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.

Pitfalls In Serving Warrants
Melvins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Can you hear their timing prophecy?
Have the only other
Why's it trusting all again?
Listen to the baby sigh
It's only happening
The boiling rose of love
This green is my world
Is the only air installed?

The soldiers sighing way

I've got an industry
To know the fill is not to save

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Melvins' song Pitfalls in Serving Warrants are open to interpretation, but the overall theme seems to be one of distrust and betrayal. The first line asks if the listener can hear a "timing prophecy," which may suggest that something ominous or foreboding is on the horizon. The next line, "Have the only other," is a bit more ambiguous, but it may hint at the idea of being alone or isolated in a world that is no longer trustworthy.

The next few lines seem to continue this theme of betrayal and distrust. The question of "Why's it trusting all again?" suggests that the singer has lost faith in something or someone that they once relied on. The lyrics "Listen to the baby sigh / It's only happening" may be a commentary on how innocence and vulnerability are sometimes ignored or dismissed by those in power.

The line "The boiling rose of love / This green is my world / Is the only air installed?" is perhaps the most enigmatic in the whole song. It could be interpreted in a variety of ways, but it seems to center around the idea of clinging to something (or someone) that is ultimately unsustainable. The final lines, "The soldiers sighing way / I've got an industry / To know the fill is not to save," are similarly cryptic. They hint at a sense of disillusionment and perhaps cynicism about the world around the singer.

Overall, Pitfalls in Serving Warrants is a complex and layered song that invites interpretation and exploration. Its themes of betrayal, distrust, and disillusionment are common in many of Melvins' songs, but the lyrics here are particularly evocative and thought-provoking.

Line by Line Meaning

Can you hear their timing prophecy?
Are you able to perceive the ominous predictions of their actions?

Have the only other
Did the solitary alternative fail?

Why's it trusting all again?
Why is it putting faith in something unreliable yet again?

Listen to the baby sigh
Take heed of the sound of the innocent's discomfort

It's only happening
The inevitable is coming to fruition

The boiling rose of love
The intense passion that once existed

This green is my world
This verdant realm belongs to me

Is the only air installed?
Is the sole source of sustenance established?

The soldiers sighing way
The warriors depart with a heavy heart

I've got an industry
I possess a thriving enterprise

To know the fill is not to save
Realizing the entirety of the situation isn't equivalent to rescuing it