Built to Spill - I Would Hurt A Fly
Two bearded white-guy bands in one week? I’m becoming one-dimensional. My propensity to ignore the results of past beard growing attempts in hope that, against all odds, my beard will come in full, thick, and glorious may have triggered my current beard-envy. Or maybe I never resolved that freudianesque beard-envy stage where I resented my bearded father who I feared would later shave my beard away if given the opportunity. Probably not. Beard digression aside, it’s most likely because Built to Spill is awesomely awesome.
I was led to indie legends Built to Spill when I heard Cage’s “Ballard of Worms”as a teenager. Cage’s song is classic Pre-Hell’s-Winter material: eerie, disturbing, and shocking. On the track he shares with us the tale of his drug-addicted lover’s last days in explicit detail. The beat behind his graphic lyrics samples Built to Spill’s “I Would Hurt A Fly” with the line “I can’t get that sound you make out of my head, I can’t even figure out what’s making it” as the chorus. The chorus haunted me and I looked high and low and everywhere in between to figure out where that sample came from. When I look for samples sometimes I find an artist who has a limited breadth of enjoyable work. With Built to Spill, I unexpectedly discovered an entire discography worth listening to. I was actualy going to post “Going Against Your Mind” but after finishing this post and realizing that it’s an almost nine minute song and my file is 13+ MB, I’ve had to make some edits. I decided to leave you with “I Would Hurt A Fly” since it’s probably hard to find a quality version of it anyway. I’m usually one to avoid conversations about a song’s meaning because, honestly, it’s in a persons nature to relate it to their own situation. Also because theres always that one guy who thinks it’s about drugs in one way or another. I think this song is pretty straightforward. I’ve always taken it to be Doug Martsch’s declaration to his girl and the world that even though he may seem like a push-over, he’s not going to take that shit anymore. Built to Spill, not taking that shit anymore since 1992. Enjoy.
I can’t get that sound you make out of my head
I can’t even figure out what’s making it
no one else around even seems to be noticing
it’s only small enough for meI can’t get that sound you make out of my head
I can’t even figure out what’s making it
it feels like fingernails across the moon
or do you rub your wings together
there’s a mean bone in my body
it’s connected to the problems that I won’t take for an answer
and I won’t take that from you
because I’d hurt a fly
let you go to sleep
feeling bad as me
let you go to sleep
feeling bad
there’s a mean bone in my body
it’s connected to the problems that I won’t take for an answer
and I won’t take that from you
because I’d hurt a fly
