“Ruler of Everything” by Tally Hall
The lyrics of “Ruler of Everything” are a little bit out there, if you will. But luckily the most important part, i.e. the chorus, is discernible. And what it appears to be putting forth is that the titular “ruler of everything” is a designation the vocalist has given to time itself.
Or let’s say that worded otherwise, no one is able to defeat time. And theoretically that also seems to be the ultimate point that the first verse is trying to get at, that times move in a cycle that none of us have control over.
And maybe that’s why in the intro this character identified as “Juno” decides to shoot at the sun. Of course doing so, in terms of actually trying to damage said celestial body, is meaningless.
What has been offered is that said Juno a reference to an ancient Greek goddess of the same who was associated with moon cycles and that this intro is the retelling of a related myth which, in the context that Tally Hall uses it, is meant to point to the same idea of it being fruitless to try to fight time.
“You understand mechanical hands are the ruler of everything (ah…)
The ruler of everything (ah…)
I’m the ruler of everything in the end”
Meanwhile, like the intro, on the surface the second verse reads as if it has nothing to do with the main subject at hand. Instead, it focuses on the vocalist depicting himself as being, most simply put, a conceited person.
But before all is said and done, he does admit to “living a lie”, and it rather reads as if he is criticizing other guys who think too highly of themselves.
So perhaps, given that this song is seemingly about the power and influence of time, what he’s espousing is a philosophy of keeping things in perspective instead of becoming arrogant.
That notion is also more overtly present in the bridge that follows. Here, the singer seems to directly condemn the act of being redundant, i.e. using time in an ultimately unconstructive manner.
But all of that said, this analysis is of course theoretical. And we’re compelled to conclude it by pointing out that if “Ruler of Everything” is truly about valuing time as something that cannot be stopped or replaced, the lyrics really do put the listener through a number of arguably unnecessary hurdles before getting there.
Release Date of “Ruler of Everything”
Tally Hall’s “Ruler of Everything” was released in April of 2003 through the following record labels:
- Quack! Media
- Atlantic Records
- Needlejuice Records
“Ruler of Everything” appears as the 14th track on the band’s “Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum” album which happens to be their debut studio album.
Credits
The band’s guitarist, Joe Hawley, has been exclusively acknowledged for the composition of “Ruler of Everything”, while the entire band has been credited for its production.
Thank you for telling me about this! I finally understand! Because, like, I was so confused about the lyrics, so that’s why I searched up what it meant. I would definitely leave five stars!