Blatz is well known as an integral representation of early 1990s East Bay punk. Touring only throughout southern California, Arizona and Nevada, they did most of their gigs and practicing at 924 Gilman St. The band was known for their highly provocative and sarcastic lyrics, including such themes as autoerotica, the glorification of methamphetamine usage, and wishing to "abort" Berkeley.
Blatz came to life when Joey Perales and Robert Eggplant, (editor of the zine Absolutely Zippo) went to a party on acid where Sweet Children, better known later as Green Day, were playing and began trying to think of the most embarrassing band name possible. They took the name Blatz, after one of the cheapest brands of beer available in the U.S., and convinced John Santos, a high school drinking buddy, to play with them for their first show, a 924 Gilman Street holiday show. After that first show John quit but with Joey on drums and Robert on guitar they continued and, in the summer of 1989, recruited Marshall Stax to play bass. At the time Marshall was a DJ for Berkeley campus radio station KALX, as well as a volunteer sound engineer at Gilman St. While practicing at Gilman St., the band noticed a loner hanging around the club who they invited to take on vocal duties. His name was Jesse Luscious, editor of a zine called Berkeley Sucks, and as the singer for Blatz, he immediately gained a reputation for being hilarious and often shocked punks of modesty by frequently taking his clothes off on stage. The band expanded further, adding Annie Lalania, another schoolmate of Perales and Eggplant, as well as Anna Joy, a brilliant and sarcastic poet. Billie Joe Armstrong occasionally played second guitar for the band, and Aaron Cometbus occasionally sat in on second drums.The three singers were often too "screechy" for people, Eggplant was often too stoned to tune his guitar, and band members were often floating away to go to college or Europe. Nonetheless, they managed to release a number of recordings on Lookout! Records, which are highly regarded. The recordings were re-released as a compact disc by Life Is Abuse, but are out of print again.
After the band broke up in 1991, Eggplant went on to play with The Hope Bombs, Harbinger with Aaron Cometbus and John Geek of Fleshies, and, currently, Lil' Runt; Marshall Stax played drums for Subincision; Joey Perales played with Jack Acid, Dead And Gone and more recently joined Swann Danger; Anna Joy and Jesse went on to perform with the band Gr'ups, which also included Daniela Sea; after the demise of that band Jesse sang for The Criminals and The Frisk and Anna Joy and fellow Gr'ups alumna Daniela Sea performed with Cypher in the Snow.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blatz_(band)
Lullabye
Blatz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cuz the morning sun will open your eyes and you'll see that you live in a fucked up place.
Sleep little one sleep, take comfort in any kind of embrace
Cuz the morning suns gonna open your eyes cuz you live in a fucked up place.
Baby i was like you once i slept in a crib with yellow sheets.
Now the sand in my eyes and the dirt on my feet
And the sand in my mouth and everyone just dreams of themselves anyway.
No you never asked no one for life but here you are in somebody elses world
And how can things change all of our dreams are unfurled?
The stars in your eyes are just shattered glass
And the dolls on the shelf became the men in the gutter
And everyone just dreams of somebody else.
Baby I'll never sleep that way again until i die!
The Blatz's song Lullabye is a sad and somber lullaby dedicated to a child. The song's opening lines "Sleep little one sleep, take comfort in the nights embrace" seem to comfort the child and assure them that they are safe and protected in the night. However, the song quickly takes a dark turn when it is revealed that the world they live in is "fucked up." The morning brings the reality of the child's surroundings and the song acknowledges that it is not a safe or happy place. The "sand in my eyes and the dirt on my feet" could be a metaphor for the harsh realities of life that the child will inevitably face.
The lyrics suggest that the child never asked to be born into this world, and that they are now living in a world that was created by others. The song critiques the idea that change can come from within, as they acknowledge that everyone is too busy dreaming of themselves or others to make any real change. The chorus is a bleak reflection on shattered dreams and the loss of innocence. The dolls on the shelf represent a child's playful and imaginative world, but they become the men in the gutter, representing how quickly childhood fantasies and dreams can be dashed in a cruel world.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleep little one sleep, take comfort in the nights embrace
Rest peacefully, for the night provides solace and tranquility
Cuz the morning sun will open your eyes and you'll see that you live in a fucked up place.
But when you awaken, you will realize that you are existing in a world that is profoundly broken
Sleep little one sleep, take comfort in any kind of embrace
Sleep soundly, find comfort in any form of embrace offered to you
Cuz the morning suns gonna open your eyes cuz you live in a fucked up place.
For when the sun rises, your eyes will open to the harsh reality of the world you inhabit
Baby i was like you once i slept in a crib with yellow sheets.
Once, I too was an innocent and carefree infant, sleeping blissfully in a crib adorned with yellow sheets
Now the sand in my eyes and the dirt on my feet
But now I am burdened with the grit and grime of the world, with sand clouding my vision and debris clinging to my feet
And the sand in my mouth and everyone just dreams of themselves anyway.
Even my mouth is filled with sand, and it seems as though everyone around me is only concerned with their own dreams and aspirations
No you never asked no one for life but here you are in somebody elses world
You never asked to be brought into this world, yet here you are, existing in a reality that was created by someone else
And they'll say that the change can come from you but it shouldve come long ago
Some will tell you that you have the power to change the world, but the fact remains that change should have occurred long before you arrived
And how can things change all of our dreams are unfurled?
But how can we expect change when all of our hopes and aspirations have been shattered?
The stars in your eyes are just shattered glass
The sparkle in your eyes, once filled with wonder and optimism, is now nothing more than broken shards of glass
And the dolls on the shelf became the men in the gutter
The toys that were once neatly arranged on the shelf have since been replaced by men living destitute in the gutters
And everyone just dreams of somebody else.
And it seems as though everyone is too preoccupied with dreaming about someone else, rather than working towards their own goals and bettering themselves
Baby I'll never sleep that way again until i die!
But I vow to never sleep the way I once did until the day I die, for the world has changed me too much to ever return to that state of blissful ignorance
Contributed by Alex S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Clasher Durden
Just hearing this song takes me back to the hostel in Hollywood that I lived in on Hollywood and LaBrea RIGHT ABOVE Hotel Cafe after my shift at Seventh Veil while trying to sleep but the live music below me just wouldn't allow it. Likely third consecutive day w/ no sleep after a mean 💊 &🏂binge. Up for so long that I can't distinguish the live music from the auditory hallucinations. I hated daylight because it forced me to confront the seedy existence that had become my life.
I was suffering from undiagnosed Major Depressive Disorder and a shitty childhood. I found solace in substances. I couldn't make money as a "dancer" unless I was heavily sedated.
At the time I thought that my inability to remove my emotions from the job was a sign of weakness. I thought I was pathetic for having morals. I wanted to be like some of my peers/coworkers who adapted to the job substance-free or only drinking and/or smoking 🥦 MAX.
It turns out that what I was actually trying to accomplish was silencing my inner voice (intuition). I couldnt continue exploiting myself in good faith. I wasnt ignorant to the demeaning nature of what I was doing so my spirit wouldn't allow it. But yeah....
about that Blatz.....as simple as this song is. It has a great deal of substance, don't ya think?
thehesbomb
sleep little one sleep, take comfort in the nights embrace/
cuz the morning sun will open your eyes and you'll see that you live in a fucked up place.
sleep little one sleep, take comfort in ANY kind of embrace cuz the morning sun's gonna open your eyes and you live in a fucked up place./
baby i was like you once i slept in a crib with yellow sheets.
now the sand in my eyes and the dirt on my feet and the sand in my mouth
and everyone just dreams of themselves anyway.
no you never asked no one for life but here you are in somebody else's world.
and they'll say that the change can come from you (but) it should've come long ago
and how can things change when all of our dreams are unfurled?/
the stars in your eyes are just shattered glass
and the dolls on the shelf became the men in the gutter
and everyone just dreams of somebody else anyway, don't they...
baby i'll never sleep that way again until i DIE!
Emily O’Dam
I've always loved this song due to how well it sums up how I feel about my life 95% of the time <3
Thomas Hale
Totally brings back memories of sleeping outside and slamming 40s! FUCK YES!
Clasher Durden
lol I'm dead 😮
christhecreep
god i love her vocals
witch hazel
this song has the capabilities to suffocate you in a dark poetic beatdown
PurpleSkie
Man, I haven't heard this song in forever!
MyName IsNotHere
I had hopped a train to eugene and we went to the creek (river?) downtown(?) and I heard this coming from a bench being played by some gutterpunk and I never forgot it. Must have been like 18 years ago. I heard a lot of random shit but this caught me like few did and I've always loved it!
Clasher Durden
lol I only heard this song once about 18 years ago as well...extremely funny! My dad's ex gf played it and I still remember enough of the lyrics to find it here
Marisa Moller
Brings back aggresive teenage lullabies
ryan kiesling
2020 has reminded me of this song