lyrics in the song.

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PaperStreet
02-19-2007

Rated 0 
"Somehow you've red-rovered the gestapo circling my heart"

That line is brilliant. Just...brilliant. I love this song.

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souljamike
02-20-2007

Rated +1 
I don't think this has been mentioned yet...

But since "fauna" [from the album title Hissing Fauna] means in one sense "The species of animals that existed in a certain period of time in a certain place"... it fits perfectly with the title "The Past is a Grotesque Animal".

Also, its a mythological name, which fits in with the lyric of this song "Sometimes I wonder if you're mythologizing me like I do you".

Haha, man I love this CD...its full of so many suprises.

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moofapoofa
02-28-2007

Rated 0 
This is my favorite song from the new album. Like Heimdalsgate like a Promethean Curse is catchy and easy to grasp and all, but this song is super intense and gritty. I didnt notice the Woolfe reference at first, but it makes sense now.

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