Harbinger - Victor the Vivisectionist (lyrics in Description)

In the late 80s, I got a bit involved in the animal rights movement, and even attended a protest at Emory University. This was my hit at the vivisectionists, with Victor being a Nazi war criminal. I also included a reference to Stephen King's "Apt Pupil," which also concerned a former Nazi, with the cat in the oven. The rest of the band, who mostly did not share my left-wingedness, decided to have fun with the song and arranged it as a Beatlesesque country number with a bit of reggae thrown in for good measure. The bassist, Geoff (who was actually an Ayn Rand fan who called me a tree hugger) provided the scream at the beginning of the song.

Lyrics

Victor the vivisectionist gets out of his morning taxi cab
He says, "hello" to his receptionist, and saunters back toward his lab
His subjects they cower in their cages as he comes
Cringing in fear at their impending martyrdom

Smiling patronizingly, he sharpens up his tools
While cursing silently the bleeding hearted fools

He says, "it's time for an experiment," and sticks a monkey's head into a spinning fan
And the monk screams at his predicament, not too keen to do his part for man
As the screaming ceases, he remembers other crimes
It was Jews instead of apes, those were the best of times

But now the times has changed and things just aren't the same
Now it's only animals that he can kill and maim.

Victor the vivisectionist takes his evening cab back to his cozy home
Where he can stare at his favorite swastikas and attrocities recorded in monochrome
Pulling from the oven the remains of last night's cat
He thought he had another one, but can't find where it's at

So he goes to sleep and dreams he's back within his lab
Only now it's you who's suffering upon his slab.

Hey, Victor!
Victor the vivisectionist
Victor the vivisectionist

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Harbinger
• Vivisection
• Nazis