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.

PEARL
Babes in Toyland Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Little Pearl she was this girl
Thoughts and notions in a whirl
This girl Pearl she was pretty quick
Found a stick filled it thick with
Black sugar shit
Ole black glasses spoonful molasses
Drinking wine killing time
Burn it black with a candle

All bent at the handle
Devilspit makes me sick
Black sugar shit

She had a name
Her name's insane
A little maid picks away at her brain
To much disdain
Her brain remained
To think thoughts all axe and mame and
Black sugar shit
Off with their heads 'cause I'm staying in bed
I'm sick of that blackbird that shrieks in my head

Black sugar shit
Is shit

Overall Meaning

The song "Pearl" by Babes in Toyland is an intense and somewhat disturbing piece that revolves around the character of Little Pearl, a girl whose thoughts and notions are in a constant state of flux. The song implies that Pearl is a troubled individual, with lyrics like "A little maid picks away at her brain" suggesting that she is grappling with some deep-seated issues. The repeated refrain of "Black sugar shit" underscores Pearl's internal turmoil and serves as a metaphor for the toxic thoughts that she can't seem to escape.

The song's vivid imagery speaks to the intensity of Pearl's emotions, with lines like "Found a stick filled it thick with / Black sugar shit" painting a picture of a girl searching desperately for an escape from the darkness that plagues her mind. The refrain of "Off with their heads 'cause I'm staying in bed / I'm sick of that blackbird that shrieks in my head" further underscores Pearl's sense of isolation from the outside world, as she seeks refuge in the safety of her own thoughts.

Line by Line Meaning

Little Pearl she was this girl
There was a girl named Pearl.

Thoughts and notions in a whirl
Pearl was overwhelmed with thoughts and ideas.

This girl Pearl she was pretty quick
Pearl was intelligent and sharp.

Found a stick filled it thick with
She found a stick and filled it with something.

Black sugar shit
It was filled with black sugar.

Ole black glasses spoonful molasses
She wore black glasses and spooned molasses.

Drinking wine killing time
Pearl drank wine to pass the time.

Burn it black with a candle
She burned something black with a candle.

All bent at the handle
It was bent at the handle.

Devilspit makes me sick
Pearl was sick of devilspit.

She had a name
Pearl was not nameless.