Debaser

Album: Doolittle (1989)
Charted: 23
Play Video
  • Got me a movie, I want you to know
    Slicin' up eyeballs, I want you to know
    Girlie so groovy, I want you to know
    Don't know about you

    But I am un chien andalusia
    I am un chien andalusia
    I am un chien andalusia
    I am un chien andalusia

    Wanna grow up to be
    Be a debaser (debaser)
    Debaser (debaser)
    Debaser (debaser)
    Debaser (debaser)
    Debaser (debaser)
    Debaser (debaser)

    Got me a movie, ah-ah-ah-oh
    Slicin' up eyeballs, ah-ah-ah-oh
    Girlie so groovy, ah-ah-ah-oh
    Don't know about you

    But I am un chien andalusia
    I am un chien andalusia
    I am un chien andalusia
    I am un chien andalusia

    (Debaser)
    Debaser (debaser)
    Debaser (debaser)
    Debaser (debaser)
    Debaser (debaser)
    Debaser (debaser)
    Debaser Writer/s: Charles Thompson
    Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 8

  • Dustin from OhioPixies do not sound anything like Nirvana. It’s the other way around the entire fabric of Nirvana was based on the Pixies.
  • John from Andover, KsWhatever the previous commenters think or say, this is one of the greatest examples of power pop ever created. Carrying the power of Husker Du with elements of other contemporaries, the Pixies really set the stage for Nirvana and their many impersonators. I'm always sad after hearing the first 2 minutes of this song because I know that it will be over soon. That's one of the greatest compliments I can give to a band.
  • Thomas from Hasselt, BelgiumCobain said that when writing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" he was trying to imitate Debaser musically and lyrically... thats NOT true, he was talking about gigantic !!
  • Dee from Boston, MaThe Pixies met and formed while students at UMASS Amherst. Frank Black wrote debaser after watching Un Chien Andalou in Film Studies Professor Don Levine's Avant Garde Film class. The Bunuel film is a staple in the long running course. Levine is famous among his students for giving away the endings and memorable momments in all of the class's films. It is rumored among the Film Studies Department at UMASS that debaser is actually about Levine being the debaser and spoiling all of the films including Un Chien Andalou and more specifically the slicing of the eyeball.
  • Wayne from Hudson, Fl1. I've seen the movie, I've read the lyrics, and I'm a huge-ass fan, thus I'm not talking out of my ass. 2. The song is about how Frank feels; he wants to be a debaser. Debaser obviously meaning someone who wants to debase things, or take the world apart. Somehow I think Frank was a little scatterbrained because, besides the few, obvious parts (slicing up eyeballs, I want you to know. Girly so groovy, I want you to know), Debaser has little connection to Un Chien Andalou. He probably wrote that part first and ran with it. Don't know about you, but I am Un Chien Andalusia is a curious statement. He actually sings the feminine version (Une Chienne Andalusia) (think I spelled that right.) Girly so groovy refers to the man in Un Chien Andalou's obsession with the woman. The woman represents lust by the way. And so, Frank wants to be a prototypical dog of a man, apparently. "I want you to know," refers to Dali spreading his twisted surrealist thoughts via that movie. Deep, deep song, takes a long time to comprehend. This is why the Pixies are my favorite band.
  • James from Jackson, MiActually, Beck admired Frank Black and his poetic style with many of his songs. "Girl" is not so much based off of this song as inspired by the conflicting images given by it.
  • Stephen from South Charleston, WvThe song "Girl" by Beck is actually based off of this song.
  • Shawn from Chico, CaActually, the movie is Un Chien Andalou, and although Bunuel directed the movie, it was written by Salvador Dali.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TV

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Sam Phillips

Sam PhillipsSongwriter Interviews

Collaborating with T Bone Burnett, Leslie Phillips changed her name and left her Christian label behind - Robert Plant, who recorded one of her songs on Raising Sand, is a fan.

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock Photography

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock PhotographySong Writing

One of rock's top photographers talks about artistry in photography, raising funds for a documentary, and enjoying a County Fair with Tom Waits.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Eric Clapton

Eric ClaptonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really write "Cocaine" while on cocaine? This question and more in the Clapton edition of Fact or Fiction.

Bill Withers

Bill WithersSongwriter Interviews

Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."