Scientist Studies Lyrics
There's got to be a simpler explanation
Because I scrimped and I saved
Just to find that they've been splicing my inventions
Cold skin and bones and this latitude
We ain't paying until the heat comes through
So you slept in a stocking cap and wool scarf
Upon your shoulders constantly
But don't forget to entertain
Because this is your first defense
I may have got an invitation, but I wasn't invited
But I thought that this meant something more
Than broken hearts and new addictions
We'll leave our sins within the carpet twine
Our bodies will dissolve the chemicals in due time
Upon your shoulders constantly
But don't forget to entertain
Because this is your first defense
Piecing together the title of the song as well as the lyrics, I think the song is about gibbard's first year at college. If you take the lyrics very literally, the first stanza is him being pissed off about how cold the attic is. He's paying his rent in full, he's asked for heat from the landlord, and they just won't fix it. His only explanation is there's ghosts in the walls. (like the myth of cold spells when ghosts are nearby). So after they fuck up trying to fix the heat, they lay the smack down and say hey, i'm not payin rent til that heat is fixed.. i'd rather sleep in a damn winter coat.
The chorus is simply about him playing shows to make money to pay rent, and how entertaining people at shows is his best way to come up with dough (first defense).
He decides college is more like prison, and enrolling is a "four-year offense" (like a sentence for a criminal) if you are devoted enough to stick it out and get a degree. His "invitation" was his admittance to the university, but he didn't really fit in and wasn't cut out for college (he knew he wasn't really invited.. he would never do well). So, like many people, he said fuck it and took up alcohol/drug habits and just played shows for money. The chemicals will pass through your system, but the spilt drinks will and throw up will be soaked up by the carpet. He thought college would get him success and a promising future, but failed relationships and pressing for rent led to binge drinking and what not (broken hearts and addictions).
In the end, college isn't for ben, and he's playing shows just to pay his rent.
a.) What a freakin' amazing song. The hooks are sick. And the baseline is addicting, almost Pinback, but less-mechanical and more melodic. b.) Granted I have no knowledge of Ben Gibbard's life, your interpretation seems pretty spot-on and makes me appreciate the song that much more. Thanks man.
a.) What a freakin' amazing song. The hooks are sick. And the baseline is addicting, almost Pinback, but less-mechanical and more melodic. b.) Granted I have no knowledge of Ben Gibbard's life, your interpretation seems pretty spot-on and makes me appreciate the song that much more. Thanks man.
@savestheday3785 I agree with most of you're interpretation mate,but i think with thw chorus " Promises of payments were upon your shoulders" is him telling his land lord that he can't make the payments but i promise to pay them . and with the "first defense" i think its referring to the land lords incompetence to provide proper accommodation and he is "entertaining" by bull shit stories people like that usually tell to distract from their slack work,
@savestheday3785 I agree with most of you're interpretation mate,but i think with thw chorus " Promises of payments were upon your shoulders" is him telling his land lord that he can't make the payments but i promise to pay them . and with the "first defense" i think its referring to the land lords incompetence to provide proper accommodation and he is "entertaining" by bull shit stories people like that usually tell to distract from their slack work,
when i really looked at the lyrics it reminded me of a college student living in a dorm for the first time...or an apartment...or someone's attic... somewhere they have to pay rent.
"what ghosts exist behind thses attic walls?" may mean like who has lived here before me?! what has happened here before me?! especially in a dorm.
the other lines could involve the type of dicomfort one may feel in a new situation like this.
i would say it is the first year of college because of the line "this is your first defense" and a four year collage because of the line "a four-year offense to the devoted type". there is something to do with the defense vs. offense aspect but i cant quite put it into words.
then the student is thinking...oh man i thought after highschool all the drama was over...hense the line "i thought that this meant something more than broken hearts and new addictions".
and there are open door parties that everone is invited to hense "i may have got an invitation but i wasn't invited." ...the open door = invitation, but not a real or personal one.
i donno for sure if this is even close but it is my take on the song. i would like to hear more opinions.
I also remember these feelings as though it happened yesterday. Been living in the dorms for six years and every room had it's own atmosphere, filled by previous generations of students living there. It's true, the first year in college is the hardest and it's always a defense. However the thing that I've learned is that college and dorms teach students live in a crowded place, where their voice is seldom heard. At the end, in most cases, young people would be able to live in a society of different people, better communicate, understand others and finally be able to...
I also remember these feelings as though it happened yesterday. Been living in the dorms for six years and every room had it's own atmosphere, filled by previous generations of students living there. It's true, the first year in college is the hardest and it's always a defense. However the thing that I've learned is that college and dorms teach students live in a crowded place, where their voice is seldom heard. At the end, in most cases, young people would be able to live in a society of different people, better communicate, understand others and finally be able to articulate their needs to others. At college, I also learned how to find people and companies online to do my homework for me. It was then that I found https://myassignmentlab.com/ which supported me up until the end. At college I also found my first and only love. Agree, days in college are hard, but there are also many cool things about it.
Wow. savestheday3785 pretty much nails it, and yet people continue to post their absurd interpretations...
This is currently my favorite DCFC song. I love the way it slowly builds. It leaves me with a dizzy sort of feeling afterwards. And you can't beat lines like "We'll leave our sins within the carpet twine. Our bodies will dissolve the chemicals in due time."
i interpreted the ghosts in the attic part to be an allusion to a soul residing within our heads??
calm down with the all caps x_awful_eifel_x, no one cares about what you have to say when you come off as extremely obnoxious.
i care
but i thought that this meant something more than broken hearts and new addictions - love that lyric. love this song also.
I wonder if the "I may have got an invitation but I wasn't invited" line is a reference to the story told in "company calls" and "company calls epilogue"
TEHTOMATO IS SO RIGHT