Through the years, the band went through many line-up changes, with Ben and John being the only constant members since the band's inception. Screeching Weasel officially broke up for (roughly) the third - and allegedly final - time on July 6, 2001.
The band did a few surprise shows between 2001-2009.
Ben Weasel reformed the group in March 2009 with a new line-up, and without John Jughead. Ben had released solo albums that were the same just in his name. John finally settled for T-Shirt money for being an original member of the band and a royalties for a handful songs he co-wrote, and let Ben play as Screeching Weasel with the hundreds of song lyrics and music has written.
Former Members include renowned punk rock record producer Mass Giorgini on bass guitar, Dan Panic (born Dan Sullivan) on drums, and Danny Vapid (born Dan Schafer,on guitar or bass, depending on the band's necessity. Dan is currently fronting The Methadones and formerly of Sludgeworth)
Members of Screeching Weasel have gone on to form bands such as: The Methadones, The Mopes, Even in Blackouts, and Sweet Black And Blue.
Screeching Weasel has also included members of Green Day, Sludgeworth, Common Rider, Squirtgun, and Teen Idols.
During one of the band's many break-ups, Weasel and Vapid also formed the Riverdales. Additionally, Ben Weasel released a solo record in 2002 entitled Fidatevi.
In 2004 Ben Weasel rescinded all of the Screeching Weasel and Riverdales masters from Lookout! Records in the wake of long-running financial and personal conflicts. The masters were subsequently licensed to and reissued by Asian Man Records.
On December 7, 2010, it was announced that Screeching Weasel will release a new album on March 15, 2011, the band's first album in eleven years. The album will be titled First World Manifesto and will be released on Fat Wreck Chords. It will contain 14 new songs and is produced by Mike Kennerty of The All-American Rejects. It was announced that the label will also be releasing the back catalogs of Screeching Weasel, the Riverdales, and Ben Weasel.
On March 18, 2011, during Screeching Weasel's South by Southwest Festival performance at the Scoot Inn in Austin, Texas, Foster reached from the stage and slapped a female audience member who had spit on him several times. This sent off a fire storm web frenzy from all of the self -righteous non Screeching Weasel fans. Ben apologized for his actions, but all of the perfect people who never loose there cool were not satisfied.
Ben and his hired band had a falling out. He found out who his true friends and fans were. After over a year of spending time with his family and raising a new baby, he released Carnival of Schadenfreude EP in 2011 with huge interest and has resumed his music career again full swing.
Don't Turn Out the Lights
Screeching Weasel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lights tonight
I need a can of Raid
Ants will crawl inside my ears
And nibble on my brain
There's something by the window
And it wants to get inside
So it can eat me up alive
You never listen when I call
I end up sleeping in the hall
'Cause you're to busy with
Important things
You smile and say that
You believe but
You're not listening to me
And now they're coming to get me
Why don't you believe
It's not all inside my head
Something wants to eat me
And it lives underneath my bed
I gotta keep the lights on
Or I'll never get to sleep
'Cause there's something
In this bedroom
And it's giving me the creeps
I try to tell you that I'm scared
You act like you don't even care
You just pat me on the head
And walk away, you're
Gabbing downstairs
On the phone you
Leave me in the dark alone
And now I'm gonna stay
Up all night
Don't turn out the lights
The song "Don't Turn Out the Lights" by Screeching Weasel portrays fear and anxiety in the midst of the night. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who is terrified of the dark because of what might be lurking around in the shadows. The singer requests for the lights to remain on to keep the monsters away. He states that he needs a can of Raid to keep the ants out of his ear and as he lies in bed, he can't shake the feeling that something is outside his window, waiting to attack him the moment the lights go out. He pleads with his partner to take his fear seriously, but she disregards them as mere figments of his imagination, leaving him alone in the dark to face his fears.
The song's main theme is fear, and more specifically, the fear of the unknown. The singer is scared of what might lie beyond his perception, and he is convinced that something is waiting to get him. The lyrics also show how lonely it can feel when someone is facing their fears alone. The singer's partner seems to be disinterested and reluctant to take his fear seriously, which leaves him feeling abandoned in his fear.
In summary, "Don't Turn Out the Lights" is a song that delves into the world of fear and the unknown. It highlights how terrifying it can be to face your fears alone while others around you might not take them seriously or choose to ignore them entirely.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't turn out the
I am afraid of the dark and need the lights to stay on
Lights tonight
I specifically need the lights on tonight
I need a can of Raid
I need bug spray to keep ants out of my ears
Ants will crawl inside my ears
I am afraid that ants will crawl inside my ears
And nibble on my brain
I am afraid that the ants will eat my brain
There's something by the window
There is something outside by the window that is scaring me
And it wants to get inside
The thing by the window wants to come inside
And it's waiting for the dark
The thing by the window is waiting for the dark to come so it can get inside easier
So it can eat me up alive
I am afraid that the thing by the window will come inside and eat me alive
You never listen when I call
You do not listen to me when I am scared and need your help
I end up sleeping in the hall
I am so scared that I end up sleeping in the hallway instead of my room
'Cause you're too busy with
You are too busy with your own important things
Important things
Things that you consider more important than my fear
You smile and say that
You smile and pretend to understand or care
You believe but
You say you believe me, but you do not act like it
You're not listening to me
You are not really listening to me or my fears
And now they're coming to get me
I believe that the things I fear are coming to get me
Why don't you believe
I do not understand why you do not believe me
It's not all inside my head
I truly believe that there are things in this house that are scaring me
Something wants to eat me
I am afraid that there are things in my house that want to harm me
And it lives underneath my bed
I am afraid that there are things living under my bed that want to harm me
I gotta keep the lights on
I feel like I need to keep the lights on to keep myself safe
Or I'll never get to sleep
I am afraid that if the lights are off, I will not be able to sleep
'Cause there's something
There truly is something in my bedroom that is scaring me
In this bedroom
I am talking about my own bedroom, where I am scared
And it's giving me the creeps
This thing is giving me a feeling of repulsion and fear
I try to tell you that I'm scared
I try to communicate my fear to you
You act like you don't even care
You pretend like my fear is not important, or not real
You just pat me on the head
You do not take my fear seriously, and instead treat me like a child who needs to be comforted
And walk away, you're
You leave me alone to deal with my fear
Gabbing downstairs
You are talking on the phone, and not paying attention to me
On the phone
You are talking to someone else on the phone
You leave me in the dark alone
You leave me alone, both literally and metaphorically, to deal with my fear
And now I'm gonna stay
I am so scared that I am going to stay up all night
Up all night
I will not be able to sleep because of my fear
Don't turn out the lights
I need the lights to stay on to keep my fear at bay
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind