After some personnel changes, the band congealed around members Luke Edward… Read Full Bio ↴After some personnel changes, the band congealed around members Luke Edwards (vocals and guitar), Rich Parris (guitars and vocals), Otis Hughes (bass guitar), and Boo Duckworth (drums and percussion) in 1987. After building a following in their native North Carolina, the group relocated to Los Angeles in 1989.

Favorable press in newspapers including the L.A. Music Scene, which compared them to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Faith No More, coupled with the exploding alternative music scene, brought the band to the attention of several A&R execs, and Animalbag was eventually signed to Mercury records in 1992.

Their 1992 self-titled initial release mixed acoustic and electric rock and Animal Bag was prominently featured in the pilot episode of My So-Called Life as the party band. The album's first single, Everybody, peaked briefly at #29 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart in 1993, and was a minor success in Japan, hitting #32 for 8 weeks in March 1993. Their follow-up 1994 album Offering was all-acoustic and did not chart well in the U.S. Mercury was willing to give the band one more chance, and brought in producer Terry Date to helm a return to harder-edged music for the band's 1996 album Image Damage. The album was never released because of inner shakeups at the record label; most of the people who had worked the first two Animal Bag releases left the label.

By 1998, the band had broken up and singer Luke Edwards went on to form the bluegrass band Tater.

On June 5, 2002, drummer Boo Duckworth died from natural causes at age 35.

On March 9, 2010, lead guitarist Richard Parris passed away. According to the medical examiner, cause of death was a ruptured ulcer. Rich had just recorded an album with his band (with Otis from Animal Bag) M4 Messenger.

Last One
Animal Bag Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Looking to the mountains
Flying through the haze
Don't remember where I've been
I've flown for days
Crazy spots of color
Dance before my eyes
Last one to reach home
Won't sleep and hence he dies

Swimming through the river
To the Emerald isles
Tell me how much further now
I've swam for miles
Struggle with the current
Swim against the tide
Last one to reach shore
Will drown and hence he dies

And I feel... so brand new
Yes, I feel as if I'm on of the chosen few
Yes, I feel... so brand new
Yes, I feel as if I'm one of the chosen few

Yes, I feel... so brand new (yes I do)
Yes, I feel as if I'm one of the chosen few

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Animal Bag's song "Last One" describe a journey of determination and risk-taking. The singer seems to be on a journey, both literally and metaphorically, toward a destination that is unclear, but one that is worth the effort of getting there. The first stanza describes flying, with the singer moving through a haze and seeing "crazy spots of color" dance before their eyes. The urgency of the journey is emphasized by the line "Last one to reach home, won't sleep and hence he dies." This establishes the stakes of the journey as high, with the threat of death looming for those who do not make it to their destination.

The second stanza describes a different kind of journey, one through water. The singer is swimming toward the "Emerald Isles", but is unsure of how much further they have to go. The line "Last one to reach shore, will drown and hence he dies" reinforces the high stakes of the journey, and the determination required to make it through. The repeated refrain of "Yes, I feel… so brand new" suggests that the singer is invigorated and renewed by the journey, despite the challenges they face.

Overall, the lyrics to "Last One" suggest that the journey is more important than the destination, and that the challenges and risks of the journey are worth it for the sense of renewal and revitalization it can provide.

Line by Line Meaning

Looking to the mountains
I am searching for something bigger than myself

Flying through the haze
I am traveling through life without a clear direction or purpose

Don't remember where I've been
I feel lost and disconnected from my past

I've flown for days
I have been drifting aimlessly for a long time

Crazy spots of color
My mind is filled with confusing and overwhelming thoughts

Dance before my eyes
My thoughts are distracting and dizzying

Last one to reach home
If I do not find my purpose and direction, I may never find true fulfillment

Won't sleep and hence he dies
If I do not find my way, my soul may wither and die

Swimming through the river
I am struggling to overcome obstacles on my journey

To the Emerald isles
I am searching for a place of beauty and tranquility

Tell me how much further now
I am becoming tired and questioning if my journey is worth it