Along with such bands as Pavement and Guided By Voices, Sebadoh helped pioneer lo-fi, a style of indie-rock characterized by low-fidelity recording techniques, often on four-track machines. The band's early output, such as Weed Forestin (1990) and III (1992), was typical of this style, and wavered between Barlow's wry, introspective folk and Gaffney's psychedelic noise-rock experiments.
Following 1993's Bubble and Scrape, Gaffney left the band. His replacement, Bob Fay, appeared on the band's most acclaimed and consistent effort, 1994's Bakesale, which saw the emergence of the songwriting talents of multi-instrumentalist Jason Loewenstein, and the follow-up Harmacy in 1996.
Fay left the band before the sessions for The Sebadoh (1999), to be replaced by Russ Pollard. Following the tour to promote this album (2000), the band went on hiatus, with Barlow concentrating on his other project, the Folk Implosion, and Loewenstein working on material for his debut solo album At Sixes and Sevens, released in 2002. The two reunited to play concerts in late 2003 and the spring of 2004.
In 2006, III was reissued with a bonus disc and expanded liner notes. In 2007, the band (reunited with Eric Gaffney) was touring.
In 2013, Defend Yourself was released followed by Act Surprised in 2019.
Discography:
* The Freed Man (1989)
* Weed Forestin' (1990)
* The Freed Weed (1990)
* III (1992)
* Rocking The Forest (1992)
* Sebadoh vs. Helmet (1990)
* Smash Your Head On The Punk Rock (1992)
* Bubble and Scrape (1993)
* 4 Song CD (1994)
* Bakesale (1994)
* Harmacy (1996)
* The Sebadoh (1999)
* Defend Yourself (2013)
* Act Surprised (2019)
Decide
Sebadoh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now burn your books for me
Confusion must end, jarred-up sympathy
I've been here, but you won't hear, what have you to say to me?
Blood-crazed
Vampires wear a straight face
The love, hate
Expression of your dead weight
And you don't sound the same
And there's no one around who cares what you say
Oh, I want to trust you; don't do that to me
I'm right here without my fear
And all I need to be
Can't take a switch-hitting twist in the name game
I made a mistake trusting you with what I make
Crowd control, assume the role
Mr. Pointy-shoes put a pen to your soul
Crowd control, assume the role
Mr. Pointy-shoes, put a pen to your...
Blood-crazed
Vampires wear a straight face
All the love, hate
Expression of your dead weight
Dead weight
The lyrics to Sebadoh's "Decide" are difficult to interpret, as the song is full of metaphors and abstract imagery. However, upon closer examination, the lyrics seem to be about the dangers of trusting the wrong people and the importance of asserting oneself.
The opening lines, "You give faith to deadly snakes, retain the need for names, now burn your books for me," suggests that the singer is addressing someone who is foolishly trusting of dangerous individuals and unwilling to let go of their past baggage. The line "confusion must end, jarred-up sympathy" implies that the other person's muddled thinking is causing them to hold onto harmful relationships.
The chorus of the song, which repeats the lines "blood-crazed vampires wear a straight face, all the love, hate expression of your dead weight," seems to suggest that the singer is surrounded by people who are hiding their true intentions through a façade of kindness. The singer is frustrated with this lack of honesty and wishes that people would be more genuine.
In the final stanza, the lyrics suggest that the singer has been betrayed, stating "I made a mistake trusting you with what I make." The repeated refrain of "crowd control, assume the role, Mr. Pointy-shoes put a pen to your soul" suggests that there are external forces at work that are manipulating the people around the singer. Despite this, the singer insists that they will not be manipulated, stating "I'm right here without my fear, and all I need to be."
Overall, "Decide" seems to be a song about the importance of self-determination and the dangers of being too trusting. The singer encourages the listener to be wary of the people around them and to take control of their own life.
Line by Line Meaning
You give faith to deadly snakes, retain the need for names
You have an unwavering trust to things that can hurt you, and you cannot seem to let go of labels.
Now burn your books for me
Destroy everything you believe in for my sake.
Confusion must end, jarred-up sympathy
I need clarity from you, not just empty words of comfort.
I've been here, but you won't hear, what have you to say to me?
I have been trying to communicate with you, but you are not listening. What is your response?
Blood-crazed
Driven by an insatiable desire for blood or violence.
Vampires wear a straight face
Those who are deceptive and manipulative can appear perfectly calm and collected.
The love, hate
The conflicting emotions you have towards someone or something.
Expression of your dead weight
You are burdened by your own emotions and they are holding you down.
Oh, go back down and load up what you can't sell
You should give up on what is not profitable and move on.
And you don't sound the same
Your words and actions are inconsistent with what you have said before.
And there's no one around who cares what you say
Nobody is interested in your thoughts or opinions.
Oh, I want to trust you; don't do that to me
I want to have faith in you, but I cannot if you continue to betray that trust.
I'm right here without my fear
I am willing to confront you openly without any reservations.
And all I need to be
I only need to be honest and true to myself.
Can't take a switch-hitting twist in the name game
I cannot tolerate someone who constantly changes their stance or opinion for personal gain.
I made a mistake trusting you with what I make
I regret giving you power or access to something I created.
Crowd control, assume the role
Take charge of the situation and lead others.
Mr. Pointy-shoes put a pen to your soul
Someone who is pretentious and insincere is trying to manipulate your thoughts and feelings.
Dead weight
Something that is not useful or productive and is holding you back.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JASON LEARY LOEWENSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DugKeith
on Smoke a Bowl
Love this. The man.