An enigmatic folk nomad, McCombs is a quintessentially American artist; "he's quietly become one of (the country's) finest chroniclers of fringe characters, a writer of heart-rending love songs and psychedelic odes to the natural world, a teller of tall-tales with a sense of humor dry as desert wood, and that rare folksinger who actually sings about the folk." His vocals range somewhere between the anxious drone of Lou Reed, the hollow croon of Elliott Smith, the lilting melody of Morrissey, and the driving earnestness and complexity of bards such as Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan. His lyrical style is alternately vivid and weary, laconic and yearning, or drifting into the high-spirited and whimsical.
After cutting his first EP, Not the Way in San Francisco in 2001, McCombs relocated to Baltimore, MD. There he released "Not the Way" in 2002 and recorded his first full-length, A, in 2003 on Monitor Records. He spent the next few years touring: playing All Tomorrow's Parties; and opening for bands such as Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, and Belle and Sebastian; before recording his second LP PREfection, which was released on 4AD in 2005.
McCombs' subsequent releases have been on the highly successful British independent label Domino Recording Co. 2007's Dropping the Writ was named one of Amazon's Best Albums of that year. Catacombs was voted one of the 50 greatest albums of 2009 by Pitchfork Media, and features Academy Award-nominated actress and singer Karen Black on the track Dreams-Come-True-Girl. During this period, McCombs toured with the likes of Arcade Fire, Andrew Bird, Band of Horses, José González, Beach House, and The Walkmen.
Catacombs also established McCombs' relationship with engineer/producer Ariel Rechtshaid, member of The Hippos and Foreign Born, who produced Grammy-winning hit Climax for Usher, the Plain White T's Grammy-nominated No.1 platinum-selling single Hey There Delilah, and albums for Vampire Weekend, Sky Ferreira, Snoop Lion, and Haim, among others.
In 2010 McCombs played Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, L.A.'s Culture Collide Festival and Invisible Children Benefit. 2011 offered an extensive headlining tour, an appearance at SXSW, and two albums released by McCombs and produced by Rechtshaid: Wit's End in April and Humor Risk in November. The two albums were made simultaneously. In an interview with Pitchfork, McCombs explains: "Wit's End was started years ago and it slowly made its way to the finish line. Humor Risk was just punched out. They're friends but they're different. Wit's End is like a stew; Humor Risk is the raw food diet."
Big Wheel and Others, McCombs' seventh full-length (and first double album) was released in October 2013. The album is rooted in the Americana mythos of the Wild West, from the San Francisco drug culture to the gunslingers and gold rush of the nineteenth century. The album once again features Karen Black on a version of the track Brighter!, her final recording before passing away due to ampullary cancer in August, 2013. Big Wheel is dedicated to her memory.
http://cassmccombs.com
Bum Bum Bum
Cass McCombs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's off her leash
To tear flesh and teach
Bum bum bum
You think you've heard it all before
Well, here's once more
We're all at war
Blood in the streets, our eternal river
I know the killer
He counts my silver
Bum bum bum
They ambushed them behind the reeds
These are our seeds
White dog still breeds
Bum bum bum
They say, "Buy when there's blood in the streets
Even if the blood is your own"
So they employed men far away
To turn against their home
Centuries in the distant mist
But it's not a dream
No, it ain't no dream, it's all too real
How long until
This river of blood congeals?
Bum bum bum
And eulogies poured from the stage
But nothing changed
The dog was caged
Bum bum bum
And white bread artists won't even look at you
When they know it's true
What you gonna do?
Bum bum bum
Thought I heard some woman screaming
And I sat up in my bed
And I went over to the window
I saw him in the cold street, lying dead
Oh, please tell me, you academics
How do you wake up from a non-dream?
No, it ain't no dream, it's all too real
How long until
This river of blood congeals?
Bum bum bum
Sent a letter to my congressman
The Ku Klux Klan
From my pierced hands
Bum bum bum
They sent me back an Apple phone
A fine-hair comb
And a bell tolled
Bum bum bum
The phone rang once and the line went dead
All blood runs red
White pups still bred
Bum bum bum
In Cass McCombs's song "Bum Bum Bum," the lyrics suggest a sense of alarm in the face of violence and oppression. The opening lines describe the white dog of the farm that still breeds and is off her leash, suggesting a sense of danger and an inability to control violent tendencies. The repeated phrase "Bum bum bum" adds to the ominous tone of the song, acting almost like a warning siren. The sense of conflict and violence continues throughout the song, with mentions of blood in the streets and eulogies pouring from the stage. The lyrics also touch on themes of betrayal, with lines about men turning against their home and white bread artists who won't even look at the truth.
The song continues to build a sense of unease, with the singer asking academics how to wake up from a non-dream and expressing frustration with the response of those in power. The final lines of the song appear to reference a failed attempt at reaching out to a congressman about the dangers of the Ku Klux Klan, with the line "All blood runs red, White pups still bred" suggesting that the cycle of oppression and violence continues, regardless of attempts to stop it.
Line by Line Meaning
The white dog of the farm still breeds
The symbolic representation of hate, bigotry, and discrimination is still being propagated, uninhibited and uncontrolled.
She's off her leash
The dog is not contained or controlled, and therefore, free to express its hate and violence.
To tear flesh and teach
The dog is allowed to use violence, aggression, and fear to silence anyone who opposes their views.
Bum bum bum
The phrase represents the recurring and inevitable cycle of hate and violence, which continues to thrive in society.
You think you've heard it all before
Humanity has become desensitized to the constant stream of hatred and violence that's perpetuated every day.
Well, here's once more
Despite the constant repetition of these acts, they still continue to happen, unimpeded.
We're all at war
This is a statement of the ongoing cultural, social, and psychological war that exists between different races, ideologies, and beliefs that exist in society.
Blood in the streets, our eternal river
Bloodshed, violence, hatred, and death have become a constant part of our lives, with no end in sight.
I know the killer
The lyrics represent the inevitability of such acts, with the artist being aware of the people in his community who are responsible for violent acts.
He counts my silver
The murderer is shown to be someone who's not just interested in causing pain and suffering but is also interested in wealth, greed, and power.
They ambushed them behind the reeds
This line represents the guerilla tactics used to create chaos, violence, and disruption for their opponents by surprise.
These are our seeds
The violence and hatred propagated in society are reflective of the seeds of hate that are sown with generations and continue to proliferate.
They say, "Buy when there's blood in the streets
This line symbolizes capitalism's obsession with profiting off people's misery, even in the face of extreme tragedy.
Even if the blood is your own"
This shows the mentality of people who are willing to sacrifice their own well-being and health for a quick buck.
So they employed men far away
This line represents the outsourcing of conflict, shows how people finance wars and conflicts without having to face the consequences themselves.
To turn against their home
The use of foreign workers to commit violence against their own people reflects the cowardice, selfishness, and inhumanity of our society.
Centuries in the distant mist
The cycle of violence and hatred has been present in humanity for centuries, and no matter how far we advance, we can't seem to shake it off.
But it's not a dream
The reality of violence and hatred that exist in our society is not a figment of our imagination, but an everyday reality we face.
No, it ain't no dream, it's all too real
This lyric is repeated throughout the song, highlighting the overwhelming reality of violence, hatred, and death that exists in our world.
How long until
This line indicates the artist's sense of urgency and need for change, highlighting the need for people to come together to find a way out of this never-ending cycle.
This river of blood congeals?
This phrase highlights the continuing nature of hate, violence, and death, which shows no signs of slowing down in the near future.
And eulogies poured from the stage
This phrase symbolizes the hypocrisy of those in power who virtue-signal the importance of unity, empathy, and kindness but do nothing to create real change.
But nothing changed
This line expresses the idea that change is slow, that it takes time, and often it might not arrive at all.
The dog was caged
This phrase symbolizes the idea that without proper consequences, accountability, and responsibility from the involved parties, even the most vicious of beasts will remain unbridled.
And white bread artists won't even look at you
This phrase is a representation of our society's tendency to ignore the suffering and pain of those who don't conform to societal norms, values, or standards.
When they know it's true
This line reinforces the concept that those who possess privilege and power always turn a blind eye when confronted with the truth of injustice, inequality, and hatred.
What you gonna do?
This statement reflects the helplessness that people feel in the face of these deep-rooted societal issues that seem too big to tackle.
Thought I heard some woman screaming
This phrase has a tragic undertone, symbolizing the everyday violence and abuse that exists, often unnoticed and unspoken of, in our society.
And I sat up in my bed
This phrase symbolizes the sudden jolt of awareness that one experiences when they come across something tragic, cruel, and violent in the world.
And I went over to the window
This phrase represents the curiosity and the thirst for knowledge of the singer, who wants to get to the truth of what's happening outside their window.
I saw him in the cold street, lying dead
This phrase highlights the truth of how people lose their lives every day, violent, lonely, and forgotten on the streets that they once called home.
Oh, please tell me, you academics
This phrase is directed at supposed experts and authorities, questioning their ability to help solve the problems we face.
How do you wake up from a non-dream?
This phrase is a request for a solution, questioning how one can awaken from the false sense of safety and reassurance and deal with reality.
Sent a letter to my congressman
This phrase highlights the artist's desire to bring about change through political means, to reach out to the people in power to make a difference.
The Ku Klux Klan
This phrase represents the hate groups and their actions that have been responsible for the systematic oppression and discrimination of minority groups.
From my pierced hands
This phrase is a biblical reference, highlighting the pain, hurt, and sacrifice that the artist has to endure to bring about change.
They sent me back an Apple phone
This phrase is a metaphor for how politicians and people in power often ignore the issues brought up by the people in need, providing meaningless distractions and superficial solutions.
A fine-hair comb
This phrase represents the measures by which society trivializes and ignores people's issues, problems, and suffering.
And a bell tolled
This phrase is a symbol of death, as described in the famous poem 'For Whom the Bell Tolls by John Donne, highlighting the inevitability of conflict, violence, and death.
The phone rang once and the line went dead
This phrase symbolizes how change is always met with resistance, how people resist new ideas, new concepts, and new solutions that attempt to challenge the status quo.
All blood runs red
This phrase highlights the shared reality of everyone in society, regardless of their identity, background, or race: we all have blood that runs red.
White pups still bred
This phrase highlights the reality that even after everything that has happened, hate, discrimination, and oppression will continue to prosper in society.
Bum bum bum
The phrase symbolizes that the cycle of hate, violence, and oppression will continue to propagate until we all come together and work towards a solution.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Cass Mccombs
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@willmatson3103
Cass is such a fantastic musician AND lyricist, his albums are full of nuance and depth and reward repeated close listens. His artistic talents are on full display in this track.
My personal interpretation of this song is that it's essentially an admonition of the darker aspects of globalism: unrestrained capitalism and its adherent disruptions to developing societies; the continued legacy of colonialism, etc.
The "white dog" perhaps stands as a metaphor for modern Western countries (and perhaps more specifically the US) in relation to foreign entities -- while it's no longer an untamed wolf like it was in previous eras, it still has the capacity for violence and exploitation -- she's 'off her leash, to tear flesh and teach'. And they're continuing to breed pups, 'they are our seeds', a metaphor for Western power's influence being sent out across the oceans -- we're all at endless war.
Cass asks, 'how much longer until this river of blood congeals'? Despite the hard lessons of the 20th century (two World Wars, countless millions of people systematically murdered and killed in horrible ways, thousands of ceaseless conflicts, the production of weapons capable of ending all life on earth, etc. ad nausea)... -- still sacrifices continue to the machinations of unbridled capitalism.
Cass emphasizes the fact that these aren't just metaphors; this endless cycle of devastation is literally happening and shows no signs of abating. Academics can provide no satisfactory answers to the problem -- and besides, how can one actually wake up from the nightmare of reality?
Cass adds in a dollop of dark humor, pointing out the ironic attempt at placating his worries: they sent him an Apple phone, a fine haired comb, and the bell tolls. Essentially, shut up and be happy with your toys (but be sure to buy toy version 2.0 once the first one runs its course of planned obsolescence).
Bum bum bummer. Yet so eloquently stated.
@sigruneiroinsdottiralmeida1145
I can't describe how much this song calms my anxiety...
@julienz2024
@LazyGigolo is that Boris Vian in your profile pic?
@julienz2024
@LazyGigolo alongside with Vernon Sullivan ;)
@bombastus4402
It's such a great feel-good song.
@asneeded1237
Yea you and all the other white breads lol jk rock on man
@asneeded1237
I’m sorry man I made beats younger with out a desire for tones quality sounds it all was just natural and I was locked out the world with format culture tradition in a weird way the simplicity of the beat gives a hope it can be relived one day with dedication practice theory..... is a bum bum bum even the cursed got find a way to be blessed 🥲
@lancelotdufrane
Yes!! After all this time… still incredibly great!!
@ezequielrajoy5024
So soothing, so sad, so beautiful
@JenniferPresents
Such a beautiful melody for such a violent lyric
@lizgoldstein4256
It works so well, because that’s what exactly what it does: it addresses the evils of white supremacy and how it’s covered up (soothing music).