Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava, by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (2024)

1.

Mycelium. Mycelium. Mycelium. Mycelium…I ain’t a bald primateThat tongue does not relateMan is done The ape is deadLungs of the planet on a golden threadI ain’t debating I’m a mushroom, okI spread like lava Rise like breadCurrency of decayAmongst my kin, I extend acidic salutations Exhale the dust of seasons Inhale the breath of civilisationsI grip with devils fingers and stroke the green curtainWe, the thoughtful elementDumb rock Unthinking oceanNetwork of the woodTannin of the eveningSynapse of the bushI disappear amongst my kinMycelium. Mycelium. Mycelium. Mycelium…Mycelium. Mycelium. Mycelium. Mycelium…I ain’t a bald primateThat tongue does not relate in any way Man is done The ape is deadLungs of the planet on a golden thread I ain’t debating nowI’m a mushroom, ok I spread like lava Rise like bread Paralysed agaric fungus Fed back into the, the bourgeoisieWhat the hell is happening to me?Mycelium. Mycelium. Mycelium. Mycelium…Paralysed agaric fungus Toadstool dome grown humongous Stomach knots and purple skinMirrored faces doubling Bursting beams of hopping rabbits Organs bleed with sucking maggotsMetallic teethAncient GobletIncrease the dosage with a droplet Blackened gold beneath the surfaceDark horse undermining and amorphous Fed back into the bourgeoisieWhat the hell is happening to me?Spore filled breath I’ll spread myself over the forest floor and infest the elkFeasting on decay and sprouting anewI’ll make my biome part of myceliumMycelium. Mycelium. Mycelium. Mycelium…

2.

Ice V. Ice V. Ice V…Ganymede princess with the tongue of death She smells what the wind says with the lava forked pincers Ganymede princess with a lungless chestWith her tongues forked pincers she smells what the people says Ice V. Ice V. Ice V…MonoclinicCrystallineSpears of death shoot down the lineAutocratic and quantised Land mine meteorite Lost in transit Obliteration Disconnected correlationsLucky 7Ace of spadesDouble down Checkmate Ice V. Ice V. Ice V…Ain’t getting out of here aliveIce V has arrivedPimple pussCrop circle pit Oozing out of crevices Sentient toadstool throne Crooked sceptreAlien boneFrosted pistolLoaded spiteShooting rays of frozen lightFeel the doom of flashing flood Crimson clouds are raining bloodWill we survive Ice V? Ice V. Ice V. Ice V…Queen of ice Suffice to say Engulfing all in crystal dismayFreezing whims as the sun dims The pressure tearing limb from limbEarth born cities stripped away as the ice queen hypnotically swaysQueen of ice Suffice to say Engulfing all in crystal dismay Ice V. Ice V. Ice V…Ain’t getting out of here aliveIce V has arrived

3.

MagmaFire bagwan The all, the one and the noneLifts rockMakes stuffThe sleeping hawkThe ticking clockHair of child Skin of boneGift of flesh Exchanged for a burnI’m a drillI drown the earth Tectonic romanceInfinite rebirth MagmaEssence oozingMolten rockMoving fluorescenceMelting all within its presenceForever creeping luminescenceDestroying to inventMagma god ever present I live in debtI bathe in glowSubterranean web Infest the soulFlying arcs come bearing giftsPraise the return of GI Joe Brewing beneathThe magma shiftsHeavenly birdLuscious cargoDigging deepBurying gifts for the molten god that sits beneath our feetGreat abyssOfferings burn in the pitWe consoleReminisce for the molten god that sitsHe’ll accept those that commit if we dance in the sh*tMagmaSubterranean tsarThe scimitar and the neutron starMakes from etherBasalt weaver Obsidian cleaverMake believer A rumbleA smile A red tongue OesophagusA greetingA portal Auto-cremateImmortalMagmaFire bagwan The all, the one and the noneLifts rockMakes stuffThe sleeping hawkThe ticking clockHair of child Skin of boneGift of flesh Exchanged for a burnI’m a drillI drown the earth Tectonic romanceInfinite rebirth MagmaEssence oozingMolten rockMoving fluorescenceMelting all within its presenceForever creeping luminescenceDestroying to inventMagma god ever present I live in debtI bathe in glowSubterranean web Infest the soulFlying arcs come bearing giftsPraise the return of GI Joe Brewing beneathThe magma shiftsHeavenly birdluscious cargoDigging deepBurying gifts for the molten god that sits beneath our feetGreat abyssOfferings burn in the pitWe consoleReminisce for the molten god that sitsHe’ll accept those that commit if we dance in the magmaSubterranean tsarThe scimitar and the neutron starMakes from etherBasalt weaver Obsidian cleaverMake believer

4.

Death Smells like boiled eggsDeathA hot stove glowing redLavaSticky like peanut butterLavaThe ultimate stonecutter Anointed in the bubbling lake Charring lungs asphyxiateUnlike quicksand it’s instantDevours wholeNo longer existentPumice rain engulfsA mushroom cloud brings tumultRemains are shellsRain won’t quell Earth is hellBurning flesh and melting skinI submit to the molten kingThe messiah deep below Give my essence to the afterglowThere I’ll speak to the magma lordAnd bathe in the warmth of the red fjord Past this life of green meadows Lava afterlife in charred plateausThe volcano is deathThe lava is death Death is life The lava is lifeThe serpent is death The serpent is deathThe serpent is lifeThe serpent is lifeThe head is deathThe tail is deathThe head is lifeThe tail is lifeThe volcano is deathThe lava is death Death is life The lava is life The volcano is deathDeathLavaDeath

5.

Flick the switch Hell’s itchDerma-glitch Hell’s itchBewitched Hell’s itchPerpetual twitch Hell’s itchWhy, why, why when my nail glides through my epidermis does it feel so joyous? The deeper the cutThe thicker the bloodSubcutaneous fat feels good like that Dancing beneath my wafer-thin crust Teasing meTaunting meMy unquenchable lustIf only I could locate this bugOozing under like a slugI’d slice my skin to get withinLacerate my own linchpin Nominate my next of kinDestroy myself with no chagrinFind the source of this deep remorseBuried deep inside me like a sunken horseRooted below in the innermost abyss is a fathomless unscratchable itchShed my skin if need be to suppress the itch for it would fill me with glee Whatever is this persistent yearn to rip off my skin and stop the burnCrawling tender temptations Catacombs beneath layers of hatching eggsThunder threadsClaws enthralled in pitted keratosis Lacerations peeling paper thinBarbecue skinDeeper burying Flick the switch Hell’s itchDerma-glitch Hell’s itchBewitched Hell’s itchPerpetual twitch Hell’s itchRising pitch Hell’s itchLatent witch Hell’s itchGrisly stitch Hell’s itchThe old adage: Pain is easier to endure than an itchShed my skin if it need be To suppress the itch would fill me with glee Whatever is this persistent yearning to rip off my skin and stop the burning Crawling tender temptations Catacombs beneath layers of hatching eggsThunder threadsClaws enthralled in pitted keratosis Lacerations peeling paper thinBarbecue skinDeeper burying Flick the switch Hell’s itchDerma-glitch Hell’s itchBewitched Hell’s itchPerpetual twitch Hell’s itchLet the sun burnOh, my cells gurnWhen the skin drips I sing the hell’s itch Deep in the compost Believe that the worm can still see the light Sing the hell’s itchI sleep with the rat who’s kiss has set me freeOh, I sing Oh, I sing the hell’s itch Prick the ceramic Bodily condom be gone Oh, baby please be goneThe breeze on my flesh feels so f*ckin’ goodLook at me now, HelenYeah, I’m finally redOh, I’m finally redWhy, why, why when my nail glides through my epidermis does it feel so joyous? The deeper the cutThe thicker the bloodSubcutaneous fat hurts good like that Dancing beneath my wafer-thin crustTeasing meTaunting meMy unquenchable lustIf only I could locate this bugOozing under like a slugI’d slice my skin to get withinLacerate my own linchpin Nominate my next of kinDestroy myself with no chagrinFind the source of this deep remorseBuried deep inside me like a sunken horseRooted below in the innermost abyss is a fathomless unscratchable itch

6.

Hey, oh I’m in jail Body failedNow it’s me and my iron lungWrapped in iron Deathless purgatory Negative pressure Airless breathWrapped in iron Breathless purgatory Positive pressureAirless deathIt’s a different kind of cuttlefishSwing and a missDancing with my eyes and lipsCan’t move my hipsKeep my mind distracted from the swish-swishStaying sane and positiveCan’t crumble like a biscuit Iron lung. Iron lung. Iron lung…Space shuttleSnail shellMerry go roundConveyor beltThe army tank ventilator Mechanical bull respirator Metallic cocoon boredom Bionic boyPump my organs Centre gravityPlanet meGimme the mushroomsTime to leaveIron lung. Iron lung. Iron lung…Frog breathSteam tentNeck paralysis Frog breathSteam tentScared precariousFrog breathSteam tentNeck paralysis Congestion in my chestPins and needles like a voodoo evilGot my doctor baffledEvery breath is an uphill battleFrog breathSteam tentNeck paralysis Congestion in my chestFrog breathSteam tentNeck paralysis Frog breathSteam tentScared precariousFrog breathSteam tentNeck paralysisSedated deathHey, ohThe ship sailed Train derailedNow it’s me and my iron lungWrapped in iron Deathless purgatory Negative pressure Airless breathWrapped in iron Breathless purgatory Positive pressureAirless deathIt’s a different kind of cuttlefishSwing and a missDancing with my eyes and lipsCan’t move my hipsGotta keep my mind distracted from the swish-swishI’m staying sane and positiveCan’t crumble like a biscuit Iron lung. Iron lung. Iron lung…Cylindrical prisonNewly arisen Chained to a giant paper weightPain abates yet darkness permeates Wallows my toesBurdens my chestMy brain is pressed with an iron chest Iron lung. Iron lung. Iron lung…

7.

Melt the iceReheat the deadTerraform the planetCompress the lungsEat the mushroomCool the lavaWatch the new star dance upon the night skyFly my pretty silver lining Wishful thinking Strike defiantSend your prayers for Gliese 710Locked and loaded Death descendsAlien figures stumble sickly as their planet bakes Constellations crumble quicklyOn the horizon; cosmic waves Shooting stars rain upon a distant planetHadron collidingForked lightningMelting the cake’s icingFragmentationNew permutations Needlepoint mutilations Stick the fork in the powerpoint to be perturbed by revelationsFreeze the waterKill the livingBake the planetSuffocate the lungsGrow the mushroom Feed the volcano Watch the new star dance upon the night skyBoil the waterBury the deadDestroy the planetCollapse the lungsDisintegrate the mushroomJoin the volcano Be a cloud of gas upon the night sky

Recorded by Stu Mackenzie
Mixed by Stu Mackenzie
Produced by Stu Mackenzie
Mastered by Joe Carra
Performed by King Gizz on Wurrundjeri land

Cover art and layout by Jason Galea

Special thanks to Nico Wilson