Vow of Silence

Vow of Silence
Song
Artist	Lemon Demon
Released	2005
Written by	Neil Cicierega
Appears on	Dinosaurchestra
Sung by	Neil Cicierega
Duration	3:09
Tempo	175
Genre	Rock
Language	English, Mentalese
Links:	Bandcamp Needlejuice Remaster YouTube Spotify

Vow of Silence is the seventh track on Dinosaurchestra.

An early version of this song was released on June 9th, 2005.

According to Neil in the album's text commentary, this song is about the art of willing mutedness.

Lyrics

I’ll never have a chance to say
Everything I want to say,
But that’s okay, I don’t need
To say a thing anyway.

Just want to take it in,
See the world, watch it spin,
Learn to play the violin.
I’ll even try to shed
Any words from my head.
Think in Mentalese instead.

Don’t call me on a telephone.
I don’t wanna be alone,
But I have grown out of it,
So leave a message at the tone.

Just want to take it in,
See the world, watch it spin,
Learn to play the violin.
I’ll even try to shed
Any words from my head.
Think in Mentalese instead.

And I’ll take a vow of silence.
(Shut up, shut up, shut up.)
I’ll take a vow of silence.
(Shut up, shut up, shut up,
Shut up, shut up, shut up.)
I’ll take a vow of…

Silence means that you can’t speak,
You can’t let things out, they stay inside.
You just sit and nod like a quiet freak,
And you hold your tongue and you swallow your pride.
And if you’re travelling down the street
And suddenly witness a crime,
You’ve gotta keep it to yourself,
You’ve gotta keep it inside
Your quiet little mind.
Until the end of time.

And you’ve got to…
Shut up, shut up, shut up. (Seen and not heard.)
Shut up, shut up, shut up. (Not a single word)
Shut up, shut up, shut up. (For the rest of your life.)
Shut up, shut up, shut up.

Now I’m no silent snob,
But Teller and Silent Bob
Tend to do an awful job.
But let me tell you, son,
Harpo Marx is the one.
I wouldn’t be surprised
If he didn’t have a tongue.

Whoa, I’ll take a vow of silence.
(Shut up, shut up, shut up.)
I’ll take a vow of silence.
(Shut up, shut up, shut up,
Shut up, shut up, shut up.)

I’ll take a vow of…
I’ll take a vow of…
I’ll take a vow of…
Silence…
Silence…
Silence.

Trivia

• This song coins the term "Mentalese", which Neil describes in the album's text commentary as being, "what you think in if you don't have a language. Babies and cavemen probably think in Mentalese."