Nuclear Rabbit was started in 1989 by bassist Jean Baudin, who was influenced by a variety of music styles, including Fishbone and Bad Brains, and envisioned having a band not bound to any genre. He was soon joined by guitarist Pat Garner and drummer Steve "Stymie" Sigaty. Originally Baudin performed the vocals, but Greg Parrish was eventually asked to step in as vocalist. Nuclear Rabbit incorporates a variety of genres in their music, including metal, funk, ska, hardcore, punk, jazz, East Indian, and Egyptian. Baudin uses a variety of bass techniques, including tapping, slapping and popping. Their music is often characterized by sudden tempo changes and wacky musical stylings.
The band recorded several demos, some of which are included on the compilation Vicuna. After a quick switch of guitarists, Nuclear Rabbit recorded their first full-length album, Intestinal Fortitude, in 1998. Soon after, Greg left the band and was replaced by Jon Scullion, with whom they recorded their More Human EP.
In 2000, following More Human, Nuclear Rabbit went on hiatus. During this time Jean and Steve formed an alternative rock style group called Element of Surprise, often stylized as "E:OS." The band was formed as a supergroup of underground artists, eventually including vocalist Andy Slipka of Tribal Disco Noise and guitarist Raye Medeiros of Ten Man Killer. Medeiros left the band some time after, and Baudin asked Pat Garner to step in. They recorded two demos,"2:001" and U:pside Down, before the band called it quits in 2002.
Nuclear Rabbit reunited in 2002 with its original line-up and recorded their 2nd full length, Mutopia, the title being a portmanteau of the words mutation and utopia. The album was well received,[citation needed] but the band went through more line-up changes following the supporting tour. A few shows were played in the Northern California area in 2008 with new guitarist Macy Mullen, as well as new drummer Timothy Bailey, though the band is now currently on an unofficial hiatus, with a status of "Writing New Tunes!" on their official MySpace page for 3 years with no updates. In August, 2011, the band announced their first show in three years via JeanBaudin.com, and played an hour-long set on October 8th, 2011, at 924 Gilman in Berkeley, CA.
Sadboy
Nuclear Rabbit Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I forgot, I give up I forgot I give up
Here's to you beating me wet puking
I forgot I give up... I'm unlce... I'm daddy
Scissors tied whip she hit me, upset
I forgot I give up I forgot I give up
Sad boy created a head... sad stabbed happy with a pencil
So-called sob story, so-called sob story sob story....
Tell me again about the one when you knew what I was thinking....
And then I kill them, eat your face, eat your face, eat your face.....
This last chance, curled in a ball, bobbing for assholes....
I trip, I forget, I get up, I'm daddy....
Like a seed being watched won't grow... shut up and put your face back on
Screams have achieved state of mind, no longer do I whisper
With friends that now mean fuckers, with golden social ears, lick
Them with my sarcasm and taste their ignorant cheers... sour.
Salty, sweaty, sweet... nineteen levels of this forcefull thing blacker
And never so colorfull, I am weaker and never so fit... defenseless..
Put me to sleep to ignore...
Fiver years, five hours, five years, five hours, five hours,
Thanks for another lesson well learned well...
Like I needed more scars, cut, like I needed more scars cut...
The blind leading the dead, leading the soon to be dead,
Leaving the killer to careless...
Fiver years, five hours, five years, five hours
Five years five hours, five years, five inches wins
The song "Sadboy" by Nuclear Rabbit seems to be an exploration of depression, powerlessness, and self-harm. The repeated phrase "I forgot, I give up" emphasizes a sense of defeat and resignation in the face of difficulties. The image of a person being beaten and upset, while simultaneously identifying themselves as "uncle" and "daddy," suggests either a disturbing family dynamic or a fractured sense of self-identity. The line "Sad boy created a head... sad stabbed happy with a pencil" is particularly striking in its evocative violence.
The second half of the song shifts into more abstract and surreal imagery. The use of alliteration ("lectern's legato, but I'm the legatee of leeward lechery") creates a sense of verbal playfulness, even as the lyrics themselves become more disturbing ("and then I kill them, eat your face"). The line "like a seed being watched won't grow... shut up and put your face back on" is an intriguing paradox, suggesting that external scrutiny can both inhibit growth and also compel conformity. In the final lines, the repeated phrase "five years, five hours" implies a cyclical sense of time, while the reference to "five inches wins" is cryptic and possibly related to sexual themes.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll leave it all up to my higher power
I'm giving up control and leaving everything to fate or a higher power.
I forgot, I give up I forgot I give up
I'm so defeated that I've given up even remembering my previous state of defeat.
Here's to you beating me wet puking
Here's to you successfully causing me intense physical distress by beating me up until I vomit.
I forgot I give up... I'm unlce... I'm daddy
I'm so defeated that I'm unsure of my own identity and role in life.
Scissors tied whip she hit me, upset
A woman whipped me with a whip that had scissors tied to the end, and I am upset as a result.
Sad boy created a head... sad stabbed happy with a pencil
A character named 'Sad Boy' created a story in which a sad person stabbed a happy person with a pencil.
Lectern's legato, but I'm the legatee of leeward lechery.....
I'm sexually depraved and greedy, despite my outward appearance of being refined and put-together.
So-called sob story, so-called sob story sob story....
I'm dismissive of people who share their emotional struggles, referring to them as simply a 'sob story.'
Tell me again about the one when you knew what I was thinking....
Sarcastically, I'm asking someone to tell me again about a time they claimed to know my thoughts or feelings, despite my belief that they cannot.
And then I kill them, eat your face, eat your face, eat your face.....
I'm expressing violent desires to kill people and then eat their faces.
This last chance, curled in a ball, bobbing for assholes....
I feel helpless and have given up, reduced to metaphorically being curled up in a ball and 'bobbing for assholes' (meaning, scraping the bottom of the barrel).
I trip, I forget, I get up, I'm daddy....
My sense of self is so disoriented that things as mundane as tripping and forgetting cause me to shift between different identities, including the identity of a father figure.
Like a seed being watched won't grow... shut up and put your face back on
I feel hindered and unable to 'grow' or thrive due to the presence of others watching me, and I want someone to stop complaining and just deal with their problems.
Screams have achieved state of mind, no longer do I whisper
I'm expressing that I've reached a level of intense emotional pain that causes me to constantly scream instead of speaking quietly.
With friends that now mean fuckers, with golden social ears, lick
My former friends have turned into people I despise, and they only listen to me out of a desire for social currency or leverage over me.
Them with my sarcasm and taste their ignorant cheers... sour.
I combat the shallow, ignorant responses of these 'friends' with bitter sarcasm, and their attempts to cheer me up only make me feel worse.
Salty, sweaty, sweet... nineteen levels of this forcefull thing blacker
I describe my emotions in physical terms, using words like 'salty,' 'sweaty,' and 'sweet,' and it feels like they're becoming progressively more intense and negative.
And never so colorfull, I am weaker and never so fit... defenseless..
Despite an intense emotional experience, I am completely devoid of beauty or strength, and feel completely vulnerable.
Put me to sleep to ignore...
I want to escape my problems and my emotions so badly that I wish to be rendered unconscious.
Fiver years, five hours, five years, five hours, five hours,
I'm expressing a futile feeling of going through the same thing repeatedly over a period of time.
Thanks for another lesson well learned well...
Sarcastically, I'm thanking someone for helping me learn a lesson, even though I feel like I've only been hurt and gained nothing positive.
Like I needed more scars, cut, like I needed more scars cut...
I'm expressing a feeling of frustration and anger at being emotionally hurt yet again, as if I needed more damage done to me.
The blind leading the dead, leading the soon to be dead,
I perceive the people around me as being directionless, lacking any clear path forward, and as a result, 'dead-ended.'
Leaving the killer to careless...
I feel like there is a dangerous or violent person among us, and those who should be taking care of the situation are not doing so.
Five years, five hours, five years, five hours, five years five hours, five years, five inches wins
I'm once again expressing a feeling of being stuck and going through the same thing over and over again, and it feels like a small negative thing is the only constant in my life.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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