Cover art for Well Paid Scientist by Dead Kennedys

Well Paid Scientist

Nov. 19821 viewer10.5K views

Well Paid Scientist Lyrics

[Verse 1]
You're a well-paid scientist
You only talk in facts
You know you're always right
'Cause you know how to prove it step by step
A PhD to show you're smart
With textbook formulas
But you're used up
Just like a factory hand

[Chorus]
Something is wrong here
You won't find it on a shelf
You're well-paid, you're well-trained
You're tied to a rack


[Verse 2]
Company cocktails, gotta go
Say the right thing
Don't fidget, jockey for position
Be polite
In the pyramid you hate
Sip that scotch
Get that raise
This ain't no party at all
[Chorus]
Something is wrong here
You won't find it on a shelf
You're well-paid, you're well-trained
You're tied to a rack

[Verse 3]
Cringe and tense up
Grind your teeth
And wipe your sweaty palms
Close your windows driving past
The low-life company bar
They're making fun of you

Ha!

[Bridge 1]
Ah, even you
You've gotta punch the clock
Why don't you punch your boss?
Ah, even you
You just punch the clock
Too scared to punch your boss

[Bridge 2]
When will you crack?
When will you crack?
When will you open your eyes
Open your eyes, open your eyes?
[Verse 3]
Pull up to your sterile home, you're drained
Bite the heads off of your kids
Chew them well; they taste like you

Just slam the door
Assigned here 'cause your company owns the land
All your colleagues live there, too
Private guards in golf carts
Keep you safe at home

[Chorus]
Something is wrong here
You won't find it on a shelf
You're well-paid, you're well-trained
You're tied to a rack

[Refrain]
When will you crack?
When will you crack?
When will you crack?
When will you crack?!

[Outro]
The dark, shattered underbelly
Of the American dream
Avoid it like the plague
It stares you from your bathroom mirror
Drown!

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Credits
Executive Producer
Bass, Vocals
Drums, vocals
Words And Music
Recorded At
Hyde St. Studios and Möbius Music, San Francisco, California, USA, June 1982
Release Date
November 1982
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