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Eels — Rags To Rags
Album: Beautiful Freak
Avg rating:
7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1639









Released: 1996
Length: 3:45
Plays (last 30 days): 1
There's a spider crawling
On the bathroom mirror
Right on top of my right eye
And I can't stop staring back
How did I get this way?
Take a big look at a living lie

Rags to rags and rust to rust
How do you stand when you've been crushed?
So rags to riches was a bust

Sometimes I dream about it
What it's like back home
The railroad tracks and the pussy willow
But I had to leave it
And I go back
Whenever my tired head hits the pillow

Rags to rags and rust to rust
How do you stand when you've been crushed
So rags to riches was a bust

Busted once again
But I'll show them one day
That I can buy and sell the world

And one day I'll come through
My American dream
But it won't mean a fuckin' thing

Rags to rags and rust to rust
How do you stand when you've been crushed?
So rags to rags and rust to rust
Don't let me go
Rags to rags and rust to rust
Don't let me go
Rags to rags and rust to rust
Don't let me go
Comments (127)add comment
 SchoepTone wrote:

Always love me some Eels. A great live act if you ever get the chance.




Among the best live acts.
Yes! Thanks for switching to the unedited version.
 Lazarus wrote:

Everybody in my churches loves this song...

this version of the song is edited for sanitized commercial radio...  the version on the original CD is different...  the original says—

And one day I'll come through my American dream.
But it won't mean a fucking thing.





Kudos to RP for making it right as I just heard the full unsanitized version!
 Sofa_King wrote:



That doesn't make fucking sense - in the Eels song 'Novocaine for the Soul' which is also regularly played here the swear word isn't censored in the verse:

Guess, who's living here
With the great undead
This paint by numbers life
Is fucking with my head, once again

Same band, one song is censored, one isn't. What the fuck.

It may simply depend on what version of a particular song was uploaded, though I don't know all the avenues RP has to get the songs they play.
I love that outrageous Cars-like guitar-jam in there! So glad I got to see E be E! Loved the documentary Parallel Worlds, too. Thanks, RP
 SquiddlyDiddly wrote:

Maybe it is because of the fucking swear words?




That doesn't make fucking sense - in the Eels song 'Novocaine for the Soul' which is also regularly played here the swear word isn't censored in the verse:

Guess, who's living here
With the great undead
This paint by numbers life
Is fucking with my head, once again

Same band, one song is censored, one isn't. What the fuck.
Always love me some Eels. A great live act if you ever get the chance.
 brian5 wrote:
Love it, but does it belong on mellow mix?
 
Mellow is by definition a relative state of being. I'm not listening the the Mellow Mix though.
Superb track but the Surgeon General has been let loose with the lyrical scalpel?
God, forgotten all about those guys. Thanks for the reminder, RP!
La pochette est vraiment belle
Aha eels.  I used to catch em and sell em for 2 shillings to an old man in the country near us in the early 1960s. He used to regularly spit on the floor (wooden) in the dining room and his wife would scold him. Gently.  Ah the good old days. Great track by the way
What's with spiders and eyes? Besides this, there's Cat Stevens' "Into White" with a spider dancing on his eye. 
 nutrod42 wrote:

Yeah, what's up with that?
 

Is it still the case that these tracks are ones uploaded by listeners and chosen for inclusion in the play list by Rebecca? Should we blame the listener or Rebecca? Would we have this if either had decided "should or shouldn't" and second guessed?  The choice might have been between the edited version vs nothing, right?
Love it, but does it belong on mellow mix?
haha yes Bill that is a strange album cover Why do little girls give the most horror effect? 😱
This is one great album
 AskAlice wrote:
Radio edit {#Grumpy}

 
Yeah, what's up with that?
 you can switch out you want?{#Bananajam}
DrLex wrote:

Indeed, quite disappointing…

 


 AskAlice wrote:
Radio edit {#Grumpy}

 
Indeed, quite disappointing…
Radio edit {#Grumpy}
 Lazarus wrote:

Everybody in my churches loves this song...

this version of the song is edited for sanitized commercial radio...  the version on the original CD is different...  the original says—

And one day I'll come through my American dream.
But it won't mean a fucking thing.



 
Yes, best line in the song - but at least there's a gap in there, where you can shout out "But it won't mean a fucking thing" 

Everybody in my churches loves this song...

this version of the song is edited for sanitized commercial radio...  the version on the original CD is different...  the original says—

And one day I'll come through my American dream.
But it won't mean a fucking thing.


Sounds R eel good
I concur, this is a great CD.
dig it
For the first couple of seconds, this sounds like Fleetwood Mac.  After that, not so much...
 GT66 wrote:
The censored version? Really?
 
Bill and Rebecca work with what they receive (no censorship on their part, from what I understand.) If someone has an uncensored version, submit it for consideration! I'm always up for having a profanity used so often that it loses its shock-value...


I'm ashamed I haven't heard this before now. Good stuff.
and one day i'll come through my american dream
but it won't mean a f-ing thing


Every time RP plays this I miss the profanity. It just adds to the song.
 GT66 wrote:
The censored version? Really?
 
Maybe it is because of the fucking swear words?

The censored version? Really?
Like this one but the album cover shot is a tad off-putting.

One of my all-time favorite tunes. 
7 {#Arrowu} 8

Eels Eels Eels Eels Eels Eels
Eels up inside ya
Finding an entrance where they can
Eels Eels Eels Eels Eels Eels

Eels

One of the Eels better tunes.{#Clap}
Love the Eels!!!! Not to bad for sushi as well.

I think it's great that his dad is a genius...and so is he in his own way!
 Excelsior wrote:
I've discovered better groups in the $1 bargain bin at used CD stores.
  

So, I guess that the fact that you've given a 1 to almost 25% of the songs you rate on RP means that you're not a "glass half full" kinda guy, huh?
I dislike when these types of comments always appear, but I think the vocalist sounds like the vocalist from Murder By Death. Interesting...

I've discovered better groups in the $1 bargain bin at used CD stores.
romeotuma wrote:

Lotsa good 90's tunes today...

I was just thinking the same thing...great set too!!

jesus and his lawyer are coming back
{#No}
hobiejoe wrote:
Absolutely. Though I'd rather the silence than be Bowdlerised to become '...a freakin thing'. I've said it before - if you're going to swear then bloody well do it properly.
Amen to that!
Chinju wrote:
I don't know why it irks me so, but I'd really like to see this replaced with a non-censored version ("but it don't mean... a fucking thing")
Then it's time for you or someone else with a decent uncensored copy to upload it.
I don't know why it irks me so, but I'd really like to see this replaced with a non-censored version ("but it don't mean... a fucking thing")
heh - he said
Great stuff! The album as a whole is a bit depressive, but very beautiful 9
superfido wrote:
Misunderstanding that is, sorry I'm an alien
beautiful freak, what a sublime tune, LOVE IT!
Misunderstanding that is, sorry I'm an alien
Ye! This is very much an missunderstanding of like the Jellyfish...90 ths
bcorcoran wrote:
They edited out an important line in this song. After they say "And it won't mean (pause)" "A f***in' thing."
Not cool! Let the music play..... Did RP censor John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" too?
bcorcoran wrote:
They edited out an important line in this song. After they say "And it won't mean (pause)" "A f***in' thing."
Ha! I missed that line too! Is this a special radio(paradise)-version?
Dopefinger wrote:
This album gets better as the years go by. A blissful melancholic coma of sound, perfect for the rainy days of your life.
I second that. Although admittedly quite dark, it's difficult for me to imagine burning out on this album (unlike much of what I listened to in the 90's...)
vladbad wrote:
Bellissima canzone, come tutto l'album del resto. V.
You like calzones? Me too! Been an e fan since the beginning...love me the eels as well. Quite likeable, esp. with that fuzzy guitar.
djinnthespazz wrote:
Anybody else hear 'Tusk' at the beginning of this song?
Damn straight until the guitar starts.
They edited out an important line in this song. After they say "And it won't mean (pause)" "A f***in' thing."
Ah, college memories. Just happens that today in Austin is rainy and gray - perfect for this album.
djinnthespazz wrote:
Anybody else hear 'Tusk' at the beginning of this song?
um-wow! NOPE!!! Given the opening lines, might be interesting to follow w/BORIS THE SPIDER; just 'cause it ha spider in the lyrics
djinnthespazz wrote:
Anybody else hear 'Tusk' at the beginning of this song?
When the guitar riff kicks in, it sounds more like Midnight Oil
djinnthespazz wrote:
Anybody else hear 'Tusk' at the beginning of this song?
Absolutely.
Anybody else hear 'Tusk' at the beginning of this song?
This album gets better as the years go by. A blissful melancholic coma of sound, perfect for the rainy days of your life.
DrLex wrote:
Aaahhh... censored lyrics... sudden vacuum in the music... my ears, it hurts!
Absolutely. Though I'd rather the silence than be Bowdlerised to become '...a freakin thing'. I've said it before - if you're going to swear then bloody well do it properly.
meloman wrote:
I hear it, too. I think there's another song on this album that's very similar. Evidently not enough originality to fill an entire CD. Or maybe it's another CD of theirs. Who knows? Who cares? Another band that'll be forgotten in ten years.
it's already been 10 years. i think they'd be doing pretty well to have a fanbase for 20 years!
Bellissima canzone, come tutto l'album del resto. V.
jlind wrote:
Why do these chords sound so familar?
I hear it, too. I think there's another song on this album that's very similar. Evidently not enough originality to fill an entire CD. Or maybe it's another CD of theirs. Who knows? Who cares? Another band that'll be forgotten in ten years.
there are like 5 tracks on this album that make me go "oh, this one is my favorite" this is one of them.
yeah, i'm diggin' it
can take it or leave it,but its ok!! good lyrics but still has too much of the generic grunge sound.
If anyone thinks this reminds them of something, you may have heard the Eels before...they do a song on the Shrek soundtrack. They have a distinctive sound.
Gotta love this tune...and the ablum. Perfectly formed in every way. This guy can really write tunes and lyrics that really pull you in. I love the poppy-ness of it, tinged with a dark sarcastic edge...This was the soundtrack to my life 13-16. Many thanks for playing it.
Why do these chords sound so familar?
Aaahhh... censored lyrics... sudden vacuum in the music... my ears, it hurts!
thewiseking wrote:
gotta love the eels, but that album cover is gonna give me nightmares
When I first saw it, I thought there's my next RP av. And so it shall be.
I'm terribly sorry but I just think this dirge supports the point of view of those who believe that US society needs help.
From discussion I have heard on similar songs with *bleeps* or 'dead air' I have the impression Bill is bound only by the version that may have been uploaded. I also have the impression Bill would just as soon have the non-edited version of songs. Dunno 4 sho. KevinM wrote:
I've heard this on RP now a couple dozen times and I just noticed that.
.. a fuckin' thing.
bajafisher wrote:
Yeahhhh, were gonna need you to move your bandwith down to the basement. and leave the swingline stapler!!
But I didn't get any cake ...
Lostfreight wrote:
I've seen the Eels twice live. "E" himself is an amazing, quirky, idiosyncratic performer who just writes great music. I've have most of his albums, but never could bring myself to buy this one. I have to agree with others: the cover is just too creepy.
One of his most accesable albums though...
I've seen the Eels twice live. "E" himself is an amazing, quirky, idiosyncratic performer who just writes great music. I've have most of his albums, but never could bring myself to buy this one. I have to agree with others: the cover is just too creepy.
softjeans wrote:
Amen. I like the band, but I don't think I could buy that record.
You have no idea what you're missing.
Correct me if I am wrong, but this sounds like a censored version. I own this album, and E sings distinctly 'it doesn't mean a fucking thing' in one of the verses. In this version I heard a rather clumsy edit that supressed the last three words of the verse. Not that I am particularly fond of the 'F' word, but I think that this kind of 'edited radio versions' are demeaning to the artist's work. You can either like the song or not, but playing an edited version for mass consumption is not in the line of what I expect from RP.
thewiseking wrote:
gotta love the eels, but that album cover is gonna give me nightmares
Amen. I like the band, but I don't think I could buy that record.
The Eels are COOL!
biafra77 wrote:
OH MY GOOOAD ! ! ! that's it. i will never ever ... .... goodbye
I think this guy is talking about the wrong song and probably also the wrong band. This song is excellent, as is the entire album.
gotta love the eels, but that album cover is gonna give me nightmares
bajafisher wrote:
Yeahhhh, were gonna need you to move your bandwith down to the basement. and leave the swingline stapler!!
stevebeaver wrote:
You're a dope.
i think he's ON dope. some good stuff. meanwhile, i'm still trying and wanting to like the eels, but i'm not there yet. .................. ..................
biafra77 wrote:
OH MY GOOOAD ! ! ! that's it. i will never ever listen to Radio Paradise again. i cannot believe you played this...this...i don't know what to call it. you did it on purpose i know, just to get rid of me consuming your bandwidth. well you succeeded. this...corporate music industry degenerate embodyment of capitalistic manipulative social engineering project that represents everything that is evil in music today...can't believe you played it after you played The Clash, Ani DiFranco, Police, J.J.Cale, Morcheeba, Santana, Costello,... it's against everything you stand for... IT IS TERRIBLE ! goodbye
Yeahhhh, were gonna need you to move your bandwith down to the basement. and leave the swingline stapler!!
biafra77 wrote:
OH MY GOOOAD ! ! ! that's it. i will never ever listen to Radio Paradise again. i cannot believe you played this...this...i don't know what to call it. you did it on purpose i know, just to get rid of me consuming your bandwidth. well you succeeded. this...corporate music industry degenerate embodyment of capitalistic manipulative social engineering project that represents everything that is evil in music today...can't believe you played it after you played The Clash, Ani DiFranco, Police, J.J.Cale, Morcheeba, Santana, Costello,... it's against everything you stand for... IT IS TERRIBLE ! goodbye
I fully support your choice. Now, can I have your bandwidth?
biafra77 wrote:
OH MY GOOOAD ! ! ! that's it. i will never ever listen to Radio Paradise again. i cannot believe you played this...this...i don't know what to call it. you did it on purpose i know, just to get rid of me consuming your bandwidth. well you succeeded. this...corporate music industry degenerate embodyment of capitalistic manipulative social engineering project that represents everything that is evil in music today...can't believe you played it after you played The Clash, Ani DiFranco, Police, J.J.Cale, Morcheeba, Santana, Costello,... it's against everything you stand for... IT IS TERRIBLE ! goodbye
You're a dope.
WonderLizard wrote:
Everett's first discs, "A Man Called (E)" and "Broken Toy Shop" (highly recommended) came out in 1992 and '93 respectively. Beck's "Mellow Gold" in '94. Theft is such a pejorative term--let's say it was in the air. They and Damon "Badly Drawn Boy" Gough are the reigning kings of one-guy-alone-in-the-studio. I don't think any of them has penned a bad note...
E lived in Beck's old house for a while. Beck left a piano in there and E was determind to write a song using it and put it on his album. It's on DAiSIES OF THE GALAXY I don't have my copy handy so I don't remember the title but it's the one that goes "Litte field mouse living under the house..." I read this a while ago on the eels web site, or maybe in the liner notes, or maybe in a dream.
MsfStl wrote:
(click here) There you go. I too got turned onto the Eels here at RP. I can't ever figure out if the sound was stolen from Beck or vice versa. Either way I like it a lot! (pimp)
Everett's first discs, "A Man Called (E)" and "Broken Toy Shop" (highly recommended) came out in 1992 and '93 respectively. Beck's "Mellow Gold" in '94. Theft is such a pejorative term--let's say it was in the air. They and Damon "Badly Drawn Boy" Gough are the reigning kings of one-guy-alone-in-the-studio. I don't think any of them has penned a bad note...
I've been a fan of E since he debuted in '92, and have very much enjoyed following the Eels success and new sound. I definitely recommend his early stuff if you like them.
jbwiv wrote:
Hmm...dead air when he says "an f'ing thing"...is this a censored version?!? Surely RP wouldn't take part in that.
I've heard this on RP now a couple dozen times and I just noticed that.
Solid work from a solid band.
Oakjefferson wrote:
if you don't like the eels, you don't like music
if you don't like the Eels you don't like The Eels would be more like it. Personally I like the Eels
The Eels are all that!
if you don't like the eels, you don't like music
https://www.eelstheband.com/
catmaven wrote:
Me neither. Intriguing. They sound more rough-hewn than commercially slick, to me. A bit repetitive in the way that young fledgling bands like the Beatles tend to sound, but somehow I like the song anyhow. Would somebody please post a URL link to their history?? :D
(click here) There you go. I too got turned onto the Eels here at RP. I can't ever figure out if the sound was stolen from Beck or vice versa. Either way I like it a lot! (pimp)
Cool album... For more info on Eels follow the AMG link above...
bmarti wrote:
Very cool. Shows how hip I am -- I've never heard of these guys. doh!
Me neither. Intriguing. They sound more rough-hewn than commercially slick, to me. A bit repetitive in the way that young fledgling bands like the Beatles tend to sound, but somehow I like the song anyhow. Would somebody please post a URL link to their history?? :D
Originally Posted by ScottFromWyoming: Don't sweat it, Bill. I happened to be visiting in LA when this album was in the charts. It was in fact being shoved down their throats.
I am from the LA area and have been for quite some time and I NEVER heard of the Eels except on RP.
Originally Posted by biafra77: OH MY GOOOAD ! ! ! that's it. i will never ever listen to Radio Paradise again. i cannot believe you played this...this...i don't know what to call it. you did it on purpose i know, just to get rid of me consuming your bandwidth. well you succeeded. this...corporate music industry degenerate embodyment of capitalistic manipulative social engineering project that represents everything that is evil in music today...can't believe you played it after you played The Clash, Ani DiFranco, Police, J.J.Cale, Morcheeba, Santana, Costello,... it's against everything you stand for... IT IS TERRIBLE ! goodbye
Right. Okay. Seeya! P.S. Fill me in here--who is "GOOOAD"?
Hey, I really like this but what happened to \"...a fucking thing.\"
If you don't own this album...buy it. Marketing blitz or not, this is an absolute jewel in my collection. Just a spectacular album. Hmm...dead air when he says "an f'ing thing"...is this a censored version?!? Surely RP wouldn't take part in that.
Originally Posted by BillG: Hmmm... you may not like the Eels (somehow I get the impression that you don't) but this is a far cry from the soul-free crud pumped out by the corporate "star-maker machinery" (to quote Joni Mitchell). -bg
Don't sweat it, Bill. I happened to be visiting in LA when this album was in the charts. It was in fact being shoved down their throats. I think LA people get a raw deal sometimes. Instead of being allowed to "discover" talent on their own, they're told what's cool. The idea is that if LA buys into the act, then the rest of the nation will follow. Often this tactic backfires when independent thinkers refuse to buy or listen to an artist because the marketing leads them to believe the artist is inconsequential. The rapid burnout prevents these people from ever actually "hearing" the music. Then the act fizzles and has to go it alone, without significant "buzz". I personally have never heard Eels anywhere but LA and Radio Paradise. I also observed this phenomenon with Joan Osborne. I believe both these artists would have more widespread sales and respect if the marketing geniuses had not been so bombastic. Hm. Took me 3 songs to write that. Duh.
Just thought of another one man band that, to me, is making much stronger music - he\'s more current too - than Eels: Badly Drawn Boy. How about \"All Possibilities\", \"You Were Right\", \"Have You Fed The Fish?\", \"Silent Sigh\", \"Born Again\" among others? FWIW, BDB also garners greatly enthusiastic raves from the music critics.
Originally Posted by biafra77: this...corporate music industry degenerate embodyment of capitalistic manipulative social engineering project that represents everything that is evil in music today...can't believe you played it after you played The Clash, Ani DiFranco, Police, J.J.Cale, Morcheeba, Santana, Costello,...
Hmmm... you may not like the Eels (somehow I get the impression that you don't) but this is a far cry from the soul-free crud pumped out by the corporate "star-maker machinery" (to quote Joni Mitchell). -bg
Whenever I hear Eels, it makes wish instead to hear World Party, another (and, to me, better) one-man band.
oh thank you thank you thank you....definitely more more more eels please!!