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Tension

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"Tension" is the fourth track on The Residents' 2025 "modern opera" / concept album Doctor Dark, and the finale of Act 1, in which the teenagers Mark and Maggot, in a drug-fueled raging frenzy, fulfill a suicide pact. Later in the track, we learn that a heavy metal band called The Greasy Weasels is being sued by the teenagers' parents for the incident. The radio announcer's speech at the end of the track is also heard in the single mix of "White Guys with Guns".

The Greasy Weasels' label, Barf Records, is very likely an allusion to The Residents' own former label, Ralph (as both "ralph" and "barf" are slang words for "vomit"). Also, the track's lyrics make allusion to the title of the film Imitation of Life; the title had been directly mentioned before on The Residents' 2006 album, Tweedles, on the track "Stop Signs".

In advance of the release of the album, "Tension" premiered on January 7th 2025 on Australian independent radio station 2BOB Radio. A demo of the track was released on the Doctor Dark's Demos album, exclusive to streaming services. Curiously, in this demo recording, the Barf Records spokesman is named Jay Clem, a name shared by one of the founding members of the Cryptic Corporation.

Libretto

Challenging Mark to leave their meaningless lives and find immortality in a blast of eternal glory, Maggot grabs a shotgun, crawls through a window and enters a playground next door. Drugged and drunk, Maggot rages around the playground as Mark stands in uncertain silence, faithful to his friend but doubtful of their sincerity. Paralyzed by fear and indecision, he watches as his companion suddenly stops, thrusts the gun under her chin and pulls the trigger. Stunned, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably, the teenager's misguided loyalty compels him to reload the weapon. Standing over the quivering body of his friend, Mark raises the weapon, hears the sound of approaching voices, and feeling that he has no choice, fires the shotgun.

Now it's time to go.
Now it's time to go.

Fever-driven filth is filling
every mucous moment, killing
sections of my soul and leaving
snot-infested holes and heaving
puke among the rudders that
steer me to the end of that
hole into forever that's
never enough.

Snarling at the boozy losers,
hating me for not refusing
candy from a faggy shitter
feeding on the hate of bitter
compromising milquetoast rejects
idolizing dicks without sex,
getting by with nothing left
but empty hopes of better turds
tomorrow!

Now it's time to go.

Life is just a jizzy piss hole,
full of farts and empty manholes;
Choking on the broken fragments
of a life disguised, and gagging
stinking balls of shit inside
the slime-infested lives we hide in,
all around this piss-encrusted
ball of nothingness that crushes
imitations of life.
Imitations of life.
Everyone is imitating life.

[A SHOT!]

[Mark cries hysterically.]

[A SECOND SHOT!]

[ANNOUNCER]
"Claiming brainwashing with provocative and depraved lyrics, lawyers for the parents of two teenagers who recently committed suicide have announced a lawsuit against The Greasy Weasels, a heavy metal rock band with an international following; avowing no responsibility, the boys' parents are also suing the Weasels' label, Barf Records. Pledging to protect their artists' integrity at all costs, Jimmy J, a Barf spokesman, denounced the suit as a total travesty: 'While the deaths of these young men can only be seen as a complete and utter tragedy,' J declared, 'the responsibility undoubtedly lies closer to home than the contents of a record album, heard and enjoyed by millions around the world. We proudly proclaim the Weasels' exoneration to be a forgone conclusion.'

In other news, the notorious Doctor Anastasia Dark, an MD well-known for assisting suicide in terminal and eminently afflicted patients, has been found guilty of murder and sent to prison after a lengthy and highly publicized trial. Dark's lawyer says that he will appeal the verdict."

Buy Or Die!

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