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.
Bbtone
Pinback Lyrics
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Inside the wave
Coming from behind the wall
Coming from beneath the floor
Coming from behind the wall
Coming from beneath the floor
Coming from behind the wall (Old habits fade far from me.)
Suddenly a door appears (The ceiling falls about me)
Coming from beneath the floor (and the sky is open to me now.)
But my hands are tied
and the ropes are tight around my wrist.
Steadily we climb again (Makes me sick. Think to hard on the other side.)
Step into a hidden room (Can't stare too long at the softest light)
Searchin' for another out (Old wounds get infected by the)
Found a tunnel heading down (Heat of an oven gone cold too long)
Suddenly I hear the sound (Get my mind off the pain with the medicine)
Coming from behind the wall (Just the idea of a thought brings it round again)
Suddenly a light appears (Get my mind off the pain. Off the pain.)
Rapidly some something nears... (Get my mind off the pain. Off the pain.)
But my hands are tied
and the ropes are tight around my wrist.
Bucket and a shovel
On a sand dune.
Building castles.
Knocking them down
Wading too far
Out of my sight.
Gonna work me over
For a misdemeanor
In too long.
Out of bed.
Way too slow.
In a found cut scene from an empty film.
The walls close in around me.
Old habits fade far from me.
The ceiling falls about me
but the sky is open to me now.
Bucket and a shovel
On a sand dune.
Building castles. (But my hands are tied)
Knocking them down
Wading too far
Out of my sight.
Gonna work me over
For a misdemeanor (and the ropes are tight around my wrist.)
In too long.
Out of bed.
Way too slow.
Forever wishing someone near the goal
Forever pushing sisiphus would know
Forever wasting promise as it goes
Forensics show a summer in the hole, buddy
Hands from the sky
Rip me open
(Suffer begin)
The song "Bbtone" by Pinback seems to be about a person who is trapped inside their own mind and struggling to break free from their own thoughts. The repeated lines "Inside the wave" suggest that the singer is trapped inside a cycle of thoughts or emotions, unable to escape. The first verse describes ominous sounds coming from behind a wall and beneath the floor, which could represent the internal struggles the singer is facing.
The second verse suggests that the singer is trying to find a way out of their inner turmoil, but is struggling to do so. They come across a hidden room and a tunnel, but seem to be held back by literal or metaphorical ropes that bind their hands. The final verse is a stream of consciousness that includes images of building sandcastles and committing misdemeanors, which could represent the singer's desire for escape and their fear of punishment for doing so. The final lines "Hands from the sky/Rip me open/Suffer begin" could symbolize a desire for an external force to break them free from their mental prison, but also the realization that the suffering may continue even with external help.
Line by Line Meaning
Inside the wave
The feeling of being surrounded and trapped by a situation.
Coming from behind the wall
Old habits and regrets are catching up and becoming harder to avoid.
Coming from beneath the floor
The source of past mistakes and trauma is resurfacing and cannot be ignored.
Suddenly I hear the sound
A sense of panic and urgency as the situation escalates.
Suddenly a door appears
A glimmer of hope to escape or find a way out of the situation.
But my hands are tied
and the ropes are tight around my wrist.
Feeling powerless and trapped, unable to change the situation alone.
Bucket and a shovel
On a sand dune.
Building castles.
Knocking them down
The futility of trying to build something up, only for it to be destroyed again.
Wading too far
Out of my sight.
Venturing into dangerous or unknown territory.
Gonna work me over
For a misdemeanor
In too long.
Out of bed.
Way too slow.
Feeling the consequences of past mistakes and failures catching up to us.
Forever wishing someone near the goal
Forever pushing sisiphus would know
Forever wasting promise as it goes
Forensics show a summer in the hole, buddy
A sense of endless striving and lack of progress, with past failures weighing heavily on the present.
Hands from the sky
Rip me open
(Suffer begin)
A final sense of reckoning or punishment for past actions.
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
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