After performing in a number of metal bands in high school, Townsend was discovered by a record label in 1993 and was asked to perform lead vocals on Steve Vai's album Sex & Religion. After recording and touring with Vai, Townsend was discouraged by what he found in the music industry, and vented his anger on a solo album released under the pseudonym Strapping Young Lad. He soon assembled a band under the name, and released the critically acclaimed City in 1997. Since then, he has released three more studio albums with Strapping Young Lad, along with solo material released under his own independent record label, HevyDevy Records. Townsend's solo albums, a diverse mix of hard rock and progressive metal, have featured a varying lineup of supporting musicians. In 2002 he formed The Devin Townsend Band, a dedicated lineup which recorded and toured for two of his solo releases.
In 2007, Townsend disbanded both Strapping Young Lad and The Devin Townsend Band, taking a break from touring to spend more time with his family. After a two-year hiatus, he began work on a four-album series called The Devin Townsend Project, with each album written in a different style. The first two entries in the series, Ki and Addicted, were released in 2009. Townsend scheduled tours throughout Australia and North America in 2010 in support of the albums, and released the next two, Deconstruction and Ghost, in 2011.
Townsend's trademark production style, featuring a heavily multitracked wall of sound, has been compared to the styles of Phil Spector and Frank Zappa. His versatile vocal delivery ranges from screaming to an opera-esque singing, and his songwriting is similarly diverse. Townsend's musical style is rooted in metal, and his albums are written to express different aspects of his personality.
Roadkill
Devin Townsend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Goes out one day to bring some supper home
Then SMACK goes a semi as it smashes him dead
Cracking open his furry bunny-rabbit head
There was blood on the road, there was brains on the path
Poor little bunny, half and half
And as the heat of the sun dried the blood to his bones
Poor little bunny ain't going home.
Blood and guts, brains and noses
Poor little bunny ain't got no toes-es
Listen to me because I want a reaction
All I ever find is a steaming little pile of
ROAD KILL!
Intestines on my tire
DEAD MEAT!
Do you want a rabbit's feet?
ROAD KILL!
ROAD KILL!
-Can you... pass the ketchup-
Furry little squirrel, looking for some nuts
-just hand me a napkin-
And then a Hyundai hits it
Spewing out his guts
And the deer, if you could call it that,
We found up on the rocks and PQQQUUICK!
On the windshield goes Mr Fabby Fox
Blood and guts, pus and boogers
All I ever find are the mutilated cougars
Listen to me because I want a reaction
All I ever find is just a steaming little pile of
ROAD KILL!
Intestines on my tire
DEAD MEAT!
Do you want a rabbit's feet?
ROAD KILL!
ROAD KILL!
ROAD KILL!
The lyrics of "Roadkill" by Devin Townsend tells the story of innocent animals meeting their fatal end on the road while they were just looking for food or basic necessities. The song focuses on three animals - a bunny, a squirrel, and a fox - who are unfortunate enough to get hit by a car. The lyrics describe the graphic details of their demise, from the bunny's cracked skull to the squirrel's guts spewing out, and the fox's quick death on the windshield. The chorus repeats the phrase "roadkill" over and over, emphasizing the harsh reality of the situation and the lack of empathy from human beings towards these innocent creatures.
This song is a commentary on the human impact on wildlife and the environment, highlighting the disregard for animal life in our fast-paced, car-centric world. The lyrics suggest that humans are the "predators" who are responsible for the deaths of these animals and that we inflict these deaths in our rush to get places on time. The song's narrator sings with a tone of detachment, as if he's slowly losing his mind from the accumulated tragedy of seeing so much slain wildlife on the road.
Line by Line Meaning
A cute little bunny with a family of his own
A small rabbit with loved ones and a life to live
Goes out one day to bring some supper home
Leaves its home in search of food
Then SMACK goes a semi as it smashes him dead
A large vehicle hits and kills the bunny instantly
Cracking open his furry bunny-rabbit head
The impact of the collision breaks the bunny's head open
There was blood on the road, there was brains on the path
The bunny's blood and brain spill onto the street
Poor little bunny, half and half
The bunny's body is split in half by the collision
And as the heat of the sun dried the blood to his bones
The sun dries out the bunny's blood and leaves only its bones
Poor little bunny ain't going home.
The bunny won't return home because it lost its life
Blood and guts, brains and noses
Describing the horrific scene of the aftermath of the accident
Poor little bunny ain't got no toes-es
The bunny's lower limbs were damaged or destroyed by the accident
Listen to me because I want a reaction
The singer wants their listener to understand the significance of the situation
All I ever find is a steaming little pile of
The only thing left after such disasters is a shocking mess
ROAD KILL! Intestines on my tire
Referring to the unpleasantly graphic sight of animal remains on the road
DEAD MEAT! Do you want a rabbit's feet?
Asking the listener mockingly if they want a grisly souvenir from the accident
Furry little squirrel, looking for some nuts
A small squirrel searching for food
And then a Hyundai hits it, spewing out his guts
A car hits and brutally kills the squirrel
And the deer, if you could call it that, we found up on the rocks and PQQQUUICK!
The artist describes a deer they come across that is also hit by a vehicle and left with grotesque injuries
On the windshield goes Mr Fabby Fox
A fox is hit by a car and its remains end up on the windshield of a vehicle
Blood and guts, pus and boogers
More description of the disgusting remains left behind after an animal is hit by a car
All I ever find is the mutilated cougars
The artist laments that all they come across is more and more dead animals
ROAD KILL!
Summing up the horrible situation of animals being hit and killed by vehicles on roads
ROAD KILL!
A repetition of the phrase that highlights the tragic nature of the issue
ROAD KILL!
Continuing the repetition to further emphasize the devastating impact of animal deaths on roads
Contributed by Christopher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Noisy PinkBubble
Just realized this the other day.. When the riff of this song kicks in at 0:54 seconds, it sounds exactly like Metallica's riff at 0:53 seconds of No Remorse.
In case anyone else thought it sounded familiar.
Francesco Salva
Yeah right!
When I heard it I instantly thought of Metallica ''Seek and Destroy?'' but then I read this!
Cynntu
From the back of Ass-Sordid Demos I:
"I wrote this back in high school and performed it with my band Grey Skies. It just seems to be the one thing that everybody remembered from back then. I hope I am remembered for the rest of my life for it - that would be perfect..."
And the back of Ass-Sordid Demos II:
"Dumber [in reference to his description of San Pablo Train, which was simply "Dumb"] (Can anyone say Weird Al Yankovic?)
WeWantYouToStay
This song makes me crack up haha, like a mix of led zep, Metallica and weird al
MrUberkraken
Someday the whole world will unite in one state. And the worldhymn will be...ROADKILL!!!
Hobbit Sodomizer
LOOOOVE IT:-)
V3CC10
The Bunny disapproves.
metalvocalistwanted
@havoc230 hahaha xD \\m//
Spikey Wikey
lol, at sheffield somebody yelled dat song sucks xD
Noooooooooooooooooo
c: