Tuesday, October 16, 2007

TMBG Mesopotamians


And now, for this musical interlude from They Might Be Giants (click picture).
(note the emotional support goat at the end)
[iTunes]

We've been driving around
From one end of this town to the other and back
But no one's ever seen us (No one's ever seen us)
Driving our Econoline van (And no one's ever heard of our band)
And no one's ever heard of our band

We're the Mesopotamians
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

Then they wouldn't understand a word we say
So we'll scratch it all down into the clay
Half believing there will sometime come a day
Someone gives a damn
Maybe when the concrete has crumbled to sand

We're the Mesopotamians
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

The Mesopotamish sun is beating down
And making cracks in the ground
But there's nowhere else to stand
In Mesopotamia (No one's ever seen us)
The kingdom where we secretly reign (And no one's ever heard of our band)
The land where we invisibly rule

As the Mesopotamians
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

This is my last stick of gum
I'm going to cut it up so everybody else gets some
Except for Ashurbanipal, who says my haircut makes me look like a Mohenjo-Daren

Hey, Ashurbanipal
I'm a Mesopotamian
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

We're the Mesopotamians
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

"Hey, man, I thought that you were dead
I thought you crashed your car"
"No, man, I've been right here this whole time playing bass guitar
For the Mesopotamians"

We're the Mesopotamians
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

We're the Mesopotamians
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

20 comments:

ClinkShrink said...

My favorite is still Your Brains by Jonathan Coulton.

Anonymous said...

So What's this got to do with psychiatry? I know, I know, it's our blog, we'll share if we want to!
You make me smile.

ClinkShrink said...

I'm in Miami eating lobster. Soon I'm going to go explore the shopping district until the conference starts.

Just thought I'd share that.

Sorry about the Red Sox. They were losing when I went to bed last night. If they ended up winning, congratulations.

Anonymous said...

You texted me from South Beach last night that you were eating lobster. How much lobster can one girl eat and why are you eating it for breakfast? The Red Sox are tanking.

Anonymous said...

hello from the south beach Apple store.

Anonymous said...

Did you spend a little too much time in that Mesopotamish sun? Go see a doctor.

Gerbil said...

1) I love TMBG.
2) I heard this on their podcast (and was amused by the musicological references to the Monkees).
3) Your podcast is cooler, and comes out more often.
4) But you three should really sing on your podcast. Perhaps "Birdhouse in Your Soul."

Anonymous said...

Ummm, thanks Gerbil. I am tonedeaf and shouldn't sing on anybody's anything.

Gerbil said...

Dinah, well, you'll obviously have to delegate to Roy and Clink :)

Roy said...

Gerbil,
I will not be singing. (Unless my fellow podcasters play a cruel trick on my and secretly record me while plugged in to iPod listening to TMBG or MSI or FZ or something.)

Say, I could swear I heard a new Jem song on the radio in the past 2 days. Don't find any mention of a new release. Anyone know anything about this?

NeoNurseChic said...

I'll guest sing on your podcast! haha....

Seriously, I have the music printed out for "Walk Like an Egyptian" (printed it out back when Roy made the post about it...), and still plan to learn how to play and sing it with the words Roy made up for Walk Like a Psychiatrist. Too funny!

Always happy to guest sing/play piano/etc!

Carrie :)

DrivingMissMolly said...

Roy,

Rhapsody didn't have any new stuff from Jem.

Have you listened to her version of "Maybe I'm Amazed" ?? It's on "The O.C. V. 2" CD.

Lily

DrivingMissMolly said...

OMG Clink!

That song is hilarious!

Here's the lyrics

"Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton

Heya Tom, it’s Bob from the office down the hall
Good to see you buddy, how’ve you been?
Thing have been OK for me except that I’m a zombie now
I really wish you’d let us in
I think I speak for all of us when I say I understand
Why you folks might hesitate to submit to our demand
But here’s an FYI: you’re all gonna die screaming

All we want to do is eat your brains
We’re not unreasonable, I mean, no one’s gonna eat your eyes
All we want to do is eat your brains
We’re at an impasse here, maybe we should compromise:
If you open up the doors
We’ll all come inside and eat your brains

I don’t want to nitpick, Tom, but is this really your plan?
To spend your whole life locked inside a mall?
Maybe that’s OK for now but someday you’ll be out of food and guns
And then you’ll have to make the call
I’m not surprised to see you haven’t thought it through enough
You never had the head for all that bigger picture stuff
But Tom, that’s what I do, and I plan on eating you slowly

All we want to do is eat your brains
We’re not unreasonable, I mean, no one’s gonna eat your eyes
All we want to do is eat your brains
We’re at an impasse here, maybe we should compromise:
If you open up the doors
We’ll all come inside and eat your brains

I’d like to help you Tom, in any way I can
I sure appreciate the way you’re working with me
I’m not a monster Tom, well, technically I am
I guess I am

I’ve got another meeting Tom, maybe we could wrap it up
I know we’ll get to common ground somehow
Meanwhile I’ll report back to my colleagues who were chewing on the doors
I guess we’ll table this for now
I’m glad to see you take constructive criticism well
Thank you for your time I know we’re all busy as hell
And we’ll put this thing to bed
When I bash your head open

All we want to do is eat your brains
We’re not unreasonable, I mean, no one’s gonna eat your eyes
All we want to do is eat your brains
We’re at an impasse here, maybe we should compromise:
If you open up the doors
We’ll all come inside and eat your brains

Lily

Gerbil said...

I'll sing on your podcast! Mrs. Gerbil and I even have an album :)

DrivingMissMolly said...

Roy, you wrote;

"I will not be singing. (Unless my fellow podcasters play a cruel trick on my and secretly record me while plugged in to iPod listening to TMBG or MSI or FZ or something.)"

Clink and Dinah, that kind of sounds like an invitation to me...or maybe a dare.

Lily

Gerbil said...

Confidential to Dinah: I smell Dr. Phil Soundboard Revenge!

Sarebear said...

Yeah but that one might be more like Revenge on their Audience. Bring it On! (er, via being sneaky on Roy).

I want to hear Carrie singing on your podcast! Or playing piano, or both!

My current favorite song is by Michael Buble, called "Lost".

Here's the lyrics:

I can't believe it's over
I watched the whole thing fall
And I never saw the right man was on the wall
If I don't land
Days were slipping past
That the good things never last
That you were crying

Summer turned to winter
And the snow it turned to rain
And the rain turned into tears upon your face
I hardly recognized the girl you are today
And god I hope it's not too late
It's not too late
'Cause you are not alone
I'm always there with you
And we'll get lost together
Till the light comes pouring through
'Cause when you feel like you're done
And the darkness has won
Babe, you're not lost
When your worlds crashing down
And you can't bear to fall
I said, babe, you're not lost

Life can show no mercy
It can tear your soul apart
It can make you feel like you've gone crazy
But you're not
Things have seem to changed
There's one thing that's still the same
In my heart you have remained
And we can fly fly fly away

'Cause you are not alone
And I am there with you
And we'll get lost together
Till the light comes pouring through
'Cause when you feel like you're done
And the darkness has won
Babe, you're not lost
When the worlds crashing down
And you can not bear to crawl
I said, baby, you're not lost
I said, baby, you're not lost
I said, baby, you're not lost
I said, baby, you're not lost

Okay, it may be corny, but it's true. Plus, my husband holds my hand when it plays. Always a good thing. 8^D

Sarebear said...

Oh, and let's here Mr. & Mrs. Gerbil, too!

The world doesn't have enough singing rodents. ;^D

Gerbil said...

Sarebear: ah, but there is no Mr. Gerbil. No worries :D

Anonymous said...

Hamurabi is adorable!