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Silver, Sharp and Could Not Care is a song from The Residents' 1988 epic, God In Three Persons.
Background[]
This song's purpose to the story is to set up the lengthy and graphic climax to the story "Kiss of Flesh". Mr. X is now quite angry at the twins, mostly due to his own insecurities. He quite strongly believes that twins have gotten too powerful and were about to cross him after the rape he committed against the twins.
Mr. X, without much thought or intention, ends up going to a barber store and seeing an object that was "silver, sharp and could not care." Although it's rather obvious, the live performance confirmed this object to be a very sharp razor blade. While his true goals are never explicitly said, Mr. X tells the listener about how nervous he is and about the conflict in his mind. This song has a very impactful ending that's better read than explained.
my thoughts returned to what I told them they had learned through our ordeal of torture and delight. Yes, it was a lie I told them, not to help but just to hold them with me, but I really should have said, "Lies can often give you power like a coffin filled with flowers gives life to the living, not the dead.—Mr. X, to The Twins, Silver, Sharp and Could Not Care
Recordings and Performances[]
Unlike most songs on this album there simply isn't many versions other then the original. This song was even absent from the God In Three Persons soundtrack.
The song like many others was first performed live on April 27th, 2019 during the God In Three Persons Mini-Tour. A recording from the tour would be featured on the live album and DVD. This version largely stays faithful to the album versions structure with additional visuals and accompanying choreography.
Lyrics[]
Album Version
(Mr. X)
The following day I did some walking, for my mind did too much talking to itself, and so I walked along and thought of our last episode, and that somehow it had eroded feelings from my closely guarded core. And also then I knew corruption leaked into this last eruption, and it's oily odor stayed around. Long ago I knew that I was sly, perhaps, and not too nice, but underneath I thought my goals sublime. But now, how could I tolerate behavior that could suffocate contentment in my friends and maybe more? Desire conflicted in my mind with thoughts I once had found divine and torment twisted me between the two. Aimlessly I slowly wandered, as my footsteps took me onward to a part of town I did not know. Soon I saw I was distracted by a window that was acting as a display for a barber's store. And what was underneath my stare was silver, sharp, and could not care about confusion or about despair. It only had one job to do, and when it cut it cut so true that now I knew exactly what to do. So I went inside and bought it from a man who never caught the tingle that it raised along my spine, electrically a pleasant tension, like a liquid in suspicion flowed into the conflict in my head. And now my feeling was well being, but I could not help from seeing that my hands were shaking as I paid. And as I left, my thoughts returned to what I told them they had learned through our ordeal of torture and delight. Yes, it was a lie I told them, not to help but just to hold them with me, but I really should have said, "Lies can often give you power like a coffin filled with flowers gives life to the living, not the dead."
Appearances[]
- God In Three Persons (1988) [Version 1]
- God In 3 Persons Live album (2020) [Version 2]
- God In 3 Persons Live (video) (2023) [Version 3]