The Melvins are a sludge metal band that formed in Montesano, Washington, U… Read Full Bio ↴The Melvins are a sludge metal band that formed in Montesano, Washington, United States in 1983. The band currently consists of Buzz Osborne (vocals, guitar), Steven Shane McDonald (bass), and Dale Crover (drums). Osborne is the only remaining original member, although Crover has been a member since early in the band's career.

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.

05 Your Blessened
Melvins Lyrics

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I like your hands
Mr. Cancer see
Fell the timber
I felt you be
And if you were
Just like your will
We can end up
And we can turn up

And we can bleed

When man's only distant relative
Has descended on his own
You will know

Your blessened
I can feel you, babe
You're man-like
You're friendly
You're me

I like your hands
Mr. Cancer see

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Melvins’s song “05 Your Blessened” are complex and open to interpretation. The song is characterized by dark and melancholy tones, with the lyrics communicating some deeper meanings that suggest a struggle with mortality, and the impermanence of life.

The first line, “I like your hands, Mr. Cancer see” may be interpreted as the singer expressing his admiration for the impressive work that cancer does, to take hold of and destroy a person, leaving them in a weakened state. This will therefore, compromise their ability to carry out certain tasks, such as grasping things with their hands. However, by commending the abilities of cancer, this also appears to highlight the respect the singer has for the power of nature, even when it brings about suffering.

The following line, “Fell the timber, I felt you be” could be interpreted as the singer acknowledging the destructiveness of cancer or disease, as it figuratively cuts down one's life, like a tree being chopped down. The rest of the lyrics suggest a philosophical contemplation of the nature of existence and the inevitability of death. The phrase “Your blessened” suggests that the singer believes in a divine presence or a transcendent force, that could provide comfort or special attention to the suffering of an individual.

Overall, “05 Your Blessened” is a song that touches on the darker aspects of the human experience, but also offers some hope, in the face of life’s difficulties.

Line by Line Meaning

I like your hands
I admire the physical feature of your hands.

Mr. Cancer see
Addressing the cancer disease, acknowledging its presence.

Fell the timber
Feeling a sense of destruction or downfall.

I felt you be
Experiencing one's existence, energy or essence.

And if you were
Hypothetically speaking, if you were who I think you are.

Just like your will
Similar to your intent or desire.

We can end up
We can conclude this situation.

And we can turn up
We can arrive at a new or different outcome.

And we can bleed
We can suffer or experience pain, similar to bleeding.

When man's only distant relative
In a metaphorical sense, when a person feels alone or isolated from their surroundings.

Has descended on his own
When this person is visited by a certain fate or event, such as death or illness, seemingly on their own or without reason.