They formed in the year 1989 are advocates of the DIY punk ethic and part of the musical underground culture. They are well regarded in the Industrial music, punk rock, indie rock and electronic music communities. Known for their live performances, Babyland have shared the stage with the likes of The Offspring, Legendary Pink Dots, Dystopia, Foetus, Add(n)to X, Nitzer Ebb and Psychic TV. Most of their live performances occur in underground locations that have included places like LA's Jabberjaw, Kontrol Factory, The Smell and 924_gilman in Berkeley.
Recordings prior to 1996 were released on the Los Angeles Punk Rock label Flipside, and the band participated in several of this organization's Mojave Desert events. Subsequent material has been released by the band's own label, Mattress. Recent works have also been released in Europe by Dependent Records.
Their slogan is: "We will not go away"
On October 9, 2009, it was announced that they had broken up.
Dan Gatto now plays as Continues
http://www.thisiscontinues.com/
Discography
* 1991 7 inch (1991: Flipside)
* Reality/Under/Smrow-Tow EP (1992: Flipside)
* You Suck Crap (1992: Flipside)
* Dog Snatcher EP (1993: Flipside)
* Stomach 7 inch (1993: Flipside)
* A Total Letdown (1994: Flipside)
* Who's Sorry Now (1995: Flipside)
* Split (1996: Flipside)
* B-Component 7 inch (1998: Mattress)
* Outlive Your Enemies (1998: Mattress)
* Decade One (2001: CD Compilation released in Europe: Dependent)
* 2002 (2002: Mattress)
* Past Lives ep (2003: Mattress)
* The Finger (2004: Mattress)
Arthur Jermyn
Babyland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eighteen hours of my day
I had to know
Become exposed
To what I faced
My everyday
The pit inside me
Was eating me up
I had to jump
Incomplete
Discovery
With the box open wide
The fire ignites
I learned what I am
White ape
The lyrics to Babyland's song "Arthur Jermyn" describe a search for truth and self-discovery, which eventually leads to the realization that the singer is a "white ape," a derogatory term used to refer to people of African descent. The first verse describes the singer's obsession with the truth, spending almost all of their waking hours searching for it. They feel there is something inside themselves that is eating them up, and they finally decide to confront it by jumping out of a window. However, their discovery is incomplete until they open a box that ignites a fire within them. This fire reveals the truth about their identity.
The second verse is where the shocking realization comes in. The singer declares that they have learned what they are, and what they are is a "white ape". This phrase has racist connotations, and seems to be a commentary on the idea of racial purity or essentialism. The song seems to be using the character of Arthur Jermyn, a fictional character created by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, as a symbol of this kind of thinking. Jermyn is a wealthy Englishman who discovers that his ancestors were a tribe of apes in Africa, which leads him to commit suicide. The song seems to be using this story to comment on ideas of race and identity, suggesting that they are not fixed or predetermined, but rather the product of social construction and historical conditioning.
Line by Line Meaning
Contributed by Miles P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
OSITO X
One of the greatest songs ever made in my opinion!
I miss these guys, but Dan Continues on!
Gardubenty Swoze
Glad you liked the posting!
Jesse Fernandez
saw you guys at the copacetic in the 90's, loved it then and love it now!
Gardubenty Swoze
Glad you like the song, but I have nothing to do with the band. Just posting their songs.
Greg Paquette
bangs so hard
Gardubenty Swoze
Bang away.