Written by: Beck Hansen
Alternate Titles:
a.k.a. Axe Ex
a.k.a. Beck Will Die
Versions:
- Burning Boyfriend (1:13)
Available on One Foot In The Grave.
CreditsBeck Hansen: Guitar (Acoustic), Producer, Vocals
Calvin Johnson: Producer
Lyrics:
Burning Boyfriend [Version (a)]:
He's your slime and he's out to break me
I can feel him in the distance
I have grown to see that you are better than yourself
You're more real than you pretend to be
He is guilty, he will pay
He will burn in every way
He will taste the hell I bring
He will change his mind about you
He's your slime and he's out to break me
I can feel him in the distance
I have grown to see that you are better than yourself
You're more real than you pretend to be
He is guilty, he will pay
He will burn in every way
He will taste the hell I bring
He will change his mind about you
Burning Boyfriend (KAOS version) [Live version (a)]:
He's your slime, and he's out to break me
I can feel him in the distance
If he moves, if he breathes, I will see him
He is guilty, he will pay, he will burn in every way
He will taste the hell I bring
He will change his mind about you
I have grown to see that you are better than yourself
You're more real than you pretend to be
He wears his hair, he keeps it out there somewhere
Far away out of reach, out of touch with our scene
He is guilty, he will pay, he will burn in every way
He will taste the hell I bring
He will change his mind about you
He's your slime, and he's out to break me
I can feel him in the distance
If he moves, if he breathes, I will see him
He is guilty, he will pay, he will burn in every way
He will taste the hell I bring
He will change his mind about you
I have grown to see that you are better than yourself
You're more real than you pretend to be
He wears his hair, he keeps it out there somewhere
Far away out of reach, out of touch with our scene
He is guilty, he will pay, he will burn in every way
He will taste the hell I bring
He will change his mind about you
The Song:
Beck recorded a short version of "Beck Will Die" for One Foot in the Grave, but did not release it. The outtake never really circulated, but the lyrics were put up on the old version of beck.com.
A short while later after recording it, Beck performed a longer version of the song on KAOS, a radio station in Olympia. This recording we do have. Beck introduced this song on the radio, slightly cryptically:
Beck seems to be mixing point-of-views here, which is an interesting technique (if intentional)--all the I's, he's, you's get a little confusing to follow. Some lines feel like they're told from his fearful eyes, while others are from the side of the guy who wants Beck to die.
Then in 2008, Beck put together a deluxe version of One Foot In The Grave with a great deal of outtakes. This song was included! It went through some name changes before settling on "Burning Boyfriend."
Beck recorded a short version of "Beck Will Die" for One Foot in the Grave, but did not release it. The outtake never really circulated, but the lyrics were put up on the old version of beck.com.
A short while later after recording it, Beck performed a longer version of the song on KAOS, a radio station in Olympia. This recording we do have. Beck introduced this song on the radio, slightly cryptically:
"This is about this guy that wanted to kick my... can I say that? He wanted to kick my sass. So and then, he's in a band and he went writing all these songs about how he wanted to kill me. So I wrote a song about how he wanted to kill me. This is called "Beck Will Die.""Obviously, that's a very intriguing story! If anyone knows who this other musician is, or has any tapes of these anti-Beck songs, let me know. ;-)
Beck seems to be mixing point-of-views here, which is an interesting technique (if intentional)--all the I's, he's, you's get a little confusing to follow. Some lines feel like they're told from his fearful eyes, while others are from the side of the guy who wants Beck to die.
Then in 2008, Beck put together a deluxe version of One Foot In The Grave with a great deal of outtakes. This song was included! It went through some name changes before settling on "Burning Boyfriend."
Live:
Played live once:
January 26, 1994
This is the only known performance. It was probably the live debut as well. The lyrics are longer, as you can see above.
Played live once:
January 26, 1994
This is the only known performance. It was probably the live debut as well. The lyrics are longer, as you can see above.
Notes:
- For a few years, we knew this song only from a radio show, at which Beck introduced the song as "Beck Will Die." (See the story above.) Then the outtake version was added to beck.com under the "Beck Will Die" name. Then an early tracklisting for One Foot Deluxe referred to a song called "Axe Ex." A few weeks later, the tracklist changed that to "Burning Boyfriend." Turns out--it's "Beck Will Die"!