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.
Ragweed
Babes in Toyland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To polish
Imaginary
Trophies
Sitting
On
The shelf
Heart
You stand
In
The shadow
Of your
Guilt
Love puppet with no strings
That's what the spiral-eyed girl sings
She's just tired of being ugly
She just wants pretty things
The house
Of cards
Took time
But
We stacked
Them high
With more doors
Heading out
Than
Coming in
Stampede
We crushed
The foundation
We
Once built
Love puppet with no strings
That's what the spiral-eyed girl sings
She's just tired of being ugly
She just wants pretty things
Isn't
It hard
To talk
With
Your tongue
Tied
All the times
You've sworn
You
Haven't lied
One thing
Leads
To another
At one time
I
Would have
No other
Have
No other
Please
Give me
Another
Love puppet with no strings
That's what the spiral-eyed girl sings
She's just tired of being ugly
She just wants pretty things
The lyrics of Babes in Toyland's song "Ragweed" describe a feeling of being trapped in a relationship that is not satisfying or fulfilling. The song begins with the singer addressing their partner, who seems to expect them to constantly prove their love and devotion by "polishing imaginary trophies" that are displayed on the shelf of their heart. The partner is consumed by guilt and stands in the shadow of it, which makes it difficult for the singer to connect with them on an emotional level. The title of the song "Ragweed" is a metaphor for a weed that is difficult to get rid of and can cause allergies and irritations, suggesting that the relationship is toxic and causes discomfort.
The second part of the song introduces the character of the "spiral-eyed girl" who sings about being a "love puppet with no strings". This suggests that she feels used and manipulated by her partner, who only wants her to fulfill certain expectations without any regard for her own desires or needs. She wants pretty things and is tired of being ugly, which could be interpreted as wanting to be loved and appreciated for who she is.
Overall, "Ragweed" is a song about the struggle for autonomy and self-expression within a relationship that is suffocating and unfulfilling. The lyrics depict a sense of being trapped and helpless but also express a desire for freedom and liberation.
Line by Line Meaning
Expecting me
You have a certain expectation from me
To polish
To make perfect
Imaginary
A creation of one's mind
Trophies
A symbol of victory or success
Sitting
Resting
On
Above
The shelf
A place to store things
Of your
Belonging to you
Heart
The center of emotions
You stand
You find yourself
In
Within
The shadow
The dark part of oneself
Of your
Belonging to you
Guilt
Feeling responsible for doing something wrong
Love puppet with no strings
One who is controlled by love without free will
That's what the spiral-eyed girl sings
The girl with spiral eyes is singing this
She's just tired of being ugly
She is exhausted with seeing the dark side of things
She just wants pretty things
She desires beautiful things in life
The house
The structure of something
Of cards
A flimsy foundation
Took time
A long effort was involved
But
However
We stacked
We piled
Them high
Very high
With more doors
A greater number of opportunities
Heading out
Going forward
Than
In contrast to
Coming in
Being received
Stampede
A sudden surge of activity
We crushed
We destroyed
The foundation
The base of something
We
Together
Once built
Something that we created in the past
Isn't
Is not
It hard
Difficult
To talk
Discussing topics
With
In the company of
Your tongue
Speaking
Tied
Restricted
All the times
On every occasion
You've sworn
You have promised
You
One
Haven't lied
Not been dishonest
One thing
Something
Leads
Results in
To another
To another one
At one time
In the past
I
Me
Would have
Used to have
No other
No one else
Have
Posess
No other
No one else
Please
Requesting
Give me
Provide me
Another
One more
Love puppet with no strings
One who is controlled by love without free will
That's what the spiral-eyed girl sings
The girl with spiral eyes is singing this
She's just tired of being ugly
She is exhausted with seeing the dark side of things
She just wants pretty things
She desires beautiful things in life
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Lee M Ranaldo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind