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.
Never Try
PUP Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause in the nighttime, I'm dreamin' of
My childhood schoolyard
I was breathing
Air on the street where I grew up
You tell me I should know better
You're probably right
I'll come back 10 years from now
And nothing will have changed
Cause I know I never try
Oh oh oh oh oh
And I wanna know
If I leave here alive
Oh oh oh oh oh
Am I too old
To be camping out
On my back porch
In the suburbs
Where I was born
You never made me happy
And I know I never try
Oh oh oh oh oh
And I wanna know
If I leave here alive
Oh oh oh oh oh
And even when I try
I can't recall
Faces of
Anyone at all
And I dreamt of you
In Montreal
In places I've
Never been at all
This isn't what I was hoping for
I barely ever dream
About you anymore
When everything you want
Has come and gone then you'll know
Oh I never try
Oh oh oh oh oh
And I wanna know,
if I leave here alive
Oh oh oh oh oh
The song "Never Try" by PUP explores themes of nostalgia, regret, and the fear of adulthood. The first verse sets the stage with the singer yearning for the simplicity of their childhood and feeling trapped in their mundane life. They continuously sleep in instead of facing the reality of their present. The chorus repeats the phrase "I know I never try," indicating a lack of motivation to improve their current situation. It's both a confession of guilt and an admission of defeat.
The second verse shifts the focus to the singer's relationship with someone else. They feel like they're too old to be living the way they are and question whether their partner ever made them happy. This verse reveals that their dissatisfaction isn't just about their own life but also about their romantic relationship. They wonder if they're capable of making a significant change and if it's worth trying. The bridge talks about the singer's struggle to remember the faces of people they once knew and how they dream of a person in a place they've never been to in reality. This reveals the longing of the singer to escape their present life and go somewhere else.
Overall, "Never Try" is a poignant song that speaks to the struggle of finding contentment in oneself and one's surroundings. The song's lyrics paint a vivid picture of the singer's inner turmoil, creating a relatable experience for anyone who feels stuck in a rut.
Line by Line Meaning
Every morning I keep sleepin'
I find it hard to wake up early every morning.
'Cause in the nighttime, I'm dreamin' of
Because at night, I am caught up in thoughts about
My childhood schoolyard
The place where I spent my childhood and formed some of my earliest memories
I was breathing
I was free and alive
Air on the street where I grew up
Fresh air and the atmosphere of my hometown
You tell me I should know better
Someone advises that I ought to be more alert and not make foolish decisions
You're probably right
You may be correct
It's just a phase
It is a temporary situation which will pass
I'll come back 10 years from now
After a decade, I'll return to my past life
And nothing will have changed
The surroundings will be exactly the same as before
Cause I know I never try
The reason for my lack of achievement is that I have never worked hard enough
Oh oh oh oh oh
Repetitive sound just for the rhythm of the song
And I wanna know
I am curious to find out
If I leave here alive
Whether I will be able to make it out of this situation alive
Am I too old
Have I passed the prime age for
To be camping out
Can I still enjoy the outdoor activity of camping
On my back porch
On the back part of my house
In the suburbs
In the residential regions away from the central business area of a town or city
Where I was born
The place where I was given birth to
You never made me happy
I have never felt satisfied with you
And even when I try
Despite my efforts
I can't recall
I am unable to remember
Faces of
The people I've encountered
Anyone at all
None of the individuals that I have come across
And I dreamt of you
You were present in my dream
In Montreal
In a place called Montreal
In places I've
In locations I have
Never been at all
Places I physically have not visited before
This isn't what I was hoping for
This is not the outcome that I had anticipated
I barely ever dream
I seldom experience dreams
About you anymore
Regarding you as it were before
When everything you want
After everything that you expect to gain
Has come and gone then you'll know
When desires no longer remain, that's realization.
Contributed by Christopher E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@as-tal-l1436
Every morning I keep sleeping
Cause in the nighttime, I'm dreaming of
My childhood schoolyard
I was breathing
Air on the street where I grew up
You tell me I should know better
You're probably right
It's just a phase
I'll come back ten years from now
And nothing will have changed
Cause I know I never try
Oh oh oh oh oh
And I wanna know
If I leave here alive
Oh oh oh oh oh
Am I too old
To be camping out
On my back porch
In the suburbs
Where I was born
You never made me happy
And I know I never try
Oh oh oh oh oh
And I wanna know
If I leave here alive
Oh oh oh oh oh
And even when I try
I can't recall
Faces of, anyone at all
And I dreamt of you in Montreal
In places I've never been at all
This isn't what I was hoping for
Apparently I would dream about you anymore
When everything you want has come and gone
Then you'll know I never try
Oh oh oh oh oh
And I wanna know
If I leave here alive
Oh oh oh oh oh
@luxpjamer
Every morning I keep sleeping
Cause in the nighttime, I dream it up
My childhood schoolyard
I was breathing
Air on the street where I grew up
You tell me I should know better
You're probably right
It's just a phase
I'll come back 10 years from now
And nothing will have changed
Cause I know I never try
Oh oh oh oh oh
And I wanna know, i
f I leave here alive
Oh oh oh oh oh
Am I too old
To be camping out
on my back porch
In the suburbs
where I was born
You never made me happy
And I know I never try
Oh oh oh oh oh
And I wanna know,
if I leave here alive
Oh oh oh oh oh
And even when I try
I can't recall
Faces of
Anyone at all
And I dreamt of you
In Montreal
In places I've
Never been at all
This isn't what I was hoping for
I barely ever dream
About you anymore
When everything you want
Has come and gone then you'll know
Oh I never try
Oh oh oh oh oh
And I wanna know,
if I leave here alive
Oh oh oh oh oh
@misterchips358
There is something about this band, this song specifically, it feels like i have known it my whole life, i just feel so at home even the first time i heard it
@Slashrockandriff
It's exactly what I was thinking. Their sound on the two first albums is so great ! We feel at home or in a memory of our own life. Yet we never lived it. It is such a great band.
I hope for everyone to see them live, it's amazing
@SilentAnonymity
This will forever be my favourite track. Perfectly captures that "my body remembers an incomplete past life of mine that was erased by someone else's time travel" feel.
@scottcowan7343
I’ve just realized this band has been my life for the past year and I wouldn’t change that for anything.
@fortnitekid7876
Same
@morallyemptycorruptedmaggot
Listen to "where am I" by Title fight.
"But I wouldn't trade it, not for anything..."
@ShammyKat
Why does this song make me feel nostalgic even though it came out way past my childhood and I was in college by the time I first heard this???? That's actually the case with a lot of PUP's music for me.
@Christopher-D
Just imagine how it'll feel 30 years from now.
@nikyfgh
Maybe because the songs feel like something you would hear all these years ago? At least this is the first reason that popped into my mind and now I kinda feel the same way about their songs :D
@iRecord100
You guys should check out the topanga off-stage version as well. It changes a few lyrics. Both versions are 11/10.