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 touchâthe 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.
The River
NoMeansNo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are lost within this roaring
And when I call your eyes turn to me
But what are they exploring ?
Hidden shapes that pass fast away
Upon the waters streaming
And what I see I just cannot say
I could say that I am sorry
But what forgiveness lies before me ?
In the river
Those who know me know all too well
All my sins and failings
But brother dear, how could I tell ?
The course that I was sailing
In the flood, before my eyes
I see the face that I despise
In the river
It's mine, it's mine
Drifting far away
I can see you'rte not very strong
As the current sweeps you past me
Ans I can see your head going down
As helpless your cries find me
"Help me ! Save me ! Lend me a hand !
Pull me out ! Pull me out !
Save me ! Save me ! Give me your hand !
Pull me out ! Pull me out !"
I would save you, give my life
But it's already sacrificed
To the river
It's gone, it's gone
Drifitng far away
Mothers tell your children the truth
Don't hide the fate that's waiting
When you're born you start to drown
There's no help, no safety
First a gift of love is given
Then the winds rise, the sails are riven
On the river
NoMeansNo's song The River talks about the different struggles and emotions that we experience in our lives, which are akin to a river's course. The lyrics explore the singer's efforts to articulate his emotions, but the howling of the waters around him makes it difficult. The singer describes moments of introspection, of repenting for his mistakes, and of succumbing to weakness. He sees himself cursed to solitude and isolation, unable to help a drowning person as a metaphor for his inability to face his own personal battles. He is critical of himself, facing his shortcomings and failures head-on.
The line "Mothers tell your children the truth, don't hide the fate that's waiting" highlights the inevitability of fate, how we are powerless to escape the river's currents that determine our destiny. The song emphasizes the importance of acknowledging one's pain, of not hiding it but facing it head-on. The river is the medium of life, and it shows us the different trajectories we can take, some meaningful, some lesser. The chorus, "It's gone, it's gone, drifting far away," reminds us that in life, some things are irrevocably taken away.
Line by Line Meaning
When I speak the words I repeat
My words are drowned out by the noise around me
Are lost within this roaring
The sound of the river is too loud for anyone to hear me
And when I call your eyes turn to me
Whenever I try to get your attention, you look at me
But what are they exploring ?
What's going on in your mind when you look at me?
Hidden shapes that pass fast away
Things I see in the river that disappear quickly
Upon the waters streaming
Things that are constantly moving in the river
And what I see I just cannot say
I can't put what I see into words
There is no one to heed me
No one listens to what I have to say
I could say that I am sorry
I could apologize
But what forgiveness lies before me ?
But will you forgive me?
In the river
All I can see is the river
Those who know me know all too well
People who know me know all about me
All my sins and failings
All the bad things I've done in life and all of my faults
But brother dear, how could I tell ?
But how can I confess to you?
The course that I was sailing
The path my life was taking
In the flood, before my eyes
In the chaos that surrounds me
I see the face that I despise
I see parts of myself that I hate
In the river
All I can see is the river
It's mine, it's mine
I'm responsible for my own problems
Drifting far away
Sinking deeper into my despair and problems
I can see you'rte not very strong
I can tell you're struggling
As the current sweeps you past me
As the river drags you away from me
Ans I can see your head going down
And I see you're losing hope
As helpless your cries find me
I can hear you're crying out for help, but I can't do anything
"Help me ! Save me ! Lend me a hand !
"Please help me! Rescue me! Give me support!
Pull me out ! Pull me out !
Take me away from here!
Save me ! Save me ! Give me your hand !
Save my life! Help me get out of here!
Pull me out ! Pull me out !"
Get me out of here!
I would save you, give my life
I would risk it all to save you
But it's already sacrificed
But I've already given up everything
To the river
To the flow of life
It's gone, it's gone
It's too late now
Drifitng far away
Moving away from what once was
Mothers tell your children the truth
Tell your kids the truth about life
Don't hide the fate that's waiting
Don't ignore the dangers that exist
When you're born you start to drown
When life starts, it's an uphill battle
There's no help, no safety
There's often no other choices to be made to get ahead
First a gift of love is given
Love is the first thing that we're given in life
Then the winds rise, the sails are riven
But then life gets harder and sets us towards unexpected directions
On the river
Life and its unpredictability
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN KILBEY, JEREMY BUTTERWORTH, MATT KERR, T. LOCKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@artofpretention
When I speak the words I repeat
Are lost within this roaring
And when I call your eyes turn to me
But what are they exploring ?
Hidden shapes that pass fast away
Upon the waters streaming
And what I see I just cannot say
There is no one to heed me
I could say that I am sorry
But what forgiveness lies before me ?
In the river
Those who know me know all too well
All my sins and failings
But brother dear, how could I tell ?
The course that I was sailing
In the flood, before my eyes
I see the face that I despise
In the river
It's mine, it's mine
Drifting far away
I can see you'rte not very strong
As the current sweeps you past me
Ans I can see your head going down
As helpless your cries find me
"Help me ! Save me ! Lend me a hand !
Pull me out ! Pull me out !
Save me ! Save me ! Give me your hand !
Pull me out ! Pull me out !"
I would save you, give my life
But it's already sacrificed
To the river
It's gone, it's gone
Drifitng far away
Mothers tell your children the truth
Don't hide the fate that's waiting
When you're born you start to drown
There's no help, no safety
First a gift of love is given
Then the winds rise, the sails are riven
On the river
@richardst.romain6837
I thought there'd be thousands of comments but I guess we're the fortunate few. Fuck I love this song and when life is dark this song pulls me outta the muck. Thank you nomeansno
@analogcyberpunkpappypunkco6971
Easily one of the top 100 punk songs ever written, and probably the most terrifying.
@artofpretention
When I speak the words I repeat
Are lost within this roaring
And when I call your eyes turn to me
But what are they exploring ?
Hidden shapes that pass fast away
Upon the waters streaming
And what I see I just cannot say
There is no one to heed me
I could say that I am sorry
But what forgiveness lies before me ?
In the river
Those who know me know all too well
All my sins and failings
But brother dear, how could I tell ?
The course that I was sailing
In the flood, before my eyes
I see the face that I despise
In the river
It's mine, it's mine
Drifting far away
I can see you'rte not very strong
As the current sweeps you past me
Ans I can see your head going down
As helpless your cries find me
"Help me ! Save me ! Lend me a hand !
Pull me out ! Pull me out !
Save me ! Save me ! Give me your hand !
Pull me out ! Pull me out !"
I would save you, give my life
But it's already sacrificed
To the river
It's gone, it's gone
Drifitng far away
Mothers tell your children the truth
Don't hide the fate that's waiting
When you're born you start to drown
There's no help, no safety
First a gift of love is given
Then the winds rise, the sails are riven
On the river
@drewmiller9533
artofpretention love these lyrics. Favorite band ever
@jayjaykingbee5566
These lyrics are truth in poetry form. could be the most powerful song ever written.
@kimineko7072
getting goosebumps every time listening
@gsus8990
One of the best punk songs - outstanding!!
@user-dt7yu5el8p
52 years old
my children and wife are the most important..
just after ...nomeansno đ
@dadloraed
Impossible to love any other band more.
@ColeWheeler4Lyfe
No band does brutal better. â€