The Fitch brothers formed the band Palomar and released the album World without horses in 1998. Paw still played together during this period, and released a compilation of B-sides and rarities Keep The Last Bullet For Yourself on their own label, Outlaw Records.
In 2000 founding members Mark Hennessy and Grant Fitch signed with Koch Records. The mini-album Home Is A Strange Place was released in the same year with Jesse Larson on drums and Jason Magierowski on bass. The group was disbanded soon afterwards.
Members:
* Grant Fitch - Guitar
* Mark Hennessy - Vocals
* Jason Magierowski - Bass guitar
* Jesse Larson - Drums
Previous members:
* Peter Fitch - Drums
* Dan Hines - Bass guitar
* Charles Bryan - Bass guitar
Discography:
* Lolita (Vinyl Single) 1992
* Sleeping Bag (Vinyl Single) 1992
* Dragline 1993
* Sleeping Bag (CD Single) 1993
* Jessie (CD Single) 1993
* Couldn't Know (CD Single) 1993
* Surrender (CD Promo) 1994
* Death to Traitors 1995
* Hope I Die Tonight (CD Single, UK and US versions) 1995
* Traitors and Covers (Promo 5 track EP) 1995
* Seasoned Glove (Tour Promo CD) 1995
* Max the Silent (CD Promo) 1995
* Keep the Last Bullet for Yourself 1998 (bsides collection distributed at shows)
* Cross the Tracks 1999 (fan bootleg of Home is a Strange Place demos)
* Home is a Strange Place 2000
Lolita
Paw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lolita spread your pretty legs so daddy can see just were he wants to play
The sun shines through your fancy dress
Put your little body on display
And I didn't mean to hit you so hard
I didn't mean to push you to far away
I didn't mean to push you to far away
For you to come back home
Lolita, stay, oh I can't hold anybody else
Lolita, go, I can't stand to see you play around
Every scar I leave on you
It reminds me of how it used to be
You're just a little play thing
How come you mean so much to me
Stay with me, runaway, stay with me, hide away
Stay with me, get away
Stay with me, go away
Say with me, run away
I want you to go, I want you to stay
Lolita, stay, I can't hold anybody else
Lolita, go, I can't stand to see you play around
I'm gonna tell you the way it's gonna be from now on
You're always going to be my little girl
Lolita, you, you can't stay, cause I won't keep you
And, baby, you, you can't go, cause I won't let you
Maybe I've asked for too much
Maybe I shouldn't care
But why the heaven would you wanna stay
And why the hell would I want you
Yeah, I really want you
And I tell you, it doesn't...
No matter what you ask, I'm gonna let you down
I'm never, ever, ever gonna be forgiven
Just stay with me child
The song "Lolita" by Paw creates a disturbing image of obsession and control. The lyrics seem to be sung from the perspective of a man who is fixated on a younger girl, who he refers to as Lolita. The first stanza sets the tone for the rest of the song, as he threatens to close her mouth if she doesn't do as he says. He asks her to spread her legs and put her body on display, objectifying her and treating her as a toy to play with. The second stanza reveals that he has physically hurt her, acknowledging that he has pushed her away and hurt her badly. Despite this, he can't seem to let her go, begging her to stay and promising that she'll always be his little girl.
The chorus becomes the most troubling section of the song, as it seesaws between desire and control. He can't hold anyone else but Lolita, but he also can't stand to see her play around. It's clear that he wants her all to himself and will stop at nothing to keep her by his side. He even threatens that no matter what she asks for, he will let her down and that he will never be forgiven. In the end, he begs her to stay with him, showing how he will never be able to let her go.
Line by Line Meaning
Hush child, or I'll close your pretty mouth
Silence yourself or I will make you be quiet
Lolita spread your pretty legs so daddy can see just were he wants to play
Open your legs wide so that I can see where to go
The sun shines through your fancy dress
Light falls on your attire
Put your little body on display
Show off your tiny frame
And I didn't mean to hit you so hard
I didn’t intend to hit you that strongly
I didn't mean to push you to far away
I didn’t intentionally make you leave
I didn't mean to hurt you so bad
I didn’t intend to hurt you that much
For you to come back home
So that you can return to your place
Lolita, stay, oh I can't hold anybody else
Stay with me, I can’t keep anyone else
Lolita, go, I can't stand to see you play around
Leave, I can’t tolerate you fooling around
Every scar I leave on you
Each mark I create on your body
It reminds me of how it used to be
It brings back memories of the past
You're just a little play thing
You're just a toy for amusement
How come you mean so much to me
Why do you matter so much to me
Stay with me, runaway, stay with me, hide away
Remain with me, escape, stay with me, hide
Stay with me, get away
Stay with me, get away
Stay with me, go away
Stay with me, depart
Say with me, run away
Stay with me, escape
I want you to go, I want you to stay
I want you to leave, I want you to stay
Lolita, stay, I can't hold anybody else
Stay with me, I can’t hold someone else
Lolita, go, I can't stand to see you play around
Leave, I can’t tolerate you fooling around
I'm gonna tell you the way it's gonna be from now on
I'm going to instruct you on how things will be from now on
You're always going to be my little girl
You'll forever be my daughter
Lolita, you, you can't stay, cause I won't keep you
You can't stay, because I won’t hold you
And, baby, you, you can't go, cause I won't let you
And, baby, you can’t leave, because I won’t allow you
Maybe I've asked for too much
Perhaps I’ve demanded too much
Maybe I shouldn't care
Maybe I shouldn’t mind
But why the heaven would you wanna stay
But, why in the world would you want to stay
And why the hell would I want you
And, why on earth would I want you
Yeah, I really want you
Yes, I truly want you
And I tell you, it doesn't...
And I tell you that it doesn’t...
No matter what you ask, I'm gonna let you down
No matter what you ask, I'll disappoint you
I'm never, ever, ever gonna be forgiven
I'll never, ever, ever be pardoned
Just stay with me child
Just continue living with me, child
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ben Deane
Hush child, or I'll close your pretty mouth
Lolita spread your pretty legs so daddy can see just were he wants to play
The sun shines through your fancy dress
Put your little body on display
And I didn't mean to hit you so hard
I didn't mean to push you to far away
I didn't mean to hurt you so bad
I didn't mean to push you to far away
For you to come back home
Lolita, stay, oh I can't hold anybody else
Lolita, go, I can't stand to see you play around
Every scar I leave on you
It reminds me of how it used to be
You're just a little play thing
How come you mean so much to me
Stay with me, runaway, stay with me, hide away
Stay with me, get away
Stay with me, go away
Say with me, run away
I want you to go, I want you to stay
Lolita, stay, I can't hold anybody else
Lolita, go, I can't stand to see you play around
I'm gonna tell you the way it's gonna be from now on
You're always going to be my little girl
Lolita, you, you can't stay, cause I won't keep you
And, baby, you, you can't go, cause I won't let you
Maybe I've asked for too much
Maybe I shouldn't care
But why the heaven would you wanna stay
And why the hell would I want you
Yeah, I really want you
And I tell you, it doesn't...
No matter what you ask, I'm gonna let you down
I'm never, ever, ever gonna be forgiven
Just stay with me child
MyMojo
Hush child, or i'll close your pretty mouth
Lolita, spread your pretty legs
So daddy can see just where he wants to pray
The sun shines through your flimsy dress
Put your little body on display
Yeah, i didn't mean to hit you so hard
I didn't mean to push you too far away
Yeah, i didn't mean to hurt you so bad
I didn't mean to push you too far away
For you to come back home
Lolita, stay, i can't hold anybody else
Lolita, go, i can't stand to see you play around
And every scar i leave on you
Reminds me of just how it used to be
Hey, you're just a little play thing
How come you mean so much to me?
Oh, stay with me, runaway, stay with me, hide away
Stay with me, get away
Ah, stay with me, go away
Stay with me, run away
I want you, to go
I want you to stay
Lolita, stay, i can't hold anybody else
Lolita, go, i can't stand to see you play around
I'm gonna tell you the way it's gonna be from now on
You're always gonna be my little girl
Lolita, you, you can't stay
'cause i won't keep you
And baby, you, you can't go
'cause i won't let you
Oh, maybe i've asked for too much
And maybe I should not care
But why in heaven would you wanna stay?
Why the hell would i want you here
I really want you here
Child, it doesn't
Oh, matter what you ask
I'm gonna let you down
I know i'm never, never, never gonna be forgiven
Aw, won't you stay with me child
Blake Stormcrow
The best grunge band that never got the acclaim they deserved
Naes
Jimmies Chicken Shack*
RSCL BEATZ
I think it was because the singer was a drunk. All the album Dragline needed was swapping the first song with "I Hope I Die Tonight" and then it would be the perfect dark thinky album!
Father Larsathon
Great band. Hennessy is one of the very best singers in rock history, in my opinion. Listened to Dragline last night. Every song is a keeper. Not many records like that.
Jacob Ford
Ya my uncle is definitely the best
Rahul Krishnani
@Jacob Ford wait what?
GuzziHero
This is a wierd song for me. I want to hate it because of the subject it discusses, yet it is so powerfully and emotionally sung, I can't skip it when it comes up on the album. Such a strange track.
Zzzz23
It's a reference to the novel "Lolita."
GuzziHero
I know, but it is also basically about a pedophile who beats his victim. This is apparent in the lyrics. Its a song that discusses an evil act / person from their perspective without glorifying their deeds.
I like the song while despising its subject, which I guess was the point.
Zzzz23
GuzziHeroV50 That's the point of the novel lolita.