Aimee Mann – Charmer Lyrics
Uh, uh, uh
Uh, uh, uh
Uh, uh, uh
When you’re a charmer
the apples fall
and you’re quite the little collector
you got ‘em all
When you’re a charmer
people respond
they can’t see the hidden agenda
you got going on
But when you’re weak it’s the Holy Grail
you’re two for one, it’s a fire sale
and that’s a wall that you cannot scale
so you’re forced to burrow under
When you’re a charmer
the world applauds
they don’t know that secretly charmers
feel like they’re frauds
When you’re a charmer
you hate yourself
a victim of sideshow hypnosis
like everyone else
and then your thinking goes black and white
and you’re all hunger and appetite
this is a battle you cannot fight
no, you only can surrender
no, you only can surrender
Uh, uh, uh
Uh, uh, uh
Uh, uh, uh
Uh, uh, uh
Uh, uh, uh
Uh, uh, uh
[Lyrics to Charmer performed by Aimee Mann]
Thanks to user Rivercurrents for correcting the lyrics.
Special thanks to user Elijah Cross for the help.
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We the Ancients, who discovered Aimee in the Dawn of MTV in the previous century, have always loved her dark, offbeat music. From her first hit, “Voices Carry”, a song about domestic violence (DV as it is now know) long before DV was widely understood or acknowledged, see Charmer as the ironic nod to the hit singles the record companies always wanted, combined with Aimee lyrics, definitely NOT hit single material.
Take a look at this verse:
But when you’re weak it’s a Holy Grail
You’re two for one; it’s a fire sale
And that’s a wall that you cannot scale
So you’re forced to burrow under
Here you see the dark cryptic power of Aimee lyrics> “What the heck!”, you say. You may know about the Holy Grail from an Indiana Jones movie. But it gets even darker and even more cryptic:
You’re two for one; it’s a fire sale
And that’s a wall that you cannot scale
Double “what the heck!”. Two for one? Fire Sale? What the heck is she talking about!!!???
But the rest of the lyrics start with “When you’re a charmer,,,,”, except the last one. These are the pop lyrics, all too obvious. These are lyrics Aimee added so normal people can sing along, and ignore “The Holy Grail wall you cannot scale.” Nice beat, bleety synth… cool, man!!
Aimee’s songs used to be all about “The Holy Grail wall you cannot scale.”, so they were impenetrable! I mean, this is serious poetry! You have actually THINK! to understand these lyrics. As I write this, the summation of of 27 years of listening to Aimee (1985, Voices Carry, 2012 Charmer) I bow before the inpenetrability of “But when you’re weak it’s a Holy Grail.” Triple Huh? When you’re weak is a Holy Grail? I can’t even rephrase the line! I have no idea what she means! The obvious meaning is that weakness is NOT a Holy Grail. A Holy Grail is the ultimate positive goal! So the obvious line reads: when you’re strong, you have the Holy Grail!
So there you have it! Right in the middle of this boppy hit single song, Aimee has inserted opaque Aimee Lyrics! Brilliant! Now we Aimeeites can ponder this impenetrability as we would in, say, reading Emily Dickinson! Can Aimee mean that when you’re a charmer, you know you are a fraud, so you have a dark side that is relieved when you crash and burn? For example, most crimes are solved by the criminal turning themselves in or leaving large signs which say “arrest me!”
I haver been motivated to write this brief introduction to Aimee Lyrics by a long time of listening and enjoying the darkness along with the light. Go Aimee!
As it turns out, 27 years is how long I lived in Boston. I also met someone who knew you. She had a top 100 hit, but I can’t remember her name! Sigh. Thank you for all the fish.
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premiere Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 9:42 am
@Otavio Lima,
amazing! thank you
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Shameonme Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 11:15 am
@premiere,
Both Charmer and Disappear are about narcissists.
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BBees Reply:
November 17th, 2012 at 8:27 am
@Otavio Lima, Come on, no, the lyrics are literal, real, and cutting. The song is about the life of the charismatic, “charmers.” People meet a charismatic person and they think they have it all put together, are strong, and invulnerable. But just because someone can put on a good show doesn’t mean that they’re actually as self-confident as they seem.
People love to tear down a star. The “holy grail,” is that fictitious, unattainable artifact: a star showing a moment of weakness. The “fire sale,” also commonly read as “everything must go” is the bloodthirsty feast that masses make of a charismatic person when they break down.
The bulk of the lyrics is about the self-doubt and bravado that seemingly charming people experience and put forth. @Shameonme, it’s not about narcissists at all. The lyrics aren’t digging the subjects, they’re humanizing them. Think Stephen Fry, beloved, roundly well-thought-of, who sometimes drops off the radar and hides in his home for months at a time because he suffers from bipolar disorder.
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