Zach Smith is noted for his unique style of bass-playing, as he combines strumming (the most prevalent of his techniques), popping, and slapping. He uses an Alembic Stanley Clarke bass and is currently working on a solo project entitled Systems Officer. Smith tends to write most of the instrumental parts of Pinback's songs while Rob Crow's forte is lyric-writing. At their concerts, they are known for giving away limited edition tour EPs. Both feel strongly about keeping their music in the independent scene, free from excessive media attention and corporate pressures that could affect the band's original sound.
Barnes
Pinback Lyrics
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Laid the weapons at your feet
Dashed up on the rocks
Fillings melted from the heat
That's like I read in the paper
Unlock the pen, unlock the pen yeah
Battle ice and make it a good one
Last light going down
Fallin'
We're stuck in traffic here
Last light going down
Fallin'
We'll watch the sun freeze
They took their armor off
Laid the weapons at your feet
Dashed up on the rocks
Fillings melted from the heat
It took the mail to fall in tow
It took the place of fallen snow
I don't know how it's frozen there
I don't know what it's frozen in
I found it in your file
That a sea was made to burn
Like a fire draped in white
Not a soul was kept inside
That makes it still alive
And I can never go home now
We're stuck in traffic here
And I can never go home again
We watch the sun freeze
(Repeat 2X)
It took the mail to fall in tow
It took the place of fallen snow
I don't know how it's frozen there
I don't know what it's frozen in
(Repeat 8X)
Feel so sick
Pay no price
Stray so far
Play no more
The lyrics to Pinback's song "Barnes" are open to interpretation, but they seem to reflect on a sense of loss and disorientation. The opening lines paint a picture of warriors who have laid down their arms, leaving their weapons at someone's feet. The next lines, "Dashed up on the rocks/Fillings melted from the heat," suggest that these warriors were on a mission that took a toll on them. The singer then switches to a newspaper headline, urging someone to "unlock the pen." This could be a call to action or a critique of the media's influence. The next lines are a jumbled reference to an unknown dairy-ann and battling ice.
The song seems to pivot with the lines "Last light going down/Fallin'," which suggest the singer is watching a sunset and feeling a sense of foreboding. They seem to be stuck in traffic as they watch the sun set, while the opening imagery of warriors suggests a grander scale or history. The singer then returns to the earlier imagery of laid-off armor and melted fillings, finishing with a reference to mail taking the place of fallen snow. The last lines about feeling sick and playing no more could suggest a sense of resignation or disappointment.
Line by Line Meaning
They took their armor off
The people stopped fighting and became vulnerable
Laid the weapons at your feet
They surrendered their weapons to you
Dashed up on the rocks
They went up onto the rocks quickly
Fillings melted from the heat
The heat caused dental fillings to melt
That's like I read in the paper
This is similar to what I read in the newspaper
Unlock the pen, unlock the pen yeah
Open up and let your thoughts flow
Battle ice and make it a good one
Fight hard against the difficult situation
Dairy-Ann, dairy ann yeah
Unknown, possibly a reference to a person, place, or thing
Last light going down
The final moments of daylight
Fallin'
Descending, coming to an end
We're stuck in traffic here
We are unable to move forward or escape
We'll watch the sun freeze
We will witness the world coming to a standstill
It took the mail to fall in tow
The mail became unimportant and insignificant
It took the place of fallen snow
The mail replaced what was once beautiful and pure
I don't know how it's frozen there
I do not understand how everything became frozen
I don't know what it's frozen in
I do not know what caused everything to freeze
I found it in your file
I discovered this information about you
That a sea was made to burn
Something tragic and destructive happened
Like a fire draped in white
It appeared to be beautiful but its true nature was dangerous
Not a soul was kept inside
No one was spared from the tragedy
That makes it still alive
The disaster is still affecting the present
And I can never go home now
I am unable to return to where I belong
It took the mail to fall in tow
The mail became unimportant and insignificant
Pay no price
There are no consequences to avoiding responsibility
Stray so far
To wander off course or to become lost
Play no more
To stop engaging in the activity
Feel so sick
Feeling physically or emotionally ill
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
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