The Lament Of Desmond R.G. Underwood-Fredrick IV

[Image: 'Squint' Front Cover]

Sections:

Lyrics

Ah, the news of my impending death
Came at a really bad time for me
Yeah, the news of my impending death
Any other day might have been okay

I was starting to track with my inner guide
I was getting in touch with my feminine side
But when the doctor starts whistling "Happy Trails"
Tends to take a bit of wind out of the old sails

Desi Ray, if I may be so blunt
Galahad, bag your agnostic front
Underwood, hire a good undertaker
Freddie, get ready to meet your maker

Ah, the news of my impending death
Came at a really bad time for me
I was far too young to depreciate
When they read me my expiration date

I'd built Iron Man stalls in the northern wild
I'd played Cabbage Patch dolls with my inner child
Now I'm getting sealed bids for a granite vault
And I'm pretty sure this is my parents' fault

Desi Ray, if I may be so blunt
Galahad, bag your agnostic front
Underwood, hire a good undertaker
Freddie, get ready to meet your maker

Ah, the news of my impending death
Came at a really bad time for me
When they cancel your breathing policy
Tends to steal a bit of the old joie de vivre

I'd just found the lost key to my mythic life
So I bravely shook free of my kids and wife
I had seminars booked as a second career
Until a still, small voice screamed loud and clear

Desi Ray, if I may be so blunt
Galahad, bag your agnostic front
Underwood, hire a good undertaker
Freddie, get ready to meet your maker

Desi Ray, if I may be so blunt
Galahad, bag your agnostic front
Underwood, hire a good undertaker
Freddie, get ready to meet your maker

Recorded Appearances

Albums

Promos

Bootlegs

About The Song

From Squintlets, "The Lament..." promotional Squint CD, 1993:

Yeah, the Lament is a song about a guy who has sort of spent all his time in various self-help movements trying to find his inner self, and then he finds out he's gonna die. And it's sorta like, "Wow, so I spent all this time trying to find myself and now I'm gonna die. I wonder if I made a big mistake here." And the chorus is like the voice of God coming back and reminding him, "Get ready, because this is it." Sort of a dialogue between a poor sap and God.

Ultimately a lot of these things just become replacements for God, and of course, they don't work. And so it's taking a little fun at those guys that beat on drums and take their shirts off in the woods. Sure, why not. I think they're idiots. [laughter]

From The Flying Chicken, The Monkey Temple, The Cotton Castle, Campus Life, March 1994:

A rather self-absorbed chap (with a very long name) just got word that it's his time to die. Now, before he puts on the pinewood pajamas, he's having second thoughts about all the time he's spent in various self-help movements trying to get in touch with his feelings. Reality keeps intruding in the chorus, courtesy of the still, small voice of God.

From Creation '94 Press Conference, Andrew D. Taylor, June 29th(?), 1994:

I think it was more directed to people who spend their who life trying to find theirselves and figure out what's going to make them happy.

This is no secret that we live in a very self-absorbed and self-obsessed society, and the way we treat our relationships and the way we treat our families all has to do with "how does this make me feel?" and "does this make me happy?" Psychotherapy and getting in touch with your feminine side, and all and on and on, and it just frankly makes me want to puke, I get so tired of it.

So I just wanted to take all that stuff and cram it into one song, that's what came out.

From Cornerstone 1994 Press Conference, The Phantom Tollbooth, July 2nd, 1994:

Audience: The four individuals on "The Lament" on Squint: "Gallahad" I'm assuming is Sir Gallahad from the Arthurian legend, "Freddy" is obviously Freddy Krueger--who are Desi Ray and Underwood?

Steve Taylor: Right, right, good question! Man, I hate to burst people's bubble on this one, but I guess I have to.

What happened was, there's a song on the Squint record called--I can't even remember the guy's name--"The Lament of Desmond R.G. Underwood-Fredrick IV." If you'll run with me here for a moment, go with me, I'm sitting, I'm writing this, and, uh...

[quietly to self] "Desi Ray if I may be so blunt, Gallahad bag your agnostic front..." [audience laughs]

I think what happened is I had to have--I sort of devised the chorus without knowing what this guy's name was, and I just had to have certain names that would have a certain number of syllables. [audience laughs] My question to you is, give me another male name that starts with a "G" with three syllables and I'll gladly go back and re-record it. But I couldn't figure out a "G" word with three syllables, so "Gallahad" is the only thing I could come up with.

Audience: "Gilligan."

Steve Taylor: Gilligan! [audience laughs] You guys are just a little too smart for your own good. But it also had to rhyme with, sort of, "agnostic." "Had-ag-," you know, a little near rhyme, I don't know. Anyway, unfortunately it was mainly nothing more than a device to try and fit in the right number of syllables, and, I know, it's bad. [audience laughs] Next time I'll try to do better.