PJ Harvey – Rid of Me

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  General Comment:"Lick my legs" is a male falsetto

  Flag Blaxteron August 04, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:I heard that all the lyrics are taken from one very disturbing piece of fan mail PJ got, and she rearranged them, changed a few words and put them to music. Thinking about the lyrics like that it's even scarier. Also, if you listen to live versions from 1993, the 'Lick My Legs Part' is sung by her drummer, who is credited as backing vocals for all songs in the liner notes and his voice is the same as the studio version, but live versions after she dropped him from her band and the demo version have PJ singing that bit, and her vocals sound different to the studio version, so I don't think she sings the 'Lick My Legs' section on the album version.

  Flag cosmichandson November 09, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:"Don't you wish you'd never met her" is a quote from 'Dirty Blue Gene' by Captain Beefheart. The most accurate lyrics I can find are here: likebeingreadtofromdictionaries.blogspot.com/2009/04/…
  Not that it seems all that relevant - just thought I'd point it out.

  Flag radioaheadon February 22, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:And yeah, pumkinhed, PJ sings that line, what kind of a question is that?

  Flag artsluton September 08, 2009   Link

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• +1
  General Comment:jesus, I've always wondered about the "twist your head off" line. Of course it refers to a mantis. Thank you, angeville. Though I don't think the song is *about* the mantis, just uses their behavior as a conceit for a more general comment on the potentially cruel nature of the female sex. Especially in light of the "lick my legs" bit; the legs of a mantis are covered in spines.
  
  I stress "potentially" cruel nature, because in the animal world, this behavior isn't cruel, it's just nature. But humans have emotions to consider. So to me this song seems to be about women who use this idea that "the female species is deadlier than the male" as an excuse to behave this way. Which is fucked.
  
  Maybe my favorite Polly Jean song EVER

  Flag artsluton September 08, 2009   Link

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• +2
  General Comment:It's about the mantis. The female mantis, during mating time, bites off the male’s head.
  Brilliant. PJ is genious.

  Flag angevilleon April 13, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:its about obsession over someone maybe who cheated on her ("don't you wish you had never met her?")

  Flag pandora_ash_avalieon December 28, 2007   Link

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  General Comment:This is a great angry companion to Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter"!

  Flag glmoteson December 04, 2007   Link

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    +1

    omg, damien rice? hahahahahahahahaha

    Flag straightlineson March 30, 2009  
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  General Comment:i fucking love this song.
  this guy's trying to get rid of her, but she's not gonna let him walk away that easily. i love the angry, desperate way she screams "lick my legs of desire/lick my legs, i'm on fire!"
  amazing.

  Flag missmeon January 30, 2007   Link

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  General Comment:What makes this song so profoundly affecting is the almost contradictory parts its made of: the fragile, weak, lonely, pleading up against the possesive, sadistic, torturous and violent. The gap is briged by PJs amaaaaazing vocal performance, she succeds in making this song as psychologicaly complex and disarming as it is. I think that most men that comit abuses to their couples act this way...
  It's a perfect song. Never get tired of it. So black, so desperate, so true.

  Flag sinkorswimon January 21, 2007   Link

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    +1

    yeah good points, and they say many abusive relationships remain solely because of incredible desire/chemistry.

    Flag straightlineson March 30, 2009  

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