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.
Flesh Crawl
Babes in Toyland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where you stand
Pretty pile
Where you stand
Flesh is weak
Save your soul
Flesh is weak
Rape the wo-wo-woman
Flesh is weak
Hook your head
The truth is there
Walking around dead
Everywhere
Rape the wo-wo-woman
Flesh is weak
The lyrics to Babes in Toyland's song Flesh Crawl are haunting and disturbing, and they speak to the vulnerability of women in a patriarchal society that objectifies and commodifies them. The opening lines, "Pretty pile/Where you stand," create an image of a woman reduced to nothing more than an object, a "pretty pile" of flesh and bones. The repetition of "Pretty pile/Where you stand" emphasizes the dehumanization of the woman and the way in which she is stripped of her agency and identity.
The lines "Flesh is weak/Save your soul/Flesh is weak/I am old" suggest a kind of moral decay, a sense of corrupting influence that comes from living in a society that values flesh over spirit. The phrase "Rape the wo-wo-woman" is repeated twice, emphasizing the violent, predatory nature of male desire and the way in which women are often victimized in a culture that fetishizes sexual violence. The line "Hook your head/The truth is there/Walking around dead/Everywhere" creates a sense of dread and hopelessness, suggesting that women are trapped in a world where violence and objectification are the norm.
Overall, the lyrics to Flesh Crawl are an indictment of a society that treats women as disposable objects, and they speak to the need for a fundamental shift in the way we think about gender, sexuality, and power.
Line by Line Meaning
Pretty pile
A beautiful heap or collection of something
Where you stand
Wherever you happen to be situated
Flesh is weak
The physical body is feeble and subject to temptation and corruption
Save your soul
Preserve your spiritual essence or inner being
I am old
I am aged and wise
Rape the wo-wo-woman
To forcefully engage in sexual activity without consent
Hook your head
To capture or ensnare your mind or attention
The truth is there
The reality or absolute nature of something exists
Walking around dead
Existing in a lifeless or numb state
Everywhere
In all places or locations
Flesh is weak
The physical body is feeble and subject to temptation and corruption
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BaronSaturday66
This is one of the finest punk bands of all time.....
@maryvalenti6366
Sawwwwww
@johnhague5155
You tell em Kat. Smack head Poppys on every corner of Seattle. Thats a wrong turn no matter which way you turn. Your the spokes lassy for that city. You have my blessing dear. Great Show at Reading 1991 dear. Bless those little cotten socks. Ho had their hand on your thigh when you played in that pub in Leeds dear lady. Just want to know it was concential. I have eyes everywhere and a knife so sutble they don't know their dead and bleeding in their brain. Stroke Stroke Stroke. Won an Olympic Gold once but an official pocketed it as I was only a young wayward child drafted in at the last Moe. 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛.
@putitback4789
Huh wtf?
@raymondswitser1
That was kind of groovy Mr. Hague. ☯️
@instrumentsmrti
this should've made it on spanking machine or to mother
@johnhague5155
Remember ladys its a mans job to protect you and that is his duty. But dont stab him in the back while he is outside hunting for the good stuuf. Keep the temple clean and don't stab him in the back. Thanks cat. You don't half rock dear. 🙏.
@johnhague5155
You tell em Kat. Smack head Poppys on every corner of Seattle. Thats a wrong turn no matter which way you turn. Your the spokes lassy for that city. You have my blessing dear. Great Show at Reading 1991 dear. Bless those little cotten socks. Ho had their hand on your thigh when you played in that pub in Leeds dear lady. Just want to know it was concential. I have eyes everywhere and a knife so sutble they don't know their dead and bleeding in their brain. Stroke Stroke Stroke. Won an Olympic Gold once but an official pocketed it as I was only a young wayward child drafted in at the last Moe. 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛.