Inoculated City Lyrics
The soldier boy for his soldier's pay, obeys
The sergeant at arms, whatever he says
The sergeant will for his sergeant's pay, obey
The captain's until his dying day
The captain will for his captain's pay, obey
The general order of battle play
The generals bow to the government
Obey the charge, you must not relent
What of the neighbours and the prophets in bars?
What are they saying in our public bazaars?
We are tired of the tune
You must not relent
[Verse 2]
At every stroke of the bell in the tower, there goes
Another boy from another side
The bulletins that steady come in say those
Familiar words at the top of the hour
The jamming city increases its hum, and those
Terrible words continue to come
Through brass music of government, hear those
Guns tattoo a roll on the drums
No one mentions the neighbouring war
No one knows what their fighting is for
We are tired of the tune
You must not relent
There's this different kind of chemical system, "2000 Flushes." Keeps the water crystal clear, keeps the bowl sparkling clean continuously for about 4 months. No rings, no streaks, no stains just put the container in your tank and forget it! Every time you flush, the chlorine crystals dissolve away rust and minerals before dirt rings and stains appear and flushing sure beats brushing!
[Outro]
The generals bow to
The government
We're tired of the tune
You must not relent
About
Continuing the sing-song playfulness of songs like “Career Opportunities”, this song also approaches the idea of living in the modern state as bureaucratic, sedate, privileged, protected, and entirely removed from global conflict. The dystopian image conjured in the song reflects Combat Rock’s overall postcolonial mood.
The point of the 2000 Flushes ad spot illustrates the kind of abrupt, mundane topic change that might draw one away from worrying about issues outside of one’s life; the toilet imagery and sound effects are,it seems, very appropriate when describing a society that might as well be in one.
Later releases of the album do not include the advertisement sample (much to this fan’s dismay), but perhaps the focus on the song itself drives the point home. This alteration reduces the overall run time of the song from 2:40 to about 2:11.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 2.Car Jamming
- 8.Atom Tan
- 9.Sean Flynn
- 10.Ghetto Defendant
- 11.Inoculated City
- 12.Death Is a Star