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The DA is dressed to the nines
In the mirror, he practices all his lines
To his closing argument, 12 hearts beat in favour
I'm guessing he read the morning paper
The headline reads "The Man Hangs"
But the jury doesn't
And everyone's looking for relief
United States versus disbelief
Mothers cast tears on both sides of the aisle
Clear your throat and face the world
The verdict falls like bachelors for bad luck girls
Only breathing with the aid of denial
Case open, and case shut
But you could pay to close it like a casket
Baby boy can't lift his headache head
Isn't it tragic?
He glances at his peers sitting 7 to 12
Stacked on 1 to 6
The gallery is hushed
Boys in three pieces dream of grandstanding and bravado
The city sleeps in a cell
Notwithstanding what we all know
They hang on a rope or bated breath
Whichever you prefer
And everyone's looking for relief
A bidding war for an old flame's grief
The cause, the kid,
[the cuff, the charm
and the curse]
There's not a word that can make you comprehend
Too well dressed for the witness stand
The press prays for whichever headline's worse
Case open, and case shut
But you could pay to close it like a casket
Baby boy can't lift his headache head
Isn't it tragic?
Fresh pressed suit and tie
Unimpressed birds sing and die
Can talk my way out of anything
The foreman reads the verdict:
"In the above entitled actions, we find the defendent,
Guilty, guilty, guilty"
Case open, and case shut
But you could pay to close it like a casket
Baby boy can't lift his headache head
Isn't it tragic?
Case open, case shut
But you could pay to close it like a casket
Baby boy can't lift his headache head
Isn't it tragic?
In the mirror, he practices all his lines
To his closing argument, 12 hearts beat in favour
I'm guessing he read the morning paper
The headline reads "The Man Hangs"
But the jury doesn't
And everyone's looking for relief
United States versus disbelief
Mothers cast tears on both sides of the aisle
Clear your throat and face the world
The verdict falls like bachelors for bad luck girls
Only breathing with the aid of denial
Case open, and case shut
But you could pay to close it like a casket
Baby boy can't lift his headache head
Isn't it tragic?
He glances at his peers sitting 7 to 12
Stacked on 1 to 6
The gallery is hushed
Boys in three pieces dream of grandstanding and bravado
The city sleeps in a cell
Notwithstanding what we all know
They hang on a rope or bated breath
Whichever you prefer
And everyone's looking for relief
A bidding war for an old flame's grief
The cause, the kid,
[the cuff, the charm
and the curse]
There's not a word that can make you comprehend
Too well dressed for the witness stand
The press prays for whichever headline's worse
Case open, and case shut
But you could pay to close it like a casket
Baby boy can't lift his headache head
Isn't it tragic?
Fresh pressed suit and tie
Unimpressed birds sing and die
Can talk my way out of anything
The foreman reads the verdict:
"In the above entitled actions, we find the defendent,
Guilty, guilty, guilty"
Case open, and case shut
But you could pay to close it like a casket
Baby boy can't lift his headache head
Isn't it tragic?
Case open, case shut
But you could pay to close it like a casket
Baby boy can't lift his headache head
Isn't it tragic?
Lyrics submitted by shrodes, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Track duration: 03:42
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"I'm guessing he read the morning paper
The headline reads 'The Man Hangs'"
(Possibly in reference to a very famous article regarding the case, stating Reubens' alter-ego Pee-wee Herman is dead.)
"The verdict falls like bachelors for bad luck girls"
(He got caught for indecent exposure in a adult theater.)
Case open, and case shut
"But you could pay to close it like a casket"
(He pleaded no contest, $75 dollar fine to "close it like a casket" though he maintained his innocence, no longer wanted to go through the trial.)
"Baby boy can't lift his headache head"
(Pee-wee Herman, perceived as innocent and childlike... which is why people had such a hard time accepting this case.)
Isn't it tragic?
"Boys in three pieces dream of grandstanding and bravado"
(Could refer to those who caught him, witnesses, or comedic imitators of PW.)
"Fresh pressed suit and tie" (Though it's what all men wear in court, it's what Pee-wee wore all the time.)
"Unimpressed birds sing and die" (Juxtaposition to Pee-wee's innocent world, birds singing, etc.)
"The cause, the kid, the cuff, the charm, and the curse." (Having fame and then losing it, speaks for itself.)
This song really tells about the tension in a serious court case. It sounds to me like a young boy has thrown his life away by committing a crime and getting caught. He tries to save his life by lying his crime away ("Only breathing with the aid of denial"). But in the end, the jury sees through it and he's found guilty.
All the lyrics have to deal with the trail and jury. He was charged with little evidince, but was then paroled.