Unlike Ogre's earlier Skinny Puppy work, ohGr has a more conventional structure to its music as well as a lighter tone, lyrically and musically.
The band was officially formed in 2001, although the material for the first album, Welt dates back to the mid-nineties, having been held up due to legal trouble with American Records. The first work produced by the band was actually the soundtrack for the computer game 'Descent II', but it was a number of years before their first album was released. Welt was originally the title of the group, a long standing acronym from early Skinny Puppy years when, shortly after Bill Leeb (of Front Line Assembly) left the band, Ogre graffitied "Wilhelm Eats Lunch Today" around Vancouver due to their then-acrimonious split. It was then refined to the less antagonistic "When Everyone Learns Truth". It was later discovered that in the interval, the name had been taken by a Californian punk band.
ohGr's third album titled Devils in my Details was released on October 17th, 2008 in Germany, October 20th in the United Kingdom, and October 21st in the United States. ohGr toured in support of the album release during the autumn of 2008. At Comic-Con 2008, Ogre announced that Bill Moseley will be contributing to the new ohGr album, as a result of them becoming friends through Repo! The Genetic Opera. It was tentatively revealed in a chat with the band that an album of B-sides from Devils in my Details (entitled "D-Sides") and an album of unreleased material from the 1990s (entitled "Dfault") was due to be released. In October 2009 a link to www.wdihtf.com appeared on Skinny Puppy's website. When users sign up to the mailing list they receive a link to the song COLLIDOSKOPE which starts with many different voices saying "Welcome to Collidoskope".
Whitevan
Ohgr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cars are screaming around the block
The boy is scared and looking around
He's feeling a little bit anxious
I think he's searching for his mother
What did your find?
A/Uh, white van
Facing this prospect I set out for today's
Over-introspection I feast upon decay
Around me is misfortune my avenue all spade
Digging all the so called out diggers
Digging his own grave
Meet me Mr. Indecision watch his machine cave
End up on itself and watch one debit I win and mince our way
The seats are best from over there out behind the shade
My diggers in their dirty coats their attitudes of spades
Passing the inspection, No!
Now this is everyday
Special Forces special boots
The stock mark comes to pay
Fancy men so over-suited for the bible days
Keep the prince in timely tints
Ring out the barren child at play
Christen the "Disaster"
At least that's what I say
Into which the thing determines which rate he decays
Keeping loads of sunshine I love the job I play
Digging out this whole shitty world digging it today
White world
Whitevan
Fight the world
[Actually, my hypothesis is that all of these are minced together. It suits the barren child at play in the lyrics, anyway.]
Good afternoon,
What else did you find?
It's not color blind
Feel indication - my vindication
To know nothing exists
Opens all to "what and if"
Portions of my emptiness
Sitting by the open door
Looking up to take it out
Settle in to catch a show
Read/red situation - dead indication
Feels like a clock I ate
Ticking in this toxic state
Ready for an occupant
Suck it to sniff the paint
Sniffing up the weakest link
Rising from the righteous stink
See simulation - speak
To take a piece of me
Hold onto walls of life
Pull the chain, when burning bright
In a copter raise the rope
Firmly placed around my throat
Aging worm at sanding counters
Slipping through my finger burn
Each a seclusion - my own intrusion
Upon my waking state
Each of us must face their fate
Rolling we can grow some more
Broken body pray on more
Pulling through to face a fraud
Pushing back to push some more
The lyrics of Ohgr's song "Whitevan" are somewhat cryptic and leave much to interpretation. The opening lines describe a child who seems to be anxious and afraid, searching for his mother but finding a white van instead. As the song continues, the lyrics become more abstract, with references to decay, special forces, and digging. The chorus simply repeats the phrase "White world/Whitevan/Fight the world," which suggests a sense of tension or conflict.
The second verse introduces more disjointed imagery, including "Portions of my emptiness/Sitting by the open door," "Rising from the righteous stink," and "Aging worm at sanding counters." These lines are difficult to make sense of in a literal sense, but they give the impression of a bleak and desperate world. The final lines, "Each a seclusion - my own intrusion/Upon my waking state/Each of us must face our fate," suggest a sense of isolation and perhaps even hopelessness.
Line by Line Meaning
Just around 5 o'clock
It's late afternoon
Cars are screaming around the block
There's a lot of noise and activity on the street
The boy is scared and looking around
A child seems concerned and uncertain
He's feeling a little bit anxious
The child is experiencing some unease or nervousness
I think he's searching for his mother
The child may be trying to locate their parent/guardian
What did you find?
Asking for information about something that was discovered
A/Uh, white van
The item found was a white van
Facing this prospect I set out for today's
I am approaching the current day's challenges
Over-introspection I feast upon decay
Reflecting too much can be self-destructive
Around me is misfortune my avenue all spade
There is negativity and adversity all around
Digging all the so called out diggers
Criticizing those who criticize
Digging his own grave
Someone is causing their own downfall
Meet me Mr. Indecision watch his machine cave
An indecisive person leads to mistakes and chaos
End up on itself and watch one debit I win and mince our way
A victory achieved by tearing down others is not a true win
The seats are best from over there out behind the shade
Sometimes it's better to observe from a distance
My diggers in their dirty coats their attitudes of spades
Those doing the heavy lifting have negative outlooks
Passing the inspection, No!
The item being tested did not pass
Now this is everyday
This is a common occurrence
Special Forces special boots
Elite soldiers and equipment
The stock mark comes to pay
Investors receive their earnings
Fancy men so over-suited for the bible days
Men dressed too formally for the occasion/time period
Keep the prince in timely tints
Ensure that royalty remains fashionable
Ring out the barren child at play
Disturb the innocent mind when at leisure
Christen the "Disaster"
Make the undesirable situation official
At least that's what I say
That's just my opinion
Into which the thing determines which rate he decays
External factors influence one's decline
Keeping loads of sunshine I love the job I play
Staying positive despite a difficult situation
Digging out this whole shitty world digging it today
Trying to make sense of the confusing world
White world
Emphasis on the color white
Whitevan
Referring to the item previously found
Fight the world
A call to challenge and oppose the world
[Actually, my hypothesis is that all of these are minced together. It suits the barren child at play in the lyrics, anyway.]
An aside from the author about the lyrics
Good afternoon,
A greeting
What else did you find?
Asking for further information
It's not color blind
Not blind to the importance or impact of color
Feel indication - my vindication
Feelings are justified and validated
To know nothing exists
Awareness of the impermanence of things
Opens all to "what and if"
Leads to questions and doubts
Portions of my emptiness
Feeling unfulfilled or incomplete
Sitting by the open door
Close to opportunity and vulnerability
Looking up to take it out
Seeking to escape or eliminate negative feelings
Settle in to catch a show
Trying to find solace or entertainment
Read/red situation - dead indication
Reading or interpreting a situation leads to a dead end
Feels like a clock I ate
Feeling heavy and burdensome
Ticking in this toxic state
Deterioration in a negative environment
Ready for an occupant
Prepared for someone/something else to take over or be present
Suck it to sniff the paint
Inhaling fumes for a quick high
Sniffing up the weakest link
Targeting the most vulnerable or helpless
Rising from the righteous stink
Emerging from the moral degradation
See simulation - speak
Observe and interpret the surroundings
To take a piece of me
Others want to claim or possess something of mine
Hold onto walls of life
Clutching to staying alive or preserving what's important
Pull the chain, when burning bright
Taking action when the situation is inflamed or escalated
In a copter raise the rope
Using a helicopter to airlift something or someone
Firmly placed around my throat
Something is choking or restricting my ability to speak
Aging worm at sanding counters
A decayed, insignificant presence at work
Slipping through my finger burn
Something valuable is slipping out of my grasp
Each a seclusion - my own intrusion
Separate from others, yet still intruding on myself
Upon my waking state
Upon becoming conscious
Each of us must face their fate
Everyone has a predestined end
Rolling we can grow some more
Moving forward allows for more development
Broken body pray on more
Despite being damaged, keep persevering
Pulling through to face a fraud
Struggling through adversity to confront a sham
Pushing back to push some more
Continuing to resist and struggle for progress
Contributed by Charlotte S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nicolepertusati3393
RESPECT ohGr. Amitiés. NiVek-K 🎹🎹🎹
@soul676
We are all leaving in one eventually...
@attorneygauche7866
Likely true; if not in a white van, then in some means of conveyance, e.g. a 1959 Hearse Cadillac.