In 2004 the group recorded their only album "the big eyeball in the sky" and toured nationwide in support of the album.
The band briefly reunited without Brain at the 2006 Wakarusa Festival where, during Les Claypool's Fancy Band set, Bernie and Buckethead came onstage and played "the Big Eyeball in the Sky". Claypool dubbed this incarnation "Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Baldi", Baldi being Paulo Baldi who was a drummer for Cake and The Fancy Band.
Buckethead
Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Finding it much soother in the night
With his face as pale as pancakes
And his posture in rebellion with his height
He was raised to respect Father he was loving to his Ma
Being kind to all the children and the animals he saw
In his youth he looked at Jacko with gleaming admiration
Moonwalking through the gardens of his Disneyland Vacation
Then he took a pallid mask and he glued it to his face
And it gave him the temerity to join the human race
He stood like great Ulysses with guitar in his hand
Pledging to deflate the cynical that plague the glory land
Buckethead
And the people came to know him as a man of noble cause
Ignoring eccentricities and interactive flaws
The ones that knew him best were the ones that
called him kind
Clueless to the depth of his complicated mind
But when he takes a pallid mask and he glues it to his face
It gives him the temerity to join the human race
Standing up like great Ulysses with
guitar in his hand
Pledging to deflate the cynical
that plague the glory land
Buckethead
The lyrics to "Buckethead" by Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains convey the story of a man who prefers the darkness of night to the light of day. The man's face is described as "pale as pancakes" and his posture as rebellious against his height. Despite being raised with respect for his father and love for his mother, he looked up to Michael Jackson in his youth and admired him for moonwalking through the gardens of Disneyland. The man then takes a "pallid mask" and glues it to his face, giving him the courage to join the human race.
Once the man dons the pallid mask, he becomes known for his noble cause, even if others view him as eccentric or flawed. The ones who know him best call him kind, while remaining unaware of the complexity of his mind. The man stands with his guitar like "great Ulysses," pledging to deflate the cynicism that infects society.
The overall message of the song is that appearances can be deceiving, and that those who seem strange may have good intentions and valuable contributions to make to the world. The man in the song found his inner courage and voice by putting on a mask and embracing his own individuality. The lyrics speak to the potential for inner strength and self-expression within us all.
Line by Line Meaning
He didn't like to jostle in the light
He preferred the peace of the night to the hustle and bustle of the day
Finding it much soother in the night
He found comfort and solace in the darkness
With his face as pale as pancakes
He was very pale, perhaps due to the mask he often wears
And his posture in rebellion with his height
Despite his tall stature, he often stood with a rebellious or defiant posture
He was raised to respect Father he was loving to his Ma
He was brought up to have a deep respect for his father and a loving relationship with his mother
Being kind to all the children and the animals he saw
He was kind and compassionate to any and all beings he came across, including children and animals
In his youth he looked at Jacko with gleaming admiration
When he was younger, he admired Michael Jackson greatly
Moonwalking through the gardens of his Disneyland Vacation
He enjoyed dancing like Michael Jackson in Disneyland's gardens during his vacation
Then he took a pallid mask and he glued it to his face
He started wearing a white mask, becoming somewhat of a trademark for him
And it gave him the temerity to join the human race
The mask gave him the courage to put himself out there and be an active participant in the world
He stood like great Ulysses with guitar in his hand
He stood tall and proud like the mythological hero Ulysses, holding his trusty guitar
Pledging to deflate the cynical that plague the glory land
He aimed to bring down the negativity and cynicism that often exist in the entertainment industry
And the people came to know him as a man of noble cause
He was considered by many to be a person with a noble purpose
Ignoring eccentricities and interactive flaws
People were able to look past any unconventional or odd behavior he exhibited and focus on his positive qualities
The ones that knew him best were the ones that called him kind
The people who knew him personally knew him to be kind and compassionate
Clueless to the depth of his complicated mind
Although they knew he was kind and good-hearted, they were unaware of the complexity of his thoughts and emotions
But when he takes a pallid mask and he glues it to his face
When he puts on his mask, he feels empowered to stand out and express himself
It gives him the temerity to join the human race
By wearing the mask, he gains the courage to engage with the world around him
Standing up like great Ulysses with guitar in his hand
He stands tall and proud, wielding his guitar like a heroic figure
Pledging to deflate the cynical that plague the glory land
He is determined to combat negativity and cynicism in the entertainment industry
Buckethead
The title of the song and a reference to the musician himself
Contributed by Jake F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.