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.
Dark Days
PUP Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This funeral dirge
We celebrate life
At the end of the earth
When everything is gone
There'll be nothing left to lose
The ice is closing in
We took what we could get
And we burned it anyway
With all those secrets
We swore we'd take 'em to the grave
The light will falter and will fade
And in the darkness we'll say
This winter hasn't been so rough
Oh it was cold but still it wasn't cold enough
To freeze the blood beneath my spine
And at least I survived
We're sleeping through the days
And sinking like a ship
We're wasting away
Bit by bit
Everyone is gone
And everything is changed
It won't ever be the same
And when it's over we'll say
This winter hasn't been so rough
Oh it was cold but still it wasn't cold enough
To freeze the blood beneath my spine
And at least I survived
We've had some dark days
We're in the thick of it now
And when the ice breaks
There will be no one around
We've had some dark days
We're in the thick of it now
And when the ice breaks
There will be no one around
This winter hasn't been so rough
Oh it was cold but it wasn't cold enough
To freeze the blood beneath my spine
And at least I survived
This winter hasn't been so rough (We've had some dark days)
Oh it was cold but still it wasn't cold enough (We're in the thick of it now)
To freeze the blood beneath my spine (And when the ice breaks)
At least I'll survive
The lyrics to PUP's song Dark Days touch on themes of survival, loss, and the fragility of life. The first verse introduces the idea of celebrating life at the end of the earth, when everything has been lost. The line "we took what we could get and we burned it anyway" suggests a reckless attitude towards life, as if the world is ending so why not make the most of it. The second verse reveals a sense of resignation, as the singer acknowledges that they are "sleeping through the days" and "sinking like a ship." The repetition of "we've had some dark days" emphasizes the idea of enduring hardship and the struggle to survive. The chorus, "this winter hasn't been so rough, oh it was cold but still it wasn't cold enough to freeze the blood beneath my spine," serves as a reminder that no matter how difficult life may seem, the singer has survived and will continue to do so.
The song can be interpreted as a commentary on the current state of the world, with its looming sense of environmental catastrophe and a pervasive feeling of hopelessness. The metaphor of the winter, which represents a bleak and harsh period, is used to reflect the state of the world. The singer's survival, despite the hardships faced, serves as a symbol of resilience and the human spirit's indomitable nature in the face of adversity. It's a reminder to keep going, no matter how dark the days may seem.
Line by Line Meaning
This endless night
We are in a situation where things feel dark and never-ending
This funeral dirge
Our current state feels like a sad song, a mourning for something lost
We celebrate life
Despite the current situation, we choose to find joy and meaning in the little things
At the end of the earth
We may feel isolated or like we have reached the end of our journey
When everything is gone
All has been lost
There'll be nothing left to lose
We have reached a point where there is nothing left to fear or lose
The ice is closing in
A sense of impending doom or danger is looming closer
And nothing will remain
All will be lost, without hope of recovery
We took what we could get
We did what we could with what we had, even if it wasn't much
And we burned it anyway
Even the small gains we made were destroyed or lost
With all those secrets
We kept things hidden or private from others
We swore we'd take 'em to the grave
We promised to keep these secrets forever
The light will falter and will fade
Hope and positivity will slowly disappear
And in the darkness we'll say
When all seems lost, we will still speak words of hope
This winter hasn't been so rough
Despite everything, the current situation has not been the worst we've seen
Oh it was cold but still it wasn't cold enough
Things were bad, but not the worst they could have been
To freeze the blood beneath my spine
The situation did not completely paralyze me with fear
And at least I survived
I made it through, even if just barely
We're sleeping through the days
We are barely making it through each day, just going through the motions
And sinking like a ship
Our situation is deteriorating rapidly, and we are struggling to stay afloat
We're wasting away
We are losing ourselves and our purpose in life
Bit by bit
This loss is happening slowly, piece by piece
Everyone is gone
We have lost all those close to us, leaving us alone
And everything is changed
The situation and world around us is completely different from what we knew
It won't ever be the same
We will never be able to go back to the way things were
We've had some dark days
We have been through some terrible times
We're in the thick of it now
We are currently in the midst of this difficult situation
And when the ice breaks
At the end of it all, when the danger has passed
There will be no one around
We will have lost everything and everyone, with no one left to turn to
Contributed by Alyssa S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@filmgecesi8290
This endless night
This funeral dirge
We celebrate life
At the end of the earth
When everything is gone
There'll be nothing left to lose
The ice is closing in
And nothing will remain
We took what we could get
And we burned it anyway
With all those secrets
We swore we'd take 'em to the grave
The light will falter and will fade
And in the darkness we'll say
This winter hasn't been so rough
Oh it was cold but still it wasn't cold enough
To freeze the blood beneath my spine
And at least I survived
We're sleeping through the days
And sinking like a ship
We're wasting away
Bit by bit
Everyone is gone
And everything is changed
It won't ever be the same
And when it's over we'll say
This winter hasn't been so rough
Oh it was cold but still it wasn't cold enough
To freeze the blood beneath my spine
And at least I survived
We've had some dark days
We're in the thick of it now
And when the ice breaks
There will be no one around
We've had some dark days
We're in the thick of it now
And when the ice breaks
There will be no one around
This winter hasn't been so rough
Oh it was cold but it wasn't cold enough
To freeze the blood beneath my spine
And at least I survived
This winter hasn't been so rough (We've had some dark days)
Oh it was cold but still it wasn't cold enough (We're in the thick of it now)
To freeze the blood beneath my spine (And when the ice breaks)
At least I'll survive
@Bedel1987
Dias Escuros
Esta noite sem fim
Este funeral fúnebre
Nós celebramos a vida
No final da terra
Quando tudo se for
Não haverá nada a se perder
O gelo está se fechando
E nada irá restar
Nós pegamos o que conseguimos
E nós queimamos tudo
Com todos esses segredos
Nos juramos que iríamos leva-los para o túmulo
A luz vai piscar e vai apagar
E na escuridão nós diremos
Este inverno não foi tão rigoroso
Estava frio, mas ainda assim não estava frio o bastante
Para congelar o sangue debaixo da minha espinha
E pelo menos eu sobrevivi
Estamos dormindo através dos dias
E afundando como um navio
Estamos definhando
De pouco em pouco
Todo mundo se foi
E tudo esta diferente
E nunca mais vai ser o mesmo
E quando isso acabar nos diremos
Este inverno não foi tão rigoroso
Estava frio, mas ainda assim não estava frio o bastante
Para congelar o sangue debaixo da minha espinha
E pelo menos eu sobrevivi
Tivemos alguns dias escuros
Nós estamos no pico deles agora
E quando o gelo quebrar
Não haverá ninguém por perto
Tivemos alguns dias escuros
Nós estamos no pico deles agora
E quando o gelo quebrar
Não haverá ninguém por perto
Este inverno não foi tão rigoroso
Estava frio, mas ainda assim não estava frio o bastante
Para congelar o sangue debaixo da minha espinha
E pelo menos eu sobrevivi
Este inverno não foi tão rigoroso (tivemos alguns dias escuros)
Oh, estava frio, mas ainda assim não estava frio o bastante (Nós estamos no pico deles agora)
Para congelar o sangue debaixo da minha espinha(e quando o gelo quebrar)
Pelo menos eu vou sobreviver
@theswampguuy
The lyrics…
This endless night
This funeral dirge
We celebrate life
At the end of the earth
When everything is gone
There'll be nothing left to lose
The ice is closing in
And nothing will remain
We took what we could get
And we burned it anyway
With all those secrets
We swore we'd take 'em to the grave
The light will falter and will fade
And in the darkness, we'll say
This winter hasn't been so rough
Oh, it was cold, but still, it wasn't cold enough
To freeze the blood beneath my spine
And at least I survived
We're sleeping through the days
And sinking like a ship
We're wasting away
Bit by bit
Everyone is gone
And everything is changed
It won't ever be the same
And when it's over, we'll say
This winter hasn't been so rough
Oh, it was cold, but still, it wasn't cold enough
To freeze the blood beneath my spine
And at least I survived
We've had some dark days
We're in the thick of it now
And when the ice breaks
There will be no one around
We've had some dark days
We're in the thick of it now
And when the ice breaks
There will be no one around
This winter hasn't been so rough
Oh, it was cold, but it wasn't cold enough
To freeze the blood beneath my spine
And at least I survived
This winter hasn't been so rough (we've had some dark days)
Oh, it was cold, but still, it wasn't cold enough (we're in the thick of it now)
To freeze the blood beneath my spin (and when the ice breaks)
At least I'll survive
@bluehorribledarkness1723
I just recovered this band a few minutes ago and after three songs I listened to I strongly feel so bad for not knowing them before. They are incredibly awesome!
also they kinda remind me of a german punk rock band called "Die Ärzte"
@voteforjefe4017
This song keeps me going every winter. When depression meets seasonal depression, shit gets bad. Fuck depression, I’m still here. Thank you PUP. 😊
@swordsdance1592
💚💜
@sofaking8646
I get the opposite of the usual seasonal depression lol
@adamhawes8879
🤘❤
@pwdtwd
I don't know who you are, where you live, how old you are, or what your name is, but whenever I listen to this song and read your comment, I always feel damn happy for 3-4 minutes, so thanks, buddy <3"
@elenkafamibo
Pup's videos highkey make me wanna quit school start a band and live on the road.
@angelaguevara2970
same
let´s do it
@dayamarie7119
im in
@yournextdoorgamerwithgames2945
elli dumb idea, stay in school kids
@hrtdixon
I'm in, enjoy life while it lasts lmao.