The band is named after the album "Master of Reality" by Black Sabbath.
After its first incarnation - which consisted of Chris Goss, Tim Harrington, Vinnie Ludovico and Googe - broke apart in 1989, the band developed into a band with alternating lineups. Masters of Reality resurfaced making headlines when former Cream drumming-legend Ginger Baker joined the band on their second album Sunrise on the Sufferbus which was recorded in 1992. Although the band landed a Top 10 chart hit with the single "She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On)" Baker left the band only one year later. Victor Indrizzo, at that time drummer for Circus of Power, was asked to join and fill the vacant spot and agreed.
Goss' connection to Queens of the Stone Age resulted from producing Kyuss albums and in the collaborative CD Deep in the Hole in 2001, and two years later, in the release of the subsequent live album Flak 'n' Flight.
Since their formation, Masters of Reality has made very different kinds of music, ranging from Stoner metal over progressive art rock to Beatlesque pop music.
Besides his involvement with this "project", frontman Chris Goss is also a very important producer (Kyuss, Soulwax, Melissa Auf der Maur, The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster etc.) and has contributed to many other bands in the Palm Desert Scene and beyond.
King Richard TLH
Masters of Reality Lyrics
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In glass domes and warm rooms where nobody plays
Who do you trust in a world gone insane
The light of Aladdin
The seat of Apollo
The hawk in the distance
Too far to be swallowed
Nothing to do, ho ho
Don't believe it
Nothing to do, ho ho
Don't believe it
My love falls before you like your dress on the ground
Where boys seek respite where girls lay it down
The pride that we ran with sleeps silently sound
The light of Aladdin
The seat of Apollo
The hawk in the distance
Too far to be swallowed
The pigeons applauding
At each new disturbance
The holiday singers are
Killed for observance
Nothing to do, ho ho
Don't believe it
Nothing to do, ho ho
Don't believe it
Nothing to do, ho ho
Don't believe it
Nothing to do, ho ho
Don't believe it
The lyrics in this song are a series of questions and observations about the state of the world and society. The first verse asks about the “green fields” where people used to go to rest and play, but now people are enclosed in “glass domes and warm rooms” where nobody plays. This could be a metaphor for how people have become disconnected from nature and each other, choosing to spend time indoors and alone rather than outside with others. The question “who do you trust in a world gone insane” speaks to the paranoia and unease that many people feel in a world that seems to be increasingly chaotic and unpredictable.
The second verse seems to be about love and relationships. The imagery of “boys seek respite where girls lay it down” suggests a sexual encounter, and the line “my love falls before you like your dress on the ground” is a poetic way of expressing a feeling of vulnerability or surrender. The final line, “the pride that we ran with sleeps silently sound”, is somewhat ambiguous – it could refer to a relationship that has ended, or to a larger sense of hope or idealism that has been lost.
Throughout the song, there are references to mythology and history, such as “the light of Aladdin” and “the seat of Apollo”. These references, along with the imagery of “the hawk in the distance” and “the pigeons applauding”, give the lyrics a dreamlike or surreal quality. The repeated refrain, “Nothing to do, ho ho / Don't believe it”, could be interpreted in a few different ways – perhaps it’s an expression of boredom or apathy, or a way of dismissing the idea that there is nothing to be done to change the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Where are the green fields where do we lay
Where is the peaceful land where we can rest?
In glass domes and warm rooms where nobody plays
In artificial environments where there's no room for play or spontaneity.
Who do you trust in a world gone insane
In a chaotic world, who can you rely on?
The light of Aladdin
The hope of a magical solution.
The seat of Apollo
The domain of the gods and their wisdom.
The hawk in the distance
The danger lurking afar.
Too far to be swallowed
But still a potential threat.
My love falls before you like your dress on the ground
My affection for you is plain to see and as genuine as gravity.
Where boys seek respite where girls lay it down
Men find comfort, women are sexually objectified.
The pride that we ran with sleeps silently sound
The confidence we once had has been replaced with fear and complacency.
The pigeons applauding
The ignorant masses celebrating any change.
At each new disturbance
Whenever something unusual happens.
The holiday singers are killed for observance
The joyful are punished for deviating from the norm.
Nothing to do, ho ho
Ironically, there's plenty of things to worry about.
Don't believe it
But don't take everything at face value.
Contributed by Colin J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.