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Lyrics to Battles – “Atlas”

Battles  07

Finally the year’s greatest lyrical mystery has been laid to rest. Chances are the nearest two year old had a better understanding of these words than your good self, so let’s set the record straight:

PEOPLE WONT BE PEOPLE WHEN THEY HEAR THIS SOUND
THAT’S BEEN GLOWING IN THE DARK AT THE EDGE OF TOWN
PEOPLE WONT BE PEOPLE, NO
THE PEOPLE WONT BE PEOPLE WHEN THEY HEAR THIS SOUND
WONT YOU SHOW ME WHAT BEGINS AT THE EDGE OF TOWN

THE SINGER IS A CROOK
THE SINGER IS A CROOK
THE SINGER IS A CROOK
THE SINGER IS A CROOK
THE KITCHEN IS THE COOK
THE SCISSORS ARE THE BARBERS
THE SINGER IS A CROOK
THE CHORUS, FULL OF ACTORS

*THE CHORUS DOESN’T MATTER (LAST VERSE)

From the bands myspace.


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View Comments (29) View Comments (29)
  1. wow!!

    i could have sworn he was singing ‘SING THIS HOOK’
    rather than ‘THE SINGER IS A CROOK’.,.,.,

    interesting pub trivia nonetheless,.,

  2. yeh it was inspired by all that german techno in general

    The crystallization of Battles’ sound was “Atlas,” the first single from “Mirrored” and one of the most startling rock songs of the year: big, brash, rhythmically irresistible and funny as hell. “That song sprang from an idea,” Williams explains. The band was listening to a lot of music from Kompakt Records, the influential German techno label. “There was a trend among DJs in the 1990s to do shuffle beats — they would take a classic ’70s rock beat, like Gary Glitter or Slade, and turn it into a 15-minute drone. It was oddly square, very German, but it had a groove, so we thought it would be cool to bring it full circle, take a techno version of a shuffle and return it to a rock format.”

    http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fm20070907a1.html

  3. yeh it was inspired by all that german techno in general

    The crystallization of Battles’ sound was “Atlas,” the first single from “Mirrored” and one of the most startling rock songs of the year: big, brash, rhythmically irresistible and funny as hell. “That song sprang from an idea,” Williams explains. The band was listening to a lot of music from Kompakt Records, the influential German techno label. “There was a trend among DJs in the 1990s to do shuffle beats — they would take a classic ’70s rock beat, like Gary Glitter or Slade, and turn it into a 15-minute drone. It was oddly square, very German, but it had a groove, so we thought it would be cool to bring it full circle, take a techno version of a shuffle and return it to a rock format.”

    http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fm20070907a1.html

  4. there are a slew of tunes with that schaffel beat, though they aren’t really as experimental or square as that quoted text suggests. Kompakt is more like camp or dramatic pop rather than square techno (of which I can think of better examples!), especially when in schaffel mode.

    there was a time around the 2003 or so when they were literally churning out these schaffel tracks and it became kind of boring and burnt out, though occasionally now you’ll hear a producer doing it.

    I’m trying to think of a sort of top 10 but my memory is failing me, Superpitcher in particular had a ton of schaffel tracks like this.

  5. there are a slew of tunes with that schaffel beat, though they aren’t really as experimental or square as that quoted text suggests. Kompakt is more like camp or dramatic pop rather than square techno (of which I can think of better examples!), especially when in schaffel mode.

    there was a time around the 2003 or so when they were literally churning out these schaffel tracks and it became kind of boring and burnt out, though occasionally now you’ll hear a producer doing it.

    I’m trying to think of a sort of top 10 but my memory is failing me, Superpitcher in particular had a ton of schaffel tracks like this.

  6. I always heard it as:

    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Teaching his book (all I know)
    Sisters and lovers (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    The chorus, full of actors

  7. I always heard it as:

    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Teaching his book (all I know)
    Sisters and lovers (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    The chorus, full of actors

    But I’m most likely wrong. It’s interesting to hear different interpretations of it though, and they all sound right.

  8. I always heard it as:

    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Teaching his book (all I know)
    Sisters and lovers (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    The chorus, full of actors

    But I’m most likely wrong. It’s interesting to hear different interpretations of it though, and they all sound right.

  9. I always heard it as:

    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Teaching his book (all I know)
    Sisters and lovers (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    The chorus, full of actors

  10. I always heard it as:

    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Teaching his book (all I know)
    Sisters and lovers (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    The chorus, full of actors

    But I’m most likely wrong. It’s interesting to hear different interpretations of it though, and they all sound right.

  11. I always heard it as:

    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    Teaching his book (all I know)
    Sisters and lovers (all I know)
    Sing this hook (all I know)
    The chorus, full of actors

    But I’m most likely wrong. It’s interesting to hear different interpretations of it though, and they all sound right.

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