For nearly ten years, Schneider has performed a Monday night residency at the Saxon Pub, an intimate and legendary venue on South Lamar, Austin, Texas. Schneider and the members of Lonelyland, the band name that he uses to keep these shows “underground,” are seated on stage as they work through a “live rehearsal” of songs that Schneider calls up from his repertoire of over four hundred songs.
There are always new songs that are played for the first time or new
arrangements of classics that are tested. The show often begins with acoustic, somber and introspective songs and eventually gives way to storytelling, raunchy rock and comedic breaks.
But anything goes…really. And, that is exactly what the audience loves about Schneider.
Schneider's recording career spans some 20 albums, which include eight solo albums and those with his bands, all of which are legendary in the Austin, Texas music scene of the 90’s, The Scabs, Joe Rockhead and The Ugly Americans. There are many peaks within these albums but Lonelyland (2001) and I’m Good Now (2004) stand out at as the “mainstream highlights” while The Galaxy Kings (2002) and Underneath the Onion Trees (2000), are beautiful “artistic statements” and fan favorites.
If you take a journey through this collection of albums you’ll discover an artist with no boundaries. Schneider's repertoire covers a spectrum of musical styles…. mambo, rap, blues, country, Latin, swing, soul, even bluegrass…. all done with the aplomb of a virtuoso of any one of those musical genres.
Many of these genres are explored on Schneider’s album, Tarantula. Tarantula sparkles with songs that reflect a songwriter, artist and entertainer at the peak of his creative heights. It is an apex in Schneider's album catalog and stands alongside Lonelyland and I’m Good Now as one of his best.
Fans will know “['track artist=Bob Schneider]Tarantula” as the name of the song that has been Schneider's live signature for years. It’s the part of the show where the audience jumps to their feet, dances in the aisles, howls at the moon and sings the refrain along with Schneider. Sheer fun.
The song has never been available on a studio album so fans will know right away that they are in for a treat. Those lucky enough to have been at the Saxon the night that the lead single, “40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)” was debuted knew right away that they were in for something special with this album. There is a beautiful heart-rendering break-up song, “Changing Your Mind,” with Patty Griffin lending even more rue. “Trash” and “Bicycle Vs. The Car” both prove again that Bob is a master of pop hooks, melody and inspired wordplay.
Bob Schneider: At A Glance
He was born in Michigan but moved to Germany when he was two where he grew up attending Catholic school. His father sang opera and his mother taught school. He left Germany as a student to attend art school at the University of Texas/El Paso. He dropped out and moved to Austin where he struggled around as a musician before gaining some national recognition via his punk-funk band Joe Rockhead. He signed to Capricorn Records as the rock n’soul band, Ugly Americans, and nearly simultaneously formed The Scabs with a band of infamous Austin neo-legends known for (and still performing) their outrageous live shows.
In 1999, Bob took a solo turn to explore his introspective singer/songwriter side, and in 2001, Republic Records signs him after Lonelyland, explodes in his hometown and becomes (and remains) the biggest selling album in the history of Austin’s infamous Waterloo Records. A couple of self-released “artistic exploration” albums are released before, I’m Good Now, is released on Vanguard in 2004, and there is another flirt with mainstream chart success with the singles, “Captain Kirk” and “Come With Me Tonight.”
He has built his audience by touring relentlessly and over the years has opened for the Dixie Chicks, Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews and the H.O.R.D.E Tour, but mostly through headlining club and theater tours. Bob will be on tour in May and June of 2009 playing songs from the new album, Tarantula.
Heavy
Bob Schneider Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Press onto each other
Week after week
Running for cover
While the ants and spiders
They tear at your skin
The beast in the shadows is
And the promise of tomorrow
Is a pale gray ghost
who'll pile on the tears
Pile on the tears
See who can pile on the most
Till you can't stand
And you're down n your knees
And the whole world wants you
And it's begging you please
And you're almost home
But you'll never make it
It's heavy too heavy
To make it alone
And the worlds like bullets
Fly from your lips
And stack into ruins
And break me to bits
And tumble from the air
And ruin my clothes
And sink me down low
And the screams don't worry
And the crabs have enough to eat
At the bottom of the ocean
Where the darkness sleeps
And the weight of the world presses down down down
Till it cracks your bones
The lyrics of Bob Schneider and Mitch Watkins' song "Heavy" depict the struggles of the singer as he goes through his daily life. He is constantly battling against the pressures of the world and the people in it, sometimes feeling like he is being attacked by insects and other times feeling like these people are piling on their problems onto him. The prospect of tomorrow doesn't bring him any comfort, as it is as ghostly as the figure who represents it.
The singer is exhausted and feels like he is being weighed down by the burdens of the world. He is almost home but is unsure if he will make it. The world seems to be throwing everything its got at him and it is starting to break him. The screams don't worry him anymore, and he feels like he is sinking further and further down. The weight of everything is becoming too much for him to handle, and the final line of the song describes how it feels like his bones are cracking under the pressure.
Overall, the song is a powerful and emotional depiction of how it feels to feel weighed down by the struggles of life. It touches on themes of anxiety, pressure, and depression, and the poetic language used in the lyrics helps to convey the emotions that are being felt.
Line by Line Meaning
Day after day
Every day is more of the same
Press onto each other
Feeling suffocated and overwhelmed
Week after week
Monotony continues for weeks
Running for cover
Trying to escape from the struggles of everyday life
While the ants and spiders
The small annoyances in life
They tear at your skin
Building up and wearing us down over time
The beast in the shadows is
Our own insecurities and fears
Your only friend
The only thing that makes us feel safe
And the promise of tomorrow
The hope of a better future
Is a pale gray ghost
Something that always feels just out of reach
Who'll pile on the tears
Endless struggles and challenges
Pile on the tears
Feeling overwhelmed and helpless
See who can pile on the most
The never-ending competition to see who is struggling the most
Till you can't stand
Feeling completely exhausted
And you're down n your knees
Feeling defeated and broken
And the whole world wants you
Feeling like everyone is against you
And it's begging you please
The feeling of desperation
And you're almost home
Feeling close to success or relief
But you'll never make it
The feeling of hopelessness
It's heavy too heavy
The struggles are too much to bear
To make it alone
Feeling like you need support and help
And the worlds like bullets
The harshness and hurtfulness of the world
Fly from your lips
Feeling like you're constantly being attacked
And stack into ruins
Feeling like you're destroying everything you touch
And break me to bits
The feeling of being completely broken down
And tumble from the air
Feeling like everything is falling apart
And ruin my clothes
The feeling of being completely destroyed
And sink me down low
Feeling completely defeated
And the screams don't worry
Feeling like nobody cares about your struggles
And the crabs have enough to eat
Feeling like nobody cares about your struggles
At the bottom of the ocean
Feeling completely isolated and alone
Where the darkness sleeps
Feeling like there's no hope or light in the darkness
And the weight of the world presses down down down
Feeling completely overwhelmed and suffocated by life
Till it cracks your bones
Feeling like the struggles are physically breaking us down
Lyrics © ME GUSTA MUSIC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind