Lyrics for Gouge Away as interpreted by riffic

Gouge Away Lyrics
gouge away
you can gouge away
stay all day
if you want to

missy aggravation
some sacred questions
you stroke my locks
some marijuana
if you got some

gouge away
you can gouge away
stay all day
if you want to

sleeping on your belly
you break my arms
you spoon my eyes
been rubbing a bad charm
with holy fingers

gouge away
you can gouge away
stay all day
if you want to

chained to the pillars
a 3-day party
i break the walls
and kill us all
with holy fingers

gouge away
you can gouge away
stay all day
if you want to

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zot
07-19-2002

Rated +4 
the song is very enigmatic, but I suspect it refers to the biblical story of Samson, who had his eyes gouged out by his enemies, and eventually killed them all when he was chained to two pillars in their stronghold: he pulled the pillars down, bringing the building down and killing himself and his enemies.

The secret of his strength was his hair: as long as it remained uncut he was stronger than ay other man. He was betrayed by Delilah the woman he loved, who shaved his head and handed him over to his enemies, but when his hair grew back he pulled the house down on them as described above. This explains the lyrics about "missy aggravation" (Delilah, who got the secret of his hair out of him by annoying him) and the reference to stroking his locks (of hair)

Many of the Pixies early songs had references to old testament stories in them. Black Francis was just into the weirdness and violence of the old testament apparently...

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1 Reply
Afo2000
08-14-2002

Rated 0 
Damn, you're smart

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James_bondage_0069
10-12-2002

Rated 0 
i think that zot is right due to another line ssin this song which involes biblical reference "sleeping on your belly " in biblical timews snakes were thought to be on the belly so to speak and slither along.

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tsucol
04-18-2003

Rated 0 
did they by any chance smoke marijuana in this time period?

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gouge_away
04-17-2004

Rated 0 
yeah, black francis was very interested in Old Testament stories. 'Dead' is based on King David and Bathsheba

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DuTcHoVeN
09-23-2004

Rated 0 
some marijuana
if you got some

What exactly does this mean? Does it have anything to do with the testament?

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Debaser!
09-25-2004

Rated +1 
To me this song is about being treated badly and giving up fighting back and just taking it (Gouge away, stay all day if you want to) I think the marijuana part is saying "got any marijuana to make it easier to take all this pain your inflicting upon me?" The last verse is really triumphant and uplifting to me...I love this song, one of the best Pixies songs

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lactosefreeman
12-24-2004

Rated 0 
Zot's on the money with everything.

"missy aggravation
some sacred questions
you stroke my locks
some marijuana
if you got some "

although they probably didn't smoke weed back then, Frank Black was trying to say that Delihah got the hair secret out of him by giving him drugs along with having sex with him and bothering him.

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thereisnoiinteam
12-28-2004

Rated 0 
this is the first Pixies song i heard and one of the best. Doolittle is such a great album

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Levitator89
01-01-2005

Rated 0 
but what about

"you break my arms"
"you spoon my eyes"

i get the whole samson thing but just not in those 2 lines.

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robinson129
01-08-2005

Rated 0 
ok, this song is simple. its about how there were people always in francis' house who mooched off him and smoked all his pot.

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lactosefreeman
01-09-2005

Rated 0 
Levitator, they broke his arms and "spooned" (spooned, gouged, it's all the same thing) out his eyes after they captured him.

Heh, the whole song would fit the pot head idea too... : - D

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DarkSideOfTheMoon5
01-29-2005

Rated 0 
I like robinson129's idea!! It works perfect!

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Mirza
03-16-2005

Rated 0 
Samson and Dalilah, modern version

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x_Heather_x
05-25-2005

Rated 0 
I think this song is about being treated badly by a girl and knowing it but despite everything she does you just cant help but want her. I also thought that the "been rubbing a bad charm with holy fingers" was sorta sexual lol...but maybe thats just me...lol

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lactosefreeman
06-20-2005

Rated 0 
xHeatherx, that's what Papa Roach's cover of "Gouge Away" makes it seem like:
a mediocre song where a love-abused dude fingerbangs a chick.

But thank god The Pixies wrote it, not those bastards from Papa Roach, eh? : - D

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x_Heather_x
06-23-2005

Rated 0 
Just listened to Papa Roach's version of Gouge Away (I didn't know they had covered it) and ooft im not impressed lol. The Pixies version is amazing, one of my favourite songs and they totally didnt do it any justice. Have to agree with ya lactosefreeman Papa Roach are bastards...damn them! :p

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devilcricket
06-27-2005

Rated 0 
I don't think the marijauna part has much to do with the rest of the song... does it really have to? maybe it just sounded good. And yes, Papa Roach's cover is disgusting.

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Itmplyurvyld
10-12-2005

Rated 0 
This songs about bloody sex, the other stuff may be right, but just look at the cd booklet, it has things that look like bloody gentalia

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ROBRAM89
12-03-2005

Rated 0 
It's funny. When I listened to this song a lot, trying to think of what it might mean, I thought about the title and Samson and Delilah popped into my head for some reason. Then I listened closely to the song, and looked up the lyrics...instinct, I guess lol

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czechm8
01-23-2006

Rated 0 
yeah i got the Samson thing too, chains, pillars, locks of hair....hmmmm

i think its very possible that Samson and Delilah, in the literal sense of the story and the allegorical are mixed here. This song is very sexually charged to me. I can't help but think of gouging...the act of gouging as sex and he is inviting a woman over. To have sex....and smoke pot.

The consequence it obvious to him. He will lose power to her. Have to appease and please her as everyday men do. They are cut down by women, answering sacred questions (women were not supposed to know things), and are inevitably blinded by women and their power over them, chained to them as well....

...then it starts all over again....because, well, men are idiots. So stay all day, if you want to...

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ilovealkaline
06-21-2006

Rated 0 
when i hear the word 'gouge' samson always comes to mind. not many stories like that one

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SUPPERimpostor
08-25-2006

Rated 0 
The Pixies make me want to read the Bible, it seems so cool...

Yes, that was quite blasphemous.

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TanyaFace
11-19-2006

Rated 0 
Expanding on the whole Samson and Dalilah idea I think the "holy fingers" is referencing the gift of Herculean type strength bestowed on Samson by God. I think the "bad charm" is Dalilah. "Been rubbing a bad charm" is saying how he got sexually involved with her.

And on the snake comment. What is believed is that snakes had legs of a sort, something that kept them off their stomachs, originally. After the snake temped and deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden God cursed the serpent to crawl on its belly. This reference to the snake in the song might be relevant in the way that like the snake's tempting of Eve caused the down fall of Adam and Eve, Dalilah serves as the "snake" in this stody, her temptation causing the downfall of Samson.

The story of Samson has always been my favourite bible story. Great story, amazing song.

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algol
02-07-2007

Rated 0 
OKay guys, you are all full of bull. You've obviously never listened to the song and its mood . This is not a happy song in which some bible dude defeats his enemies. Rather than analyzing every line the way a professor would, actually listen to the mood and answers will come. Its about S&M you prudes!

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