Their members included Bill Goffrier (formerly of The Embarrassment), Steve Michener (formerly of Dumptruck and Volcano Suns), Gary Waleik (also formerly of Volcano Suns), and Jeff Oliphant (formerly of XS (Punk Rock)).
2. Big Dipper is a Chicago based queer rapper known for being awful
A Song to be Beautiful
Big Dipper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I guess he was a great humanitarian
The pigeons, they sit upon his head
And at the base of the statue is a sign that says:
For a song to be beautiful, the artist must be free
As many songs as could not reach the ear
As many ears that could not reach the song
And could not see itself all along
For a song to be beautiful, the artist must be free
The flags that they will plant in your backyard
The flags that they will plant inside your head
It doesn’t really matter when they’re blue
A reign of terror follows when they’re red
For a song to be beautiful, the artist must be free
In "A Song to be Beautiful," Big Dipper reflects on the importance of artistic freedom through a series of vivid and poignant images. The opening lyrics describe a statue of a man in a square, highlighting the impact of great humanitarian figures. However, the presence of pigeons sitting on the man's head creates a sense of irony and absurdity. This tension continues in the repeated chorus, which asserts that for a song to be beautiful, the artist must be free. This idea is further explored in the second verse, which highlights the many songs that have been unheard and the many people who have been unable to hear them. The line "an eye is but an I is but an eye and could not see itself all along" suggests that artistic expression is a way of seeing ourselves and the world around us.
The final verse shifts in tone to a warning, cautioning against the dangers of flag-waving nationalism. While blue flags may represent peace, red flags can signal a "reign of terror." Ultimately, the song advocates for the power of individual expression and the importance of allowing artists to speak their minds freely.
Overall, "A Song to be Beautiful" is a powerful ode to artistic freedom and a reminder of how important it is to protect this fundamental right.
Line by Line Meaning
There’s a statue of a man inside the square
In the square, there stands a statue of a man
I guess he was a great humanitarian
Assuming that he must have been an excellent person who worked for the well-being of others
The pigeons, they sit upon his head
Pigeons rest on the man's head
And at the base of the statue is a sign that says:
A sign underneath the statue reads:
For a song to be beautiful, the artist must be free
For music to be aesthetically pleasing, the artist needs to be unrestricted
As many songs as could not reach the ear
The number of songs that people never got to hear
As many ears that could not reach the song
The number of people who never got to hear music
An eye is but an I is but an eye
An eye is just a physical organ and represents an individual person
And could not see itself all along
Yet it cannot ascertain its own value or strength
The flags that they will plant in your backyard
The flags that they will fix in your backyard
The flags that they will plant inside your head
The flags they will embed in your mind
It doesn’t really matter when they’re blue
The color blue has little to no significance
A reign of terror follows when they’re red
However, a red flag indicates a period of violence and fear
For a song to be beautiful, the artist must be free
For music to be aesthetically pleasing, the artist needs to be unrestricted
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: GARY WALEIK, STEPHEN MICHENER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@francisdimenno
One of my favorite songs of all times.
@qpouvtmvoelxjtu458
I used to have this on a mixtape back when I was a young lad. Can someone please solve the lifelong mystery of what in the actual heck they're singing? I heard this hundreds of times but never found out what it actually takes for a song to be beautiful.
@fenway1967
"the artist must be free"
@CAKmusic
This was originally a Volcano Suns song
@diddlytube
Terror Train (basically original Suns Gary and Steve with Dave Donovan of Vitamin on drums before Peter Prescott joined and they settled on their new name) was actually the very first to play this. They broke out at least an embryonic version at Maverick's in Boston, Halloween night 1982. I think they only played under that name once, and I only remember because I was there, so I figured I'd pass along the factoid for posterity. Great song then, great song now.
@JoseLuisZapatero
I guess he was a great humanitarian