Featuring Stefan Babcock on vocals and guitar, Steve Sladkowski on guitar and vocals, Nestor Chumak on bass and vocals, and Zack Mykula on drums and vocals, all longtime friends who met in elementary school, PUP formed in 2010 under the name Topanga. The original name was a reference to Topanga Lawrence, a character played by Danielle Fishel on the '90s sitcom Boy Meets World, but when the members learned Fishel would be reviving the character in 2014 in a spin-off titled Girl Meets World, they chose to change the name to PUP, standing for "Pathetic Use of Potential." Topanga released a digital EP titled Oceans, and positive press and attention from other bands helped create a buzz about the group. In 2013, they became PUP, releasing their self-titled debut album through the Royal Mountain label. The album was a hit with both critics and fans, with the group being named Best Live Show and Best New Artist by CBC Radio 3. The band toured extensively, playing throughout Canada and making their way to England and the United States. By the end of 2013, PUP had signed a record deal with the well-established punk label Side One Dummy, and spent much of 2014 and 2015 touring in support of Side One Dummy's reissue of their debut LP, launching their first headlining tours of the United States and Canada, as well as making their Australian debut.
In February 2016, PUP teased a new single called "DVP" in advance of their second full-length album, The Dream Is Over. Released in May of that year, the album's title is a reference to a prognosis Babcock received from his doctor: he'd severely damaged his vocal cords after enduring years of non-stop touring. In true punk fashion, PUP used the doctor's glib comment as the rallying cry for another set of hard-hitting, self-deprecating punk tunes. The band promoted the effort with an international tour over the next year before returning to the studio to write and record a follow-up. They spent most of 2018 working on the album, which saw release in April 2019. Titled Morbid Stuff, the record was produced with Dave Schiffman (the Mars Volta, Weezer) and lyrically focused on Babcock's struggles with depression. A year later, PUP offered up their commentary on the state of the world with This Place Sucks Ass, a six-song EP whose title referenced one of their long-standing touring inside jokes. With COVID-19 putting a halt to live performances, the group returned to the studio in 2021 to record their fourth album. Produced by Peter Katis (the National, Frightened Rabbit), 2022's wild The Unraveling of Puptheband saw the group augmenting their normally guitar-based sound with synthesizers, piano, and horns.
Biography by Mark Deming
There is another artist using the same name:
2) PUP is a Chinese-Korean rapper.
Bloody Mary Kate and Ashley
PUP Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hadn't thought about it in years
Repeated her name
Three times into the mirror
The candles went out
And you started to laugh
I heard a sound in the attic
But you don't believe in all of that
Are you real or fake?
Are you alive, am I awake?
This must be some kinda mistake
A trick of the eyes, or the drugs that I'm taking
Walked through the door
With some gasoline in a can
Put some on the floor
In the shape of a pentagram
And I lit a match
As we stood in a circle
Flames shooting up to the sky
Like some vision of hell
Satan send me a signal
There's blood in the sink
There's blood on the windows
I need a drink
I need to, I need to, I need to know
Are you real or fake?
Are you alive, am I awake?
This must be some kinda mistake
A trick of the eyes or the drugs that I'm taking
Are you real or fake?
Do you prefer Ashley or Mary Kate?
And who let you outta your grave
Can anyone see this or am I just tripping?
Are you real or fake?
Are you alive, am I awake?
This must be some kinda mistake
A trick of the eyes or the drugs that I'm taking
Are you real or fake?
Do you prefer Ashley or Mary Kate?
And who let you outta your grave
Can anyone see this or am I just tripping?
The lyrics to PUP's song "Bloody Mary Kate and Ashley" revolve around a game that the singer is playing with someone named Mary Kate or Ashley. The game involves saying their name three times into a mirror, which supposedly summons them. The candle goes out and the singer hears a sound in the attic, but their companion doesn't believe in that kind of stuff. This raises questions of reality and whether or not what is happening is real or fake. The singer wonders about the effects of drugs they may have taken and whether their perception is being altered.
The second half of the song takes a darker turn, as the singer pours gasoline on the floor and creates a pentagram. They light a match and flames shoot up to the sky, as if summoning Satan. There is blood in the sink and on the windows, and the singer needs a drink. They continue to question whether the events are real or fake and if they are hallucinating. They even ask if anyone else can see what is happening or if they are alone in their visions.
The lyrics of "Bloody Mary Kate and Ashley" seem to be exploring the idea of reality and our perception of it. The singer is questioning what is happening to them and whether or not it is real. The game they are playing turns into a dark and dangerous situation, with the summoning of Satan and blood. The song raises the question of whether our minds can be altered by drugs, or if we are always experiencing a true and accurate reality.
Line by Line Meaning
It's only a game
The singer is trying to convince themselves that what they are doing is harmless
I hadn't thought about it in years
The singer is referring to a childhood game or superstition that they have not thought about in a long time
Repeated her name
The singer is following the instructions of the game/superstition, which requires them to say a name three times in a row
Three times into the mirror
The game/superstition requires the name to be repeated while looking at a mirror
The candles went out
Something unexplainable happens in the midst of the game/superstition
And you started to laugh
The singer may be trying to cover up their fear with laughter
I heard a sound in the attic
The singer is starting to become paranoid and scared by the events that are happening
But you don't believe in all of that
The artist is attempting to rationalize the situation to their friend, who may not be taking it as seriously
Are you real or fake?
The artist is questioning their own perception and reality
Are you alive, am I awake?
The artist is questioning the reality of what is happening to them
This must be some kinda mistake
The singer is beginning to doubt their actions and regret what they have done
A trick of the eyes, or the drugs that I'm taking
The artist is attempting to find a rational explanation for what they are experiencing
Walked through the door
The singer is moving to a different location, possibly to try and escape what is happening
With some gasoline in a can
The singer is performing a dangerous action that could cause harm to themselves or others
Put some on the floor
The singer is creating a specific pattern or symbol that is significant to the game/superstition or their own beliefs
In the shape of a pentagram
The artist is creating a symbol often associated with occult practices
And I lit a match
The artist is performing another dangerous action
As we stood in a circle
The singer and their friend are performing an action together, possibly to feel more in control of the situation
Flames shooting up to the sky
The singer is describing a powerful and unsettling image
Like some vision of hell
The artist is using hyperbolic language to describe the scene, making it seem more dramatic and terrifying
Satan send me a signal
The artist is calling upon a powerful figure associated with evil and darkness
There's blood in the sink
The artist is witnessing something gruesome and terrifying
There's blood on the windows
The singer is witnessing even more unsettling sights
I need a drink
The artist is attempting to calm themselves down and find some respite from what they are experiencing
I need to, I need to, I need to know
The singer is desperate for an explanation or a way out of the situation
Do you prefer Ashley or Mary Kate?
The singer is addressing the mysterious figure they believe they have summoned, possibly to try and gain some semblance of control or power over the situation
And who let you outta your grave
The singer is questioning the origins of the figure they have summoned and what their intentions might be
Can anyone see this or am I just tripping?
The artist is questioning their own sanity and whether what they are experiencing is real or imagined
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Stefan Babcock, Zack Mykula, Steve Sladkowski, Nestor Chumak
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gabrielle8142
It's only a game
I hadn't thought about it in years
Repeated her name
Three times into the mirror
The candles went out
And you started to laugh
I heard a sound in the attic
But you don't believe in all of that
Are you real or fake?
Are you alive, am I awake?
This must be some kinda mistake
A trick of the eyes, or the drugs that I'm taking
Walked through the door
With some gasoline in a can
Put some on the floor
In the shape of a pentagram
And I lit a match
As we stood in a circle
Flames shooting up to the sky
Like some vision of hell
Satan send me a signal
There's blood in the sink
There's blood on the windows
I need a drink
I need to, I need to, I need to know
Are you real or fake?
Are you alive, am I awake?
This must be some kinda mistake
A trick of the eyes or the drugs that I'm taking
Are you real or fake?
Do you prefer Ashley or Mary Kate?
And who let you outta your grave
Can anyone see this or am I just tripping?
Are you real or fake?
Are you alive, am I awake?
This must be some kinda mistake
A trick of the eyes or the drugs that I'm taking
Are you real or fake?
Do you prefer Ashley or Mary Kate?
And who let you outta your grave
Can anyone see this or am I just tripping?
@artfuldodger0870
0:20 second mark, the lyric is "repeated her name/three times into the mirror" and as that's said, the drummer hits his snare three times quickly. Pretty clever stuff.
@francitruscosplay
Man I love this song and when they played it live they prefaced it with “people don’t seem to like this song as much so you gotta clap like it’s your favorite at the end” and I wish they knew how much we actually loved it cause I sure as fuck wasn’t just clapping cause they asked me to.
@devilmusic1936
It's in 12/8 with some measures of the verse and chorus in 11/8. The intro is all 11/8 and the way you count it from the very beginning is 1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2, 1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2 etc up until the verse which is 1 measure of 11/8 followed by 3 measures of 12/8. Then it repeats that same pattern one more time, but then the chorus is one measure of 12/8, then one measure of 11/8, then back to 12 for two more measures. It changes it up a few more times, but if you're trying to count songs like this, the best way is to break the beats into groups of 2 and 3
@drewthompson6614
The rhythms in this song are so crazy I had to get my professional musician friend to explain it. Apparently the bridge is in 11/8 time and the syncopations in the chorus make it sound like the time signature changes when it doesn't. Well done!
@ZestyMR
You got to feel it dude. You can't go off a metronome, its sloppy punk shit brought up a level.
@williamgoree9259
I've been listening to it a bunch of times and it really sounds like the second measure of the chorus is in 11/8. I think they just hold the last note of that measure a tiny bit longer.
@gifgoldblum7940
Okay but now what's a syncopation?
@theWeaverofTales
@gifgoldblum7940 Syncopation is when a note is on the off-beat rather than on the beat itself!
@scotstephenson838
You guy came here needing a capo, you must listen to american football?
@manon4661
I was about to pass out but PUP decided to drop a bop so