The band have never had, or have ever seemed to pursue, strong mainstream success, but they do have a devoted underground following in North America and Europe. They tour fairly often on both continents and maintain a dedicated fan base.
The band was formed in 1979 by brothers Rob Wright (bass guitar and vocals) and John Wright (drum set, keyboards and vocals). Their name derives from an anti-date rape slogan. For their first four years the duo's music would seem to be influenced as much by jazz and progressive rock as punk rock. The musical press described their earliest recordings as "Devo on a jazz trip, Motörhead after art school, or Wire on psychotic steroids." NoMeansNo have been credited with being an influence on, and perhaps even the genesis of, math rock.
The brothers Wright began recording as a two-piece in their parents' basement in 1979. These recordings, heard on their first two self-released 7"s, consisted of full rock band arrangements and had a new wave, warped-pop sound, different from subsequent recordings. When, in the early 1980s, the duo began gigging simply with bass, drums and vocals, the present form of their distinct sound slowly took shape. The songs they played in this period are documented on the "Mama" LP (re-released in 2004 on their own Wrong Records.)
In 1984, they added Andy Kerr (who played with John Wright in Infamous Scientists) on guitar and vocals. Kerr preferred pseudonymity and used such pseudonyms as "Buttercup" or "None-Of-Your-Fucking-Business". He brought a distinct hardcore punk edge to the group, and stayed until 1991. He is often erroneously credited for penning the lyrics of NoMeansNo songs on which he sang, perhaps due to deliberately vague liner notes and frequent vocal moonlighting (Kerr sings lead or co-lead vocals on nearly half the songs on Wrong for example). Kerr's vocals were a necessity for a period of time in the 1980s when Rob Wright was recovering from nodules on his vocal cords. While Rob Wright is the band's lyricist and main songwriter, all members have contributed songs to NoMeansNo records, and nearly all their material is credited to the entire band.
Wrong is widely considered the band's best and most representative record ("The playing is incredibly skilled, with the Wright brothers effortlessly shifting tempos and time signatures and Kerr's razor sharp lyrics clicking right into place").
After Kerr's departure, the Wright brothers recorded "Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?" as a duo. They subsequently recruited guitarist Tom Holliston from Showbusiness Giants and The Hanson Brothers, and have continued touring and releasing records, including "Worldhood of the World (as such)", "Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie", "One", and most recently, "All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt" which was released on August 22, 2006. The album was released by AntAcidAudio in the United States and Southern Records in Europe.
The album "One", released in 2000, featured "two stunning covers that only make sense coming from NoMeansNo": a slow stoner rock-styled version of The Ramones' Beat On The Brat, and rather authentic fifteen-minute version of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, (complete with electric piano and congas) featuring lyrics by Rob.
NoMeansNo initially released records with seminal punk rock record label Alternative Tentacles. This relationship ended in 2002. The band has since been reissuing old albums through Southern Records under their own Wrong Records imprint.
Even their earliest recordings demonstrate impressive instrumental technique ("some of the most complex instrumentation you're ever likely to find in punk rock"). Jazz has been an influence on the group; Rob's basslines have a loping, melodic quality often reminiscent of Charles Mingus, and John's drumming sometimes sounds a bit like Elvin Jones or Art Blakey.
NoMeansNo's output features a seemingly endless flow of "Wright/wrong/right" puns, and significant measures of black humour, with "pointedly warped lyrics", such as on "Dad" from Sex Mad. The song was a minor college radio hit, and has been called "a bit chilling, even though it's spit out at slam-pit's pace". The first person narrator details a rampaging father's physical and sexual abuse, ending with what's been called a "killer end touch—the baldly delivered line 'I'm seriously considering leaving home.'". One critic (while noting the group's "savage intelligence") suggests that NoMeansNo might well be "the secret influence on a fair amount of both early-'90s math rock and emo, what with the barely controlled fervour of the singing and the sudden jerks back and forth in the rhythm section."
Equally striking about the band's back catalogue is their ability to jump from style to style and still maintain their musical identity. They leap from dirge to thrash, complication to simplicity, discordant to melodic and still sound like themselves.
John's drumming style has been mentioned as an influence to others, including Dave Grohl.
NoMeansNo's alter ego is TheHanson Brothers, a quartet with John singing and different drummer. Nearly a Ramones tribute band, the Hanson Brothers play fun punk rock as a mock group of backward Canadian ice hockey fans. The lyrics centre on ice hockey, beer and girls. The name comes from characters in the 1977 George Roy Hill film Slap Shot, starring Paul Newman.
Rob Wright's alter ego is Mr. Wrong, who dresses as an authoritarian priest and often poses with a shotgun. Mr. Wrong is simply Wright on bass and vocals with no other instrumentation. It is rumoured that Wright also plays upright bass in a traditional jazz band who play standards, but he keeps this side of his life fuzzy in interviews.
Tom Holliston released several albums with his band Showbusiness Giants as well as three solo albums.
Andy Kerr and John Wright played in the early 1980s in the Infamous Scientists. Kerr, after leaving NoMeansNo, released a solo CD and collaborated with Victoria musician Scott Henderson in Hissanol. Kerr most recently has begun a duo called Two Pin Din in the Netherlands.
Dead Bob
NoMeansNo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gentle es a lamb
Happy es a clam
Dead es a...
Doorknob
Roses am red
Violets are blue
So fuck you
DEAD BOB
Button up your overcoat
When the skies are gray
Put a rope around your neck
And kick the chair away
My father was of the sky
My mother was of the earth
And I am a stupid cringing
Ignorant fucking little goof
DEAD BOB
Everyone is so polite
So completely awfully nice
I'm going to get a butcher knife
And cut you all a juicy slice
Mary had a little lamb
And the she had some veal
She stuck her finger down her throat
And threw up...
Everything
I will leave a little note
Hanging from a knotted rope
Please excuse my thoughlessness
I am sorry for the mess
ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?
The lyrics of NoMeansNo's song Dead Bob are haunting and disturbing. The first verse highlights the stark contrast between the calmness and gentleness of life and the suddenness and finality of death. The last line of the verse, "Dead es a...doorknob," serves to emphasize the point that death can be as unremarkable and unexpected as a doorknob.
The second verse contains the famous phrase, "I hung myself/So fuck you." This is a direct expression of anger and frustration towards someone who may have caused the singer pain or suffering. The verse ends with "Dead Bob," which is a reference to a man who the members of the band had seen passed out drunk in a doorway. They named him "Dead Bob" as a way of coping with the reality of poverty and homelessness in their community.
The third verse takes a turn towards self-deprecation and self-hatred. The singer describes themselves as stupid, cringing, and ignorant. They express a desire to take out their anger on others and resort to violence. The following verse is a twisted version of the classic nursery rhyme, "Mary Had a Little Lamb," where the singer expresses a desire to kill and eat the people around them.
The final verse is a farewell note from the singer, apologizing for the mess they will leave behind after their suicide. The last line, "Are you happy now?" is a question directed towards those who may have contributed to the singer's feelings of hopelessness and despair.
Overall, the song Dead Bob is a bleak commentary on the human experience and the destructive effects of societal pressures and personal trauma.
Line by Line Meaning
Quiet es a mouse
I am very quiet, not making any noise like a mouse.
Gentle es a lamb
I am gentle and calm as a lamb.
Happy es a clam
I am as happy as a clam, content and carefree.
Dead es a...
Doorknob
I am literally as dead as a doorknob, lifeless and inanimate.
Roses am red
Roses are typically red.
Violets are blue
Violets are commonly depicted as blue.
I hung myself
I committed suicide by hanging.
So fuck you
I have a deep-seated resentment and anger towards others, expressed through vulgar language.
DEAD BOB
This is the title of the song and a repeated refrain, referring to the death of a person named Bob.
Button up your overcoat
When the weather is cold, you should button up your overcoat to stay warm.
When the skies are gray
This refers to gloomy, depressing weather.
Put a rope around your neck
This line refers to suicide and hanging oneself.
And kick the chair away
This is part of the act of suicide, by hanging oneself from a chair.
My father was of the sky
This line refers to the singer's father being part of the spiritual or cosmic realm, not the physical world.
My mother was of the earth
The singer's mother is from the physical plane of existence, as opposed to the father's spiritual plane.
And I am a stupid cringing
Ignorant fucking little goof
The artist has a low opinion of themselves, perhaps struggling with self-loathing or depression.
Everyone is so polite
The artist expresses frustration with others being overly polite or fake.
So completely awfully nice
This is another way of expressing this frustration, that people are not genuine in their niceness.
I'm going to get a butcher knife
The singer expresses violent and aggressive intentions towards others.
And cut you all a juicy slice
This line continues the expression of violence, suggesting harm or murder to others.
Mary had a little lamb
This is the beginning of a well-known nursery rhyme.
And the she had some veal
The artist twists the rhyme into something violent and disturbing, involving the consumption of a baby animal.
She stuck her finger down her throat
This suggests nausea or vomiting, along with self-harm or self-degradation.
And threw up...
Everything
The act of vomiting is exaggerated to encompass everything, reflecting a severe disgust or hatred of the world and oneself.
I will leave a little note
The singer plans to leave a suicide note before their death.
Hanging from a knotted rope
This suggests that the singer will be found hanged or dead by hanging.
Please excuse my thoughlessness
The singer acknowledges their own carelessness or neglectful behavior towards others, perhaps seeking forgiveness or absolution in their note.
I am sorry for the mess
The artist is apologizing for the inconvenience and disruption their death will cause.
ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?
This rhetorical question may be aimed at someone in particular, or at society as a whole, expressing the artist's anger, pain, and desire for revenge or retribution.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@noahb7942
love this song so much
@WhiteMaster6751
5:21 Sunshine of Your Life
@cpw8191
RIP Bob Stinson!