Babyland was a performance-based "independent electronic junk punk" band fr… Read Full Bio ↴Babyland was a performance-based "independent electronic junk punk" band from Los Angeles, California, featuring Dan Gatto performing vocals and electronics and Michael Smith on percussion.

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)

Under
Babyland Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I cannot help you
I cannot help myself
I will not help you
I will not help myself
Below all the great big plans
Below all awakened drive
Below every failed ignition
Below countless acts of try

Below every education
Below all the empty hope
Beyond any word of existence
Under
Under

We are what we create and destroy.
Extinction ...

Overall Meaning

The song "Under" by Babyland is a powerful commentary on the futility of human endeavors and the cyclical nature of creation and destruction. The opening verses suggest a sense of powerlessness and resignation towards the world and its problems, with lines like "I cannot help you, I cannot help myself, I will not help you, I will not help myself." These lyrics seem to suggest a sense of hopelessness and defeatism, as if the singer has given up on any chance of improving their situation and instead resigns themselves to a state of apathy.

As the song progresses, however, the theme of destruction and rebirth takes center stage. The lines "We are what we create and destroy. Extinction..." suggest a larger cycle of creation and destruction, with the implication that our attempts to build and create are ultimately doomed to fail, leading to our own extinction. Despite this bleak outlook, the song seems to be arguing for a kind of acceptance of these cycles, perhaps even an embrace of the inevitable destruction that awaits us all. The repeated refrain of "Under" serves as a kind of reminder that no matter what we do, we are ultimately subject to these larger forces beyond our control.

Line by Line Meaning

I cannot help you
I am not capable of providing assistance to you

I cannot help myself
I am not capable of helping myself

I will not help you
I refuse to provide assistance to you

I will not help myself
I refuse to help myself

Below all the great big plans
We are beneath all the ambitious aspirations we have

Below all awakened drive
We are beneath all the motivation we feel

Below every failed ignition
We are beneath every unsuccessful attempt to ignite

Below countless acts of try
We are beneath all of the deeds we have attempted

Below every education
We are beneath every bit of knowledge we have acquired

Below all the empty hope
We are beneath all false expectations

Beyond any word of existence
We are beyond words could ever express