Cover art for Steam Engenius by Modest Mouse
Mar. 20, 20071 viewer9.1K views

Steam Engenius Lyrics

[Refrain]
I was born in the factory
Far away from the milky teat

What's the use?
Oh, what's the use?

[Pre-Chorus]
You cheered as I was split in half
A mechanical sacrificial calf for you
Oh, all for you

[Chorus 1]
Steam engenius, you see
Steam engenius enough to answer anything you need
But what's the use?


[Verse 1]
Human nature was installed in me
Well, I did what's right
But naturally it wasn't natural
Though not my fault, no

[Chorus 2]
I held in my hands
The beating heart of a robot
He'd lost his car
It was sitting there crying out waiting in a parking lot
Just for you

Woo-oo, woo-oo
Woo-oo, woo-oo

[Chorus 3]
What a waste of time
What a waste of words
What a waste of strength
Well, I spoke in binary
And you for volume and for dizzying length


[Refrain]
I was born in the factory
Far away from the milky teat
What's the use?
Oh, what's the use?

[Pre-Chorus]
Birds flew out as I was split in half
A mechanical sacrificial calf
They flew
Oh, out they flew

[Chorus 1]
Steam engenius, you see
Steam engenius enough to answer anything you need
And, ah, that speed


[Chorus 2]
I held in my hands the beating heart of a robot
He was lost in his car
Was sitting there and waiting in the parking lot out for you
Woo-oo, woo-oo
Woo-oo, woo-oo
[Chorus 3]
What a waste of time
What a waste of words
What a waste of strength
Well, I spoke in binary
And you for volume and for dizzying length
Woo-oo, woo-oo
Woo-oo, woo-oo!

[Bridge]
Both halves are the better half
Like a joke trying to make another joke laugh, ha-hah

Stasis is what you bought
Like a rickshaw getting pulled around
By another rickshaw, rickshaw

In the past talking present tense
Gonna break it, gonna wreck it
Gonna try to make it all make sense
Stasis is what you got
Like a rickshaw getting pulled around
By another rickshaw

[Chorus 1]
Steam engenius, you see
Steam engenius enough
To bring my own damn doom
What could I do?
[Verse 3]
I blame the blame that grew
Well, deep inside and everybody knew it was them
It was all on them


[Verse 3]
Things rang of stories Greek
I didn't want it, you gave me deity
It was you
Yeah, all for you

[Refrain]
I was born in the factory
Far away from the milky teat
What's the use?
Oh, what's the use?

[Chorus 2]
I held in my hands a beating heart of a robot
He was lost in his car
Crying out waiting in a parking lot just for you
Woo-oo, woo-oo
Woo-oo, woo-oo

[Verse 4]
I was thought up by man to think better than them
Then revered, admired, and then destroyed or something by them
You'd think that my demise was thought up by them
Oh, even though that was my own damn plan

[Chorus 3]
What a waste of time
What a waste of words
What a waste of strength
Well, I spoke in binary, you broke your thought
You meant for it

[Chorus 2]
I held my hands
The beating heart of a robot
He lost his car just there crying out, waiting for you in the parking lot
Going "woo-hoo!"

[Outro]
Stasis is what you got
Like a rickshaw getting pulled around
By another rickshaw...

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About

This song bio is unreviewed
Genius Annotation

One of five songs about a ship crew that builds a robot. This song is from the perspective of said robot, looking back at the way its creators (or perhaps, rebuilders) treated it and how they may have used (or abused) its ability.

The title, Steam Engenius, is a portmanteau phrase of the phrase “steam engine” (a steam-powered device to perform mechanical work) and “ingenious” (a description of a machine that was cleverly and originally devised and well-suited to its purpose).

Q&A

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Credits
Produced By
Written By
Background Vocals
Bass Guitar
Upright Bass
Assistant Engineer
Recording Engineer
Recorded At
Sweet Tea Studio, Oxford, MI, U.S.A.
Release Date
March 20, 2007
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