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.

08 Sky Pup
Melvins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's strange this evening
So go, girl
Make the five mark city of gold
Oh, baby it's hot cold meat hook
Rigging in my nose
Well baby baby baby baby
It's a big quote down
Oh baby, you're not really

It's all down for the hog
Oh baby, come on gimme a drag
We're sitting down on midnight
Well baby, you're not so mean
Kill you like a holy nuclear
Oh baby, she wants my soul
Hock sooner
I'm a witness
Nasty black black like a hog
Hey now, break the cocktails
You're not really so bad
So hot so hot it's
She's going down

Guess so, I'm bound to do it
If I got the place.

Overall Meaning

Melvins's song "Sky Pup" is a song with cryptic lyrics that capture the essence of an unusual evening. The lyrics start with a line that sets the tone for the rest of the soliloquy, which is "It's strange this evening." The singer then urges a girl to leave the place and venture into the "five mark city of gold." The following lines illustrate the chaotic state of mind of the singer who is under the influence of drugs. He talks about meat hooks, rigging in his nose, and big quotes that suggest he is in a state of confusion.

The lyrics continue with the singer addressing the girl as he implores her to come back and give him a drag, which indicates that he needs to get high to deal with the chaos in his head. The lines "Oh baby, she wants my soul" are both dark and enigmatic in their meaning. It could indicate that the singer is losing his soul to the drug-induced haze or that the girl he's addressing has a predatory intent towards him. The singer moves on to mention someone called Hock, who is probably a fellow drug user, and then goes on to say that he is a witness. It is unclear what he is bearing witness to.

Finally, the singer ends his rant by saying, "Guess so, I'm bound to do it if I got the place" which could indicate that he is at a crossroads and is unsure of what to do next. The lyrics of Melvin's "Sky Pup" song are open to interpretation and are a reflection of the chaotic state of mind one can find themselves in while under the influence of drugs.

Line by Line Meaning

It's strange this evening
I'm feeling a little unsettled and uncertain right now

So go, girl
Just go ahead and do what you need to do

Make the five mark city of gold
Go after the things that you consider valuable and worth chasing

Oh, baby it's hot cold meat hook
This situation is both tempting and dangerous

Rigging in my nose
I'm feeling trapped or constrained

Well baby baby baby baby, it's a big quote down
Things have taken a serious turn for the worse

Oh baby, you're not really
You're not who I thought you were

It's all down for the hog
Things are not looking good for me

Oh baby, come on gimme a drag
I need some kind of release from this tension

We're sitting down on midnight
We're in a dark and dangerous situation

Well baby, you're not so mean
I'm starting to see a different side of you