Babes in Toyland was an American punk band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesot… Read Full Bio ↴Babes in Toyland was an American punk band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1987, when Lori Barbero met Kat Bjelland at a friend's barbeque. Originally four-piece, the band developed into the honed-down trio of Lori (long-time Minneapolis scenester) on drums, Kat (a transplant from Oregon via San Francisco, who moved to Minneapolis specifically to form a band) on vocals and guitar, and Michelle Leon on bass. Courtney Love, a close friend and former bandmate of Bjelland's in the short-lived group The Pagan Babies, had a brief stint in the band as a bass player in 1987, before being kicked out and later forming Hole two years afterward.

Babes In Toyland's debut single on Treehouse Records ("Dust Cake Boy" b/w "Spit To See The Shine") landed them a deal with Minneapolis' famed Twin/Tone Records.

Their debut album Spanking Machine -- released in 1990 -- caught the attention of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, who began singing their praises in the music press and invited the band to support them on their European tour. Meanwhile, Spanking Machine was released in the UK by Southern Studios, and was quickly gaining favour with the music press and John Peel who recorded a session with them and named the album as his favorite of 1990.

In the summer of 1991, To Mother was recorded at Southern Studios with John Loder in the producer's seat. The EP entered the independent charts in the top 10 and stayed there for an amazing 13 weeks (ten of which the EP held at the No. 1 position). Early in 1992, Michelle Leon amicably left the band and was replaced by Maureen Herman, an old friend and long-time fan of the band. Their second and most successful album, Fontanelle was released in August 1992 and was followed by the outtakes EP Painkillers in June 1993.

After a number of other tours, Babes in Toyland released Nemesisters, their third and final studio album, in 1995. After this, the band were on-off with Leon's departure leading to the dissolution of their record label contract. In 2001, the band reformed for one final time and performed their final show on November 25 in Minneapolis. After this, the band officially disbanded, however, Kat Bjelland performed a number of shows in Europe under the band's name, only to face legal action from former members if the tour went further ahead.

After much speculation, in 2014, Babes in Toyland had announced they reunited and announced tour dates.
In 2015, Maureen Herman was replaced by Clara Salyer.

Botorap
Babes in Toyland Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Shake this ground well of hate
This is why I rot away
This is why I rot away today
Cause you wear this mistake that you make

That mostly that you make

I said why?

Why?
Why?

You have to try

Shake

Should you shake well of hate
This is why I rot away
Call this kettle black
This is why I ricochet

Jack he built his house on sand
And mud slides

I said why?
Why?
Why?

You have to try

Quake

Shake shake with hate

This is why I rot away today

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Babes in Toyland's song "Botorap" are evocative of a feeling of frustration and disillusionment with the world. The singer addresses someone else - perhaps a lover, a friend or a family member - and implores them to "shake this ground well of hate" in order to avoid their own downward spiral into despair.

The lines "this is why I rot away" and "this is why I ricochet" suggest that the singer feels trapped by their own negative emotions, and that their only hope for escape is for those around them to take responsibility for their own actions and attitudes towards the world. The reference to "Jack" who "built his house on sand" is perhaps a metaphor for the fragility of human existence and the idea that everything we build is ultimately impermanent and vulnerable to external forces.

The repeated refrain of "why?" and "you have to try" suggests a sense of urgency and desperation, as if the singer is pleading with the other person to take action before it's too late. The word "quake" in the final line seems to invoke a sense of seismic upheaval, as if the entire world is trembling with the weight of our collective problems.

Line by Line Meaning

Shake this ground well of hate
You need to remove hate from your life

This is why I rot away
Hate is the cause of my downfall

This is why I rot away today
I am still suffering from the effects of hate

Cause you wear this mistake that you make
You live with the consequences of your actions

That mostly that you make
You are responsible for most of your own problems

I said why?
I am questioning the reason for things

Why?
I am asking for an explanation

Why?
I am still questioning

You have to try
You have to make an effort

Jack he built his house on sand
Jack made a mistake by building his house on unstable ground

And mud slides
This led to disastrous consequences