Formed as a side project to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, the band was originally known as Mini Seeds and was formed by Cave as "a way to escape the weight of The Bad Seeds." The band's name was inspired by a Memphis Slim song, Grinder Man Blues, which Cave is noted to have started singing during one of the band's early rehearsal sessions. The band's eponymous debut studio album, Grinderman, was released in 2007 to extremely positive reviews and the band's second and final studio album, Grinderman 2, was released in 2010 to a similar reception.
Following extensive touring after the release of Grinderman 2, Grinderman disbanded after a performance at the Meredith Music Festival in Victoria, Australia in December 2011. The band split up in order to focus on The Bad Seeds upcoming material. However, Jim Sclavunos later said: "I can't predict what the future of Grinderman is - if there is a future." The band reunited for a one-off performance at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California in April 2013.
http://www.grinderman.com
No Pussy Blues
Grinderman Lyrics
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And I can't help but think standin' up here
In all this applause and gazin' down
At all the young and the beautiful
With their questioning eyes
That I must above all things love myself
That I must above all things love myself
That I must above all things love myself
I saw a girl in the crowd
I ran over I shouted out
I asked if I could take her out
But she said that she didn't want to
I changed the sheets on my bed
I combed the hairs across my head
I sucked in my gut and still she said
That she just didn't want to
I read her Eliot, read her Yeats
I tried my best to stay up late
I fixed the hinges on her gate
But still she just never wanted to
I bought her a dozen snow-white doves
I did her dishes in rubber gloves
I called her honeybee, I called her love
But she just still didn't want to
She just never wants to
Dammit!
I sent her every type of flower
I played a guitar by the hour
I patted her revolting little chihuahua
But still she just didn't want to
I wrote a song with a hundred lines
I picked a bunch of dandelions
I walked her through the trembling pines
But she just even then didn't want to
She just never wants to
I thought I'd try another tack
I drank a litre of cognac
I threw her down upon her back
But she just laughed and said
That she just didn't want to
I thought I'd have another go
I called her my little O
I felt like Marcel Marceau
Must feel when she said
That she just never wanted to
She just didn't want to
I got the no pussy blues
I got the no pussy blues
I got the no pussy blues
Damn, damn, woo
No pussy blues
I got the no pussy blues
I got the no pussy blues
I got the no pussy blues, woo
Yeah, yeah, woo
The Grinderman's song "No Pussy Blues" tells a story of a man's unsuccessful attempts to attract a girl. He expresses his frustration and disappointment towards the girl who keeps rejecting him. The lyrics are quite self-deprecating, as the man questions his attractiveness and tries to improve his appearance ("I changed the sheets on my bed/I combed the hairs across my head/I sucked in my gut and still she said/That she just didn't want to"). He also tries to impress the girl with his intellect and poetry-reading abilities ("I read her Eliot, read her Yeats/ I tried my best to stay up late/I fixed the hinges on her gate"). Despite his persistent efforts, the girl remains uninterested, and the man eventually gives up on her.
The song's title, "No Pussy Blues," is a play on words that refers to both the man's sexual frustration and the traditional blues music genre. The song has a repetitive, almost hypnotic rhythm, with a constant repetition of the phrase "I got the no pussy blues" towards the end, emphasizing the man's frustration and his feeling of inferiority. The song can be interpreted as a commentary on masculinity and sexual expectations in our society.
Overall, the song paints a picture of a man who is desperately seeking validation from a woman's attention and is feeling defeated when he doesn't get it. It's a commentary on the fragility of male ego and the cultural expectations placed on men to be sexually successful.
Line by Line Meaning
My face is finished, my body's gone
I am old and unattractive
And I can't help but think standin' up here
As I am standing here
In all this applause and gazin' down
Amidst all the adulation and looking down upon people
At all the young and the beautiful
At all the youthful, attractive people
With their questioning eyes
Whose curious and skeptical expressions suggest they don't love me
That I must above all things love myself
I must prioritize loving myself above everything else
I saw a girl in the crowd
I noticed a girl in the audience
I ran over I shouted out
I approached her and yelled
I asked if I could take her out
I requested her company for a date
But she said that she didn't want to
But she declined my offer
I changed the sheets on my bed
I prepared my bed nicely
I combed the hairs across my head
I groomed myself
I sucked in my gut and still she said
I tightened my stomach muscles but she still rejected me
That she just didn't want to
That she simply rejected me
I read her Eliot, read her Yeats
I read her poetry by Eliot and Yeats
I tried my best to stay up late
I made an effort to be with her at night
I fixed the hinges on her gate
I repaired her gate
But still she just never wanted to
But she continued to reject me
I bought her a dozen snow-white doves
I got her a dozen doves as a gift
I did her dishes in rubber gloves
I washed her dishes while wearing rubber gloves
I called her honeybee, I called her love
I used affectionate names for her
But she just still didn't want to
But she still refused me
She just never wants to
She never wants to be with me
Dammit!
This is frustrating and annoying
I sent her every type of flower
I sent her every kind of flower
I played a guitar by the hour
I played guitar for hours
I patted her revolting little chihuahua
I petted her unpleasant chihuahua
But still she just didn't want to
But she kept pushing me away
I wrote a song with a hundred lines
I composed a long song
I picked a bunch of dandelions
I picked a bouquet of dandelions
I walked her through the trembling pines
I took a walk with her through the pines
But she just even then didn't want to
But she still refused to be with me
I thought I'd try another tack
I decided to try a different approach
I drank a litre of cognac
I drank a lot of cognac
I threw her down upon her back
I had sex with her
But she just laughed and said
But she found it amusing and responded with
That she just didn't want to
That she didn't want to be with me
I thought I'd have another go
I tried again
I called her my little O
I called her my little orgasm
I felt like Marcel Marceau
I felt like the mime artist Marcel Marceau (referring to being quiet)
Must feel when she said
Feels after she says
That she just never wanted to
That she just didn't want to be with me regardless
I got the no pussy blues
I am sexually frustrated
Damn, damn, woo
This is extremely frustrating and annoying
No pussy blues
My frustration at not being able to have sex
Yeah, yeah, woo
Expressing frustration and annoyance
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Mute Song Limited, Sentric Music
Written by: Jim Sclavunos, Nicholas Cave, Warren Ellis, Martin Casey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind