Centro-Matic - What are Will's lyrics saying?

[Acuff-Rose]

Perhaps I'm showing my lack of intelligence here, but what the hell is Will Johnson talking about in his songs? I've been listening to the very fine Distance and Clime this morning and I'll be damned if I can figure out what WJ is saying in his lyrics. Science? Social Models? Any savvy Centro-Matic fans who can shed some light on this?

[Acuff-Rose]

I'm really feeling insecure here... anyone care to weigh in on this??

[Blaze]

Don't feel bad, I don't think anybody has any fucking idea. Not even Taney and he's from Denton.

[track11]

I see ya, just can't help!

[HighPlainsDrifter]

[melt]

I don't know what I lot of Will's songs are about, but I do know "Am I the Manager Or Am I Not" is about working at Whataburger. Only Will could write a totally kick-ass song about working at Whataburger.

[Sandusky]

I talked to Will after a solo show about 'Love You Just The Same'. I had this whole thing worked out where it was a concept album about a displaced space alien trapped on a lonely planet awaiting rescue, I had each song worked out from the opening 'Midshipman' (where he leaves his home) to 'All The Lightening Rods' (where he is abandoned on the foreign planet) to the final song (where the planet explodes killing him) but when I told Will about it he smiled but said it wasn't about that. So long story short, I have no fucking idea what he is going on about but I LOVE his songs, one of the few guys where I think the lyric takes second place to the melodies and mood. I think 'Distance & Chime' is all about weather and politics, but I'm probably totally wrong on that one too .

[3legcat]

wish'n i was standing near by for that conversation

[Acuff-Rose]

Whew!! What a relief... I thought I was the only one who was confused!

[T-Roze]

Yeah, I've found myself wondering what the hell he's talking about on a few occasions, but still love the music.

[Tuxedo T-shirt]

Yeah Will is one of those lyricists like Bob Pollard that, like, maybe he has a train of thought or maybe he's just thinking up cool shit to say.

Personally, I really like oblique lyrics. I like to come up with my own meanings.

[chogdog]

Yeah Will is one of those lyricists like Bob Pollard that, like, maybe he has a train of thought or maybe he's just thinking up cool shit to say.

Personally, I really like oblique lyrics. I like to come up with my own meanings.

I've always thought alot of Pollards lyrics were sort of stream of consciousness random rantings in a good way. But one of my friends said he was reading the that new GBV book and Pollard said Teenage FBI was about when back when he was a teacher and he used to get caught by the students picking his nose by the students. 'When you clean out the hive, does it make you want to drive.' So I figure behind every seemingly random Pollard lyrics there may actually be some intent and meaning. But who knows.

[Rowsdower]

Pollard's lyrics of stream of.... but they work on many levels for me.... not that the latter negates the former.

Not to pick out one ..... but "My Kind of Soldier".... works as both a "gay rights" song.... as a pro-military song..... as military bringing down gay-repressing (pseudo)theocratic regimes song for me..... happy times all around to my hearing ears. Maybe that's not what Bob intended but unfortunately he doesn't get to interpret what I hear.

[TANEYTOWN]

It's all about the joys of sexxing a women with Will & his words