Made Out of Babies was a band from New York, NY, United States, formed in 2… Read Full Bio ↴Made Out of Babies was a band from New York, NY, United States, formed in 2004.
As their playfully gruesome name suggests, Made Out of Babies are not a demure or delicate band, but a vehicle of cathartic assault; as evocative as The Jesus Lizard, as imaginative and impassioned as Björk, as disturbingly frank and unnerving as Big Black, the quartet conjures a wholly unique sense of claustrophobic fury, undermining the listener's sense of order and rationality.

Having signed to Neurot in 2005 - probably the most outright rock act to have yet done so - Made Out of Babies released their debut "Trophy" to immediate critical acclaim, with Revolver describing vocalist Julie Christmas as "Courtney Love, PJ Harvey and Karen O rolled into one whirling, wailing dervish," while Kerrang suggested that "it's not just her yelping and screaming that gets ingrained in your soul, but her whole essence.

While Christmas attracts the attention of bewitched critics, a band comprised of guitarist Brendan Tobin, bassist Cooper (Players Club) and drummer Matthew Egan generate the industrial energy behind Made Out Of Babies' churning hardcore rush, summoning a slithering pit of churning, caffeinated noise-rock reminiscent of greats like Steel Pole Bathtub, Unsane and Silverfish. Neurot has confounded expectations with the signing of Made Out Of Babies, but their superficial differences to bands commonly associated with the label belie their fundamental coherence with the Neurot ethic: to release music that challenges the mind while expressing intense passion and belief.

September 2006 saw the release of Made Out of Babies second album, "Coward". Continuing where "Trophy" left off, "Coward" was produced by Steve Albini, and manages to encapsulate the band's grinding, cathartic assault within a devastatingly efficient package. A captivating and intense record that disposes of the comforting illusions of contemporary Western society with each vicious and accurate slash, "Coward" is a stomach-churning illustration of Made Out of Babies latent force, and an indicator that they chime perfectly with the stark, awesome power for which Neurot is known.

After recently moving to The End records, their third album, "The Ruiner", was released on June 24, 2008, combining all the disconcerting sound of their last two releases with the natural evolution of their sound.

In 2012, Julie announced on her Facebook page the end of Made Out of Babies.

Members:
Julie Xmas - vocals
Brendan "Bunny" Tobin - guitars
Cooper - bass
Matthew Egan - drums

Stranger
Made Out Of Babies Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Suspicious in bright light,
Too much red rim around the white,
Cheap silk that wraps the body tight,
And one by one, seconds drip by

There's nothing they can do to her,
That hasn't been done before,
Bit it's sweet they try.

Not a single tree in sight,
Fluorescents strip the skin bone dry,
Pock marks fill and shadows fight

There's nothing they can do to her,
That hasn't been done before,
But it's sweet they try,
But it's sweet they try.

One heel is broken,
Her hands do shake,
And ranting is her speech,

Wrong is always on the way,
It makes you watch her,
With all your thoughts deranged,
The challenge is to put her last,
Humility to shame,

There's something in the stare though,
It's not for sure she's there,
Dirty strands to veil the face,
Small tattoos named big mistakes,
She whispers when she talks,
Strangling bottles of escape,

Violent sympathy, white rage,
Violent sympathy white rage

Hold on tight and start to squeeze,
Blank expression in degrees

This is not at all your best,
Try your hardest do your worst,
Try your hardest do your worst,
This is not at all your best,
Hold on tight and start to squeeze,
Blank expression in degrees.

Suspicious in bright light,
Too much red rim around white,
Cheap silk that wraps the body tight,
And one by one, seconds drip by

There's nothing they can do to her,
That hasn't been done before,
But it's sweet they try.

Belted to the waist,
On stilts of trembling,
The locket hinge digs in,
Like marks of teeth on skin,
The memory half dust,
Just shapes of fading rust,

That moves when she's alone,
And speaks to no one home.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Made Out Of Babies' song "Stranger" paint a dark and unsettling picture. The first few lines describe a suspicious figure wrapped in cheap silk under the harsh glare of fluorescent lights. Time ticks away slowly as if she's waiting for something to happen. The following lines comment on the inevitability of the world's cruelty towards this person. While it's "sweet" that people try to hurt her, there's nothing they can do that hasn't already been done before.

The lyrics then shift to describe the woman's appearance in more detail. She's alone in a desolate area with no trees in sight, and the harsh lights make her skin appear bone dry with shadowy marks. Her clothes are unkempt, and she whispers and shakes as she rants incoherently. Despite her disheveled appearance, she stares with a mysterious intensity that makes it unclear whether she's truly present or not.

The final verse describes the woman being belted to the waist, her stilt-like legs trembling underneath her. A locket around her neck leaves marks as if someone had bitten her. The memories she holds seem to be fading, and she speaks to no one. The overall sense is one of horror and confusion, as if the woman is lost or trapped in some sort of purgatory.

Line by Line Meaning

Suspicious in bright light, Too much red rim around the white, Cheap silk that wraps the body tight, And one by one, seconds drip by
She seems wary in the bright light, Her eyes have red rims around them, Wearing cheap silk wrapped tightly around her body, Time passes slowly, one second at a time

There's nothing they can do to her, That hasn't been done before, Bit it's sweet they try.
Whatever they do to her, it's not new, Others have hurt her before, But at least they're trying

Not a single tree in sight, Fluorescents strip the skin bone dry, Pock marks fill and shadows fight
There are no trees around, The harsh overhead lights make her skin look dry and bony, Acne scars and shadows compete to be seen

One heel is broken, Her hands do shake, And ranting is her speech,
She has a broken heel, Her hands are shaking, She rambles when she talks

Wrong is always on the way, It makes you watch her, With all your thoughts deranged, The challenge is to put her last, Humility to shame,
Trouble always seems to be around the corner, Watching her makes your mind uneasy, You challenge yourself to treat her poorly, Just to feel superior

There's something in the stare though, It's not for sure she's there, Dirty strands to veil the face, Small tattoos named big mistakes, She whispers when she talks, Strangling bottles of escape,
Her gaze has an uncertain quality, It's unclear if she's really present, Tangled hair covers part of her face, Tattoos mark her past bad choices, She speaks in a whisper, Choking down her desire to escape

Violent sympathy, white rage, Violent sympathy white rage
Strong feelings of empathy mix with anger, The emotions are mixed and powerful

Hold on tight and start to squeeze, Blank expression in degrees
She grips tightly and starts to squeeze, Her face shows less and less emotion

This is not at all your best, Try your hardest do your worst, Try your hardest do your worst, This is not at all your best, Hold on tight and start to squeeze, Blank expression in degrees.
You're not doing your best, Try as hard as you can to do your worst, Try as hard as you can to do your worst, You're not doing your best, Hold on tight and start to squeeze, Your expression becomes more and more blank

Belted to the waist, On stilts of trembling, The locket hinge digs in, Like marks of teeth on skin, The memory half dust, Just shapes of fading rust, That moves when she's alone, And speaks to no one home.
Her trembling body is belted at the waist, The locket she wears is digging into her, Like teeth marks on skin, Her memories are half forgotten, Just shapes and colors that are fading away, They only come back when she's alone, And there's no one around to hear

Contributed by Sydney T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS