The title of this song comes from "Twin Peaks" and the famous dream sequence with the dwarf. So, this song is about a dream. But first, some explanation about the CD, "New Roman Times." The protagonist is a dumb kid who enlists in Iraq and comes back freaked out and disillusioned. But before he goes over, he dreams about the good things in his life, and his best friend, and all the dumb but innocent things he likes, and that's what "That Gum You Like Is Back In Style" is about. He is dreaming, and it is about his innocence. Note the sample of the birds chirping. Listen closely. It comes right after the lyric, "Who could be calling waking me from my dreams?" Fast foward to the title track, "New Roman Times." Here, the soldier has freaked out from the killing and destruction. "I'm sitting in the sand staring at my shoe/the birds they sing tweet tweet, but I don't hear their tune/ the sergeant says something close to my face/the bells they ring and ring and ring." You'll again hear that same sample of the birds chirping. And so, the answer to the question, "Who could be calling waking me from my dreams?" is .... the sergeant. The enlisted solidier is awakened from his dreams -- and his innocence -- by the reality of the war. The sergeant is screaming at him because he's flipped out -- lost touch with reality -- retreated into what was good about himself in the face of all the killing. These are the things that make Camper (or David Lowrey, to be exact) so brilliant. If you can cut through all their gimmickry, you'll be rewarded richly.
The title of this song comes from "Twin Peaks" and the famous dream sequence with the dwarf. So, this song is about a dream. But first, some explanation about the CD, "New Roman Times." The protagonist is a dumb kid who enlists in Iraq and comes back freaked out and disillusioned. But before he goes over, he dreams about the good things in his life, and his best friend, and all the dumb but innocent things he likes, and that's what "That Gum You Like Is Back In Style" is about. He is dreaming, and it is about his innocence. Note the sample of the birds chirping. Listen closely. It comes right after the lyric, "Who could be calling waking me from my dreams?" Fast foward to the title track, "New Roman Times." Here, the soldier has freaked out from the killing and destruction. "I'm sitting in the sand staring at my shoe/the birds they sing tweet tweet, but I don't hear their tune/ the sergeant says something close to my face/the bells they ring and ring and ring." You'll again hear that same sample of the birds chirping. And so, the answer to the question, "Who could be calling waking me from my dreams?" is .... the sergeant. The enlisted solidier is awakened from his dreams -- and his innocence -- by the reality of the war. The sergeant is screaming at him because he's flipped out -- lost touch with reality -- retreated into what was good about himself in the face of all the killing. These are the things that make Camper (or David Lowrey, to be exact) so brilliant. If you can cut through all their gimmickry, you'll be rewarded richly.