… Read Full Bio ↴Hepcat are a third wave ska band formed in southern California in 1989.
Their soulful harmonies and mellow rhythms were unlike those of contemporaries and more akin to musicians from the heyday of 1960s Jamaican ska, also referred to as the first wave.
Hepcat's debut album, "Out of Nowhere" was released in 1994 on New York-based ska label Moon Records. Two years later, they followed it up with "Scientific" on BYO Records. In 1998, after signing with Epitaph Records subsidiary HellCat Records, they released "Right on Time," scoring a modest hit with the swinging "No Worries" and scored a spot on the Vans Warped Tour. 2000 saw the release of "Push n' Shove," their first album without founding members Raul Talavera and Alex Désert, although the latter appears as a guest vocalist on two tracks.
The band went on indefinite hiatus after 2000, and no new material has surfaced since. Trumpeter Kincaid Smith formed Soul Traffic, a five-piece funk band. Drummer Scott Abels has played with the Rancid side project Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and the southern California reggae act The Aggrolites. Vocalist Alex Desert has had a successful career in film and television, appearing in the movies PCU, Swingers, and High Fidelity; and the television show Becker.
In early 2004, a remastered version of Out of Nowhere was released with two additional bonus tracks, an early version of "Nigel" and "Club Meditation," both of which appeared on their first single. Occasionally, Hepcat reconvenes to play a few shows a year in the California area. Often, this lineup is that which performed on "Scientific."
They take their name from a term for a 1940s-50s jazz musician.
Earthquake & Fire
Hepcat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is the only place for a man like me
Earthquake and fire
May woman comes fe take me home
Earthquake and fire
She beneath me began to moan
Earthquake and fire...
What can I do, she's on fire
Oh my god, that girl's on fire
Go get the bucket and-a fill it with some sheet
This place is coming down, all around me
Earthquake and fire
This is the only place for a man like me
Earthquake and fire
My woman come-fe come-fe come-fe come-fe
Earthquake and fire
She beneath me began to moan
Earthquake and fire...
An angry mother and a father after me
When all I did was make the girls so happy
You're not complaining much, so why come after me
We move, we groove, she move
And all that kind of stuff,
A-yeah a-why a-go a-say a-hey a-ho
Earthquake and fire
Turn out the lights, let me finish it
Earthquake and fire
And when the musics done,
I'll go quietly...
The opening refrain, “earthquake and fire,” sets the tone for Hepcat’s song by hinting at the idea of something uncontrollable and dangerous. The rest of the verse reveals the circumstances – the singer finds himself in a place that is both dangerous and a haven for someone like him. The repeated lyrics “my woman comes fe take me home” suggest that the man who sings this song is perhaps living a bit of a wild life, and that this is a song about getting lost in the moment of passion and danger.
The chorus of the song reinforces these themes. The danger and the wildness of the moment are exemplified by the line “we sunk it deep and she started to shake.” The singer is aware of the danger but is also clearly excited by it, as evidenced by the repeated refrain “earthquake and fire…” Throughout the song, the singer seems to be getting lost in the moment, feeling the rhythm and giving in to his desires despite any consequences that may come.
Overall, “Earthquake & Fire” is a song about living life recklessly and passionately, despite the dangers that may come. The song encourages letting go of control and embracing the wildness of life, even when it feels like everything may come crashing down.
Line by Line Meaning
Earthquake and fire
The singer is describing a chaotic and dangerous environment.
This is the only place for a man like me
Despite the chaos, the singer feels a sense of belonging and comfort in this environment.
May woman comes fe take me home
The singer longs for a woman to rescue him from this place.
She beneath me began to moan
The chaos intensifies as the ground shakes and the woman moans in distress.
We sunk it deep and she start to shake you say
The cause of the earthquake and fire is attributed to the deep sinking of something, which has now caused the ground to shake.
What can I do, she's on fire
The situation is beyond the singer's control and he is helpless in the face of the fire.
Oh my god, that girl's on fire
The singer observes a girl who is on fire, adding to the chaos and danger of the environment.
Go get the bucket and-a fill it with some sheet
The artist suggests a strategy to address the fire by using a bucket and filling it with a sheet to smother the flames.
This place is coming down, all around me
The environment is collapsing in on itself, increasing the sense of chaos and danger.
An angry mother and a father after me
The artist is being pursued by the parents of a girl he has made happy, despite not doing anything wrong.
When all I did was make the girls so happy
The singer's actions were innocent and his intent was to make the girls happy.
You're not complaining much, so why come after me
The artist questions why he is being targeted when the girls did not express any complaints about his actions.
We move, we groove, she move
The singer describes the movement and dancing happening in the chaotic environment.
And all that kind of stuff
The singer adds this phrase to emphasize the wild and chaotic nature of the environment.
A-yeah a-why a-go a-say a-hey a-ho
This line doesn't have a clear meaning, it is likely added for the rhythm and sound of the song.
Turn out the lights, let me finish it
The artist is ready to end the chaos and violence of the environment.
And when the musics done, I'll go quietly...
The artist will leave once the music stops, hoping for a peaceful exit from the chaotic environment.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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