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.
Something's In The Bag
Barnes & Barnes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something's in the bag
Something's in the bag
The parking lot
The air was hot
I heard a sound
From the ground
I turned around
I came up slow
I had to know
A garbled quack
The squirming sack
No turning back
It was alive
It looked right through me
I could feel the veins on my neck
Begin to pulsate and throb
Like a secretary pounding out
A hundred and fifty words per minute
On an IBM electric typewriter
I gasped for breath
I fell to my knees
I was powerless in its presence
How can I describe what I saw
I can't
Something's in the bag (mommy)
The screeching wheel
Horrendous squeal
I had to see
Could it still be
I looked inside
Softly it cried
Something's in the bag (mommy)
Yeah.
The song "Something's In The Bag" by Barnes & Barnes is a strange and eerie narrative about a mysterious bag in a parking lot. The lyrics describe a hot day, with the singer hearing a strange sound coming from the ground. When he investigates, he finds a squirming sack that emits a garbled quack. The singer is transfixed by the bag and can feel his veins pulsating with fear. When he finally looks inside the bag, he sees something alive and softly crying.
The song is a surreal and unsettling piece that leaves much to interpretation. The bag itself could be a metaphor for a hidden truth or unknown danger. The singer's powerlessness in the presence of the bag suggests a sense of vulnerability or helplessness in the face of something greater than himself.
Line by Line Meaning
Something's in the bag
I sense that there is a mysterious object concealed within this bag
Something's in the bag
I still believe that something unknown is being carried within this bag
Something's in the bag
I am convinced that there is an enigma hidden within this bag
The parking lot
I was in an area designated for automobiles to be parked
The air was hot
The temperature was relatively high in the surrounding atmosphere
I heard a sound
An audible noise registered in my aural organs
From the ground
The source of the noise was generated beneath my feet
I turned around
I bodily pivoted my form by 180 degrees
Something's in the bag (mommy)
I made an exclamation of concern to my maternal figure regarding the object concealed inside the bag
I came up slow
I approached the object with caution and slowness
I had to know
I had an unquenchable desire to ascertain the identity of the mysterious object
A garbled quack
I perceived a sound akin to the vocalization of a duck, but distorted and unclear
The squirming sack
The bag was writhing in a serpentine manner
No turning back
There was no possibility of retreat, escape, or reversal from this situation
It was alive
The object inside the bag appeared to possess life and vitality
It looked right through me
The object seemed to have an ability to peer into my essence with a penetrating gaze
I could feel the veins on my neck
The blood vessels beneath my skin began to palpitate and throb with an intense sensation
Begin to pulsate and throb
My veins were contracting and dilating rhythmically and powerfully
Like a secretary pounding out
This experience was akin to the sound created by a person typing loudly and forcefully on an electric typewriter
A hundred and fifty words per minute
This typing pace is relatively fast and impressive
On an IBM electric typewriter
This brand of typewriter was renowned for its functionality and durability
I gasped for breath
I struggled to inhale large volumes of air in a rapid manner
I fell to my knees
I collapsed in a kneeling position on the surface beneath me
I was powerless in its presence
I had no control, authority, or influence within the proximity of the mysterious object
How can I describe what I saw
I am at a loss for words or expressions that can adequately depict my visual encounter
I can't
I lack the ability or vocabulary to accurately portray the image that was imprinted in my mind
Something's in the bag (mommy)
I expressed continued fear and apprehension regarding the object within the bag to my maternal figure
The screeching wheel
The sound produced by the rotation of a mechanical apparatus that was distressing to the ears and nerves
Horrendous squeal
The noise emanating from the device was of a particularly unpleasant and extreme nature
I had to see
I felt an irresistible compulsion to visually examine the source of the screeching sound
Could it still be
I entertained the possibility that the mysterious object may have some connection with the unpleasant noise
I looked inside
I peered into the bag to obtain a glimpse of the contents
Softly it cried
The previously aggressive and alarming object was now emitting a gentler and subdued vocalization
Something's in the bag (mommy)
I reiterated my sense of disquietude and distress about the object to my maternal figure
Yeah.
I expressed agreement or assent to something that had previously been communicated
Contributed by Alexander O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.