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.
Missing
Melvins Lyrics
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'Cause Jagermeister was givin' him the shakes
I'm gone 'cause I'm missing
I've lost sight 'cause I'm missing
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I don't care 'cause I'm missing
I can't try 'cause I'm missing
I can't stay (here)
I can't stay (here)
I can't stay (here)
I can't stay (here)
I can't stay (here)
I can't stay (here)
I can't stay (here)
I can't stay (here)
I can't hear 'cause I'm missing
I'm not right 'cause I'm missing
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
The Melvins’ “Missing” is a song about feeling lost and disconnected from oneself and the world. The opening lines of the song suggest that the singer has succumbed to alcoholism and has had to switch to drinking gin instead of Jagermeister because it was causing him to shake. The line “he had to switch to gin” could suggest a loss of control and desperation on the singer’s end as he tries to cope with his inner turmoil.
Throughout the song, the repetition of the phrase “I can’t stay” suggests a desire to leave or escape from the current situation. The singer has lost sight of himself and his place in the world; he feels missing, incomplete, and unable to function. The repetition of the phrase “I can’t stay” could be a metaphor for an internal struggle to hold on to something that is fleeting or to regain control of oneself.
The line “I can’t hear 'cause I'm missing, I'm not right 'cause I'm missing” could suggest that the singer feels a disconnection from their senses and their mental state. The repetition of the phrase “I can’t stay” is significant because it highlights the singer's state of mind, the sense of desperation, and a desire to escape. Overall, the song appears to reflect an existential crisis and the feeling of being lost and disconnected.
Line by Line Meaning
He had to switch to gin
'Cause Jagermeister was givin' him the shakes
He had to stop drinking Jagermeister because it was causing him physical tremors, and replaced it with gin.
I'm gone 'cause I'm missing
I've lost sight 'cause I'm missing
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
The singer is absent because they feel a sense of loss or longing. They are unable to remain in their current state of being and must leave.
I don't care 'cause I'm missing
I can't try 'cause I'm missing
I can't stay (here)
I can't stay (here)
I can't stay (here)
I can't stay (here)
I can't stay (here)
I can't stay (here)
I can't stay (here)
I can't stay (here)
The singer no longer feels invested in their surroundings, as they are preoccupied with their feelings of loss. They are unable to make an effort to improve their situation and cannot continue to stay in their current environment.
I can't hear 'cause I'm missing
I'm not right 'cause I'm missing
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
I can't stay
The artist is unable to fully perceive their surroundings or think clearly because they are consumed by their sense of loss. They feel unable to remain in their current state of being and must leave.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MATT WILLIS, PETE KIRTLEY, TIM HAWES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind