Sarah Kirsch (guitar, vocals) of Fuel (think Monuments to Excess) was in the band when they first formed in 1991, but eventually left, citing personal differences with Green Day (the band for which Billie Joe Armstrong is most famous).
The band's name comes from a brand of "high octane" green tea discovered serendipitously by Aaron Cometbus during one of his many dumpster diving adventures. Aaron Cometbus, who releases the "Cometbus" fanzine, has played with many other bands, such as Crimpshrine and Cleveland Bound Death Sentence, and has long been a part of East Bay's punk culture.
Pinhead Gunpowder's music has been released through Lookout Records and Adeline Records (the latter co-owned by Billie Joe Armstrong and a major occupation of Jason White).
Brother
Pinhead Gunpowder Lyrics
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And we grew up
Looking out for each other
And when he fucked up
I did my best to cover his lies
I hid him from the cops
When he was a runaway
With no place to stay
And when he lied and stole
I looked the other way
'Cause in time
I knew he would find a way
To get his life together
And we would be alright
If we just stuck together
And somehow we would
Both make it through
Somehow we would make it through
Maybe I tried too hard
To be a brother
There comes a time
You gotta burn your bridges
To discover what you are inside
I thought I knew my brother
But I was wrong
Maybe I'd been lying to myself all along
When he burned his bridges
He burned me at the same time
Well brother, brother
How could you be so hateful
So ungrateful
After all that we'd been through
Someday you'll get what's coming to you
Someday you'll get what's coming to you
You stole my money, then my friends
And now my girlfriend too
You say you treat everyone like a brother
And it's true 'cause you screw over everyone
The way that you screwed me
You're a tumor, a leech
A sore that won't go away
Leaving a path of discarded people in your wake
You're a thief, a thief who stole my trust
And that's the worst thing you could take
But every underdog must have his day
So you'd better stay the hell out of my way
'Cause this dog's day is coming soon
And this dog won't let bad feelings pass
This dog wants grudges to last
'Cause this dog won't forget how he was done in
Well, you selfish little motherfucker
I hope I never live to see you hurt another
'Cause life you touch is life you smother
Like mine
The Pinhead Gunpowder's song "Brother" is a poignant exploration of the dynamics of brotherly love, betrayal, and forgiveness. The lyrics describe the once-close relationship between two brothers who grew up looking out for each other, covering up each other's lies and mistakes. The singer had always believed that they would stand by each other through thick and thin, no matter what challenges come their way. However, their relationship took a turn for the worse when the other brother began to engage in harmful and selfish behavior, such as lying, stealing, and burning bridges. The singer found himself being taken advantage of, losing friends and even his girlfriend to the other brother's manipulations.
As the singer eventually learned, there comes a time when you have to let go of toxic relationships, even if that means burning your bridges to discover your true self. The song captures the pain and frustration of this process, as the singer struggles to come to terms with his once-beloved brother's actions. Despite the betrayal, the singer also recognizes that every underdog must have their day and that the other brother will eventually get what's coming to him.
Overall, "Brother" is a moving reflection on the complexities of family, loyalty, and moral responsibility. It speaks to the universal experience of trying to find our place in the world while grappling with the messy realities of human relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I had a brother
There was a time when I had a brother
And we grew up
We grew up together from our childhood
Looking out for each other
We always cared for each other
And when he fucked up
And when he made mistakes
I did my best to cover his lies
I tried my best to save him from the consequences of his actions
I hid him from the cops
I protected him from the police
When he was a runaway
When he left home without permission
Put him up when he was on the streets
Provided a shelter when he had no place to stay
With no place to stay
With nowhere to call home
And when he lied and stole
And when he lied and took things without permission
I looked the other way
I ignored his actions
'Cause in time
Because eventually
I knew he would find a way
I knew he would find a solution
To get his life together
To improve his life situation
And we would be alright
And we would be okay
If we just stuck together
If we helped and supported each other
And somehow we would
And somehow we would be able to
Both make it through
Survive and overcome difficulties together
Maybe I tried too hard
Perhaps I put in too much effort
To be a brother
To be the best brother I could be
There comes a time
There is a time
You gotta burn your bridges
You have to cut ties/future opportunities
To discover what you are inside
To find out who you really are
I thought I knew my brother
I believed I understood my brother
But I was wrong
But I was mistaken
Maybe I'd been lying to myself all along
Maybe I had been deceiving myself
When he burned his bridges
When he cut ties with everyone
He burned me at the same time
He betrayed me as well
Well brother, brother
Dear brother
How could you be so hateful
Why did you hurt me so much
So ungrateful
Without any gratitude
After all that we'd been through
Despite everything we had experienced together
Someday you'll get what's coming to you
One day you will receive the consequences of your actions
You stole my money, then my friends
You took my money, and then took away my friends
And now my girlfriend too
And now you have taken the love of my life
You say you treat everyone like a brother
You claim that you treat everyone equally
And it's true 'cause you screw over everyone
And it is true because you deceive and hurt everyone
The way that you screwed me
The way you deceived and hurt me
You're a tumor, a leech
You are a parasite
A sore that won't go away
An unpleasant situation that persists
Leaving a path of discarded people in your wake
Hurting and leaving behind those who were close to you
You're a thief, a thief who stole my trust
You are a thief who took my feelings of trust
And that's the worst thing you could take
And that was the most hurtful thing to take
But every underdog must have his day
Everyone has a moment of success
So you'd better stay the hell out of my way
So you should keep your distance from me
'Cause this dog's day is coming soon
Because I will soon have my moment of success
And this dog won't let bad feelings pass
And I won't forgive and forget easily
This dog wants grudges to last
I want to hold on to my hurt feelings and anger
'Cause this dog won't forget how he was done in
Because I won't forget the way I was hurt
Well, you selfish little motherfucker
You are a selfish person
I hope I never live to see you hurt another
I do not want to witness you causing pain to anyone else
'Cause life you touch is life you smother
Because you cause pain to those whom you interact with
Like mine
Like you hurt me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind