Letter-Bomb

Lyrics printed in The Red Crayola Songbook zine, 1979

Lyrics

As an afterthought I'd like to add what it was I thought you said: I've been a fool (a fool), But, life has been cruel (so cruel), I'm sure that that's an explanation. I'm sure that that's an explanation. I'm sure that that's an explanation. You'll be a jewel in my clockwork mechanism.

'The problem of discourse' is problematic. I insist, in this respect, on being most emphatic. 'Oh yeah?', says he. 'Oh yeah!', says I. 'Says who?', says he. 'Says I!', says I. 'Says you?', says he. 'Says I!', says I. 'Says I!', says I. 'Says I!', says I. 'Says I!', says I. 'Says I!', says I.

The 'A' was short and fat as in: Manhattan. 'H' was very long and slender. 'N' is tender to architecture. But, a letter-bomb is an apt expression. A letter-bomb is an apt expression.

Chronology

• The music was used as the backing track to "Penny Capitalists" on Corrected Slogans
• Soldier-Talk

Retrospectives

Mayo Thompson, 1980

[...] "Letter-Bomb" is something else altogether. "A letter-bomb is an apt expression," without advocating terrorism, I mean, I personally, I think that — well, let's put it this way — that album is much about world powers arguing, struggling against each other. It's also as much about the internal struggles. Civil war, if you like. You know, the preludes to civil war. And the fact that... the obvious fact that in a pluralistic Western so-called democratic style of government, they're a consensus government, a utilitarian-based notion of government where you're talking about the greatest good for the greatest number and fuck the rest. You have these kinds of conflicts all the time, you have these tensions, and a lot of it came out of that sort of stuff. A lot of it is also ironic. "Letter-Bomb," you have that organ and very lush, you know, all those things against each other, those kinds of very lush sounds and very spritely sort of sound. And, you know, a letter, there's a... I can't remember all the lyrics, but I think there's a letter in it, there's a conversation in it. "Says you, says I, says..." you know, all that sort of stuff. I mean it's an attempt to express something that's got an argumentative sort of atmosphere to it. And to suggest that there might be conditions in which a certain kind of response is appropriate. Without really, without wanting to advocate anything... like tactics or anything like that. I'm not suggesting that people should send letter bombs to each other, you know, if they don't like each other, but, you know, you can write a letter to somebody and a word can, you know, can cut as deep as a knife, as they say.

Interpretations

• A-bomb (atom bomb), H-bomb (hydrogen bomb), N-bomb (nuclear bomb)