The song "Colony of Birchmen" from the band's third album (released in 2006), Blood Mountain, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2007. Blood Mountain was followed in 2009 by Crack the Skye, and in 2011 by The Hunter, which debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart and achieved major commercial success in the United States. The Hunter features the song "Curl of the Burl", which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 2012. Mastodon's 2014 album, Once More 'Round the Sun, peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart and features the band's third Grammy-nominated song, "High Road". The band's seventh album, Emperor of Sand, was released on March 31, 2017, and features the band's most commercially successful song to date, "Show Yourself", which peaked at No. 4 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in June 2017. The followup single, "Steambreather", peaked at number 18 on the same chart in October 2017. The album's opening track, "Sultan's Curse", earned the band their first Grammy award. Emperor of Sand was the band's first album to receive a Grammy nomination; it was nominated for Best Rock Album.
Mastodon was formed on January 13, 2000, after drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher moved to Atlanta from Victor, New York, and met bassist/singer Troy Sanders and guitarist/singer Brent Hinds at a High on Fire show. They discovered they had a mutual appreciation of sludge metal bands Melvins and Neurosis, heavy metal legends Iron Maiden, and 1970s hard rockers Thin Lizzy, and shortly thereafter formed Mastodon. In an interview in 2009, Kelliher revealed that the first time Hinds attended a practice with the band, he "showed up so wasted he couldn't play".
The band recorded a demo in 2000, which featured Eric Saner on vocals. Saner left the band for personal reasons after just a couple of months. After recording a four-song demo and a 7-inch picture disc through Reptilian Records, Mastodon landed a record deal with Relapse Records in 2001. Mastodon released the EP Lifesblood in 2001, and its first full-length album, Remission, in 2002, with the singles "March of the Fire Ants" and "Crusher/Destroyer" (which was also featured on Tony Hawk's Underground). On each of Mastodon's first three full-length albums, the last track was an instrumental composition with a title that related to the Elephant Man.
Artist Paul Romano was responsible for all of the band's album art and backdrops up to 2011. The artwork for the band's fifth studio album The Hunter was made by AJ Fosik, a woodcarver who was also responsible for the backdrop the band used live at the time. Oakland-based artist Skinner, who, in his own words, specializes in "psychedelic nightmare paintings", has taken the reins on Once More 'Round the Sun. "It's going to be a work of art for sure. It's going to be very eye-opening", said bassist Troy Sanders before the album's release. "Very striking. It's from another dimension, and a lot of our music is geared toward that idea—taking you to another planet on songs. It's out there, and I think it's incredible."
Studio albums
Remission (2002)
Leviathan (2004)
Blood Mountain (2006)
Crack the Skye (2009)
The Hunter (2011)
Once More 'Round the Sun (2014)
Emperor of Sand (2017)
Hushed and Grim (2021)
EPs
Lifesblood (2001)
Cold Dark Place (2017)
Dry Bone Valley
Mastodon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Break neck speeding, taken down on my birth.
Black feet scrape the scarlet dripping blood
Rain come down, take me with your flood
I can't do it, I was running from you.
Feel your breath on the back of my neck.
Where have I,
Is a song,
That's left for me.
I wish that I was still there.
I wanna keep on breathing.
Fools roll loud,
Snakes move past my feet.
Oh gee, thou have set me free.
Bones start rattling 'round inside my head.
I don't know if I'm alive or dead.
I can't do it, I was running from you
Feel your breath on the back of my neck.
Where have I,
Come to be?
Is a song,
That's left for me.
I wish that I was still there.
I wanna keep on breathing.
Dig deep, kicking the bucket, turn and said
Out of this lifeless but impotent hell.
Over these mountains to the seas of life.
Leaves me to stand up for the sick and damned.
The lyrics to Mastodon's song Dry Bone Valley are set in a highly metaphorical landscape. The singer is running for his life, from something terrifying and unknown that he calls "the beast". The opening lines describe a frenzied pace, as the singer tries to outrun the beast. The violent imagery of "break neck speeding" and "scarlet dripping blood" set an ominous tone. As the rain begins to fall, the singer seems to accept his fate, asking the elements to take him away with their flood.
In the chorus, the singer seems to be conflicted about his fate. He questions where he has ended up and wonders if there is a purpose to the song that is left for him. He wishes that he was still alive, "keep on breathing", which suggests he thinks he might be dead. The second verse brings in more metaphors, describing "fools" who make a lot of noise and "snakes" that move quietly. As the bones start rattling inside the singer's head, he seems to lose his grip on reality.
The final lines of the song offer some hope, as the singer decides to "stand up for the sick and damned". The meaning of this phrase is open to interpretation, but it seems that the singer has decided to take a stand for those who are oppressed or in need of help. The overall theme of the song could be interpreted as a struggle with mortality, as the singer runs from death and ultimately embraces life by standing up for others.
Line by Line Meaning
Head down running from the beast.
I'm running away from something dangerous with my head down.
Break neck speeding, taken down on my birth.
I was going so fast that I got hurt when I was born.
Black feet scrape the scarlet dripping blood
My feet are bleeding and leaving a trail behind me.
Rain come down, take me with your flood
I want to be taken away by the rain and the flood.
I can't do it, I was running from you.
I couldn't handle the pressure of being near you.
Feel your breath on the back of my neck.
I can feel you breathing down my neck, which makes me nervous.
Where have I, Come to be?
How did I get here? What's happening to me?
Is a song, That's left for me.
Everything that's happening to me is like a song that's been written just for me.
I wish that I was still there.
I want to be where I used to be, safe and sound.
I wanna keep on breathing.
I just want to keep living and breathing.
Fools roll loud, Snakes move past my feet.
There are idiots making a lot of noise and snakes slithering near my feet.
Oh gee, thou have set me free.
Thank God I'm finally free from this situation.
Bones start rattling 'round inside my head.
I'm so freaked out that I can feel my bones shaking in my head.
I don't know if I'm alive or dead.
I'm so scared that I can't even tell if I'm alive or dead.
Dig deep, kicking the bucket, turn and said
I'm giving it my all, even if it means pushing myself to the limit and risking everything.
Out of this lifeless but impotent hell.
I want to escape this horrible and powerless place.
Over these mountains to the seas of life.
I want to leave this difficult journey behind and start anew by the oceans.
Leaves me to stand up for the sick and damned.
I hope that I can use my experiences to stand up for those who are suffering and helpless.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BRANN TIMOTHY DAILOR, TROY JAYSON SANDERS, WILLIAM BREEN KELLIHER, WILLIAM BRENT HINDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
OMEGABOOMER
Head down running from the beast
Breakneck speed taking all my breath
Black feet scraped and scarred and dripping blood
Rain come down take me with your flood
I came to and I was running from you
Feel your breath on the back of my neck
Where have I come to be
Is this all that's left for me
I wish that I was still there
I want to keep on breathing
Bulls roar loud
Snakes move past my feet
No teeth no hands set me free
Bones start rattling 'round inside my head
I don't know if I'm alive or dead
I came to and I was running from you
Feel your breath on the back of my neck
Where have I come to be
Is this all that's left for me
I wish that I was still there
I want to keep on breathing
Dig deep kicking up rock and dirt and sand
Out of this lifeless valley bones in hand
Over these mountains to the seas of life
Leave this desert for the sick and damned
Isaac Harris
Mastodon is a very important band.
MVP Whole time
Relevant Observation
Stewie Griffin
fake news
Pepito Pelón Nieto
Shut up
Devin Watson
They're important to me. More so than fruits and veggies in my diet!
Logan Campos
MASTODON IS MY SPIRIT ANIMAL 🐆🐘🐗🦅🐙🦂🦌
OMEGABOOMER
Head down running from the beast
Breakneck speed taking all my breath
Black feet scraped and scarred and dripping blood
Rain come down take me with your flood
I came to and I was running from you
Feel your breath on the back of my neck
Where have I come to be
Is this all that's left for me
I wish that I was still there
I want to keep on breathing
Bulls roar loud
Snakes move past my feet
No teeth no hands set me free
Bones start rattling 'round inside my head
I don't know if I'm alive or dead
I came to and I was running from you
Feel your breath on the back of my neck
Where have I come to be
Is this all that's left for me
I wish that I was still there
I want to keep on breathing
Dig deep kicking up rock and dirt and sand
Out of this lifeless valley bones in hand
Over these mountains to the seas of life
Leave this desert for the sick and damned
Renee King
I am so late to the Mastodon party. But I'm here now. This is the music I get.
Shawn
Welcome to the party. Its the best one.
Rich Partain
YES.