The Might Come Back Club

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a surreal, almost apocalyptic scene where a group called "The Might Come Back Club" seems to be preparing for some kind of return or reckoning. It opens with a call to shed old selves, "collect your cobwebs" and "saw off your antlers," suggesting a shedding of past identities or burdens. This is set against a backdrop of encroaching strangeness, with "the strangest vine growth" threatening to "entangle all we see," hinting at an overwhelming, perhaps unwelcome, future. The central tension arises from the "devastating news-hype" delivered through "secret hymns," and the club's "rites of recall" etched "on the bones of these limbs." This suggests a deep, almost visceral preparation for something significant, possibly a return to power or a reassertion of identity. The narrator seems to be observing this with a mix of detachment and morbid curiosity, urging someone to "open your kimono" and reveal the true motivations behind the fervor. The imagery of "fanatics follow the freedom of fandom" and "hitting straw men with plastic swords" highlights a sense of performative conflict and delusion. The "grieving uncle" on the rooftop chanting for a "flying chariot brigade" adds a layer of absurd desperation, a plea for external intervention that, surprisingly, seems to be answered with "horses." This surreal event underscores the unpredictable nature of whatever is unfolding, leaving the question "Who's in charge?" hanging. Ultimately, the lyrics capture a feeling of being caught in a bizarre, unfolding event where established order is dissolving. The "might come back club's rules of order" are vague, demanding action – "this case we must row" – even without clear direction. The repeated, urgent "Row!" at the end emphasizes a forced participation in a chaotic, uncertain future, driven by a club whose purpose is as mysterious as the events it seems to orchestrate.