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.

You're Right
Babes in Toyland Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Desperate digging for conviction
Harbouring a false shame
Desperate digging for conviction
Harbouring a false shame
Well I guess you're right
Well I guess you're right
You said you're right, right?
I guess you're right

Well I guess you're right
You're right, alright
Suffering on the house that Jack built
On a foundation of mud slides
Suffering on the house that jack built
On a foundation of mud slides
Well I guess he's right
Well I guess he's right
Well I guess he's right, right?
He's always right
Well I guess you win
You're right, alright
Why is it you're always right

Right
Well I guess you're right

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of this song are open to interpretation, but it seems to be about someone who is desperately trying to convince themselves that their actions or attitudes are justified, even if they know deep down that they are not. The repeated lines "Desperate digging for conviction, harbouring a false shame" suggest that this person is struggling to come to terms with something, perhaps a mistake they have made or a moral quandary they are facing. The refrain "Well I guess you're right" could be interpreted as this person accepting defeat and admitting that they were wrong all along.

The second verse introduces another character, "the house that Jack built," which could be a metaphor for a flawed or unstable foundation. This character is also suffering, possibly due to their own instability. The line "Well I guess he's right, he's always right" could suggest that this character is stubborn or set in their ways, refusing to see the flaws in their own thinking or behavior.

In the end, the repeated line "Well I guess you're right" seems to settle the matter, with the singer acknowledging that they have been defeated by whoever they were arguing with. It is unclear whether this resolution leads to any kind of personal growth or change, but the lyrics suggest that the constant struggle to justify oneself can be exhausting and futile.

Line by Line Meaning

Desperate digging for conviction
Frantically searching for something to hold on to

Harbouring a false shame
Holding onto guilt or shame that is not justified

Well I guess you're right
Admitting defeat or conceding an argument to the other person

Well I guess you're right
Repeating that the other person is correct

You said you're right, right?
Confirming that the other person claims to be right

I guess you're right
Agreeing that the other person's argument or point is valid

Well I guess he's right
Conceding that someone else is correct

Well I guess he's right
Repeating that someone else is correct

Well I guess he's right, right?
Asking if the other person thinks someone else is correct

He's always right
Implying that someone else is always correct, perhaps sarcastically

Well I guess you win
Acknowledging that the other person has successfully argued their point