Amanda Palmer - Assistant Lyrics

Am I the only one that hears “I want my mother dead?”

Reminds me of the music from the movie Coraline

I just watched a magician do a razor swallowing routine to this song and I was hooked.

Why does this song remind me of A Series of Unfortunate Events

How am I just know realizing the lyrics are about a magician’s assistant?

I thought that instead of “I want my mom and dad” It was “I want my momma dead” 0.0 I should I be worried about myself

Anyone in 2019?

2019 is a myth, kid

Based on the lyrics, I believe this song is about a magician's assistant who helps him commit murder. He passes off his killings as part of the magic show, which is how he keeps his slate clean. She has been helping him the entire time but has slowly been driven crazy from being complicit in murder, so she snaps and quits. "Stick a pin in it" could mean that she wants to sabotage/ruin the show and possibly expose him for who he really is.

Person in abusive relationship kills abuser

I have so much love for you Amanda fucking Palmer

I may be the only one thinking this but I believe this would be a good amv song for RWBY considering what has been revealed about Ozpin. It could be about everyone (especially Raven) sick of following an untrustworthy liar and sick of all the pointless sacrifices. Just a thought

So this is about a girl in the circus who is in abusive relationship with a knife thrower and she is the assistant And she just breaks? Idk correct me if I’m wrong

Is this about a magician and their assistant? That's what I'm getting from it, lol.

Before I read the lyrics I thought it said "forget it Lewis is dead" instead of "go get a new assistant"

[Verse 1]
Step inside this magic tent
Seven wonders, 50 cents
Watch the man without a face
Disappear without a trace

You can't manage by yourself
Well, I am just the girl to help
You're no good at telling lies
Your hands are quicker than your eyes

[Hook 1]
But do you see what I see?
Do you see what I see?

[Verse 2]
Aren't you such a clever man
Showing off your sleight of hand?
Well everyone knows you're not true
They blindly play along with you

[Hook 2]
But you don't hear what I hear
You don't hear what I hear

[Bridge]
Stick a pin in it
C'mon, he's asking for it
Stick a pin in it
C'mon, he's asking for it

[Verse 3]
You keep your slate left very clean
Four blades that split a girl in three
I just wink and smile and wave
Left in pieces there for days

[Hook 3]
But I know something you don't
I know something you don't

[Bridge]
Stick a pin in it
C'mon, he's asking for it
Stick a pin in it
C'mon, he's asking for it

Stick a pin in it
I'm getting sick of this
Can't stand the lights
And I can't stand the sight of blood
Stick a pin in it
Hey, honey, picture it
They're gonna love this one
They're gonna eat it up
Stick a pin in it
I'm getting sick of this
I want my mom and dad

[Outro]
Go get a new assistant
Go get a new assistant
Go get a new assistant
Go get a new assistant
Go get a new assistant

does anyone know if this song is on spotify?

_this sounds a lot like sexual abuse/abusive relationship_

To me this is about a circusmistress who recruits new acts to her freakshow but the voice in her head (good god hes asking for it voice) makes her murder them - and collect them (stick a pin in it - like butterflies). So by the end she needs a new assistant.

I dont get all these cheating / abusive relationship interpretations. This one feels fantastical and surface.

Thing is, the singer IS the assistant ("I'm just the girl to help", "I just wink and smile and wave", "I want my mom and dad, go get a new assistant"). I think you're reading too much into the "stick a pin in it" line, it most likely just means the assistant wants the person she's working for (a magician, going by the song) to shut up and stop tricking people with his fake persona that he uses with the unknowing audience ("you don't hear what I hear"). This song is pretty clear on how the assistant is mistreated ("left in pieces there for days" could easily be a metaphor for being emotionally/physically beaten down).

The end seems to be her leaving her relationship/partnership with the man because she can't stand being in the public eye and the mistreatment ("can't stand the lights and I can't stand the sight of blood")— "go get a new assistant" in general sounds like someone quitting in my opinion. Not to mention how weak a "the VOICES made her KILLLLLL" plot is in modern day and how poorly it represents actual mentally ill people, who are way more often victims than mass murderers.

oh my god this is amazing!! i can’t find this on the music app :”00 :D

not on spotify


am sad

Marmot tbh

i kept hearing "good god Lewis is dead" lol

anyone else here from nitw

All the comments of people saying OH SLENDERMAN
oml I'm cringing super hard
Never look in comments of songs you like again

Maybe you really shouldn't, if you can't handle people (probably kids) talking about things they like in the comments of songs.

@Thallium but it's cring 😡🤬🤬🙄👺

Lets be real, its only cringe if theyre like:
"Omg slenderman 😍😍😍😍❤️❤️🧡💚💌💟♥️💘💗💦💦💦" (the fuck did i just type, kill me now). I just think of it as a relief that people (who talk normal and not fangirl) still talk about creepypasta in 2019. I mean, Slenderman is like friggin 2013 times. VINE times.

What they said: go get a new assistant
What I heard: good god it's lewis' sister!

Either this song is about someone who works for some kind of murderer and hates what they do, or is in an abusive relationship. Honestly, I can't tell.

Why not both?

The murderer is her bf

stick a pin in what? a vodoo doll?

"Watch This Man Without A Face.........Disappear Without A Trace........"
To Me, This Sounds Like A Reference Of Slenderman For Some Reason.

For real tho

*Music fades in*
Yes...
*Music starts to go faster*
Yesss...
*Music begins to go faster*
YES...!

If it's available everywhere why can't I find it on Spotify? .-.

What is this song really about?

Why did I get so emotion at 'I want my mom and dad!'

yes i got big emotion at dat part 2

Does anyone actually know what the story behind this is? I'm planning to make an animatic on it but it's hard to find the true meaning.

Marucchi I looked at one of the other comments so I'll just copy and paste what they said

"It seems to be a about a abusive realationship, and she's loosing herself because of it, then finally she snaps."

However, there are many other interpretations too.

The comment above is possible, however most art is up to interpretation, just go with what you picture when you listen to this song

I like to think of it as a magician/serial killer's assistant, who helps him both with his stage performances and takes care of all of his dirty work (killing the people the magician tells them to/getting rid of the bodies/etc). The magician is forcing the assistant into it with physical threats or emotional manipulation. As the song progresses, the police are getting steadily more suspicious of the assistant, as they witness them around the crime scenes and find more and more incriminating evidence near the bodies. At around 3:38 the stress and pain of the magician's manipulation is too much for the assistant, and they snap and start stabbing him to death. The last few lines of "go get a new assistant" could be the police finding the assistant covered in the magician's blood, with the implication that they will now be successfully framed for all of their/the magician's murders.

@MeiGoat i just saw my comment recently (i forgot about it lol) i edited it since i sounded annoying/angry. I agree that there isn't a specific story and its more interesting having your own interpretation :)

Inura i think the concept of “assistant” just means someone on the side to get their partner off. If it is about abuse, this would make sense. She is seen nearly nothing but an object or assistant who is constantly manipulated or gaslit until she mentally snaps. Amanda is a genius, and I think it’s rather degrading to bring her song meanings down to something edgy like a serial killer. All her songs contain lyrics to real, hurtful things. Whether it’s The Bed Song, First Orgasm, Runs in the Family, Berlin, or The Killing type they center around things that are very real for many people.

here is just a handful of lyrics i’d like to interpret:
“you don’t hear what i hear” perhaps references what the partner might say to manipulate or demean her. “stick a pin in it” might be her putting up with it or putting off emotions, thoughts or ideas about her partner or herself. “c’mon he’s asking for if” might hint that he wants her to feel a certain way, or put off anything she questions him for. “they’re going to love this one, they’re going to eat it up” could be interpreted as the couple being perfect to other eyes without seeing what is happening behind closed doors.

I love this song!
But i recently watched the bolt movie again and now everytime i hear "stick a pin in it" i think back to that old man director from the movie because he would never stop saying that

that's big sad hours

BOLT! Also I can’t either it’s burned into my mind.

I love this song but I just cat make out the true story. I always put it to the story of one of my characters, but the original story is so hard to make out for me! Can someone help please?😅

I believe it has to do with a murderer who masks his murders by doing magic (Hence split a girl in three. That one weird magic trick) The assistant, realizing how dirty her hands are because she helped cover it up, snaps.

I came from a Hollyleaf map and an Ivypool map.

Good for you

Glad I found again, this song is bloody A R T to my ears. Also here because this reminded me of Grimm. That aside, art, just a r t.

3:37
your welcome

I never got to hear this one before. Her voice cuts me so keenly

TBH this song reminds me of say no evil,hear no evil,see no evil,feel no evil

"Watch the man without a face" oh slenderman? ugh I'm creepypasta trash

Yo late as hecc but me too man me too

When the day comes, Amanda, you shall have every penny I can share. Ismo Alanko shall have his bit, but you've got a special place here

I KNEW I RECOGNIZED THIS BITCH FROM SOMEWHERE TURNS OUT SHE WAS (IS?) PART OF EVELYN EVELYN AND I THOUGHT SO BECAUSE I WAS LIKE "this sounds like Evelyn Evelyn with out the boy) screeee

wait holy shit I wasn't aware of this

Mmmmmm I have such a good idea for a pmv/amv with this song

do it my comrades! I personally dont have the confidence to ever post anything so i envy you

This reminds me of parts of a story my friend and I made up.

Oh! I would love to hear more about it!!

Why can't I find this song on Itunes or the artist's website

What is this song about?

This honestly sounds like sexual abuse..

I heard she was a prostitute in Berlin listen to Berlin the song by her lol way more vibes

her voice reminds me so much of the female singer from Evelyn, Evelyn???

not sure if bait but baited well.

Modern Moonlight I didn’t know she was the singer when I posted this!

i wonder why . . ?

it is her lmao

I only came for the last 1:16 seconds LOL😂😂😂

ahha XDDDD now this is a family guy funny moments number ###45 xd peter spits up rice kake!!!1!!1!11
my son died

thats rlly good

*Lifts leg*

So em, i was brought here by a hollyleaf map

I really love this song okayokay

SUGARED TEA me too

Please enter a name. Wait, who here was named Leon Kuwata? >:OO

SUGARED TEA same!

"Watch this man without a face, disappear without a trace."
SLENDER MAN??? 0-0

It's probly related to the sortof circus/magician act
How they have freakish people born of abnormalities

It is so freaking surreal seeing comments about Slender in 2018.

It could refer to getting attacked by someone and not being able to see or not remembering seeing their face.

Also people who were abused often think of their abusers as monsters, so talking about a faceless creature could be an explanation, too.

@Umbra Draugr oh I like this interpretation.

Slenderman being talked about in 2019 is a friggin miracle. Not for the fact of fangirls, but the fact that slender is from 2013 like damn

"Stick a pin in it"

yup

Would you get a copyright strike if you used this music in an animation/art thingy. Monetization would be turned off (not making any money) and the musician would be credited in the description.

She digs it when fans use her songs

I've seen animations done with this song

It wouldn't get copyrighted if you did that. I think it would be ok.

@skarobotableskarobotable well that's great. I love her for that

I'm getting chills from this.

Put on a blanket m8

her voice is so raw and emotional and _perfect._

I dunno if anyone's still around who might know the answer, but I'm wondering where specifically I can find THIS song to buy/download? I've looked on Amazon, and even on the linked website and I can't find it as a digital download anywhere despite having "The Killing Type" and other tracks on the "Theatre Is Evil" album able to download from Amazon D: (I can't/don't use iTunes)

YouTube mp3 is free

Yeah and youtubemp3 is also illegal XD you're not supporting the artists who make the music by using it. I prefer to pay for my downloads legally and actually give the artists the money they deserve for making the music I listen to ;)

it's not illegal m8.

uh, yes it is. You're obtaining the music which the artists worked very hard to make, for free without the artists permission to do so. it's called piracy dumbass and it's very much illegal

This song isn't available on Google Play either, though. I think it's exclusive for people who backed the Theatre is Evil kickstarter, though I find it kind of silly you can't get it anywhere else.

2:33 oh shit waddup

3:38 OH SHIT WADDUP

Literally me

You don't hear wut I hear

This song hits me hard. 'I WANT MY MOM AND DAD!'

I know right??

shit man why didnt i find this song waaaaay earlier

Winter season, Ellie.
The Last of us, anybody?

Huh? How?

@Delta Deltowski
'stick a pin in it'
The idea of killing/slaying david.
'i want my mom and dad'
Her wanting joel back after being kidnapped.
'go get a new assistant'
Her screaming at David to leave her alone.

@The Lost Jammer
Oooooh! I didn't get it! Thanks.

@Delta Deltowski You're welcome.

This was a bonus B side track on the original Kickstarter digital DL of the album

It may well be my favorite AFP song to date.

"I want my mom and dad" Jesus Christ that's powerful

Absolutely stunning. I so wish this was on my CD...

reminds me of the Night Circus :)

amandah764 YES THATS EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT

she is stuning

scary... beautiful... some of the highest art I have had the honor of witnessing, AFP you will be remembered, by me at least for, a very long time

The "Magician" is the cheater, the assistant is the other woman e the girl split in three is the betrayed Girl suffering...

Cheating...

I freaking love this song!

So it's good, but I have no clue what the message is supposed to be

It'sAStart It’s about an abusive relationship

I wish I had the knowledge on computers and what-not. I've never had a stronger music video as one for this. Lol. 2 thumbs up to Amanda and the gang. :) Love it!

This sounds like a Dresden Dolls song! Aaaahh <3

Am I the only one who could probably listen to Amanda singing GO GET A NEW ASSISTANT for hours on a loop?

Likely.

This seems like its written for the movie version of The Night Circus. I really hope so!!!

for some reason, I'm imagining her singing this in a Tim Burton film

Her music always makes me feel manic simultaneously. Good use of Public Domain reference though..

I loved this song when I heard it before, but the album version with the new band is even more amazing.

Just wondering why I don't have it on my album:-)

How is everything you do so fucking amazing? You improve existence.

Oh god... I wish they'd played this on the tour. It would have been amazing.

this song is great, but wait, its not on the album. I have it right here, and..and I'm confused. but ah damn it, I'm happy anyways.

This song is absolutely marvellous. The slow build-up, the tense music, the broken voice, and the drama of the finish...It always makes me feel panicked and manic simultaneously. Just beautiful.