"Fluicide" by Moke

After sharing yet another dream with all of you, I wanted to deconstruct the song that was playing like a soundtrack in the dream. As I mentioned in the blog "You'll always be alone because that's all you know", a song by the band "Moke" called "Fluicide" was playing.

When I woke up this morning and thought about the dream, I couldn't help but sing this song to myself. It's one of my more favorite tracks by Moke. It starts out soft and dreamy at first. Then, towards the end, it kicks in with some great rock that really enhances the song even more.

I found it interesting that of all the songs running through my mind on a regular basis, THIS song is the one that played out with the dream. Right now as I write this, I have "Fluicide" by Moke playing on repeat here in my iTunes. I've listened to it about 10 times already.

I don't get tired of hearing it and as I listen closer to the lyrics, I can see why this song was playing in the dream. It's perfectly fitting. However, there were certain parts of the song I wasn't quite understanding so I searched for the lyrics online. Let me share them with you:

Fluicide - by Moke

These are the days of the ways
that will hound me and surround me once again

I am afraid
I am sociable, insatiable, I'm servile in a way
You are my friend
You believe in me and follow me
And love me 'til the end

I know, I know, it's hard to see
I'm loathe to show this side of me

These are the days of the ways
That will hound me and surround me once again

I played a game, made my move, I couldn't lose
But all the pieces were the same
You offered me something suitably surreal
You had the feel, I had 'the name'

I know, I know, I'm getting old
I'm worried that you'll over-throw

My system is at risk of being
Over-egoed, over-rated
Sentiments and complimentary
Mentions are so complicated

These are the days
Of the ways
That will hound me and surround me
Once again.

Chorus (4x)

Fluicidal hyperventor
East of easy E's a mental blockade
I am paid in full, paid in silver
Please don't tamper with my temper
Simply tell me if I'm meant to
Ease the journey
Maybe I could take you with me

The thing I don't truly understand is the title. "Fluicide" is not a word in any dictionary. However, "fluid" is a word that we all know. Interestingly enough, it's the definition of "fluid" that caught my attention, which is:

flu·id [floo-id] –noun

1. a substance, as a liquid or gas, that is capable of flowing and that changes its shape at a steady rate when acted upon by a force tending to change its shape.
2. pertaining to a substance that easily changes its shape; capable of flowing.
3. changing readily; shifting; not fixed, stable, or rigid: fluid movements

My interpretation of the song is that the artist is saying that his own feelings and emotions are so ever changing, that it's hard to maintain an easy way of life. In a sense, he IS fluid and that his mind is so overloaded that it's like suicide by a fluid behavior. Hence, "fluicide".

I could be way off the mark on that. Who knows for sure but the artist on what they were trying to convey. But that's the great thing about music. The lyrical content in music is looked at in so many different ways by everyone.

Sometimes, a song is universally understood. Other times, some just don't get. And other times it really sinks in and has strong meaning for most. And sometimes those meanings could be something completely different for someone else.

For instance, the song "Take A Picture" by Filter. When my ex-girlfriend, Christina, was in town visiting, she had this song on her MP3 player. It's a wonderful song that meant something to her other than what I told her the song was about.

The rumor is that the lead singer was getting a blowjob on a flight when a photographer snapped a picture of him getting pleasured. If I'm not mistaken, it wound up on the internet or some magazine article or something. The lead singer wrote the song about that incident.

The thing is, if you don't know that story, your view on the song is completely different. Outside of the rumored story, I like to think of it as a song about lovers or close friends taking pictures of one another to capture the moments of their relationship.

As for Moke, if you're not familiar with their music, please check out their two domestic releases here in the states. They have a self titled, debut release for sale which I'm sure you can find new or used in your favorite record store. And their second album, "Carnival", is my favorite and really hits some notes with me regarding my personal and professional life. I'm sure you can locate that, too. If not, I've given some links below to buy them on Amazon.com.

Moke is also one of those bands I have fond memories of seeing live. They really put on a show and were always extremely friendly. I actually found them on MySpace earlier today and saw that they've posted some new material that maybe you all could enjoy.

Check out their MySpace profile at Moke on MySpace.

I contacted all four members (John, John, Alex and Sean) about their concerts in Reno, Nevada where I saw them during my time with Pure Rock 104.5. I'm looking forward to hopefully hearing back from one or all of them to see what they've been up over the last few years. The last time I saw them was in 2001.

Wow. Six years ago. Was it that long ago? Shit.

Anyway, that's another great thing about music. It not only makes you think of the present (and sometimes the future) but it's a wonderful tool for reflection of past memories.

Of course, that can go the other way where some songs just hurt to listen to because they remind you of places, people and times that just didn't work out. If I had to pick a handful of songs to capture the soundtrack of my life so far, I have no idea where the hell I would start. That's a truly tough call.

Right no I'll just enjoy listening to "Fluicide" by Moke for the 40th time on repeat and get lost in my thoughts and time in Reno, Nevada.

I miss my friends there. I really, really do.

-Mike The Janitor
®2007
Millenoma Publishing