"How Do You Slow This Thing Down?" is the tenth track on The Tragic Treasury. It is performed by The Gothic Archies. It coincides with the book The Slippery Slope.
Lyrics[]
- How do you slow this thing down?
- How do you make this thing slow down?
- We tried to brake
- By saying, "Must be some mistake."
- Problem unsolved
- We said, "Don't make me get involved."
- How do you slow this thing down?
- How do you make this thing slow down?
- We tried to slow it down
- By shrieking, "No, no, no."
- We tried to halt
- By whimpering, "It's not my fault."
- How do you slow this thing down?
- How do you make this thing slow down?
- It's not fair
- We've tried all kinds of prayer
- We've tried science
- It sped up in defiance
- How do you slow this thing down?
- How do you make this thing slow down?
References to A Series of Unfortunate Events[]
- How do you slow this thing down?
How do you make this thing slow down?- After their initial panic, Violet and Klaus put their skills to use and slow “this thing” down. Violet uses the hammocks in the caravan to create a drag chute.She explains to Klaus that drag chutes are a little like parachutes attached to the back of a car. "Race drivers use them to help stop their cars when a race is over. If I dangle these hammocks out the caravan door, we should slow down considerably."[1]
- Klaus gathers sticky substances from the pantry, which he mixes together and pours over the wheels. When Violet activates the drag chute and Klaus pours the sticky mixture at the same time, the caravan slows down considerably. Finally, Violet uses a table as a brake.
- "The swaying of the caravan became gentler and gentler, and the fallen items owned by the carnival employees stopped crashing, and then with one last whine, the wheels stopped altogether, and everything was still."[1]
- Although Violet and Klaus first panicked when the caravan began moving down the mountain, they successfully slow down and stop once they calm down and think logically.[2]
- The lyrics could also be describing when Violet, Klaus, Sunny, and Quigley escape down the thawing waterfall to escape Count Olaf and the other firestarters, as they fell down a waterfall. Violet's attempt to slow their fall ended up causing the waterfall to defrost and their friend to be washed away.
- After their initial panic, Violet and Klaus put their skills to use and slow “this thing” down. Violet uses the hammocks in the caravan to create a drag chute.She explains to Klaus that drag chutes are a little like parachutes attached to the back of a car. "Race drivers use them to help stop their cars when a race is over. If I dangle these hammocks out the caravan door, we should slow down considerably."[1]
- We tried to brake
By saying, "Must be some mistake."
Problem unsolved
We said, "Don't make me get involved."- This is a reference to the fact that a large number of people, when presented with a problem, instead of looking for a solution (like the book characters do) they complain and wait for someone else to do something. This often leads to the problem going unsolved until it’s too late.
- We tried to halt
By whimpering, "It's not my fault."- The caravan’s hurdle down the mountain is, at first glance, not the Baudelaires' fault. The two older siblings were traveling in the caravan attached with a knot to Count Olaf’s car, when Esmé Squalor, Olaf’s girlfriend and the Baudelaires' former guardian, cut the knot and sent Violet and Klaus tumbling down Mount Fraught.
- However, the Baudelaires made the decision to travel with Count Olaf and his henchpeople to dangerous terrain, literally and figuratively. Some of the blame for their dastardly situation can be allocated to themselves.[2]
- We've tried science
It sped up in defiance- Possibly a nod to the end of the book, where the Baudelaires and Quigley are trying to slow their descent down the frozen waterfall by using the friction of their climbing shoes. This backfires, as it breaks the ice and causes the ice to thaw. The waterfall and river then separate the siblings from Quigley, taking them down separate paths.
Details in the Song[]
Each song in the treasury has a tune, effects, vocals, background details, and/or rhythm that makes each track unique.
- The rhythm in this song is almost like a waltz. It feels as if everything is in slow-motion. It is likely meant to contrast the frantic speed that the Baudelaires are travelling in the runaway caravan and the sled the group are escaping on at the end of the book.
Gallery[]
How Do You Slow This Thing Down?-0
The Gothic Archies - HOW DO YOU SLOW THIS THING DOWN
Fan-made music video by Wizzo87
Sources[]
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