Warning: Contains “Implicit” Lyrics

A few words of warning are in order about the type of humor on Roundworm. One of the things that makes the songs funny (to many people) is that it violates their sensibilities, enough to be funny but not quite enough to seriously offend them. But it's impossible to please all the people all the time, because there's a lot of variation between individuals and between cultures. Songs like this that make some people laugh are guaranteed to offend a few people who differ in life experiences or culture.

In other words:

Think of designing a thrill ride, like a roller coaster. To make it exciting for the target audience, it's bound to be too much for some people. If it were tame enough that everyone could ride in, including three-year-olds and their grandparents fresh out of heart surgery, it probably wouldn't satisfy as many people overall. Roller coasters are presumably operated knowing that there are some people who can't ride them without injury or at least becoming sick. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the roller coaster or the people, just that you can't design something to please everyone.

In particular:

“Dear Departed” is the most likely song to be considered offensive. It probably violates the standards of some communities, because it humorously describes an act that would violate the standards of any community. However, lots of people find it hilarious, including the author of the original, who sings the parody on the CD. You can preview the lyrics here, unless your browser is set to screen out pages that are self-rated to be mildly adult-oriented. Note that the lyrics could not be called “explicit” exactly.

A word to kids:

“Dear Departed” is supposed to gross out grownups by talking about something they are embarrassed to even think about. So they may not want you to listen to it, mostly because they'd be embarrassed to have to explain it to you. Kids probably wouldn't think it was very funny anyway. Most kids like other types of humor, about predation (getting eaten by monsters), scatology (bathroom jokes), grooming (underwear jokes), and personal hygiene (booger jokes), which adults don't think are funny.

Other songs:

Some people feel that the act of parodying a song somehow diminishes the original. All I can say, as someone who only parodies songs he likes, is that I disagree, and I'm glad that just about all of my “victims” do too.

The roadkill song is bound to offend some people, but it was poetic justice, combining two of Eric Bogle's songs. Not being a motorist, I have a slighly different perspective than most people do; I'm less likely to cause, and more likely to get a close look at, these little tragedies.

Some people will no doubt consider “Eternal Flame” to be blasphemous — and I don't just mean C programmers.

There may be some who find the parody of “Threes” to be anti-feminist, but I'd urge you to be familiar with the original “Threes” before judging, since I feel I'm taking an entirely fair jab at the ruthlessness of the original song and story.

“December of Cambreadth” derives its dark humor by depicting the reindeer as being a lot more cynical than they are usually thought of as being.