History
Cobra Skulls were formed in 2005 by Devin Peralta (bass, vocals), Charlie Parker (guitar) and Chad Cleaveland (drums). They released an EP titled Draw Muhammad in 2006. The EP caught the attention of Red Scare Industries who signed the band and released their debut album "Sitting Army" in 2007.
To promote the album the band went on tour with Against Me!, Mad Caddies, and The Loved Ones, opening shows for them.[1] During the 2007 tour the band added a second guitarist Adam Beck.
After releasing the "Never Be a Machine/ Lost in Campaigns" 7" in time for the 2008 American elections, the band put out their second full length, "American Rubicon" in July 2009. This album was also promoted through an extensive tour schedule- this time with other Red Scare bands, including the Copyrights, the Sidekicks and the Menzingers.
Music style
Devin Peralta is half Argentinian and therefore writes and sings some songs in Spanish as can be heard with the tracks "¡Hasta Los Corba Skulls Siempre!" (from Draw Muhammad EP) and "Use Your Cobra Skulls" (from Sitting Army LP). While the first track is sung completely in Spanish, the latter track mixes both English and Spanish.
Discography
* Eat Your Babies (2005)
* Cobra Skulls/Beercan 7" split (Humaniterrorist, 2006)
* Draw Muhammad (EP) (Humaniterrorist, 2006)
* Sitting Army (Red Scare, 2007)
* Never Be a Machine (EP) (Red Scare, 2008)
* American Rubicon (Red Scare, 2009)
Cobra Skullifornia
Cobra Skulls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you got big city money to spend,
I don't want your big city money
in my town my friend,
you don't appreciate it
you want to appropriate it,
and make a profit turn
you heard it through the grapevine
or read it in a magazine,
you're living in a hell hole
and somewhere far away
has a national ranking
and you start thinking
"How could they be wrong?"
Southern California
star where you are!
We don't want vacation homes
and a garage for every car,
you planted seeds in the desert
you stole your water from afar,
now Southern California
stay where you are!
you had enough of the hustle and bustle
that delivered you to success,
but you need that Neiman Marcus
and you can't go long without
all the amenities that
made it such a mess
you want to bring it with you
Southern California
look how you sprawl!
you're addicted to construction
you will consume us all
so if you want to make my town
look like L.A. you might as well
just stay right where you are
The song "Cobra Skullifornia" by Cobra Skulls speaks about Southern California's urbanization and how it's harming the towns and cities surrounding it. The song starts with addressing someone who comes from the city with big city money to spend, which the singer doesn't want in their town. The singer feels like these city people don't appreciate their towns and instead want to appropriate them and make a profit turn.
Later, the song brings up the fact that people from far away believe Southern California to be a paradise, but those who live there know the reality. The singer doesn't want these people to come to their towns and try to change them to fit their idea of paradise. Southern California is already sprawling, and the construction addiction will consume the surrounding towns if it isn't stopped.
The main message of the song is to keep Southern California where it is and not let it destroy the surrounding small towns. The song has a punk rock feel to it, and the raw energy of the music adds to the message of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
So you come from the city
The song addresses people from the city who come to the town.
you got big city money to spend,
They are wealthy and can afford a luxurious lifestyle.
I don't want your big city money
The singer does not desire their money in his town.
in my town my friend,
The town belongs to the people who live there, and not outsiders.
you don't appreciate it
Outsiders don't value the town like the people who live there.
you want to appropriate it,
The outsiders want to take over and claim the town for themselves.
and make a profit turn
They are only interested in making a profit from the town.
you heard it through the grapevine
Word of mouth or rumors reached their ears.
or read it in a magazine,
They may have read about the town in a magazine or article.
you're living in a hell hole
To them, the town is unpleasant and undesirable.
and somewhere far away
They compare the town to other distant places.
has a national ranking
They compare the town's reputation to other highly ranked places.
and you start thinking
They begin to believe that the ranking is accurate and question the value of the town.
"How could they be wrong?"
They assume that since the town is highly ranked, it must be better than their current place of living.
Southern California
Referring to the region of California of the same name.
star where you are!
The singer is telling those who enjoy living in Southern California to stay there.
We don't want vacation homes
They do not want outsiders to build vacation homes in their neighborhood.
and a garage for every car,
They do not want the town to become overdeveloped and lose its small-town charm.
you planted seeds in the desert
People moved to the desert and tried to transform it into a livable environment.
you stole your water from afar,
To create new homes and developments, the outsiders took water from other regions.
now Southern California
Referring to the negative effects of the outsiders' deeds in Southern California.
stay where you are!
They do not want outsiders to come to their town and repeat the same mistakes made in Southern California.
you had enough of the hustle and bustle
The outsiders are tired of the fast-paced city life they left behind.
that delivered you to success,
They experienced success while living in the city.
but you need that Neiman Marcus
They still appreciate luxury brands and high-end stores.
and you can't go long without
They crave luxury and cannot survive without it.
all the amenities that
They require all the luxuries and comforts they had in the city.
made it such a mess
Their city lifestyle contributed to its chaos and destruction.
you want to bring it with you
They want to bring their luxurious lifestyle with them to the town.
Southern California
Referring to the negative effects of outsiders trying to replicate Southern California's lifestyle in smaller towns.
look how you sprawl!
They criticize the excessive amount of building and development in Southern California.
you're addicted to construction
Outsiders have a desire to build and develop, contributing to the excessive construction mentioned earlier.
you will consume us all
They fear that the outsiders will take over the town and destroy its charm and culture.
so if you want to make my town
The singer directly addresses the outsiders and their intentions.
look like L.A. you might as well
They do not want the town to become like Los Angeles with rampant construction and urbanization.
just stay right where you are
The outsiders are advised to stay where they are and not try to transform the town into something it's not.
Contributed by Nolan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.