Song Meaning
The lyrics paint a bizarre, almost apocalyptic scene where the narrators anticipate a grotesque end: being devoured by a monstrous rat. This violent, absurd demise is framed as a desired outcome, a place "exactly where we want to be." The image of their remains, teeth still embedded in bone, being discovered centuries later and "invad[ing] your homes" suggests a lingering, unsettling presence, a defiance of finality.
This grim fantasy directly fuels the central refrain: "We're sick of modern art." The contrast between the visceral, almost primal imagery of death and decay and the abstract, perhaps sterile, concept of modern art creates a palpable tension. It seems the narrators find the contemporary artistic landscape unsatisfying, perhaps even offensive, to the point of wishing for a more tangible, albeit horrifying, end.
The lyrics present a collage of fragmented, jarring images: a "broken television set," a "car crash cat crash company," and an "armchair maniac." These phrases evoke a sense of societal breakdown, media saturation, and detached, perhaps dangerous, individuals. The repetition of "car crash company" and the final "car crash company/erotic photo still" links these disparate elements, suggesting a chaotic, perhaps voyeuristic, modern existence that the narrators find unbearable.
The effectiveness of these lyrics lies in their audacious blend of the horrific and the mundane, the specific and the abstract. The extreme, almost cartoonish threat of the giant rat and the stark declaration of being "sick of modern art" combine to create a unique, disorienting emotional impact. It’s this unexpected juxtaposition that makes the narrator’s profound dissatisfaction with their present reality so striking and memorable.