Particle Man

[History_Buff]

Does anyone have a copy of "Particle Man" by They Might Be Giants that they could send to me?

 

[Immortal]

do you have msn? Ill send it to you. send me your id if you do.

 

[History_Buff]

I do indeed, its Sam_Kiley@hotmail.com

 

[napoleon526]

Don't you have Kazaa or Morpheus?

I don't have a copy right now, but I'll sing it for you.

Particle Man, Particle Man
Doin' the things a particle can
What's he like, it's not important
Particle Man

Is he a dot, or is he a speck?
When he's underwater does he get wet?
Or does the water get him instead?
Nobody knows,
Particle Man.

Triangle man, Triangle man
Triangle man hates particle man
They have a fight, Triangle wins
Triangle man

Universe man, Universe man
Size of the entire universe man
Usually kind to smaller man
Universe man

He's got a watch with a minute hand,
Millenium hand and an eon hand
When they meet it's a happy land
Powerful man, universe man

Person man, person man
Hit on the head with a frying pan
Lives his life in a garbage can
Person man

Is he depressed or is he a mess?
Does he feel totally worthless?
Who came up with person man?
Degraded man, person man

Triangle man, triangle man
Triangle man hates person man
They have a fight, triangle wins
Triangle man

 

[Pillager]

Originally posted by napoleon526
Don't you have Kazaa or Morpheus?

I don't have a copy right now, but I'll sing it for you.

I don't like to be the one to tell you, but you were very out of tune.

 

[allan2]

It's off the "Flood" CD, and that whole album is quite good (TMBG's best one, IMHO).

Not sure what the song's about though, that's the thing about They Might Be Giants--but it's fun TRYING to figure them out.

 

[napoleon526]

Originally posted by allan2
Not sure what the song's about though, that's the thing about They Might Be Giants--but it's fun TRYING to figure them out.

There are several theories on the meaning of Particle Man. "Person Man" is probably based on a short lived comic book of the same name. The protagonist began thinking that he was a superhero after being hit on the head with a frying pan by his mother-in-law ("hit on the head with a frying pan"). He lived in a trash can ("lives his life in a garbage can") and battled seafood before being defeated by a giant lobster.

I personally think that Flatland is a retelling of the very strange story "Flatland" by Edwin Abbott. It describes the experiences of a two-dimensional being (Triangle Man). He visits a no-dimensional universe, inhabited by no-dimensional beings (Particle Man?). Also mentioned are Lineland, a one-dimensional world, and Spaceland, a three-dimensional world (Universe Man?). Triangle man returns to Flatland and tells the other triangles about the other universes. The other triangles put him on trial and send him to jail ("They have a fight, triangle wins").

All in all, a very weird story. Read it for yourself here.

 

[napoleon526]

http://home.europa.com/~alittlew/tmbg/interps/pman.html

Here's another, more dubious explanation of "Particle Man."

 

[Immortal]

Whoa, I didn't think someone would actually put as much thought into Particle man as those people have Napoleon.