# Can anyone explain the lyrics to Beck's Loser? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 15, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081 "2003-06-15T21:13:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/1 "2003-06-15T21:13:10Z")
I love the song, but everytime I hear it I wonder what the hell he is singing about. For example, here is a snippet of what I’m talking about: > [@](#): > > you get a parking violation and a maggot on your sleeve, > so shave your face with some mace in the dark, > saving all your food stamps for burning down the trailer park Can anyone make any sense of it? Here is a link to the entire lyrics: [http://www.lyricsdomain.com/lyrics/6166/](http://www.lyricsdomain.com/lyrics/6166/) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/2 "2003-06-15T21:14:50Z")
I think it’s meant to be kind of a surreal word-collage, not a story. You don’t hear stuff like this rapped very much. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/3 "2003-06-15T21:17:41Z")
Yeah you may be right. In a way the lyrics are what make the song so cool. It wouldn’t be the same if it was some lyrics about a girl or something. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/4 "2003-06-15T21:19:36Z")
Hmm maybe my follow up question should be: What the hell do you have to be smoking to write stuff like that? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/5 "2003-06-15T21:38:23Z")
I love the lyrics to this song, and this line in particular actually gives me a pretty clear image. The Loser is stumbling around in the dark, going to shave. They reach for the shaving cream, but grab a can of mace instead, and spray it on themselves. Hilarity ensues. I don’t know of anyone that actually sprays shaving cream directly onto their face instead of their hand first, but I’m willing to overlook this detail if my interpretation is right. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/6 "2003-06-15T23:01:26Z")
I second Marley23’s assessment. Beck’s songwriting reminds me of Dylan’s in this respect. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/7 "2003-06-16T00:57:48Z")
Beck did an episode of Futurama a while back. At one point while he’s trying to help Bender write a song he says, “it’s like the lyrics to Devil’s Haircut, I- wait, what’s that song about?” ---
**Author:** ![RahRahMah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/54ee81/32.png) [@RahRahMah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RahRahMah)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/8 "2003-06-16T01:29:04Z")
My favorite part is “beefcake panyhose”. Its just funny. [/retardation] ---
**Author:** ![Jello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@Jello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jello)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/9 "2003-06-16T02:24:43Z")
Driveby body pierce! ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/10 "2003-06-16T03:32:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hail Ants \* > \*\*Beck did an episode of Futurama a while back. At one point while he’s trying to help Bender write a song he says, “it’s like the lyrics to Devil’s Haircut, I- wait, what’s that song about?” \*\* Don’t forget the “Rhyming Beck-tionary”. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/11 "2003-06-16T07:07:40Z")
It was a parody about the whole grunge scene, so go figure. ---
**Author:** ![j\_kat\_251](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@j\_kat\_251](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_kat_251)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/12 "2003-06-16T12:44:27Z")
All of Beck’s lyrics are a montage of surreal imagery. It’s like Dali but for your stereo. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/13 "2003-06-16T14:08:07Z")
It’s just a collection of images of being a trailer park loser: - Dirtiness - Amateur automobile racing - Stupid ambitions - Food stamps - Smoking All just thrown together for a beat and some rhymes. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/14 "2003-06-16T14:30:55Z")
Isn’t this the song he wrote in a potential producer’s office in about 30 minutes to show him what he could do? No cite but I’d heard that somewhere. Point being it may have been more stream of consciousness rather than a thoughtful composition. Go crazy with the Cheese Whiz? Beauty. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/15 "2003-06-16T15:21:27Z")
Dammit, lieu! That cheese whiz part is my favorite line, and I was literally in here for no other reason than to work that into my post somehow. And you’ve stolen my thunder… And I never knew he was saying “drive-by body pierce”, so that made me laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-the-lyrics-to-becks-loser/182081/16 "2003-06-16T15:45:13Z")
My favorite part of that is the last mumbled line… “Know what I’m sayin’?” Man, that’s brilliant. Of course we have no damn idea but he asks anyway.