Originally part of short-lived Chicago group I Rowboat, Johnson and two of his fellow Rowboat members, guitarist Dan Strack and drummer Brian Belval, created Fruit Bats as a side-project. When I Rowboat split up, Fruit Bats became Johnson's main focus. Spurred on by Califone/Perishable Records honchos Tim Rutili and Ben Massarella, the group recorded their first album, Echolocation, released in 2001.
After tours with Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Modest Mouse and The Shins, Fruit Bats signed with Sub Pop in late summer 2002, recording their second album, 2003's Mouthfuls, which included new bandmate Gillian Lisee.
After relocating to Seattle, the group released their third album, Spelled in Bones, in 2005. Afterward, Eric D. Johnson played with The Shins and Vetiver. In 2008, the Fruit Bats began working together again, with revised membership of Johnson, Christopher Sherman, Ron Lewis, Graeme Gibson, and Sam Wagster. In 2009, they released The Ruminant Band and in 2011 came Tripper.
In November 2013, Eric D. Johnson announced he would be dissolving Fruit Bats. That month they played what was to be their farewell show at a sold out Aladdin Theatre in Portland, OR. The following year Johnson released an album under the name EDJ.
Reforming in 2015, Fruit Bats released their sixth official full-length LP, Absolute Loser, in 2016 via newly formed Los Angeles-based label Easy Sound.
Fruit Bats signed to North Carolina-based independent label Merge Records in 2018. Also in 2018, Johnson formed the folk group Bonny Light Horseman with Josh Kaufman and Anais Mitchell.
In 2019 Fruit Bats’ Merge debut "Gold Past Life" was released.
Fruit Bats’ 2020 album The Pet Parade was produced by Johnson's Bonny Light Horseman bandmate Josh Kaufman.
In 2021, Fruit Bats released a full-album cover of Smashing Pumpkins' 1993 record Siamese Dream.
The Fruit Bats’ double-disc, 20-year career retrospective "Sometimes A Cloud Is Just a Cloud: Slow Growers, Sleeper Hits and Lost Songs" was released in 2022.
Tony the Tripper
Fruit Bats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and the dude who thought he was my hero
and the mayor of Nowheresville
and the girl with the wandering eye came a wandering by
We was all under the date palm tree
they left the rolling of one up to me
knowing the world might end tomorrow anyway
Back at the burnout chalet
with some brokedown punks and some zeroes
Defending his can of beans
Get these weasels away for chrissakes get these snakes off of me
I said Tony, take it easy
not knowing if he'd cry or punch me
screaming the world might end tomorrow anyway
I was just another warm dog on the pile
Who could've ditched him in another couple miles
But there was nowhere else I really needed to be
Tony the tripper and me
we jumped the fence and split in Bodega
Haven't seen him in some time
Probably a chance he's in that railroad car in the sky
My best friend and worst enemy
The last rattle of old Californee
Where the world might end tomorrow anyway
We was all under the date palm tree
they left the rolling of one up to me
knowing the world might end tomorrow anyway
The song Tony the Tripper by Fruit Bats, tells a story of a group of misfits coming together under a date palm tree while smoking, just moments before the world might end. The singer, along with Tony the Tripper (presumably a friend), the dude who thought he was the singer's hero, the mayor of Nowheresville, and a girl with a wandering eye find themselves together, escaping their everyday lives in a burnout chalet with some brokedown punks and zeroes. Tony the Tripper seems to be the most troubled of the group, with the singer trying unsuccessfully to calm him down from his heightened state.
The lyrics reflect a sense of impending doom, the idea that the world might end tomorrow anyway, and this causes the characters to come together in a moment of connection, despite their differences. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but it seems that the palm tree and the smoke are a temporary escape from their troubles, and they know that they might not have much time left. The group decides to leave the chalet and jump the fence, heading towards Bodega, and the singer hasn't seen Tony the Tripper in some time but speculates that he might be in that railroad car in the sky.
Line by Line Meaning
Tony the tripper and me
The singer and Tony the Tripper are together
and the dude who thought he was my hero
Someone who thinks they are the singer's hero was also present
and the mayor of Nowheresville
The mayor of Nowheresville was also present
and the girl with the wandering eye came a wandering by
A girl with a wandering eye appeared and joined the group
We was all under the date palm tree
The group of people including the artist were gathered under a date palm tree
they left the rolling of one up to me
The singer was in charge of rolling a joint
knowing the world might end tomorrow anyway
The group was aware that the world might end soon
Back at the burnout chalet
The artist and Tony went back to a run-down cabin
with some brokedown punks and some zeroes
The cabin was filled with people who were down on their luck
Defending his can of beans
Someone was protecting their can of beans, possibly from the others
Get these weasels away for chrissakes get these snakes off of me
The singer was annoyed with the behavior of the people in the cabin
I said Tony, take it easy
The artist advised Tony the Tripper to calm down
not knowing if he'd cry or punch me
The singer was unsure of how Tony would react to the advice
screaming the world might end tomorrow anyway
Tony was shouting that the world might end soon
I was just another warm dog on the pile
The singer felt like they were just another person in the group
Who could've ditched him in another couple miles
The artist could have left Tony behind when they were on the road
But there was nowhere else I really needed to be
The artist chose to stay with Tony because they had nowhere else to go
we jumped the fence and split in Bodega
The singer and Tony left and went to Bodega
Haven't seen him in some time
The singer hasn't seen Tony in a while
Probably a chance he's in that railroad car in the sky
The artist thinks that Tony might have passed away
My best friend and worst enemy
Tony was both the artist's best friend and worst enemy
The last rattle of old Californee
Tony was the last reminder of the old California
Where the world might end tomorrow anyway
The world might end soon, according to Tony and the others
Contributed by Grace A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.