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.

Amazon
Melvins Lyrics

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By the time you're natural
By the time you die
I'll take my head and spin it for you
I'll just look around

And I call you liar
And I call you dead
You come and poisoned all the things that I once set up on

Everybody's hungry

Everybody's high
We'll sit around and ask ourself if it was all a lie
And I already told you
And I already say

But you have got to know yourself and so I let it slide
Can you get together
Can you hold my hand
It takes forever for the sound to get around

And I already love you

And I already want
But will we all just sore

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the song "Amazon" by the Melvins are open to interpretation, but there seems to be an underlying theme of betrayal and disillusionment. The first two lines of the song suggest that time is fleeting and that the singer will use their remaining time to confront someone who has deceived them. The use of the phrase "spin it for you" suggests a desire to present the truth in a way that can't be ignored or denied. The following lines suggest that the person in question has caused harm to something the singer once held dear: "You come and poisoned all the things that I once set up on."

The chorus of the song seems to reflect a sense of collective frustration and disappointment: "Everybody's hungry / Everybody's high / We'll sit around and ask ourselves if it was all a lie." The singer seems to be questioning whether the things they once believed in, whether it be a person or a larger societal ideal, were nothing more than illusions. The repetition of "I already told you" and "I already say" seems to reflect a sense of resignation, as if the singer has been trying to impart their wisdom but has been ignored or dismissed.

The final lines of the song, "Can you get together / Can you hold my hand / It takes forever for the sound to get around / And I already love you / And I already want / But will we all just sore," suggest a desire for connection and reconciliation despite the pain that has been caused. The use of the word "sore" instead of "soar" could be interpreted as a deliberate misspelling, suggesting that the wounds caused by betrayal and disillusionment are still raw.

Line by Line Meaning

By the time you're natural
As time passes and you continue to exist naturally

By the time you die
When you pass away

I'll take my head and spin it for you
I will think about things deeply and find new perspectives for you

I'll just look around
I'll observe my surroundings without speaking

And I call you liar
I accuse you of being dishonest

And I call you dead
I declare that you are deceased

You come and poisoned all the things that I once set up on
You have ruined all that I have worked for

Everybody's hungry
People desire things they don't have

Everybody's high
People are enjoying feeling euphoric from drugs or other sources

We'll sit around and ask ourself if it was all a lie
We'll consider if everything we once believed was true or not

And I already told you
I've already informed you