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Deadcrush Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Extraordinarily pretty teeth
Beauty lingers out of reach
You're my DC oh Lee, oh
Man Ray went cray cray over you
Capturing but never captured
You're my DC oh Lee, oh

[Chorus]
Swim low
In the back, dry in the night
Sample
Put it there, get the money
In the back of a Volvo car
Sample
Hold over
Pay up, sign up LA

[Verse 2]
Anna Bolina
Maid of honour
Not your sister, fearful temper
You're my DC oh Anna, oh
Unknown artist
Took your likeness
Henry Tudor left you lifeless
You're my DC oh Anna, oh

[Interlude 1]
Keepa, keepa, keepa, keep me damn down
Let it low
Let me know where you go
Papa, papa, papa
Get me down
Deep, deep down
Pablo, let me know

[Interlude 2]
If you don't have the ace of hearts
My dear, you're a lost man
Falcon for you, Anna, from the left arm of the falconer
Anna, Anna, Anna, Anna L'Arlésienne

[Chorus]
Swim low
In the back, dry in the night
Sample
Put it there, get the money
In the back of a Volvo car
Sample
Hold over
Pay up, sign up LA

[Chorus]
Swim low
In the back, dry in the night
Sample
Put it there, get the money
In the back of a Volvo car
Sample
Hold over
Pay up, sign up LA
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2 Meanings

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Cover art for Deadcrush lyrics by alt-J

This is about the band's dead crushes.

First verse refers to Lee Miller, a fashion photographer. Man Ray was a photographed her and was apparently pretty obsessive over her.

The chorus I think refers to them just piecing together the song. It's sort of thrown together with a nice catchy vibe. So I think it's literally them in the back of a Volvo sampling and then selling out to LA to get their money for the song. It comes off as tongue in cheek.

3rd verse refers to Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry the VII. She was beheaded for not producing a male heir.

Keepa, keepa, keepa, keep me damn down Let it low Let me know where you go (watch me now) Papa, papa, papa Get me down Deep, deep down How low? Let me know

If you don't have the ace of hearts My dear, you're a lost man (oh) Falcon for you, Anna, from the left arm of the falconer Anna, Anna, Anna, Anna L'Arlésienne

These verses I'm honestly not sure about. The first one above is in the same tone as the chorus so it may just be adding on in that line of though. How much do they want to give in to the industry? How much is too much? etc.

Would love to hear thoughts on it.

My Interpretation

@mrtwotoedsloth Alt-J lyrics are more deep interesting as a whole than parts combined. But I will try that.

@mrtwotoedsloth interesting… you already know more than i did about the meaning. i assumed Lee and Anna were either real or fictional crushes of the songwriter and the rest of it was a complete mystery to me. Love the track though and the mystery is what brought me here. Alt-J is a very intriguing combination of highly creative minds. Their songs’ lyrics are as unique as their songs’ instrumental sounds and vibes…. sometimes direct with unmistakable clarity, but often abstract and perhaps only comprehensible with an explanation directly from the mouth of the mind that made them.

Cover art for Deadcrush lyrics by alt-J

Deadcrush: Like a crush of love, that is completely turned over and become an obssession without reason.

I agreed the first verse comes to Lee Miler, mistress of Man Ray in 1929, who was also a photographer. The had a dominant affair with some works of Lee Miler as student and apprentice were signed and attributed to Man Ray...

But this relation is just a partial metaphor...

I think this song is about a girl named Anna, only presented far in the song, when metaphor is no longer imposed and she become present. She is super beautiful with "Extraordinarily pretty teeth" with "Beauty lingers out of reach"

Anna is treated as an anime superhero, unfourtunetly in the wrong comic book, as "You're my DC oh Lee, oh" "You're my DC oh Anna, oh" meaning she is a DC superhero, and not a Stan Lee Marvel superheros, and not in the same universe.

She just arrive LA super pretty and of course was dragged by porn industry/prostitution as a second hand for an actress carreer, as always.

This is where Lee Miler metaphor also comes in place as she was a great photographer (movie industry) and model, but was more known as being a misterss and model (sex) and muse of Man Ray.

Then we have the Chorus

"Swim low In the back dry in the night", só she need to do what she needs to do without waves, and with understand it's dry and black as night. Make money out of it ("Sample") "Put it there" This is porn language (dick/pussy), "get the money (watch me now)" receive payment and see movie afterwards. Making some scores in free time "In the back of a Volvo car" Make money out of it ("Sample") "Hold over" be strong "Pay up, sign up, LA" Like rotine living in LA porn...

We get going describing a bit of the character "Anna Bolina Maid of honour Not your sister, fearful temper"

Like Lee Miler's, she is an "Unknown artist", pretty and her beauty was taken away "Took your likeness" by a king of money "Henry Tudor left you lifeless, yeah".

And this is among with the Chorus what I interpret as porn... "Keepa, keepa, keepa, keep me damn down" As putting her in submission "Let it low" in self-steem "Let me know where you go (watch me now)" Telling a director what she need to do (to watch it after) "Papa, papa, papa Get me down" would be as a blow job position "Deep, deep down" as an amazing deep shag "How low? Let me know" Tell me mr. director/man of money how low should my head go, how low should my self-steem go.

"If you don't have the ace of hearts My dear, you're a lost man (oh)" If she doesn't able to capture pimp/director heart she will soon be forgotten. "Falcon for you, Anna, from the left arm of the falconer Anna, Anna, Anna, Anna L'Arlésienne" She is the money making for a falconer/pimp who is using her to catch money/glitter things out of his reach.

Then we have the Chorus And again as rotine.

The last "Watch me now" is not in parêntesis and in my opinion she get out of if and gives hope to a song. It's kind of a turn over and everything is OK.

Alternative:

I see this as sex (porn or prostitution), but one can see the same as drug addiction for a failling actress carreer where all low and deep can be by drug drag...

My Interpretation