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Eels — Bus Stop Boxer
Album: Souljacker
Avg rating:
7.2

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1126









Released: 2001
Length: 3:34
Plays (last 30 days): 0
I don't miss where I came from
But each night, I dream about being back home
When I wake up in the morning
I'm too tired, too tired of being alone
So I get up and go downtown
And pick me out a little piece of ground where I
Can prove something to the world
I can prove something to the world

Don't look at me
I'm the bus stop boxer
Don't look at me
I'm the bus stop boxer

Daddy put us in the truck and dropped us off and said good luck
One lucky kid waiting for the bus
Made a winner out of one of us

Don't look at me
I'm the bus stop boxer
Don't look at me
I'm the bus stop boxer

Goin' down by the railroadtracks where
People know they'd better not relax
I'm the man, baby, I am the man
This is where I can make you understand
I'm the bus stop boxer

Don't look at me
I'm the bus stop boxer
Don't look at me
Comments (69)add comment
everytime i see this album cover ithink - is he stealing that dog? 
I´ve got this album on vinyl! My new Thorens Phono Player combined with my 90´ies Denon amplifier has a warm an fat sound. E would say "It´s a bummer" as he sometimes does an stage! Great Album by the way.
I met E at an easter party where I also happened to meet Wim Wenders. Both wonderful guys…
dam I like me some eels.
One of the most stunning songs ever, and still a rocking gem when it comes along. Crank it! Forever reminds me of seeing E and his band at Shibuya's Club Quattro, and the mama-sans at Mother's in Shimo-kitazawa who were always eager to play this and other Eels records whenever I showed up to party...
Those were different times, jam ~~
2001-2011, Tokyo was like Heaven...
The entire Soul Jacker album is excellent. So is E's newest, Extreme Witchcraft.
I like the vibe, but man, that's a pretty irritating chorus.
The more I listen to the Eels the more I like them. RP intro'd me to this band and a lot of my favorite songs are now by the Eels. But the real question is:

Who was he boxing at the bust stop? 
let me get this right.
he punches bus stops?
 danoodles wrote:

I've only recently discovered The Eels. I now own all their material and have listened non-stop. I don't know how popular they were in their day but the more I listen, the more respect I have for the talent and amount of material put down in a relativity short time. 



I love this band. Lost my way with them a while back but picked it all up and loving the music again.  
I've only recently discovered The Eels. I now own all their material and have listened non-stop. I don't know how popular they were in their day but the more I listen, the more respect I have for the talent and amount of material put down in a relativity short time. 
What a great idea for a song... Love it!
I always thought this band was a little under rated back in the day
 Hogtownmike wrote:
Totally expected this to be Beck--even now, I am surprised that is not. 7 for me.
 

same experience, good 7+
 Hogtownmike wrote:
Totally expected this to be Beck--even now, I am surprised that is not. 7 for me.
 
Thing about Beck, every song is different. Thats why I love him. You can't tell it's him
Love this title !
(stolen from kcar's post on a different song)
Man fighting a bunch of other men in the street and WINNING.  
 Kaw wrote:
I think Eels invented hipster around 15 years ago. Good for him.
 

 
no, he's the bustop boxer!
I think Eels invented hipster around 15 years ago. Good for him.
 
 expertTexpert wrote:
That whole Eels "smart, disaffected, disgruntled" schtick is really annoying to me. This doesn't make me change my mind.
 
Not to mention that the whole hoarse, vocal fry bit. So unpleasant.


"I'm the Beck song mockster" 
Eel's Mark Oliver Everett's first full release was titled A Man Called E back in 1992. It would still fit it in fine on RP. I saw him open up for Tori Amos on her Little Earthquakes tour way back when. It's great whenever they pop up here. 
That whole Eels "smart, disaffected, disgruntled" schtick is really annoying to me. This doesn't make me change my mind.
 Hogtownmike wrote:
Totally expected this to be Beck--even now, I am surprised that is not. 7 for me.

 
Hh, I was expecting Peter Gabriel. 7 OK for me!
Totally expected this to be Beck--even now, I am surprised that is not. 7 for me.
 cormatic wrote:

Whats depressing about being a 'bus stop boxer' ?

 
Well, if one is boxing with an imaginary opponent at bus stops, one is likely both schizophrenic and homeless.  I would find that depressing.


 vanmas wrote:
I like the depressing atmosphere in their songs!
Please play more of them!
 
Whats depressing about being a 'bus stop boxer' ?
Songs that have no green font in the song comments should move to the top of the playlist and be marked with an asterisk as uncontaminated and safe to bother with.
Getting a Beck-vibe. I like it!
Yes!  I like to guess the artists of songs I'm hearing here for the first time - thought sure this one was Beck.
I like the depressing atmosphere in their songs!
Please play more of them!
 WonderLizard wrote:
For my money, along with Damon Gough and the late Elliott Smith, the most melodic songwriters of the last decade more or less.
 
me agrees
For my money, along with Damon Gough and the late Elliott Smith, the most melodic songwriters of the last decade more or less.
 fuh2 wrote:
Very interesting show.

Parallel Worlds, Parallel LivesPARALLEL WORLDS, PARALLEL LIVES SOUNDTRACK on iTunes HERE
 

Award-winning BBC documentary film about EELS leader and his father:
The BAFTA and RTS Award-winning BBC documentary PARALLEL WORLDS, PARALLEL LIVES follows the lead singer of US rock band EELS, MARK OLIVER EVERETT, on his journey of discovery across America to learn about the father he never knew, HUGH EVERETT III, the quantum physicist.

The film made its BBC premiere November 26, 2007 and has played several times since due to popular demand. The official U.S. premierwas at The Paley Center in New York City, May 29, 2008. The film was broadcast in America on PBS as part of the acclaimed NOVA series October 21, 2008.
 
That was an amazing show. I had no idea that Everett's ideas were so soundly rejected by the physics community. You could also really sense how much Mark Everett had been affected by living with and in the shadow of his father. At one point he mentioned that when he picked up his dead father's body, it was one of the few times that they had actually touched. 
Prolly my favorite Eels tune!{#Dancingbanana_2}
Getting a Beck-vibe. I like it!
 SchoepTone wrote:
The PBS show about E's scientist father was very cool.

  Very interesting show.

Parallel Worlds, Parallel LivesPARALLEL WORLDS, PARALLEL LIVES SOUNDTRACK on iTunes HERE
 

Award-winning BBC documentary film about EELS leader and his father:
Parallel Worlds Parallel Lives The BAFTA and RTS Award-winning BBC documentary PARALLEL WORLDS, PARALLEL LIVES follows the lead singer of US rock band EELS, MARK OLIVER EVERETT, on his journey of discovery across America to learn about the father he never knew, HUGH EVERETT III, the quantum physicist.

This year is the 50th anniversary of Hugh Everett's most important contribution to science - a controversial theory of quantum mechanics that predicts the existence of PARALLEL UNIVERSES, one of the most fantastic scientific predictions ever to have been conceived.

Hugh wrote the theory as a young Ph.D. student at Princeton University, but for 20 years it remained largely ignored by the scientific community. Faced with derision and rejection Everett abandoned academia and forged a career in the American defense industry. It was only at the end of his life, that his visionary work began to be taken seriously.

Hugh died of a heart attack in his home in 1982 where his body was found by 19 year old son Mark. Even though they had lived in the same house, the two of them were alienated and Mark knew nothing about his father's work: "My father never, ever said anything to me about his theories. I was in the same house with him for at least 18 years but he was a total stranger to me. He was in his own parallel universe. He was a physical presence, like the furniture, sitting there jotting down crazy notations at the dining room table night after night. I think he was deeply disappointed that he knew he was a genius but the rest of the world didn't know it," - Mark Oliver Everett.

In this intelligent and imaginative film, the wry and charismatic Mark takes a journey back into his father's life, meeting his old college pals, family friends and colleagues and takes a crash course in the weird world of quantum mechanics in order to understand his father's mind blowing theory.
(BBC)

************************

The film made its BBC premiere November 26, 2007 and has played several times since due to popular demand. The official U.S. premiere was at The Paley Center in New York City, May 29, 2008. The film was broadcast in America on PBS as part of the acclaimed NOVA series October 21, 2008.

Anything by E rocks. He is one of the truly great contemporary artists.
The PBS show about E's scientist father was very cool.

coloradojohn wrote:
Cool song from a cool, cool group. I agree with the posts that advise seeing Mr. E and Co. live — they will rock yer socks off. I saw them do Club Quattro at Shibuya here a few years back, and they did so many encores they finally did a cover — a version of ZZ's La Grange that blew the orig away!

The original being "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum? {#Lol}
I like this song so much... Several times I played this almost the whole night, on repeat Also, check "World of S..t" from this album, if you already haven't... great album in general.
Always enjoy hearing some Eels
Digging it.
Cool song from a cool, cool group. I agree with the posts that advise seeing Mr. E and Co. live -- they will rock yer socks off. I saw them do Club Quattro at Shibuya here a few years back, and they did so many encores they finally did a cover -- a version of ZZ's La Grange that blew the orig away! They rocked this place like an 8.8 quake! I agree also that E and Beck's voices sometimes could be totally interchangeable. They have a similar underbite delivery or something...and they're both moody, brooding smarty-pantses, ain't they? They can really pull out and put down priceless lines, too, can't they? Love 'em -- and love RP for playin' 'em!
celadonstone wrote:
The guy on the cover looks like the inspiration for the Unabomber's look.
"Don't look at me I'm the busstop bomber"(and beastiologist)
OldFrenchie wrote:
He's molesting it. You can totally see it in the dog's expression.
The guy on the cover looks like the inspiration for the Unabomber's look.
Darkmatter wrote:
I like the dude on the cover. Wonder where he is going with that dog of his?
He's molesting it. You can totally see it in the dog's expression.
I like the dude on the cover. Wonder where he is going with that dog of his?
I really like the version of this on the Live at Town Hall album too.
rah wrote:
don't know if i think it's too much, but there was a very long time when i thought this was Beck.
You mean, this isn't Beck?
i just saw them for the first time last week and they were amazing. they totally brought a rock show and retooled all their songs, even this one to fit it. it was awesome. if you can go see them live.
SchoepTone wrote:
Is this song cool or what?
Kind of whatish, but not totally what.
Xeric wrote:
Much much too Beckish.
don't know if i think it's too much, but there was a very long time when i thought this was Beck.
Much much too Beckish.
Is this song cool or what?
I just took my first boxing lesson... downtown Houston... crusty old boxing gym... got home sweaty... popped on RP... laughed.
I was surprised to see so much favorable response to this one - I'll stay open-minded then, but first listen says "3" - ho hum.
All their albums are excellent or better, if that's possible. I personally like Beautiful Freak, but hey, whats a few quid, get em all, he hasn't made that many.
qosforever wrote:
"Souljacker" is a very, very good album. Definitely...
Yes it is.
\"Souljacker\" is a very, very good album. Definitely...
Is this whole album really this good?? Wow!
The Eels are one of my favorite bands and I\'m very glad, that I have found a great radio station that plays them!
Nice to see the eels are making a comeback! *kidding*