Dead Men

"Dead Men" (previously titled "Lorena", then "Low Rain", then "Angels of Death") is the seventh song from The Residents' 2005 album Animal Lover. It features choral vocals by Carla Fabrizio and takes place in the aftermath of a battlefield.

History

The song was first previewed on New Year's Day, 2005 when a sample was posted on The Residents' official BOG news site, along with an excerpt of its accompanying narrative:

The owl had no use for the inedible chunks of refuse the humans referred to as food, but the mice loved it. And the owl loved mice.

An early version of the song was surfaced on the first volume of the Best Left Unspoken trilogy. This version was heard again on the Animal Lover Instrumental album, retitled as "Low Rain".

Lyrics

Dead men are staring up at angels
Dead men are staring at the ground
Dead men have little inspiration
Dead men just like to lie around
Dead men were reaching out to glory,
but nothingness is all they found.

Heroes always go to heaven
Heroes never die in vain
Heroes always speak the truth and
Heroes never explain

Dead men are only in the way
Dead men are only in the way
Dead men are only in the way
Dead men are only in the way

The Owl

The stark white owl was a striking figure, silently floating through the midnight air. The day had seen a vicious battle surging across the flat plain, but now it was night and the battle was over - only the dead remained. The men had entered the battle carrying food and supplies, but now everything - bodies, food packets and weapons - were randomly scattered, like fallen leaves, deliberately disrupting the order of open space ...but also attracting mice. The owl had no use for the inedible chunks of refuse the humans referred to as food, but the mice loved it. And the owl loved mice.

Occasionally, the wise owl noted to herself, random forces aligned in unpredictable ways, creating equally unexpected beauty and perfection as a byproduct of their seemingly chaotic intersection. Unfortunately this was not one of those times. Whenever she spotted a mouse and swooped down for the kill, the small rodent escaped, quickly hiding itself beneath a human's fallen body.

Dead men are only in the way.

Appearances

• Animal Lover (2005)
• Best Left Unspoken... Vol. 1 (2006)
• Animal Lover Instrumental (2008) ^{("Low Rain")}
• El Año del Muerto (2009)
• Animal Lover (Evolution Edition) (2026)
  • The track "Low Rain (Dead Men)" is different from either of the related tracks in Animal Lover Instrumental.

External links and references

• Animal Lover at The Residents Historical