Plethysmograph

Song Meaning

The lyrics for "Plethysmograph" immediately plunge into a disturbing scene of forced psychological manipulation. An "electronic ring" is used to monitor and control arousal, ostensibly as a form of "therapy." The tone is unsettling, mixing clinical language with crude, invasive imagery. It paints a vivid picture of coercive control over personal desire. At its core, the lyrics depict a brutal conflict between individual autonomy and institutional power. The repeated chant, "Yow! Yow! Yow! Don't trip the Plethysmograph," captures a desperate, primal struggle to resist involuntary physical reactions. This "therapy" isn't about healing; it's about suppressing natural responses through "aversion therapy" and shocking stimuli, creating a profound sense of violation and entrapment. The lyrics achieve their unsettling impact through a barrage of transgressive imagery, from "Clockwork Orange-style" conditioning to grotesque fantasies involving "rotting placentas" and "comely amputees." This culminates in a scathing indictment of hypocrisy: the "vice squad" wanting "child porn" and the "Attorney General Man" secretly using the same "electronic ring" on his "sinful thang." This reveals a world where those in power are just as, if not more, depraved than those they claim to "cure." Ultimately, the lyrics are effective in their chilling portrayal of a system that not only controls but also corrupts. The shift from resisting the "Plethysmograph" to "Praise the Plethysmograph" suggests a terrifying surrender or even a perverse embrace of the very mechanism of control and indulgence. It's a stark commentary on how power, surveillance, and suppressed desires can intertwine, leaving "Nothing is private any more" and blurring the lines between correction and exploitation.