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We are building a religion
We are building it bigger
We are widening the corridors
And adding more lanes
We are building a religion
A limited edition
We are now accepting callers
For these pendant key chains
To resist it is useless
It is useless to resist it
His cigarette is burning
But he never seems to ash
He is grooming his poodle
He is living comfort eagle
You can meet at his location
But you'd better come with cash
Now his hat is on backwards
He can show you his tattoos
He is in the music business
He is calling you "DUDE!"
Now today is tomorrow
And tomorrow today
And yesterday is weaving in and out
And the fluffy white lines
That the airplane leaves behind
Are drifting right in front
Of the waning of the moon
He is handling the money
He is serving the food
He knows about your party
He is calling you "DUDE!"
Now do you believe
In the one big sign
The double wide shine
On the boot heels of your prime
Doesn't matter if you're skinny
Doesn't matter if you're fat
You can dress up like a sultan
In your onion head hat
We are building a religion
We are making a brand
We're the only ones to turn to
When your castles turn to sand
Take a bite of this apple
Mr. corporate events
Take a walk through the jungle
Of cardboard shanties and tents
Some people drink Pepsi
Some people drink Coke
The wacky morning DJ
Says democracy's a joke
He says now do you believe
In the one big song
He's now accepting callers
Who would like to sing along
He says, do you believe
In the one true edge
By fastening your safety belts
And stepping towards the ledge
He is handling the money
He is serving the food
He is now accepting callers
He is calling me "DUDE!"
He says now do you believe
In the one big sign
The double wide shine
On the boot heels of your prime
There's no need to ask directions
If you ever lose your mind
We're behind you
We're behind you
And let us please remind you
We can send a car to find you
If you ever lose your way
We are building a religion
We are building it bigger
We are building
A religion
A limited
Edition
We are now accepting callers
For these beautiful
Pendant key chains
We are building it bigger
We are widening the corridors
And adding more lanes
We are building a religion
A limited edition
We are now accepting callers
For these pendant key chains
To resist it is useless
It is useless to resist it
His cigarette is burning
But he never seems to ash
He is grooming his poodle
He is living comfort eagle
You can meet at his location
But you'd better come with cash
Now his hat is on backwards
He can show you his tattoos
He is in the music business
He is calling you "DUDE!"
Now today is tomorrow
And tomorrow today
And yesterday is weaving in and out
And the fluffy white lines
That the airplane leaves behind
Are drifting right in front
Of the waning of the moon
He is handling the money
He is serving the food
He knows about your party
He is calling you "DUDE!"
Now do you believe
In the one big sign
The double wide shine
On the boot heels of your prime
Doesn't matter if you're skinny
Doesn't matter if you're fat
You can dress up like a sultan
In your onion head hat
We are building a religion
We are making a brand
We're the only ones to turn to
When your castles turn to sand
Take a bite of this apple
Mr. corporate events
Take a walk through the jungle
Of cardboard shanties and tents
Some people drink Pepsi
Some people drink Coke
The wacky morning DJ
Says democracy's a joke
He says now do you believe
In the one big song
He's now accepting callers
Who would like to sing along
He says, do you believe
In the one true edge
By fastening your safety belts
And stepping towards the ledge
He is handling the money
He is serving the food
He is now accepting callers
He is calling me "DUDE!"
He says now do you believe
In the one big sign
The double wide shine
On the boot heels of your prime
There's no need to ask directions
If you ever lose your mind
We're behind you
We're behind you
And let us please remind you
We can send a car to find you
If you ever lose your way
We are building a religion
We are building it bigger
We are building
A religion
A limited
Edition
We are now accepting callers
For these beautiful
Pendant key chains
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Here's my interpretation stanza by stanza:
We are building a religion
We are building it bigger
We are widening the corridors
And adding more lanes
** The religion is consumerism and its a religion of more, more, more. The preachers need to keep making it bigger; more buyers and more buying. After all, the economy depends on constant growth or it collapses – that means more people buying more stuff to infinity. We're “adding more lanes” - gotta accommodate all those new drivers in China and India.
We are building a religion
A limited edition
We are now accepting callers
For these pendant key chains
** It's the QVC religion. Nourish your soul by buying one of these crappy pendant key chains. They're limited edition! You'll feel so good if you buy one, especially if you're one of the first callers.
To resist it is useless
It is useless to resist it
His cigarette is burning
But he never seems to ash
** The infomercial promoter is so slick that his cigarette is on fire but never burns away – like the burning bush. He's the new Moses. It's useless to resist.
He is grooming his poodle
He is living comfort eagle
You can meet at his location
But you'd better come with cash
** Love this one. I think comfort eagle is a take on the irony of American Eagle. It's a brand that suggests rugged individuality and a pioneer spirit. You don't need to stand against the crowd to show your individuality. You don't need to make any sacrifices. Just buy these jeans. The promoter/priest is living comfort eagle – don't you want to to? You can, “but you'd better come with cash.”
Now his hat is on backwards
He can show you his tattoos
He is in the music business
He is calling you "DUDE!"
** Comfort eagle doesn't fly for the music business. The corporation needs a different look. Our guy will wear tattoos and a backwards hat to appeal to the musicians. Another empty suit, but in a t-shirt this time.
Now today is tomorrow
And tomorrow today
And yesterday is weaving in and out
** When you succumb to the new religion, life becomes empty. One day blends into another.
And the fluffy white lines
That the airplane leaves behind
Are drifting right in front
Of the waning of the moon
** The contrails drifting in front of a waning moon symbolize our journey into the depths of night. It's very late for us.
He is handling the money
He is serving the food
He knows about your party
He is calling you "DUDE!"
** The promoter/priest is intrusive. He's pushed into your party, served the food, and he's so familiar with you he's calling you “Dude!” Even if you're an artist, you can't escape him. Of course, he's handling the money, because that's what he's all about.
Now do you believe
In the one big sign
The double wide shine
On the boot heels of your prime
** The religion is all about appearance. It's selling a false promise – to look young (the prime of your life) and attractive (down to the shine on your boot heels).
Doesn't matter if you're skinny
Doesn't matter if you're fat
You can dress up like a sultan
In your onion head hat
** Riffing on appearance again. It doesn't matter what you look like or who you are. You can buy clothes to make you happy.
We are building a religion
We are making a brand
We're the only ones to turn to
When your castles turn to sand
** When “your castles turn to sand”, don't despair – you can find solace in a shopping mall, the new church.
Take a bite of this apple
Mr. corporate events
Take a walk through the jungle
Of cardboard shanties and tents
** The guy saying “Dude!” should take a look outside the resort where he's hosting the corporate party. Shanties and tents are the by product of the corporation.
Some people drink Pepsi
Some people drink Coke
The wacky morning DJ
Says democracy's a joke
** An allusion to the lack of difference between Democrats (Pepsi) and Republicans (Coke). At their core, they're both here to sustain the religion of consumerism. The whacky morning DJ/corporate priest is letting you in on a dirty secret. Democracy's a joke because there is no real choice.
He says now do you believe
In the one big song
He's now accepting callers
Who would like to sing along
** The DJ just explained that democracy is a joke. He asks if you still believe in the big song? You do? He invites you to sing along while laughing at you.
He says, do you believe
In the one true edge
By fastening your safety belts
And stepping towards the ledge
** The DJ, maybe the devil, asks if you believe in this false vision. He invites you to show your devotion by stepping towards the ledge. He'll be guiding you into the abyss.
He is handling the money
He is serving the food
He is now accepting callers
He is calling me "DUDE!"
He says now do you believe
In the one big sign
The double wide shine
On the boot heels of your prime
There's no need to ask directions
If you ever lose your mind
We're behind you
We're behind you
And let us please remind you
We can send a car to find you
If you ever lose your way
** Big brother is watching to make sure you stay with the program. Don't get any ideas of your own, because “We're behind you.” If you do, there's a black car (or helicopter) ready to find you.
We are building a religion
We are building it bigger
We are building
A religion
A limited
Edition
We are now accepting callers
For these beautiful
Pendant key chains
Let's write a really long review analyzing each and every line and what they could possibly refer to.
Okay! :D
We start with "We are building a religion." Which I think could be referring to capitalism in general. Thinking about it, it is more like a religion than it probably should be. It's either worshipped or highly disliked, and constantly is disputed. People rely on it heavily in life, and it always gives out plenty of promises of great rewards, just like religions do. The "we are making it bigger" just refers to how the economy keeps on rapidly expanding, like it can never be big enough and successful enough. Same general idea for the next four lines. They sell you things you don't really need through sugar coated marketing.
"To resist it is useless. It is useless to resist it." Capitalism is everywhere, and is a major part of America in general. It is such a solid fact of the American economy, and all of the higher powers seem to practically worship capitalism. Resistance would be pointless, or at least that's the message the government seems to like to send.
"His cigarette is burning, but he never seems to ash." This one's simple. The people at the top of these companies. How they are rich, with such money that they can seemingly constantly waste it and still keep gaining.
"Now his hat is on backwards, he can show you his tattoos. He is in the music business, he is calling you DUDE!" Paying particular attention to the "now", I think it's talking about how quickly marketing is switched around to appeal to different age groups. They try to relate to the younger generation, backwards hat and tattoos and what not just being a metaphor for this.
I'm new to this song meanings stuff, so please don't kill me.
"Accepting callers for pendant key chains"
-There are key chains meant for holding small objects, such as pills or other drugs.
"To resist it is useless"
-referring to drug addiction and trying not to call your dealer
"You can meet at his location, but you better come with cash"
-Duh
"Now his hat is on backwards...."DUDE!""
-Ok, I don't know how many corporate exec's in the music industry that have tattoos, wear their hats backwards and call people dude, but I do know more than a few kids who do and/or sell drugs that are musically inclined, have tattoos, wear their hats backwards and call folks "dude".
"Now today is tomorrow...weaving in and out"
-When you're high on whatever your vice happens to be, time stops being significant and it becomes very hard to keep track of. Days melt into weeks, weeks melt into months, etc.
"Fluffy white lines"
-Huh, I wonder what that could be reffering to
"He is handling the money..."DUDE!""
-another "duh" line, particularly with the "serving the food" line.
"You can dress up like a sultan..."
-people on drugs sometimes dress in a ridiculous fashion, as it's amusing to folks that're high (hard to explain if you haven't had the experience)
Need I go on further?
"Accepting callers for pendant key chains" This can just be a point on how over commercialized things are. Notice the accepting callers. It's likely a reference to the dj that pops up later.
"To resist it is useless" If you get your money from the government or as part of a commune you can't survive without submission. Dual addiction type reference. (To drugs and the idea of the current state of society at the time) Also, just an idea of powerlessness. What can the average citizen do about government? Vote in another corrupt guy instead?
"You can meet at his location, but you better come with cash" Just a capitalism reference. We don't value people for who they are. We value them for what they have to offer. Everything in the US is about service provided. Also can be taken as an outright you can live here, but you have to pay the toll since it comes after the comfort eagle part. You can live here without worries, but you gotta pay. Big government reference?
"Now his hat is on backwards...."DUDE!" First of all, they can just be talking about a poser if you're going literal. A manager of your money, pretending to be one of you. Perhaps like all those politicians meeting in the midwest and acting like they are one of them? :o
"Now today is tomorrow...weaving in and out" When your life is run for you... wouldn't every day be the exact same? Take away rights in exchange for safety/security.. soon you simply become a drone.
"Fluffy white lines" Pollution. What is left behind by our massive, albeit now dying, industry.
"He is handling the money..."DUDE!" Think Stimulus Package. Not specifically what they were talking about back then obviously. However, the idea is fairly simple. Government uses high taxes, such as Clinton at that time, and overspends. (Then later Bush was worse.. and then Obama.. even worse) The basic idea that you lack power. You have so little power that they even handle your money for you. Could be a really strong socialism reference. The DJ could be an obvious reference for an anti-american speaker.
"He is handling the money
He is serving the food
He is now accepting callers
He is calling me "DUDE!"
So you have government handling your money, and supplying your food. Looking for supporters while posing as one of the people.
I mean there are just so many ways one can interpret this song which is why I love it. I can support it equally as an anti-christ reference.
Though I honestly believe it is a reference to the music industry at that time. If you didn't fit what was "hot" at the time.. you were simply overlooked. I mean they followed that europop phase of the mid 90s. When comfort Eagle was released in 2001, emo and rap were starting to take hold. They don't fit either category, and quite frankly they may not of liked the way the industry was going. Many of the references to someone managing everything could be a reference to the boy bands that were put together by the music industry. I mean Nsync was huge in the mid 90s to early 00s. So it could easily be a reference to that sort of thing as well. The song is hard to read. -shrugs-
The false rebellion that comes with genre's like Emo, Pop-punk, and Industrial.
"We are building a religion
A limited edition
We are now accepting callers
for the pendant key chains"
Especially that part made me think of commercialisation of religion, paying for t-shirts and other completely unrelevant things for the religion.