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.
Air Breather Deep in the Arms of Morphius
Melvins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The world's darkening for me, and I can't fight
The wheels all the way, the underside
Don't break me down to sleep
Don't bruise my head
Don't break me down to sleep
Don't bruise my head
Please, be clear, die, sleep
First we fear, I sleep
Fast asleep, fast asleep
First we can; then we sleep
Fast asleep, fast asleep
Don't break me down to sleep
Don't bruise my head
Don't break me down to sleep
Don't bruise my head
(Wollt ihr den totalen krieg? wenn in gott deutschland
Uber auf totalen totalen sieg heil total und radikal ein die
Aus erden total und radikal)
Yeah
Yeah
The lyrics in "Air Breather Deep in the Arms of Morphius" by Melvins paint a picture of a person who is struggling to fight against the darkness and despair that is overtaking their world. The first two lines describe a sense of freedom that the person has felt before, but that is slipping away from them. The wheels underneath them suggest that they may be on a journey, but the darkness has made it difficult to continue moving forward.
The next lines "Don't break me down to sleep, don't bruise my head" indicate a desire to stay alert and aware, to not succumb to the darkness or despair. This is repeated twice, perhaps emphasizing the urgency of the situation. The following lines become more disjointed, with phrases like "Please, be clear, die, sleep" and "First we fear, I sleep" suggesting a state of confusion, fear, and ultimately acceptance of what is happening around them. The final lines, "Yeah, yeah" are delivered with a sense of resignation.
Overall, the song seems to be exploring themes of depression, hopelessness, and the struggle to hold onto one's sense of self in the face of overwhelming darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
And all this time we're free from the void
Despite the darkness of the world around us, we have been lucky enough to avoid falling into the void of despair.
The world's darkening for me, and I can't fight
However, the world's darkness is slowly taking over and we feel powerless to stop it.
The wheels all the way, the underside
We are completely immersed and trapped within this dark world, and there seems to be no way out.
Don't break me down to sleep
Please don't allow me to give in to my weariness and slip into a state of unconsciousness.
Don't bruise my head
I am already feeling mentally and emotionally beaten down, so please don't make it worse.
Please, be clear, die, sleep
I am begging for some form of clarity, even if it means facing the possibility of death and finally being able to rest.
First we fear, I sleep
Our initial reaction is always to be afraid, but eventually, we reach a point where we can't stay awake anymore and we succumb to sleep.
Fast asleep, fast asleep
Once we hit that point of exhaustion, we fall into a deep and almost immediate sleep.
First we can; then we sleep
We try to fight against the darkness and the weariness for as long as we can, but eventually, we have to give in and accept our fate.
Wollt ihr den totalen krieg? wenn in gott deutschland Uber auf totalen totalen sieg heil total und radikal ein die Aus erden total und radikal
This line seems to be a reference to a Hitler speech, but its meaning in the context of the song is unclear.
Yeah
This line is likely just a repetition of the previous line for emphasis or to close out the song.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeffrulesyou
Holy shit! Ginger still making great music. I'm buying this
Geordierussell
best song ever
Bob Douglass
should have made it onto 100%. hell they all should have
Noel Reason
Bob Douglass 100% was probably the reason year of the fan club was not the fans choice. Great songs but it was not the best collection as an album
Higgs boson
I feel like falling deep in the arms of sweet melody holding around me tight.......but tears, tears, tears, I can't read this lylic without tears......
Higgs boson
If Morpheus is a God of Morphine, God must have destined Morphine to save people as a medical method. For that reason, patients won't be addicted during pain-relief-treatment. I pray to Morpheus to save the patients pain-free, let the addicts free from agony. I keep praying to Morpheus for mercy as a pharmacist.
livpool Smith
Tune!
RedJoe10
Ain't it just?
Bruella Deville
YES
RedJoe10
Yep!