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.
02_Let It All Be
Melvins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And will it ever end?
The way you take the muscle from the song
And kinda swing it
You lay it on
And I ain't one of your friends
Losing all the grain
And now you say it
And why would I agree
To keep it in my head
And what you think is cold
The nature of my soul
Sorry man
I ain't gonna be told
Let it all be
I wonder why
You put this on me
I speak my mind
Its sorta funny
I'm violent with the hands in my head
They kind of move
But movin' gets me nowhere
Now you can all decide
And you can tell your lies
But who you call your friends
And what you think is cold
The nature of my soul
Sorry man
I ain't gonna be told
Let it all be
Tangle it in the ends
Heart in hand
Lookin' for the blood
Of the white man
Lookin' for the day
When I can be an Indian
After all this time
I get my revenge
But I, I ain't no Indian
I have to kill
With what I can
Dream of their fight,
Dream of their death
The lyrics to Melvins's song Let It All Be are quite abstract and open to interpretation. The song begins by questioning the beginning and end of a particular situation, perhaps a conflict or circumstance. The singer then accuses someone of taking the "muscle" from the song, essentially rendering it weak or ineffectual, and "swinging" it in a way that doesn't feel genuine. The singer resents being on the receiving end of this person's actions and losing something valuable in the process.
The second half of the song takes a bit of a darker turn, with the singer expressing a desire to seek revenge against white settlers for the wrongs committed against Native Americans. However, the singer acknowledges that they are not actually Indian themselves, and so can only "kill with what I can" and "dream of their fight, dream of their death". Ultimately, though, the singer insists on letting it all be and not being told what to do or how to feel.
Overall, the song seems to be about the frustration of feeling powerless in a situation and the desire to strike back against injustice, even if only in one's own mind. The repeated refrain of "let it all be" suggests a certain resignation, a recognition that sometimes there's not much you can do to change things.
Line by Line Meaning
When did it begin?
Asking when this situation started.
And will it ever end?
Questioning whether this cycle will ever break.
The way you take the muscle from the song
How you weaken the essence of the song.
And kinda swing it
Making it flow in a way that isn't its original intention.
You lay it on
Pretending that what you did to the song is actually good.
And I ain't one of your friends
Making it clear that I don't support you.
Losing all the grain
Losing the pureness of a situation.
And now you say it
After betraying me, you now talk like nothing ever happened.
Now why would that be me?
Asking why I should be okay with what you did.
And why would I agree
Questioning why I should be compelled to agree with you.
To keep it in my head
To keep that memory and thought of betrayal in my mind.
And what you think is cold
What you consider distant and unfeeling.
The nature of my soul
My personality that you can't change.
Sorry man
I'm not apologetic.
I ain't gonna be told
I won't follow your lead.
Let it all be
Leave everything as it is.
I wonder why
Questioning why you would do this.
You put this on me
Blaming me for what you did.
I speak my mind
Expressing my thoughts and feelings.
Its sorta funny
Ironically amusing.
I'm violent with the hands in my head
I'm frustrated in my mind.
They kind of move
The hands move and express what I'm feeling.
But movin' gets me nowhere
But my actions are ineffective.
Now you can all decide
You can decide what to make of this situation.
And you can tell your lies
You can deceive others with your version of the truth.
But who you call your friends
But those you call your friends know the truth.
And what you think is cold
What you consider distant and unfeeling.
The nature of my soul
My personality that you can't change.
Sorry man
I'm not apologetic.
I ain't gonna be told
I won't follow your lead.
Let it all be
Leave everything as it is.
Tangle it in the ends
Getting tied up in the details.
Heart in hand
Putting your vulnerability out there.
Lookin' for the blood
Looking for payback.
Of the white man
Against white people who have previously wronged you.
Lookin' for the day
Anticipating that moment.
When I can be an Indian
When you can have power like a Native American.
After all this time
After so much waiting.
I get my revenge
You finally get back at those who wronged you.
But I, I ain't no Indian
But you aren't really like a Native American.
I have to kill
You are willing to do whatever it takes.
With what I can
With your limited resources.
Dream of their fight,
Imagining their struggle.
Dream of their death
Imagining their downfall.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind