Sonic Youth – Total Trash

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It start at the top
Now it's spiraling down
Works best when it's lost
Diggin' under the ground

Never mind it now
We can bring it back
It's total trash
And it's a natural fact
That I'm not no cow

It's never the same
It's more than a game
Can't take it away
Can't kill all the shame

It's a guilty man
That increased the crack
It's total trash
Sack 'em on the back
With a heavy rock

There he goes again
Magic monkey friend
Can I love the time
That he seems to spend
With all the kids in town

It start at the top
Now it's spiraling down
Works best when it's lost
Diggin' under the ground

Never mind it now
We can bring it back
It's total trash
And it's a natural fact
That I'm not no cow

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Lyrics submitted by

Track duration: 07:33

"Total Trash" as written by Kim Gordon, Lee M. Ranaldo, Steven Jay Shelley, Thurston Joseph Moore

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Total Trash song meanings
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10 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:My opinion might be tainted by the fact that Teenage Riot is on the same album, but I kinda see this as a pissed off young people song. Just like the anti-authoritarianism of Teenage Riot's "Acts as a hero, we painted a zero on his hand"... cutting down someone in authority and reminding them that they are just as human and just as fucked as the rest of us... Total Trash's "Smack 'em on the back with a heavy rock". And of course, drug references go hand-in-hand with that. :P
    Flag Tig45on April 27, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"It start at the top
    Now it's spiralling down
    Works best when it's lost
    Diggin' under the ground"

    It's definitely about my relationship ;)

    Flag BottleJuiceon March 30, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:trash is slang for heroin I think.
    The cow thing is referring to how in Hinduism cows are sacred and the epitome of enlightenment. "Not no cow"=the drug doesn't lead to enlightenment.
    Flag dontkillwhiteyon March 11, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think the fifth verse (There he goes again/Magic monkey friend/Can I love the time/That he seems to spend/With all the kids in town) is a reference to "the Ko-ko Show" segment in Ken Shapiro's 1974's film "The Groove Tube" which depicts a clown with a puppet called the Magic Monkey reading erotic literature on his children's show.
    Probably my favorite Sonic Youth song.
    Flag GarbageBoxEXTREMEon December 01, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this song is fucked up all due to the part in the middle where it freaks out. it's one of my favorites though. i think swordeater has a pretty good idea about what the song means lyrically as well.
    Flag BangYrHeadon October 19, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:one of my favorite sonic youth songs it ######' rocks but dose any one know what Thurston meas when he says "that i'm not no cow"
    Flag april_08_94on August 05, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i agree with swordeater, i think its about taking the drug, and feeling how most people in town are doing the same which is making the market less 'pure' and in a way spoiling it for him. if not just spoiling the town.
    Flag l1am_st0n3ron May 23, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this is song is about drugs in some way. The verse

    It start at the top
    Now it's spiralling down
    Works best when it's lost
    Diggin' under the ground

    is about shooting up with a syringe. The drugs work best when they spiral out of the syringe and get lost under the ground(read skin). Bassically, Thurston is just saying how drugs are total trash. Either way, this songs fucking rocks.
    Flag swordeateron January 16, 2005   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:I didn't understand this song and what we should understand to now what Thurston is talking about is this verse : "It start at the top
    Now it's spiralling down
    Works best when it's lost
    Diggin' under the ground "...

    But the guitar riff and the rythme is so good that i totally don't care about the meaning...

    Long life to Sonic Tooth !!!
    Flag cipheron December 19, 2004   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:Wow. Sonic Youth is my favorite band, and I love this song, but as to the meaning, may I ask: WTF??
    Flag curlygirlon December 04, 2004   Link

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