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.
HagMe
Melvins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I only know the ceilin' mouth.
I make myself, yellow the sound.
That am a leg sprung under.
Give me a gravity, your right left leg.
Holdin' my hate against me you.
Can't say you'll never keep my breath.
It's wise to think you'll try.
I grow the piston, I see the right to only
They see the right to, she knows the bit around me.
Reachin' and growin', all things in file.
Give me air to break my
to hopeful par, antenna.
Tea take the sender.
I slow your gravity, I damn your house.
Don't hang me with your force grief.
I grow the piston, I see the right to only
They see the right to, she knows the bit around me.
Lace it and only, like a barb, baby freight baby, Dean,
I'm in a line, mida make a move, cross a state rollin', to whine.
Hey, hey, hey, hey
The lyrics of Melvins's song HagMe are typical of the band's style, i.e., full of surreal and ambiguous imagery. The song seems to be about a person who is struggling to find their place in the world and is constantly fighting against the forces that try to hold them down. The first verse talks about cutting the ceiling, motor, and pale, which could be symbols of the limitations imposed on the singer. The line "I only know the ceiling mouth" could mean that they feel trapped and unable to look beyond their immediate surroundings. The singer then goes on to say that they make themselves and "yellow the sound," which could be interpreted as a metaphor for self-expression.
The second verse talks about growing a piston and seeing the right to only - this could be interpreted as the singer trying to find their own path in life, rather than following the paths of others. They also mention someone who "knows the bit around me," which could be interpreted as someone who understands the singer's struggles. The line "give me air to break my to hopeful par, antenna" is particularly striking, as it seems to be about the singer trying to break free from limitations and open themselves up to new possibilities.
The chorus talks about taking gravity, damn your house, and not being hung with force grief, all of which could be interpreted as the singer trying to assert their own will and not let anyone else hold them back. The song ends with a series of nonsensical phrases that add to the overall surreal feel of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I cut my ceilin', motor and pale.
I am dismantling my ceiling, along with the machinery and buckets that were attached to it.
I only know the ceilin' mouth.
All I am familiar with is the top of the room.
I make myself, yellow the sound.
I am transforming myself into a resonant, yellow noise.
That am a leg sprung under.
I feel like an entangled and trapped leg under a heavy weight.
Give me a gravity, your right left leg.
Offer me a grounding force that can connect both your right and left legs.
Holdin' my hate against me you.
You're blaming me for my own anger.
Can't say you'll never keep my breath.
You may be capable of taking away my life's essence.
It's wise to think you'll try.
It's prudent to assume that you will attempt this.
I grow the piston, I see the right to only
I am nurturing the engine's parts, and only I can see the right way to do it.
They see the right to, she knows the bit around me.
Others believe they have the knowledge and authority to deal with the situation at hand, but the woman familiar with its specifics understands my perspective.
Reachin' and growin', all things in file.
Every element grows in succession, one after the other.
Give me air to break my to hopeful par, antenna.
Allow me to have the proper resources to break out of my current state, and become an antenna of hope.
Tea take the sender.
The tea has reached its recipient.
I slow your gravity, I damn your house.
I am able to decrease the power of the force holding you down, but I also condemn your home.
Don't hang me with your force grief.
Please do not include me in the emotional burden you are carrying.
Lace it and only, like a barb, baby freight baby, Dean,
I'll secure it carefully, like a thorn, and only handle it with tenderness.
I'm in a line, mida make a move, cross a state rollin', to whine.
I'm standing in a queue, deliberating on my next step, and traversing states as I complain.
Hey, hey, hey, hey
This is an exclamation.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROGER OSBOURNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@GeekExtremist
This hit way too close to home for me. This was (somewhat still is?) me for a LONG time. I grew up poor and disabled, had 70 surgeries by the time I was 25 (38 now and at like 84), and while I always liked nostalgia, it didn't hit the breaking point until I became disabled at like 28 and couldn't leave my house for very long for like 10 years.
I was stuck in our "gameroom", which just turned into my sanctuary, so I filled it with things that reminded me of the past or things that I felt made me happy. But it got to the point where sections of the room were blocked off due to so much crap and my walls were all completely covered with fan art or large comic pictures.
At the end of last year, we moved to another state so I could get away from the extreme heat of the south and to go somewhere where marijuana was legal (I got to the point where I was abusing my pain meds because they barely worked due to my body being on medications my entire life.)
It's been like a completely different life here. The marijuana takes away most of my pain most days, and I can't actually go outside again to the point my wife and I been going on hiking trails or to the waterfront a couple times a week. I still have really rough mornings, and some days where I can't get off the couch, but I've gotten another chance at life.
I still have my "man cave", but it's much more organized and only a fraction of what I did have up. The rest of my collection is in storage and I've been slowly selling it off.
As someone else said, sometimes life is just hard and breaks you to the point where you want to escape into a world of your own making.
@Gooberboober2
This really hits home with me. Between drinking and collecting. I went through a shit ton of trauma after high-school and not knowing what to do. Let alone with having a dead father. Hunter seriously knows how to show people their demons in silly ways.
I’m still dealing with demons today. But thankfully I got through the collection phase. I’m trying to relieve stress and trauma with a pet turtle and aquatic animal care.
With the way the episode ended felt fulfilling.
Edit: thank you for the comments, I’m still facing demons. But just to be clear, I’m not alone, I do have support. And I my turtle is fine, she’s not suffering at the hands of my own selfishness. She’s living better than me, outside of not being free in a pond. But she’s invasive, so I’m doing good anyways.
I utilize art and aquatic care as my way to clear those negative thoughts.
Just find your thing. And video games isn’t one of them. Idk how many times MK1 had me cursing screaming and thinking I was as useless as my combo skills were.
Just thanks everyone.
@Duelkitten
I like the detial of how the old couple can openly talk about their sons death and have fond memories despite him dying. Showcasing the ability to move on.
@bryanwest1679
On top of that, they also did not push back on the offer of selling the toy. They were okay with someone else finding new enjoyment with it.
@frogglen6350
It's just like paranoia agent
@Onnamusic
Yoooo
@stansmith8003
Sounds gay
@EpicBassTime_
@@bryanwest1679yea nice
@microwaved.spoons
This one felt way too real. I’ve met too many people that have fallen into this life.
@Dont_Read_My_Picture
Don't read my name...
@mryanikofficial
Agreed
@threeplayers670
I'm at risk