Zappa's earliest influences were 1950s pop and rock (such as doo-wop and rhythm and blues), and 20th-century classical composers including Igor Stravinsky and Edgard Varèse. His output was divided between adventurous instrumental compositions and succinct, catchy rock songs with ribald, satirical, or comically absurd lyrics. On stage he demanded virtuosity and spontaneity from his musicians, and employed many performers who would later go on to achieve fame in their own rights. He directed and released a number of films featuring himself, his musicians and entourage, including 200 Motels and Baby Snakes.
His career started in 1955. His earliest recordings date from the mid-1960s, and include collaborations with his school friend Captain Beefheart. In 1965 he joined a bar-band called The Soul Giants, quickly dominating its musical direction and rechristening it The Mothers. Their first release (as The Mothers of Invention; the name alteration requested by their record company) was the 1966 double album Freak Out!. The line-up of the Mothers gradually expanded to accommodate Zappa's increasingly ambitious and avant-garde music, but by 1969 he decided to work outside the band structure, focusing on his solo career, and effectively disbanding the Mothers in 1971.
The beginnings of his solo career in the late sixties and early seventies was characterised by a strong free jazz influence, with albums containing little, if any, lyrical content, such as Hot Rats, Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo. Towards the mid-seventies his albums became more rock-orientated, with a combination of Jazz Fusion instrumentation and Rock song structures. This more accessible sound bore reasonable mainstream appeal, especially with the release of the well-advertised albums Over-Nite Sensation and Apostrophe (') (which both went Gold), but Zappa's unpredictably eclectic output never led to solid mainstream recognition. He received uniformly lukewarm reviews from popular music publications such as Rolling Stone throughout his career. In his late seventies' output, the gulf between his humorous songs and more lengthy, complex instrumental music widened, and albums, such as Zappa in New York, Joe's Garage: Acts I, II & III, and Sleep Dirt displayed, by track, both sides firmly segregated.
Zappa saw a second run of success in the early eighties with the release of many albums with predominantly comedic rock songs, but later continued to experiment with virtually every style of music through the eighties, and was productive as ever until his death. His output in this later-career period included two albums of strikingly original classical music with the London Symphony Orchestra, an electronic take on 18th-century chamber music (written by the obscure Italian composer 'Francesco Zappa', no relation), an album of Synclavier compositions (misleadingly titled Jazz From Hell which garnered a Grammy award), a double-CD release of electric guitar instrumental music (the laconically titled Guitar) and a plenitude of official live releases, revisiting fan-favourites as well as showcasing Zappa's talent for reinventing the music of others; his version of Stairway to Heaven becoming a word-of-mouth favourite.
Zappa produced almost all of his own albums, spending many hours in the studio recording and manipulating tracks, and was always at the forefront of emerging technologies; from tape editing, collage, multitrack and overdubbing in the sixties to digital recording, electronic instruments and sampling in the eighties. Conversely, Zappa was also a obsessive self-archivist, recording virtually every one of his live performances, and often using live recordings of new material without needing to enter the studio. The archive of tapes at his family home in Los Angeles continues to be a source of posthumous releases for the Zappa Family Trust. He was also noted as a spotter of talent and his shifting line-up of musicians included Lowell George, Jean-Luc Ponty, Terry Bozzio, Chad Wackerman, George Duke, Mike Keneally, Adrian Belew and Steve Vai, as well as giving Alice Cooper his first break in music and working again with his old collaborator Captain Beefheart when his career was in decline.
In the late 1980s he became active in politics, campaigning against the PMRC's music censorship scheme and acting as culture and trade representative for Czechoslovakia in 1989; and considered running as an independent candidate for president of the US.
His death in Los Angeles, California, on 4th December 1993 came three years after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Torture Never Stops
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In this dungeon of despair
Prisoners grumblin
Piss they clothes
Scratch their matted hair
A tiny light from a window-hole
Hundred yards away
That all they ever get to know
'Bout the regular life in the day
Slime and rot and rats and snuck
Vomit on the floor
Fifty ugly soldier men
Holdin' spears by the iron door
Stinks so bad, stones are chokin'
Weepin' greenish drops
In the den where
The giant fire puffer works
And the torture never stops
The torture never stops, torture
The torture never stops
The torture never stops
Flies all green and buzzin'
In this dungeon of despair
An evil prince eats a steamin' pig
In a tumbers right near there
In the chambers right near there
He eats de snouts an trotters first!
The loins and the groins are then dispersed
His carvin' style is well rehearsed
He stands and shouts
All men be cursed (4x)
And disagree it, well no one durst
He the best of cause of all the woist
Best of cause of all the woist
He stinks so bad his stones been chokin'
Weepin' greenish drops
In the room with the iron maiden
And the torture never stops, torture
Torture never stops
Torture never stops, torture
Torture never stops
Flies all green and buzzin'
In dungeon of despair
Who are'll those people
That is shut away down there
Are they crazy
Are they sainted
Are they heroes someone painted
Someone painted
Are they -isms
Later ornated
Once they come they have been tainted
Once they come they have been tainted
Never been explained
Since at first it was created
But a dungeon and his kin'
Require naught but lockin' in
Of any anything that's been
Could be a her but it's probly a him
Could be a her but it's probly a him
Its what's the deal were dealin' in
Its what's the deal were dealin' in
An he stinks so bad it's hurt
To the pearl and the piles of blast
Any dungeon have a trailer
Were the torture never stops, torture
Torture never stops
Torture never stops, torture
Torture never stops
Torture never stops, talkin' to you
Torture never stops
"The Torture Never Stops" by Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart & The Mothers describes a horrifying scene in a dungeon-like place where prisoners are living in distressing conditions. Flies buzzing around, clothes are stained with urine, hair is matted, and the only light available comes from a small, distant window. The song describes fifty soldiers standing guard at the iron door, which leads to a place of despair with slime, rot, vomit, and greenish drops.
The dungeon is a place of hellish torture, and an evil prince eats a pig in the chambers near where the prisoners are held captive. His carving style is well-rehearsed, and he curses all men who oppose him. The iron maiden is in the next room, and the torture never stops. The song ends by posing questions about the prisoners in the dungeon, wondering if they are crazy, sainted, painted heroes, or -isms that have been tainted.
Line by Line Meaning
Flies all green and buzzin'
The air is filled with green buzzing flies
In this dungeon of despair
This place is a miserable dungeon
Prisoners grumblin'
The prisoners are complaining
Piss they clothes
They are so poorly taken care of that they have urinated on their own clothes
Scratch their matted hair
They are so neglected that their hair has become matted and they itch it
A tiny light from a window-hole
They can see a small bit of light through a window a hundred yards away
Hundred yards away
The window they can see is a hundred yards from them
That all they ever get to know
This tiny bit of light is the only connection they have to the outside world
'Bout the regular life in the day
It's the only way they have to know about the normal life of the day
Slime and rot and rats and snuck
This place is filled with filth, decay, rats and snakes
Vomit on the floor
The place is so disgusting that someone has vomited on the floor
Fifty ugly soldier men
There are fifty soldiers guarding them
Holdin' spears by the iron door
These soldiers are armed with spears and they are guarding the prisoners behind an iron door
Stinks so bad, stones are chokin'
It smells so bad the prisoners feel like they are choking on the stench, it's unbearable
Weepin' greenish drops
The stones in the room are weeping green drops as they react to the extreme smell
In the den where
The giant fire puffer works
There is a place where a giant fire device is being operated
And the torture never stops
The prisoners are being constantly tortured and abused, it never ends
The torture never stops, torture
They are emphasizing that the torture is non-stop
An evil prince eats a steamin' pig
There is an evil prince who is eating a freshly cooked pig
In a tumbers right near there
This is happening close to the place where the prisoners are being kept
He eats de snouts an trotters first!
He is starting by eating the pig's face and feet
The loins and the groins are then dispersed
After that, he eats the pig's genitals
His carvin' style is well rehearsed
He has a specific way of carving that he has practiced and perfected
He stands and shouts
All men be cursed (4x)
He stands up and starts cursing all men, repeating it four times to emphasize his anger and hate
And disagree it, well no one durst
No one dares to disagree with him, such is the power he wields
He the best of cause of all the woist
Best of cause of all the woist
He is considered the best ruler despite being the absolute worst because he is so feared and powerful
Are they crazy
Are they sainted
Are they heroes someone painted
The prisoners are unknown to those outside, they could be crazy, saintly, painted like heroes
Someone painted
Are they -isms
Later ornated
Perhaps they are a different race, religion, ideology or identified with some sort of ism
Once they come they have been tainted
Anyone who comes here becomes stained and putrid by association
Never been explained
Since at first it was created
No one knows how it was created or why it exists, it's been kept a mystery
But a dungeon and his kin'
Require naught but lockin' in
Of any anything that's been
Could be a her but it's probly a him
This dungeon exists to keep people locked away, regardless of whether they are male, female, or anything in between
Its what's the deal were dealin' in
This is what they are dealing with, locking people away
An he stinks so bad it's hurt
To the pearl and the piles of blast
The stench is so strong, it's even affecting objects in the environment
Any dungeon have a trailer
Were the torture never stops, torture
There is always a place where the torture can continue, torture never stops
Talkin' to you
Torture never stops
The song's message is telling you about this place where the torture never stops
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MarcoCianiCIARCO
Flies all green and buzzin'
In the dungeon of despair
Who are all those people
That he's locked away down there
Are they crazy
Are they sainted
Are they zeros someone painted
That had never been explained
Since at first it was created
But a dungeon like a sin
Requires not much lockin' in
Of everything thats ever been
Look at her
Look at him
Thats whats the deal we're dealin in
Thats whats the deal we're dealin in
Thats whats the deal we're dealin in
@hugo888888888
Flies all green and buzzin'
In this dungeon of despair
Prisoners grumble and piss their clothes
And scratch their matted hair
A tiny light from a window-hole
A hundred yards away
Is all they ever get to know
About the regular light in the day
And it stinks so bad the stones been chokin'
Weepin' greenish drops
In the room where the giant fire puffer works
And the torture never stops
The torture never stops
Slime and rot and rats and snot and
Vomit on the floor
Fifty hill billy soldiers man
Holdin' spears by the iron door
Knives and spikes and guns and the likes
Of every tool of pain
And a sinister midget with a bucket and a mop
Where the blood goes down the drain
And it stinks so bad, the stones been chokin'
Weepin' greenish drops
In the room where
The giant fire puffer works
And the torture never stops
The torture never stops,
The torture
The torture
The torture never stops
Flies all green and buzzin'
In this dungeon of despair
An evil prince eats a steamin' pig
In a chamber right near there
He eats the snouts and the trotters first
The loins and the groins are soon dispersed
His carvin' style is well rehearsed
He stands and shouts
All men be cursed (4x)
And disagree, hell no one durst
He's the best of cause of all the worst
Some wrong been done
He done it first
And he stinks so bad his bones been chokin'
Weepin' greenish drops
In the light of the iron sausage
Where the torture never stops
The torture never stops
The torture
The torture
The torture never stops
Flies all green and buzzin'
In the dungeon of despair
Who are all those people
That he's locked away down there
Are they crazy
Are they sainted
Are they zeros someone painted
That had never been explained
Since at first it was created
But a dungeon like a sin
Requires not much lockin' in
Of everything thats ever been
Look at her
Look at him
Thats whats the deal we're dealin in
Thats whats the deal we're dealin in
Thats whats the deal we're dealin in
@ILoveJesusForeverAmen
I had the pleasure of speaking alone with Frank for 10 minutes in 1981 on his tour bus at UMASS Amherst in 1981. Friendly, funny, satirical, exceptionally talented, and above all incredibly intelligent. One of the best experiences of my life.
@rodkirkbride2230
Spot on! 👍💪❤️
@aaronwoodford9062
Lucky man Dave! Musical genius and a genuine soul.
@Alix777.
Oh man...
@davidforshaw4810
👍 Well done Sir!' He's legendary. 🎶🔑
@frankgeldrie3491
Sorry my English ist that best, but I was on a concert at the Lorelei
Its near bij the river.
Dont matter
After the first 60 min we klapt and wanted more
They came back and played " jo ma" for about 45min
Usealy its roundabout 17 minits on LP
After that I shaked het boutis
Nice day to remember
@dcomptonphotographer2211
When I wanted my parties to clear out back in the 80's I would play this song and within minutes the GFs would grab their guys and say let's get the fuck out of here. Worked every time.
@simonmears1726
Classic
@hiwatt4007
@@alainclement9244 I assume she got "" tortured "" :-)
@NJI-hy1pq
XD