The Usher

Lyrics

The promise
They portioned to promise
They portioned to promise
Tale of “The Usher”
A. No violence
B. Ultimate sorryness
C. A mutual respect for all in the business
The reformation is coming-- (2)
It is coming fastly.
And:
D. An even cash flow - this cannot be under-rated
E. Cut down on rhythm machines and have more guitars and minidisks, etc.
F. Treat PR, security people, agents, etc. with the respect and, er, honour that they deserve
6. Enjoy film (3)

Notes

1. This song follows the short "Coach and Horses" on Reformation and is even shorter than the latter. Reformation reproduces an appropriately short quote from MES about the song:

He laughs. "I did an A-to-Z for some music magazine of how to be in a group. Things like A: count your money. B: do not mention The Fall in any shape or form." That laugh again. "It won't do you any good at all."

The list format of the lyrics is formally reminiscent of "Dr. Bucks' Letter," and in both form and content it even more closely resembles "Last Commands of Xyralothep via MES."

^

2. The album is of course called Reformation Post TLC, and contains a track called "Reformation!"

From Orlando:

The Reformation or Protestant Reformation, was a movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political opposition to the Roman Catholic church.

Fastly is another archaism, probably to shadow the original meaning of the word reformation, so we have two things going on in this piece - the modern reformation of the group and allusions to the past. Each serves to undermine the other, one to highlight the light-weightess of the modern, the other to highlight the absurd formalism of the archaic.

3. Nairng points out that this is what an usher might say, and adds "It also occurs to me that it's a sarcastic put-down for someone who makes you feel uncomfortable by watching you do something."

^

More Information

The Usher: Fall Tracks A-Z

The Story of the Fall: 2007

Comments (6)

1. nairng | 01/07/2015

Last line doesn't strike me as a non-sequitur...it refers back to the title; an usher might show you to your seat in a cinema and say it. It also occurs to me that it's a sarcastic put-down for someone who makes you feel uncomfortable by watching you do something.

2. bzfgt | 17/07/2015

Yeah, as advice it's kind of non sequitur but not, as you point out, completely; I wonder if I had forgotten the title of the song when I wrote that.

3. Orlando | 18/04/2019

Odd use of the archaism 'portioned.' Sounds like 19th Century jurisprudence parlance where you would would 'promise to portion' (promise to divide an asset in a will for example where you would divide between children) rather than portion to promise. It's quite amusing reversed as it makes no sense. It sounds like a coded way of saying 'they promised to share.'