Buckethead is famous for wearing a KFC bucket on his head, emblazoned with an orange bumper sticker reading FUNERAL in capital black block letters, and an expressionless plain white mask, which, according to Buckethead, was inspired by his seeing Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. At one point, he changed to a plain white bucket that no longer bore the KFC logo, but subsequently reverted to his trademark KFC bucket. He also incorporates nunchaku and robot dancing into his stage performances.
As an instrumentalist, Buckethead has received critical acclaim for his electric guitar playing, and is considered one of today's most innovative guitarists. He has been voted number 8 on a list in GuitarOne magazine of the "Top 10 Fastest Guitar Shredders of All Time" as well as being included in Guitar World's lists of the "25 all-time weirdest guitarists" and the "50 fastest guitarists of all time". He performs primarily as a solo artist, though he has collaborated extensively with a wide variety of high-profile artists such as Bill Laswell, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, Iggy Pop, Les Claypool, Serj Tankian, Bill Moseley, Mike Patton, Viggo Mortensen, That 1 Guy, Bassnectar, and was a member of Guns N' Roses from 2000 to 2004. Buckethead has also written and performed music for major motion pictures, including: Saw II, Ghosts of Mars, Beverly Hills Ninja, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Last Action Hero, and contributed lead guitar to the track "Firebird" featured on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie soundtrack.
Waiting Hare
Buckethead Lyrics
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About all the troubled times when nothing goes
Nothing goes away
And all the things you've told me to believe in
I'm alone in my reveries
I'm alone in the pain you brought on
I'm afraid that you won't see me
I've been waiting here
Waiting by the phone
I've been touching you
In my only thoughts
Don't you know
That I'm still here
Waiting for you, call me to your
Life insincere
Left your stormy days
Don't you know you're mine?
You see it all behind
Don't you see the sky?
I want us all together
Do you know we're right?
You leave us all denied
Let you all decide
You call me today with your enemies
You call me today with your infinite dreams
We talked about it, you're in my mind
Taking caution, I'm leaving you behind
Taking caution, leaving you behind
I've been waiting here
Waiting by the phone
I've been touching you
In my only thoughts
Don't you know
That I'm still here
Waiting for you, call me to your
Life insincere
Left your own today
Don't you know you're mine?
Left your own behind
Can't you see the sky?
It's a stormy day
Don't you understand?
We're in all behind
Let you all defend
Ah, ah
Take compassion, take compassion
Take compassion, take compassion
Leaving you behind
Left your own today
Don't you know you're mine?
Left your own behind
Can't you see the sky?
See them fall behind
Don't you know you're mine?
Left it all behind
Can't you do the same?
But can't you do the same?
Left your own today
But can't you do the same?
Left your own behind
But can't you do the same?
Leave us all behind
Can't you do the same?
In "Waiting Here," Buckethead, Shana Halligan, and Serj Tankian convey a sense of longing and unrequited love. The song opens with a conversation about troubled times and the things the persona has been told to believe in. The persona, who is in pain after being left behind by their love interest, is alone in their reveries and afraid that their love interest won't see them. The chorus repeats the mantra of waiting by the phone and touching the love interest only in thoughts while waiting for them to call. The second verse repeats the chorus with slightly different lyrics, emphasizing the persona's desire to be together and the love interest's stormy days. The bridge serves as a release, with the persona expressing their confusion about the love interest's call, but ultimately, they take caution and leave them behind. The song ends with the chorus repeated four times, underlining the sense of waiting for something that may never come.
Line by Line Meaning
I talked to you today
I had a conversation with you recently
About all the troubled times when nothing goes
We discussed challenging moments in life when everything seems to be going wrong
Nothing goes away
Those situations don't seem to disappear
And all the things you've told me to believe in
You've shared with me your beliefs and values
I'm alone in my reveries
I'm isolated in my dreams and daydreams
I'm alone in the pain you brought on
The discomfort you caused me has left me feeling lonely
I'm afraid that you won't see me
I'm scared that I'm invisible to you
And all the times we had
I'm reminiscing about the moments we spent together
I've been waiting here
I've been anticipating your arrival or call
Waiting by the phone
Specifically, I've been waiting for a phone call
I've been touching you
In my thoughts and fantasies, I've been having intimate contact with you
In my only thoughts
These touchings exist only in my mind
Don't you know
A rhetorical question emphasizing that the subject should already know
That I'm still here
I'm still present and available
Waiting for you, call me to your
I'm waiting for you to reach out and invite me into your life
Life insincere
A life that lacks authenticity and honesty
Left your stormy days
You've left behind the difficult and tumultuous times in your life
Don't you know you're mine?
Imploring the subject to recognize that they belong to the singer
You see it all behind
You've moved past those stormy days and can see them from a distance
Don't you see the sky?
A reminder to appreciate the beauty of the world around them
I want us all together
The artist desires unity and togetherness
Do you know we're right?
The artist believes they are correct and wishes the subject to recognize that
You leave us all denied
The subject's actions are causing everyone to be deprived or lacking in something
Let you all decide
Giving others the autonomy and freedom to choose their own path
You call me today with your enemies
You contact me about your adversaries or opponents
You call me today with your infinite dreams
You talk to me about your limitless aspirations and goals
We talked about it, you're in my mind
The subject and speaker have discussed something that continues to occupy the singer's thoughts
Taking caution, I'm leaving you behind
The artist is proceeding carefully and distancing themselves from the subject
Left your own today
You've abandoned something that was once important to you
Can't you see the sky?
A plea to recognize the beauty of the world around them
It's a stormy day
The current situation is difficult and challenging
Don't you understand?
A rhetorical question imploring the subject to comprehend
We're in all behind
Everyone is in this situation together
Let you all defend
Allowing individuals to take responsibility for their own protection and security
Take compassion, take compassion
Encouraging the subject to practice empathy and kindness
Leaving you behind
Despite the compassion, the artist is still distancing themselves from the subject
See them fall behind
Observing others become inferior or less successful
Can't you do the same?
A request for the subject to mirror the actions of someone else
Contributed by David N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.