By 5 Man Electrical BandA presentation by Alex Muckey

And the sign said long haired freaky people need not apply So I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why He said you look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you'll do So I took off my hat I said imagine that, huh, me working for you woah! Sign Sign everywhere a sign Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign And the sign said anybody caught trespassing would be shot on sight So I jumped on the fence and yelled at the house, Hey! what gives you

the right To put up a fence to keep me out or to keep mother nature in If God was here, he'd tell you to your face, man you're some kinda sinner

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Sign Sign everywhere a sign Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind Do this, don't do that, can't you read the signNow, hey you Mister! can't you read, you got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat You can't even watch, no you can't eat, you ain't suppose to be here Sign said you got to have a membership card to get inside Uh! And the sign said everybody welcome, come in, kneel down and pray But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all, I didn't have a penny to pay, so I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my

own little sign I said thank you Lord for thinking about me, I'm alive and doing fine Sign Sign everywhere a sign Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind Do this, don't do that, can't you read the signSign Sign everywhere a sign Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign

Back Citation

This song is protesting signs that tell people what they can and cant do and is a metaphor to the band

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5 Man Electrical Band had been to Los Angeles to try to get a record deal twice and each time they were told that they couldn’t make it big and they were turned down for shows by many clubs.

Back Back to Lyrics

• This song was inspired by the signs that the band saw while driving down route 66

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Signs was a metaphor between the hard times the band had been having while the song was being written and the signs that were along roads telling people what they can and can’t do.

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5 Man Electrical Band is one of Canada’s most beloved bands from the 60’s and 70’s,even though they never really attained success. Originally named the Staccatos whenthey first formed in 1964, their first album was recorded along with The Guess Who in1967 called “A Wild Pair”. Later on they tried to establish themselves in L.A., theyfailed and ended up back in Canada without a record deal. After their failure as theStaccatos, the band renamed themselves the 5 man electrical band and tried again with a different style. They quickly caught the attention of Renaissance Productions, who later, in 1969, signed a deal with MGM Records who released two of their songs:“Hello Melinda, Goodbye”, and “Signs”. The song failed and their deal was cut off.

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However, Renaissance Productions didn’t lose interest and in 1971released “Goodbye and Butterflies” with “Signs” as an A-side.

Their Managers worked endlessly to get the record on national radio.

The band was almost ready to break up when they heard that “Signs”

wasgetting lots of airtime in the southeastern US. “Signs” became a

huge hit and 5 Man Electrical Band ended up stationed in L.A. In 1973, tensions started to arise in the band. Les Emerson, as the main songwriter of the band, was receiving more recognition and money than the rest of the band. The band managed to release five more albums, but the last four had limited appeal. They broke up in

1982 but have come together to play for a few special occasions.

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5 Man Electrical Band recorded a total of 7 albums from the time they were the Staccatos to their break up.

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In this song, signs are meant as literally signs on the side of the road, not implied warnings.

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This song has a ton of assonance in it, nearly every line is connected to one before it or after it by assonance

Back More Literary Terms

Signs uses repetition in its chorus.

Back to lyrics

“The Scenery” in this song is alluding to not only the scenery on route 66, but also to the clubs and restaurants that 5 Man Electrical Band was not allowed to play in.

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"Discography." 5 Man Electrical Band Official Website. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May, 2010. <http://www.fivemanelectricalband.ca/disc.html>.

"Five Man Electrical Band." Editorial. classicbands.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May, 2010. <http://www.classicbands.com/fiveman.html>.

The Agency Group. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2010. <http://www.theagencygroup.com/artist.aspx?ArtistID=5313>.