Scratch Acid's first two albums were releases by Texas indie record label Rabid Cat, the third and final release, Berserker EP by Touch and Go Records. A posthumous compilation CD entitled The Greatest Gift, was released by Touch and Go Records in 1991.
Their genre is not too easily defined, but contains elements of post punk, and harder elements from garage rock and noise rock and perhaps punk and 80s hardcore. They would fit under the very broad and general umbrella term for much of this kind of musical activity in the mid to late 80s U.S. Underground "Post Hardcore", but this term can cover a wide range of artists from that time, many quite dissimilar, but with roots in the hardcore scene and its fringes, and has since been used to include many other artists after this time. In the book 'Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Underground 1981-1991', music journalist Michael Azzerad referred to an "aesthetic cabal of sorts" (Azerrad, 255)[3] called pigfuck which included contemporaries who were ultimately friends existing in the same circles at the same time and generally, though not always, in 'Middle America', such as Big Black, Killdozer, Butthole Surfers, etc., and Scratch Acid were clearly close to this 'camp'.
After developing a reputation as a crazy, noisy punk band, Scratch Acid disbanded in 1987. According to the liner notes of The Greatest Gift, the band members never received compensation from either Rabid Cat or Fundamental Records (who distributed their releases in Europe).
Brett Bradford went on to form Sangre De Toro and play with Areola 51. Washam went on to perform with many other bands, including the Big Boys, Ministry, Helios Creed, the Didjits, Lard, and Tad. In 1987, Sims and Washam joined Steve Albini in the band Rapeman, which disbanded three years later. Sims reunited with Yow in 1989 to form The Jesus Lizard.
All of the original members of the band appeared at the Touch and Go 25th anniversary celebration taking place in Chicago, Illinois on September 8-10, 2006.
Big Bone Lick
Scratch Acid Lyrics
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'em to find their own way home
I can't go lookin' for ya!
Now in Kentucky - in Kentucky there's
A town: Big Bone Lick
Ain't nuthin', nuthin' but trouble
I get run down - I get gunned down from
Time to time
I get run down - I get
Gunned down from time to time
I told 'em to find - I told
'em to find their own way home
Simple very simple - mine wasn't
Found - visibility nil
A couple tons o pressure lay you
Flat and so much thinner
Simple very simple - mine wasn't
Found - visibility nil
A couple tons o pressure lay you
Flat and so much thinner
Simple very simple - mine wasn't
Found - visibility nil
A couple tons o pressure lay you
Flat and so much thinner
The lyrics of Scratch Acid's song "Big Bone Lick" depict a sense of abandonment and isolation. The singer warns others to find their own way home, implying a lack of willingness to take care of them. The mention of Kentucky and the town of Big Bone Lick adds to the bleak tone of the song. Big Bone Lick is a real place known for its rich deposits of fossils, but in this context, it represents trouble and despair.
The repetition of the lines "I get run down - I get gunned down from time to time" suggests a pattern of hardship and suffering that the singer faces. They seem resigned to their fate and accept that they will be brought down repeatedly. The use of the word "simple" throughout the lyrics further emphasizes the simplicity of their existence, devoid of any hope or resolution.
Overall, "Big Bone Lick" portrays a desolate and despondent state of being, where the singer is trapped in a place of constant struggle and abandonment.
Line by Line Meaning
I told 'em to find - I told 'em to find their own way home
I instructed them to navigate their own path back to their residence
I can't go lookin' for ya!
I am unable to search for you!
Now in Kentucky - in Kentucky there's a town: Big Bone Lick
Currently situated in Kentucky, a town called Big Bone Lick exists
Ain't nuthin', nuthin' but trouble
There is nothing, absolutely nothing but problems
I get run down - I get gunned down from time to time
Occasionally, I am physically and metaphorically attacked
Simple very simple - mine wasn't found - visibility nil
Uncomplicated, extremely straightforward - mine was not discovered, with no visibility
A couple tons o pressure lay you flat and so much thinner
The immense weight and pressure can entirely overwhelm and diminish you
Simple very simple - mine wasn't found - visibility nil
Uncomplicated, extremely straightforward - mine was not discovered, with no visibility
A couple tons o pressure lay you flat and so much thinner
The immense weight and pressure can entirely overwhelm and diminish you
Simple very simple - mine wasn't found - visibility nil
Uncomplicated, extremely straightforward - mine was not discovered, with no visibility
A couple tons o pressure lay you flat and so much thinner
The immense weight and pressure can entirely overwhelm and diminish you
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