In the early days of their career their dark, heavy, oppressively slow sound made them innovators of genres like sludge, grunge, and doom metal. The Melvins' music is influenced by Flipper, Black Flag's My War-era hardcore punk and Black Sabbath-style heavy metal, but their idiosyncratic approach, bizarre sense of humor, and experimentation make neat categorization difficult. Singer/guitarist Buzz Osborne (aka "King Buzzo") and drummer Dale Crover are constant members while several bass guitarists have cycled through the group. The Melvins usually performed as a trio until 2006 when two members of Big Business became permanent members of the band.
The band was named after a grocery clerk at the Thriftway in Montesano, Washington where Osborne was employed. Melvin was the most-hated fellow employee and the band felt it to be an appropriate name. Like SF noisenik predecessors Flipper, their love of slow tempos and sludgy sound were a strong influence on grunge music, especially Nirvana and many other bands from Seattle. Their protegés, however, tended to use more conventional musical structures with this sound.
Though the group has received mostly positive critical notice, Crover's drumming has been especially praised; Patrick Kennedy describes his work as "astonishing, powerful, and daring."
While never finding and most likely never even seeking great mainstream success, the Melvins maintain an impressive schedule of new albums and tours, including a collaboration with Fantômas in The Fantômas Melvins Big Band, two releases with former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, and in 2004 the Melvins collaborated with ambient artist Lustmord for Pigs of the Roman Empire. In appreciation of their devoted fans, the Melvins have released various collectables through the years that have included two-headed dolls, an eight-track tape, and a plastic fetus in a jar.
Fellow Aberdeen resident Kurt Cobain (a good friend of Crover) was a huge Melvins fan and helped them transport their equipment to a few shows. Cobain also auditioned to join the band on bass, but he didn't make it, reportedly because he was so nervous that he forgot all the songs. Cobain maintained his relation with the band. Later he produced and played on some songs (guitar on "Sky Pup", percussion on "Spread Eagle Beagle") on the band's major label debut, Houdini. Dale Crover is also attributed as playing on the Nirvana debut album, Bleach, and on "Incesticide". In addition, Dave Grohl (ex-drummer for Nirvana) co-wrote and played drums for Isabella on Buzzo's Melvins solo album, King Buzzo.
#2 Pencil
Melvins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the lead is yards deep in my face
Lick your tongue
Flat on the glass lathe
Smell the smell, the big P of this
Roll your head, chop my blood in yours
Leech the pain they drove in us
Count on this: Call off the land, true
The song #2 Pencil by Melvins is a haunting and disturbing tale of pain and suffering. The first line "Number two Pencil inside me" immediately sets the tone for the rest of the song, as it suggests a kind of internal violence that is both invasive and painful. The second line "And the lead is yards deep in my face" reinforces this suggestion, as it implies that the pencil has been pushed deep into the singer's skin, causing immense pain and damage.
The following lines continue to build on this theme of pain and suffering, with references to licking the tongue flat on a glass lathe, smelling the smell of the "big P" (presumably meaning "pain"), and leeching the pain that has been driven into them. These lines all suggest a kind of physical torture that has been inflicted on the singer, and the use of vivid and visceral language only serves to make it all the more disturbing.
Yet despite all of this, there is also a sense of endurance and resilience in the lyrics. The final lines "Count on this: Call off the land, true/To be used, and then you call me yours" suggest a willingness to endure the pain and be used for the sake of someone else. It's a dark and unsettling message, but one that speaks to the complex emotions that can arise in situations of pain and suffering.
Line by Line Meaning
number two Pencil inside me
A yellow-colored, wooden number two pencil is embedded within me.
And the lead is yards deep in my face
The graphite tip of the pencil has penetrated my skin and has gone deep into my face.
Lick your tongue
Use your tongue to moisten your lips.
Flat on the glass lathe
Lying face down on the smooth surface of the glass lathe, a machine used to shape or plane wood.
Smell the smell, the big P of this
Detect the odor emanating from the pencil, the initial letter of which is the letter 'P'.
Roll your head, chop my blood in yours
Move your head in a circular motion, allowing our blood to intermingle and become one.
Leech the pain they drove in us
Suck out the emotional suffering that others have inflicted upon us.
Count on this: Call off the land, true
Rely on the fact that the land can be called off in a truthful manner.
To be used, and then you call me yours.
The pencil is merely a tool to be utilized, and upon completion, it will then be referred to as yours.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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