Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
No one wants to hear about your 97th tear
So dry your eyes or let it go uncried, my dear
I am all out of love to mouth and to your ear
And not above letting a love song disappear
Before it's written
And no one wants a tune about the 100th luftballoon
That was seen shooting from the window of your room
To be a spot against the sky's colossal gloom
And land deflated in some neighbor's state that's strewn
With ninety-nine others
Eight Chinese brothers
Well, there's a reason why the last is smiling wide
And sitting higher than the others
Swinging his arms
You would probably die before you shot up nine miles high
Your eyes dilated as light played upon the sight
Of TVC16 as it sings you goodnight
Relaxed as hell and locked up in cell forty-five
Well, I hope you're feeling better
51st way to leave your lover
Admittedly, it doesn't seem to be as gentle
Or as clean as all the others
Even a scars all in the after hours of some Greenpoint bar
I told you, I can't listen, baby, 'bout the 4th time you were a lady
And how your forthrightness betrayed a secret shyness
Stripped away by days of being hailed as your highness
And what's new pussycat as you were once a lioness
They cut your claws out
Kitten, not everyone's keen on lighting candle 17
The party's done, the cake's all gone, the plates are clean
The chauffeur's near and full of cheerless mezzanine
And in just one year, this straight world could pay to see
What they have been missing
You were caught kissing eight Chinese brothers
Well, there's a reason why the last is smiling wide
And sitting higher than the others
Staking with charm
And he says, lets get lost, let them send out alarms
He says, lets get crossed out and come to harm
Lets make the world's stupidest stand and truly mean it
Lets hit the limit of loss over lover's arms
No, lets exceed it
So dry your eyes or let it go uncried, my dear
I am all out of love to mouth and to your ear
And not above letting a love song disappear
Before it's written
And no one wants a tune about the 100th luftballoon
That was seen shooting from the window of your room
To be a spot against the sky's colossal gloom
And land deflated in some neighbor's state that's strewn
With ninety-nine others
Eight Chinese brothers
Well, there's a reason why the last is smiling wide
And sitting higher than the others
Swinging his arms
You would probably die before you shot up nine miles high
Your eyes dilated as light played upon the sight
Of TVC16 as it sings you goodnight
Relaxed as hell and locked up in cell forty-five
Well, I hope you're feeling better
51st way to leave your lover
Admittedly, it doesn't seem to be as gentle
Or as clean as all the others
Even a scars all in the after hours of some Greenpoint bar
I told you, I can't listen, baby, 'bout the 4th time you were a lady
And how your forthrightness betrayed a secret shyness
Stripped away by days of being hailed as your highness
And what's new pussycat as you were once a lioness
They cut your claws out
Kitten, not everyone's keen on lighting candle 17
The party's done, the cake's all gone, the plates are clean
The chauffeur's near and full of cheerless mezzanine
And in just one year, this straight world could pay to see
What they have been missing
You were caught kissing eight Chinese brothers
Well, there's a reason why the last is smiling wide
And sitting higher than the others
Staking with charm
And he says, lets get lost, let them send out alarms
He says, lets get crossed out and come to harm
Lets make the world's stupidest stand and truly mean it
Lets hit the limit of loss over lover's arms
No, lets exceed it
Lyrics submitted by smileforthecamera
Plus Ones Lyrics as written by Will Robinson Sheff
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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? and the Mysterians' "96 Tears," Nena's" 99 Luftballons," Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," The Byrds' "Eight Miles High," R.E.M.'s "Seven Chinese Brothers," David Bowie's "TVC15," The Zombies' "Care of Cell 44," Commodore's "Three Times a Lady," and The Crests' "Sixteen Candles."
Just a correction on a few of the lyrics...
The song is called "Plus Ones" because it references several songs with numerical titles, except with one added number ("plus ones").
Therefore:
"100th left balloon" should be "100th luftballon," in reference to Nina's "99 Luftballons"
"TBC 1-6" should be "TVC16," in reference to David Bowie's "TVC15"
"(Cindy?) first when you leave your lover" should be "Fifty-first way to leave your lover," in reference to Paul Simon's "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover"
"lighting candles, 17" should be "lighting candle 17," in reference to Roy Orbison's "16 Candles"
That's all I've got as far as corrections go. As far as I know, these are the other songs that are referenced:
? and the Mysterians - 96 Tears R.E.M. - 7 Chinese Brothers The Zombies - Care of Cell 44 The Commodores - Three Times a Lady
Ah, yes. Thank you. I submitted a request so those can be changed. :)
i think will actually says fifty first way
whoa shit nevermind read that wrong
This is a minor correction: instead of "green point bar," I think it's actually "Greenpoint bar." Greenpoint is a neighborhood in Brooklyn.
I could, of course, be missing some other reference. My apologies if that's the case.
"Staking with charm"
I hear "Stinking with charm"
Kevin111, you forgot "shot up 9 miles high", which refers to the Byrds "Eight Miles High".
And also Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat?"
Ah, yeah, the Byrds one was just something I forgot to type, but I overlooked the Jones reference. Though in my defense, it's not a "plus one" so to say.
I would say that "What's New Pussycat?" is a plus one, just not in the literal, 'numerical' sense. Pussycat to Lioness is a 'plus one' and fits the context of the work. I would also like to mention that this message has a lot of unnecessary quotation marks.