In 2004 the group recorded their only album "the big eyeball in the sky" and toured nationwide in support of the album.
The band briefly reunited without Brain at the 2006 Wakarusa Festival where, during Les Claypool's Fancy Band set, Bernie and Buckethead came onstage and played "the Big Eyeball in the Sky". Claypool dubbed this incarnation "Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Baldi", Baldi being Paulo Baldi who was a drummer for Cake and The Fancy Band.
The Big Eyeball in the Sky
Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of the big eyeball in the sky
Billy, watch what you're saying
Billy, watch what you do
Billy, best lay back and watch the wide screen
Believin' all of it's true
And through the billboards too
They own that gas you're pumping out
And soon they're gonna own both Billy and you
Believe in the lie
Of the big eyeball in the sky
Susie on the computer
Susie on the commode
Susie stuck her fingers down her throat
After chowing down a big bowl of rocky-road
In the pages of Cosmo
They like 'em waify and thin
Now wouldn't it be nice if Calvin Klein
Helped Susie wipe the vomit from her chin
Believe in the lie
Of the big eyeball in the sky
Now Granny likes her media
She likes it nice and hard
When her soaps are on TV
She buys it by the yard
Gramps is in the room
Saying it's a bunch of crap
Watching football games for hours
With tortillas on his lap
Now me I like my media
I like it nice and thick
Throwing opinions at the wall
To see which ones will stick
But to formulate opinions
From what I see, is a joke
Because American TV's owned
by Pepsi and by Coke
Believe in the lie
Of the big eyeball in the sky
"The Big Eyeball in the Sky" by Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, is a complex critique of the manipulation of mass media by corporations through the use of images that are stripped of context to push aggressive consumerist messages. The lyrics express a deep sense of distrust and frustration with the media, and a sense of alienation from the society they are part of. The song's title refers to the all-seeing omnipresence of the mass media, which surrounds us and dominates our collective consciousness.
The song paints a picture of a society that is largely brainwashed by mass media. The lyrics focus on three characters: Billy, Susie, and Granny. Billy is told to believe in the lie of the big eyeball in the sky, which stands for the media's power to control what he thinks, feels and buys. Susie, absorbed in the pages of Cosmo, is shaped by the media's ideal of beauty standards, even to the point of making her physically ill. Granny is depicted as a devoted consumer of media, mindlessly consuming any content that is thrown at her, while Gramps can't stand the utter nonsense he sees. The lyrics suggest that the media's reach is so vast that it can influence our lives even in minute ways.
Line by Line Meaning
Believe in the lie
Persuade yourself to accept fiction
Of the big eyeball in the sky
Of the omnipresent media giants
Billy, watch what you're saying
Be mindful of your words, Billy
Billy, watch what you do
Be aware of your actions too, Billy
Billy, best lay back and watch the wide screen
Just sit back, relax, and watch whatever the media feeds you
Believin' all of it's true
Trusting everything you see and hear
They're comin' through the dishes
Media is omnipresent, even in our satellite dishes
And through the billboards too
Even advertising media is pervasive
They own that gas you're pumping out
The giant corporations own everything, even your fuel
And soon they're gonna own both Billy and you
The media giants will soon own everything, including you and Billy
Susie on the computer
Susie's on her PC
Susie on the commode
Susie's using the toilet too
Susie stuck her fingers down her throat
Susie vomited to maintain a slender figure
After chowing down a big bowl of rocky-road
After eating an ice-cream bowl
In the pages of Cosmo
According to the magazine called Cosmopolitan
They like 'em waify and thin
They prefer skinny figures
Now wouldn't it be nice if Calvin Klein
Wouldn't it be lovely if Calvin Klein
Helped Susie wipe the vomit from her chin
Helped her deal with the problems of bulimia
Now Granny likes her media
Granny enjoys her share of the media
She likes it nice and hard
She craves the hard-hitting stories
When her soaps are on TV
When her soap operas are on
She buys it by the yard
She's an enthusiastic consumer of media
Gramps is in the room
Grandpa is present in the room
Saying it's a bunch of crap
Critiquing the media as rubbish
Watching football games for hours
He enjoys watching football excessively
With tortillas on his lap
Eating snacks on his lap while watching television
Now me I like my media
As for me, I prefer a particular style of media
I like it nice and thick
I prefer in-depth, detailed media pieces
Throwing opinions at the wall
Expressing unfocused, unstructured opinions
To see which ones will stick
To see which ones will be fashionable
But to formulate opinions
However, to construct actual meaningful views
From what I see, is a joke
From what is presented in media, it is laughable
Because American TV's owned
As American Television is owned
by Pepsi and by Coke
It is owned by the multinational, mass marketing giants.
Believe in the lie
Persuade yourself to accept fiction
Of the big eyeball in the sky
Of the omnipresent media giants
Contributed by Zachary P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.