My generation’s for sale
Beats a steady job.
How much have you got?
My generation don’t trust no one
Its hard to blame
Not even ourselves
The thing that’s real for us is fortune and fame
All the rest seems like work.
Its just like Diamonds
In shit

I’m high class I’m a Whore
Actually both
Basically Im a Pro
We’ve all got our own style
of Baggage
Why hump it yourself
You’ve made me an offer that I can refuse
course either way I get screwed
Counter Proposal
I go home & Jerk Off

It’s truly a lie. I counterfeit myself
It’s truly a lie. I counterfeit myself
You don’t own, you don’t own, you don’t own
You don’t own what none can buy
You don’t own

High and mighty you say selling out is a shame. Is that the name of your boo?
Push a silver spoon in your ass. No more holding us down
dog, down mutt, Nice mutt
You’re insulted you. You can’t be bought or sold.
Translation offer too low
You don’t know what you’re worth.
It isn’t much
My piano is for sale.
How many times must I sell myself before my pieces are gone?
I’m one of a kind
I’m designer

Never again will I repeat myself
Enough is never enough
Never again will I repeat myself

It used to be the plan was screwing the man
Now its have sex with the man
after he buys you .com for sale at a low, low price.

It’s truly a lie, I counterfeit myself
Its truly a lie, I counterfeit myself
You don’t own , you don’t own, you don’t own me
You don’t own what none can buy
You don’t own
Neither do I
Neither do I
Either
I’m Designer



Lyrics submitted by Q_ELLIOTT

Track duration: 04:04


I'm Designer song meanings
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26 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:Great track. Definitely about selling out / mainstream media.


    The "Never again will I repeat myself" part always gets me.
    Flag thePartyRoboton March 23, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I think dystopia is right.
    This is about the art going mainstream.
    The art is for sale, the artist is for sale, just a question of price.
    If the artist is trying to go in a new direction, the label will stop him and ask him to repeat more of the same stuff that was successful previously.
    That's why the question: "How many times must I sell myself before my pieces are gone?"
    And the feeling that "I counterfeit myself"
    And the promise: "Never again will I repeat myself" that is broken immediately by repeating the sentence.
    And the terrible feeling that "I’m a Whore"
    But the truth is the art is not for sale because it doesn't belong to anyone, not even to the artist himself:
    You don’t own what none can buy
    You don’t own
    Neither do I


    Flagged OddHaton February 25, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:About the music industry and how most bands that are famous today are shit that plays whatever the current trend is. It's also how the record industry screws over bands. When he says make an offer I can't refuse, either way im screwed I think he is referring how you need a record label to go on the radio and get mainstream recognition, but the deals are always bad and take advantage of the musicians.
    Flag dystopia4on July 23, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I love the ending....

    Where it goes "you don't own what none can buy." It's almost soulful, really changes the song's dynamic.

    Of course he has to go and ruin it with that smarmy "neither do I"
    Flag janeireon December 07, 2009   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion:The line, My Piano is for Sale, if I am not mistaken, is a quote from Elton John. Similar to the stanza of the song, Elton was referring to how everyone has a price on their heads whether they know it or not. When the people he was speaking with balked, he remarked, hey, even my piano is for sale - pointing to the one he used in Candle in the Wind (Marilyn Monroe/Princess Diana). I cant find any sources, but I swear I remember hearing that somewhere. Queens just totally rock- when is the new album coming out? I am dying!!
    Flag replicant212on October 31, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Just one correction: The "DUH" comes after "I go home and jerk off!", right before the chorus.
    Flag Santiagofon April 29, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:What a marvel! This thing manages to both rock out, pack some laughs and leave you thinking.

    Homme's vocal deilvery is perfect, from the ridiculous falsetto up to the thrashy, irreverent delivery. I plain love the 'UH' he signs after "in shit', both tough and hilarious. But my fave is (and will always be) that 'I'm one of a kind - I'm designer!!". It's both ironic and serious - he designs some pretty nice music, being a hell of a producer. Producing music is some kind of design to me.

    And yes, it seems to be speaking about 'selling out', how stupid he thinks the concept is, adding some talking about 'his generation', namely fellow 'music artists', hipsters, etc. It's also about recycling yourself, doing always the same to sell something, which QOTSA certainly has NOT done - there aren't two albums from them that sound alike!

    It's been two years since I listened to this and I still get kicks out of it. It's one of the best songs in Era Vulgaris - a great album, by the way!
    Flag Santiagofon March 23, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I love this song, the chorus has a really haunting melody and is the voice of truth in this. Famous people smooze and spout crap about not being a 'sell out' when really they mean they are insulted the offer was so low. Love the bit about how many times can they sell themselves until all the pieces are gone. There's never been a better description of how fucked up the world of celebrity is.

    A counterfeit is an inferior copy of an original - so these vacuous celebs are actually making themselves more worthless with every piece of fake bullshit they push on the public. Paris Hilton has got to be an inspiration for this, a person so shallow she even makes getting a best friend into a TV show because she is so unlikeable she can't find one herself!! 'Hire someone to find me a friend!!!!'

    I also think the song is very funny esp the 'Never again will I repeat myself bit' which he repeats a line later!! Like an old band saying - this is the last tour and then 10 years later wheeling themselves out again to record an album that sounds just like the last one!

    Hahaha! Going to listen to it again now...

    Flag TwistedTree81TwistedTree1on February 25, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Or maybe he's rather saying that to survive in the current climate you have to be a 'sell out'
    Flag tallulaton September 23, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think he's hitting out at people who say he's sold out. As though saying to these people who do you know who has to eat that hasn't, we all do it. I mean you can try to sell out as little as you can but you all do it.

    Also I love the concept of how do you sell something you don't own in the first place. After all we didn't buy our bodies did we? The concept of selling out is a stupid one. Values aren't stupid but selling out is.
    Flag tallulaton September 23, 2008   Link

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