.
Like most of Biafra's work, Lard's songs are angrily political (the War on Drugs is a particularly common theme) but often have a tinge of humour.
Lard has not officially toured and have only performed live a handful of times, mostly around the San Francisco area (where Jello lives and operates his Alternative Tentacles record label). The band played during Ministry's 1988 tour and throughout their 1989-1990 dates (Jello was a touring member), once in Chicago after wrapping the recording of The Last Temptation Of Reid, once at the conclusion of a Ministry concert in Los Angeles (March 24, 2003), and at the San Francisco (September 26, 2004) and Seattle (September 29, 2004) dates of Ministry's Evil Doer tour. Because its key members are active with other projects, it is unlikely that the band will tour.
Jourgensen stated in 2009 that Lard would make one final album before calling it a day. However, in 2010 Biafra expressed scepticism over whether this would actually happen, saying, "Me and Al have talked about it for years, but we've never been able to nail down a time to try to put it together."
Discography:
1989 - The Power of Lard (EP)
1990 - The Last Temptation of Reid
1990 - I Am Your Clock (vinyl-only EP; included on the CD version of Last Temptation)
1997 - Pure Chewing Satisfaction
2000 - 70's Rock Must Die
Sidewinder
Lard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sand so moist and cool
Crawls up to a ledge
To survey the valley below
Slither into town
In the velvet Elvis night
Spiralling remains
Of a garden of delights
Their monuments remain
Outlasted by what they once controlled
How on earth is this explained
Sidewind
Refine
Survive
What's left behind
Can't burrow a home down here
Old asphalt lies below
Goodbyes from the dead play on
Half-curied video gravestones
Cracked patches of neon
Flickers as the wind blows
What kind of drugs were these creatures on
To want so much it ate them whole
Aversion to detergent
Always naturally clean
Sleep all day, crush mice by night
More civilized if you ask me
Sidewind
Refine
Survive
What's left behind
Wake up in the bushes
Brush the crust out of my eyes
Fluff the dirt out of my hair
As the bright sun's beatin' down
Time to hit the road
Time to find the rain
Away from the cage where the light bulbs
Blaze
Hitch a ride to another plain
Sidewind
Refine
Survive
What's left behind
The lyrics to Lard's song "Sidewinder" are a commentary on the state of modern society and the environment in which we live. The imagery of a snake on a dune, slithering into town and surveying the valley below, sets the stage for an observation of the world around us. The crumbling monuments of a once-great civilization and the cracked patches of neon reflect the decay and decline of our own society. The line "What kind of drugs were these creatures on to want so much it ate them whole" suggests that the greed and excess of modern civilization have led us to a destructive path.
The final verse speaks of waking up in the bushes, brushing the crust out of one's eyes, and fluffing the dirt out of one's hair. This represents a rejection of the sterile, artificial world of modern society and a return to a more natural way of life. The line "Away from the cage where the light bulbs blaze" suggests a desire to escape the confines of modern life and find freedom in nature.
Overall, "Sidewinder" is a song that offers a critique of modern society and the way in which it has alienated us from the natural world.
Line by Line Meaning
Snake on a dune
A snake is seen on a hill of sand.
Sand so moist and cool
The sand is comforting for the snake.
Crawls up to a ledge
The snake climbs up to a higher place.
To survey the valley below
The snake looks down at the view below.
Slither into town
The snake enters a city.
In the velvet Elvis night
The snake is in the city at nighttime
Spiralling remains
The remains of something like a garden are visible.
Of a garden of delights
There used to be a beautiful garden in this place.
The builders are all gone
Those who created the place are long gone.
Their monuments remain
Only their creations stand the test of time.
Outlasted by what they once controlled
The creation survived after the creators.
How on earth is this explained
It is difficult to comprehend why creations outlive creators.
Sidewind
The snake moves using a sideways motion.
Refine
The movement of the snake is improved and perfected.
Survive
The snake perseveres despite the conditions.
What's left behind
The remnants of what used to exist.
Can't burrow a home down here
The environment does not favor digging.
Old asphalt lies below
The surface under the current ecosystem is made of old asphalt.
Goodbyes from the dead play on
The dead communicate to the living through videos that play on.
Half-curied video gravestones
The videos are like gravestones.
Cracked patches of neon
The neon signs are old and cracking.
Flickers as the wind blows
The neon signs flicker like a candle in the wind.
What kind of drugs were these creatures on
What inspired the creators to plan such a massive project?
To want so much it ate them whole
The creators were consumed by the project they poured their energies into.
Aversion to detergent
The snake is not deterred by man-made toxins.
Always naturally clean
The snake is naturally clean
Sleep all day, crush mice by night
The snake has a daily routine of sleeping during the day and hunting at night.
More civilized if you ask me
The snake is happier in its natural state than the city dwellers.
Wake up in the bushes
The artist wakes up in the thicket.
Brush the crust out of my eyes
The singer clears their eyes of sleep.
Fluff the dirt out of my hair
The singer removes dirt from their hair.
As the bright sun's beatin' down
It's a sunny day.
Time to hit the road
It's time to leave.
Time to find the rain
The artist wants to go to a rainy place.
Away from the cage where the light bulbs blaze
The singer wants to leave the city.
Hitch a ride to another plain
The artist wants to travel to a different place.
Sidewind
The singer will have to watch out for sidewinding snakes.
Refine
The singer plans on improving their journey as much as possible.
Survive
The singer plans on making it past all challenges.
What's left behind
The person leaves their old life behind.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: AL JOURGENSEN, ERIC BOUCHER, PAUL G. BARKER, WILLIAM RIEFLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind