Barnes & Barnes formed in 1970. Robert Haimer (died 2023) and Bill Mumy were childhood friends who occasionally jammed together on their musical instruments. Around 1968, they would shoot short films with a Super 8 motion picture camera, dubbed "Art Films". The two began calling each other "Art", and thus, their alter egos were born. Their surname, "Barnes" was taken from a Bill Cosby comedy routine called "Revenge", in which a character called Junior Barnes throws a snowball at Cosby as a child. Originally, both Haimer and Mumy were named "Art Barnes", but Haimer's alter ego was publicly renamed "Artie" in 1979 to differentiate between them. To each other, however, they both still remain "Art". They first received airplay on The Dr. Demento Show in 1978 with their songs "Boogie Woogie Amputee" and "Fish Heads." The latter tune was released as a single on their own Lumania Records in 1979 and remains their best-known song, and the most requested song in the history of The Dr. Demento Show. The song was often mis-attributed to The Chipmunks for its processed high-pitched chorus:
Fish heads, fish heads
Rolly-polly fish heads
Fish heads, fish heads
Eat them up, yum!
Barnes and Barnes have produced two albums for Wild Man Fischer, and one album for Crispin Hellion Glover.
Cemetery Girls
Barnes & Barnes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The moon comes out the earth unfurls
No time to waste the hours fade
They come awake the dead parade
Fresh souls in the cornfield
Anthony put them there
And it's good, it's real good
I love to kiss the cemetery girls
I call them up, they come to me
A zombie pomp pure ecstasy
I love to sleep with cemetery girls
Their legs are cold, sweet dusty curls
Pale pale breasts pressed to my cheek
When we make love stiff muscles creak
I love to love the cemetery girls
I wish they all could be cemetery girls
Yeah.
sallysally@usa.net
The lyrics to Barnes & Barnes's song "Cemetery Girls" paint a vivid picture of the singer's fascination with the macabre and his love for the undead. The opening lines declare his love for dancing with these cemetery girls, as the moon rises and the earth reveals its secrets. He revels in the fleeting nature of these moments, as time seems to slip away and the dead come alive in a parade of fresh souls in the cornfield.
The second verse takes on a more intimate tone, as he describes kissing the cemetery girls. He notes their hard lips and blank eyes, comparing them to pearls. He can call them up at will, and they come to him, offering pure ecstasy in the form of zombie pomp. The third verse takes this intimacy to its logical conclusion, as he describes sleeping with the cemetery girls. Their legs are cold and their muscles stiff, but he worships them nonetheless, even as their pale bodies press against his cheek.
Overall, the song is a celebration of the strange beauty and allure of death, as embodied by the cemetery girls. The singer seems to revel in the fear and taboo associated with death, but also to find a strange sort of comfort in the company of the undead. It's a deeply unsettling but fascinating look into the mind of someone who loves the darkness and the dead.
Line by Line Meaning
I love to dance with cemetery girls
The singer enjoys spending their time with deceased women buried in cemeteries.
The moon comes out the earth unfurls
The singer's interaction with the cemetery girls usually happens at night, when the moon is visible and the surroundings are shrouded in darkness.
No time to waste the hours fade
Time is precious as the night quickly turns to dawn, and the singer wants to make the most of their time with the cemetery girls.
They come awake the dead parade
The previously dormant corpses of the cemetery girls rise from the dead and become active participants in the artist's activities.
Fresh souls in the cornfield
The artist is responsible for bringing new corpses to the cemetery, which is located near a cornfield.
Anthony put them there
The singer is referring to Anthony, who may also be involved in the acquisition of recently deceased bodies.
And it's good, it's real good
The singer is pleased with the situation and finds the experience enjoyable.
I love to kiss the cemetery girls
The artist enjoys kissing the corpses of the cemetery girls.
Their lips are hard, blank eyes like pearls
The corpses have hard lips and their eyes are lifeless, making them resemble pearls.
I call them up, they come to me
The artist has a supernatural connection to the cemetery girls that allows them to summon them at will.
A zombie pomp pure ecstasy
The singer experiences a feeling of pure ecstasy when engaging in sexual activities with the cemetery girls, who are referred to as 'zombie pomp.'
I love to sleep with cemetery girls
The artist enjoys sleeping next to the corpses of the cemetery girls.
Their legs are cold, sweet dusty curls
The legs of the corpses are cold to the touch and possess a sweet, dusty quality.
Pale pale breasts pressed to my cheek
The singer enjoys feeling the cold, pale breasts of the cemetery girls against their cheek.
When we make love stiff muscles creak
Due to the state of decay of the corpses, their muscles are stiff, which results in a creaking sound when the singer engages in sexual activities with them.
I love to love the cemetery girls
The artist has a deep affection for the corpses of the cemetery girls.
I wish they all could be cemetery girls
The artist expresses a desire to have all women they interact with become available corpses to engage with.
Yeah.
The singer concludes the song with a simple confirmation.
Contributed by Connor S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Zach Barnhart
The sonic textures and actual songwriting are fantastic. I've always loved B&B. This tune reminds me a bit of "Something's in the Bag" crossed with Gary Numan's "Aircrash Bureau".
Thanks for posting.
insanesoccermon in spandex
Very underrated musicians. I use to have the album when I was a kid my uncle gave to me when I was in 3rd grade.
DarkAngelSpirit13
I absolutely love the way this sounds. Very creepy
thetman102771
My sentiments exactly. Lol
areallystupidguy
Great song, great album, great band
mturynP
I'm GLAD Billy wrote and sang this…it's the GREATEST song!
Vinnie Bartilucci
I think Bob had lead on this one?
Simon Mills (Bent/Napoleon)
Love it
Beach Goat
What a lovely tune...
charliedontsurf70
i love this song.go billy mumy!!!!!!