Oxymoron

(1)

Check that out you pep!
Mr. Moody's scruffed up you pep! Oh, yeah!
Mr. Moody's scruffed up scruffed up
You pep! you pep!
Oh yeah!
You pep!
Check that out scruffed up you pep!
Carefully you pep!
Carefully you pep!
Mr. Moody's scruffed up you pep!
Oh yeah you pep!
You pep! you pep! you pep!
Carefully carefully you pep!
Check that out
Mr. Moody's scruffed up you pep!
Oh yeah! You pep!
Carefully you pep! oh yeah you pep!
Oh yeah! carefully you pep!
You pep! carefully you pep!
Scruffed up you pep!
Oh yeah! you pep!
Check that out you pep!
You pep! check that out
Mr. Moody's lair Mr. Moody's lair Mr. Moody's lair
Oh yeah! Mr. moody's lair
You pep! you pep!
Mr. Moody's lair you pep!
Mr. moody's lair scruffed up you pep! you pep! you pep!

1. This scraggly cactus in the mini-desert at the end of The Light User Syndrome features that signiature phrase of rock and roll music, "Oh yeah," more times than it appears in the rest of the Fall's ouevre, or at least I think it does; someone has to do a Fall concordance one of these days. It also runs along on a Chuck Berry chug of the kind we don't hear much from the group. Brix's repeated shout of "You pep!" is borrowed from "He Pep!" earlier on the album, and may actually be a sample of the latter. "Mr. Moody" might be someone named Moody, or a nickname for someone who is moody, but I'm sure I don't know much about what these lyrics are trying to say.

The ever-helpful Danny has found the origins of the phrase "You Pep!":

From the book about Silvio Scionti by Jack Guerry: "Although Elio spoke no English, she taught him the old pep-rally chant: "Your pep! Your pep! You got it, now keep it, doggone it don't lose it!" - to be repeated indefinitely. Sixteen years later, Elio was still quoting that chant but in a shortened and comically pronounced version: "You pep! You pep! You got eet... dooon loose eet!" Also, top left p18, "Boy's Life" magazine, 1937: And the book, "Milton Brown and the founding of western swing", by Cary Ginell: "You haven't got the team That our school has! Your pep! Your pep! You've got it, now keep it! Dog-gone it, don't lose it! Your pep! Your pep! " Similar wording also in the books: "Hadacol Days" by Clyde Bolton; Hi-school Pep for Principals" by Daniel Ulysses Cochrane; Cheerleader Handbook by Carolyn Frances Bruce; Barefoot Boy, by Roy Suttie; Oh there's lots, just google "your pep! your pep!" in google book search.

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Oxymoron: Fall Tracks A-Z

The Story of the Fall: 1996