Tread slowly from the car to the spa
Like a weary war-torn refugee
Crossing the border with her starving child
It's a struggle just to get to shiatsu
Present the waitress with your allergy card
And tell all of your problems.
Leave no tip at all
Down at the shoe store with your friends
Speculate who might be fucking a guru.

[Chorus]
Rock on, rock on with your fashionable frown
Rock on, rock on. Spread the love around.
Rock on, rock on with a fashionable frown.
Spread the love around.

Hard to remember how we managed before
We could afford real and nervous breakdowns
Or before the anthropology store
Was erected on Indian burial grounds
So really don't you see a little of yourself in the bathroom attendant that you just scowled at?
Or the child who's hiding inside as you wipe the smile off a teenage barista.

[Chorus]

Spread the love around.
Alright.

You're gonna be alright, baby.
You're gonna be alright, baby.

Floating back from the spa to the car.
State of bliss, and it wasn't the steam room.
Sometimes life's not so bad.
Now we know who's been fucking the guru.

[Chorus]

Smile for us now.
Do it upside down.



Lyrics submitted by strykerchick

Track duration: 03:38

"The Frown Song" as written by Benjamin Scott Folds

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


The Frown Song song meanings
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9 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:This song is basically "The Ladies who Lunch" from that musical with Elaine Stritch put in different words
    Flag sam71191on June 20, 2011   Link
  • -1
    Song Meaning:I can't believe nobody has mentioned this before, but think about this.

    Ben Folds left his third wife, Frally Hanes, for their *yoga instructor* - Float back from the spa to the car / state of bliss and it wasn't the steam room. ... Guess we know who's been fucking the guru.

    Perhaps a little bit more autobiographical material in the song than people are giving credit for.
    Flag beeawwbon April 14, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:thanks zembla, i was wondering what the guru thing meant
    Flag norlofskyon May 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Or do you remember how we managed before?
    We could afford regular nervous breakdowns

    The question mark should be a line further down - that'd make sense.
    Flag christina201288on March 24, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I get the feeling that the people he's talking about here are the grown-up versions of the folks from "The Battle of Who Could Care Less".
    Flag colum1225on October 30, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I agree with zembla. That seems spot on. Could the 'fashionable frown' have something to do with Botox or plastic surgery?
    Flag Teye3on October 24, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:This song wears the same sort of anger that Folds directed at the general public for their general apathy in All U Can Eat, but this time his target was much more specific.

    This is a look at a day in the life of a wealthy, petulant, egomaniacal, unlikeable, shallow woman who could hail from nearly any suburb in the country.

    Her morning consists of treating her weekly Shiatsu therapy like an unbearable burden, traipsing out to lunch with her friends where she burdens, bullies, and stiffs the waitress, and then heading out for some shoe shopping while she and her comrades trade nasty insults about the various whores who might be fucking the guru from Shiatsu.

    Her afternoon is spent harrassing and patronizing a bathroom attendant, a youngster working in a coffee shop, and doing a little more shopping at an Anthropolgie store whose ironic title and location will be forever lost on her.

    Finally, she returns alone for the only moment of seeming joy in her entire day, as she secretly plays the role of "guru slut" that she and her friends had spent the morning ridiculing. Even she cannot escape her own venom.
    Flag zemblaon October 08, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:From what I see, it looks like he is talking about ungrateful, rich white women.
    Flag bucketheadBCon October 07, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:first


    frown to smile. i would like to understand the GURU line thou
    Flag janitorwonderfulon October 01, 2008   Link

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