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.
Scorpion Hill
PUP Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Passing me by in the pale moonlight
And I sat there forever, three sheets to the wind
It's not helping my case, the state that I'm in
But it's not how they told you
My intentions were good
I was just bursting apart like the end of the arc
Holding on to whatever I could
A square of light moves its way through the empty room
Across the stained yellow carpet
Like a ghost of myself in the afternoon
Haunting my basement apartment
I looked in to the mirror
Hanging behind my door
The glass was cracked and the man staring back
He don't look like me anymore
And if the world is gonna burn
Everyone should get a turn to light it up
Down and out, I've been on the rocks
I've been having some pretty dark thoughts
Yeah, I like them a lot
Time and time again, well I've tried and failed
To get my act together
And I'll admit lately things really went off the rails
I know that you deserve better
But in the morning, as I was boarding
The commuter train to work
The boss was calling, he said: "There's been cutbacks and
I'm sorry you're the first"
And If I can't support the two of us
How can I support a third?
Down and Out, I've been on the rocks
I've been having some pretty dark thoughts
And I'm on the brink
Fallin' deep into debt
Fallin' deep into drink
I can drown those regrets
I don't have to think
Now I'm working the night shift
Asleep at the wheel
I was bursting apart like a flame from a spark
Thinkin 'Jesus, this can't be for real'
My sweat soaked mattress
Corner of the room
Cigarettes and Matches
In the fading afternoon
And a picture my kid, ya he's smiling
It's the first day of school
She said: I found the gun, it was buried beneath
Piles of clothes in the room where your son sleeps
And I can't pretend, to know how this will end
The song "Scorpion Hill" by PUP talks about the despair and hopelessness of life. The singer is watching life pass him by from Scorpion Hill, an elevated location. He is in a bad state, drunk and unable to control anything around him. However, he insists that his intentions were good, and he was just holding on to whatever he could. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a man who has hit rock bottom, and it's not clear how he will recover. The singer cannot support his family, which makes his situation more unbearable. The song ends with a disturbing image of his son finding a gun and the uncertainty of how it will end.
Line by Line Meaning
Up on Scorpion Hill watching life
Observing life from a high point
Passing me by in the pale moonlight
Life is fleeting and can be bittersweet
And I sat there forever, three sheets to the wind
Drunk and unable to move
It's not helping my case, the state that I'm in
Acknowledging a problem with no solution in sight
But it's not how they told you
Going against societal expectations
My intentions were good
Trying to do the right thing
I was just bursting apart like the end of the arc
Feeling overwhelmed and at a breaking point
Holding on to whatever I could
Clinging to any hope or coping mechanism available
A square of light moves its way through the empty room
A ray of hope in an otherwise bleak setting
Across the stained yellow carpet
Noticing the uncleanliness of the environment
Like a ghost of myself in the afternoon
Feeling detached and disconnected from oneself
Haunting my basement apartment
Feeling trapped and isolated in a subpar living situation
I looked in to the mirror
Confronting one's own self-image
Hanging behind my door
Present in a private, personal space
The glass was cracked and the man staring back
Seeing a broken version of oneself
He don't look like me anymore
Losing touch with one's own identity
And if the world is gonna burn
If everything is doomed to fail
Everyone should get a turn to light it up
Everyone deserves to experience success before everything falls apart
Down and out, I've been on the rocks
Dealing with personal struggles and hardships
I've been having some pretty dark thoughts
Mentally struggling and experiencing negative thinking patterns
Time and time again, well I've tried and failed
Repeating the same mistakes despite trying to better oneself
To get my act together
Attempting to become more responsible and sorted
And I'll admit lately things really went off the rails
Acknowledgement of a loss of control and stability
I know that you deserve better
Knowing that those around one require more
But in the morning, as I was boarding
Continuing to face new obstacles each day
The commuter train to work
Revolving around a mundane routine
The boss was calling, he said: "There's been cutbacks and
Experiencing financial strain due to outside forces
I'm sorry you're the first"
Being let go from work and dealing with the consequences
And If I can't support the two of us
Feeling inadequate and incapable of providing for oneself and others
How can I support a third?
Feeling uncertain about parenthood in light of financial difficulties
And I'm on the brink
Dangerously close to a breaking point
Fallin' deep into debt
Struggling with financial burden
Fallin' deep into drink
Turning to alcohol as a coping mechanism
I can drown those regrets
Attempting to ignore or forget one's regrets
I don't have to think
Feeling overwhelmed and incapable of processing one's difficulties
Now I'm working the night shift
Taking on an undesirable job
Asleep at the wheel
Feeling lethargic and disengaged
I was bursting apart like a flame from a spark
Feeling like one's problems have spiraled out of control
Thinkin 'Jesus, this can't be for real'
Feeling like everything is unreal or a dream
My sweat soaked mattress
Living in unclean or unsanitary conditions
Corner of the room
Feeling cramped or confined in a small living space
Cigarettes and Matches
Using unhealthy habits to cope
In the fading afternoon
Clutching onto the last bits of daylight
And a picture my kid, ya he's smiling
Focusing on the small joys and successes in life
It's the first day of school
Highlighting the potential for new beginnings
She said: I found the gun, it was buried beneath
Coming face to face with the potential for violence or self-harm
Piles of clothes in the room where your son sleeps
Feeling like one's problems have extended to affect those close to them
And I can't pretend, to know how this will end
Acknowledging that the situation is uncertain and out of one's control
Lyrics Ā© Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Stefan Babcock, Zack Mykula, Steve Sladkowski, Nestor Chumak
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MonttyTD
Up on Scorpion Hill watching life
Passing me by in the pale moonlight
And I sat there forever, three sheets to the wind
It's not helping my case, the state that I'm in
But it's not how they told you
My intentions were good
I was just bursting apart like the end of the arc
Holding on to whatever I could
A square of light moves its way through the empty room
Across the stained yellow carpet
Like a ghost of myself in the afternoon
Haunting my basement apartment
I looked in to the mirror
Hanging behind my door
The glass was cracked and the man staring back
He don't look like me anymore
And if the world is gonna burn
Everyone should get a turn to light it up
Down and out, I've been on the rocks
I've been having some pretty dark thoughts
Yeah, I like them a lot
Time and time again, well I've tried and failed
To get my act together
And I'll admit lately things really went off the rails
I know that you deserve better
But in the morning, as I was boarding
The commuter train to work
The boss was calling, he said: "There's been cutbacks and
I'm sorry you're the first"
And If I can't support the two of us
How can I support a third?
Down and Out, I've been on the rocks
I've been having some pretty dark thoughts
And I'm on the brink
Fallin' deep into debt
Fallin' deep into drink
I can drown those regrets
I don't have to think
Now I'm working the night shift
Asleep at the wheel
I was bursting apart like a flame from a spark
Thinkin 'Jesus, this can't be for real'
My sweat soaked mattress
Corner of the room
Cigarettes and Matches
In the fading afternoon
And a picture my kid, ya he's smiling
It's the first day of school
She said: I found the gun, it was buried beneath
Piles of clothes in the room where your son sleeps
And I can't pretend, to know how this will end
@akhelundar931
"If the world is gonna burn, everyone should get a turn to light it up" AAAAAAA THIS ALBUM IS AMAZING
@pinnaclejailbird4083
neato nigga
@cesarcuadros9559
S
@taylorthelen7467
Straight from Campfire song to a Mosh Pit anthem.
I've finally found my aesthetic.
@danmartinfazio
They briefly turn into the Old 97s before turning back into PUP
@printsignalsoma1248
right
@lovesquid21
I've been trying to decide the perfect way to explain this. You.nailed it!
@Lewis0_o
Itās fucking amazing live
@bibrosko
god yes!! same ahah
@NeverSleepsAC
PUP are an actual God-tier band, how the hell did it take me so long to discover them??