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)
Flood
Sebadoh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The bowling captain's out to pounce
Uncap the joy, out of control
The Night Cat goes within my soul
Yeah, all right, gonna ride with The Flood tonight
Yeah, all right, I'm gonna ride with The Flood tonight
The girls, the boss, we're smoking joints in the car
A hundred miles an hour through the meadows
Yeah, all right, we're gonna ride with The Flood tonight
Yeah, all right, we're gonna uncap with Flood tonight, let's go
The Night Cat makes me wanna sing
Because I don't feel a thing
Except all the joy in the world
Come on, get in the car, let's go
Yeah, all right, gonna ride with The Flood tonight
Yeah, all right, I'm stump-jumpin' drunk from the get go
Owww, stump-jumpin' drunk and let's go
Stump-jumpin' drunk and let's go
Sebadoh’s “Flood” opens up with a drinking scene where a cap is taken off a 40-ounce drink while the bowling captain is ready to pounce. The song is about getting drunk and carefree with friends and letting loose. The Night Cat is the driver who symbolizes the wave of euphoria that washes over the singer. They are going to ride with the flood, to live in the moment and enjoy life with no worries. The lyrics “I’m stump-jumpin’ drunk from the get-go” show that the singer is heavily intoxicated from the beginning, ready to have an adventure with friends. The song describes an exhilarating experience of driving through the meadows 100 miles an hour, smoking joints, and feeling the joy of being alive.
The Night Cat in the song is symbolic of a car, and the metaphor of “ride with the flood” suggests going with the flow and living in the moment. The message is all about enjoying life without a care in the world, being free and happy with friends. The idea of being “stump-jumpin' drunk and let's go” is a nod to getting wild and carefree.
Line by Line Meaning
A cap comes off the 40-ounce
The bottle cap is removed from the 40-ounce beer bottle
The bowling captain's out to pounce
The leader of the bowling team is eager to take action
Uncap the joy, out of control
Remove the lid and indulge in the happiness excessively
The Night Cat goes within my soul
A mystical entity called the Night Cat enters the singer's spirit
Yeah, all right, gonna ride with The Flood tonight
I'm excited to indulge in The Flood's company tonight
The girls, the boss, we're smoking joints in the car
Female acquaintances and a superior are smoking marijuana in the vehicle
A hundred miles an hour through the meadows
Driving at an exorbitant speed across grasslands
I'm stump-jumpin' drunk from the get go
I'm heavily intoxicated right from the start
Yeah, all right, we're gonna ride with The Flood tonight
I'm elated to join The Flood's crew this evening
Yeah, all right, we're gonna uncap with Flood tonight, let's go
We will unleash our wild side tonight with The Flood and embark on a journey
The Night Cat makes me wanna sing
The Night Cat motivates me to express myself through song
Because I don't feel a thing
I am devoid of any sensations
Except all the joy in the world
Except for the boundless bliss in my heart
Come on, get in the car, let's go
Hop in the vehicle and depart with me
Owww, stump-jumpin' drunk and let's go
Enthusiastically shouting after becoming inebriated
Stump-jumpin' drunk and let's go
Repeating the excitement to start the festivities
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JASON LEARY LOEWENSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bryan Young
I don't feel a thing except all the joy in the world
John Monge
It is definitely about Mike Flood. He told me himself before playing a show with Crane (Louisville band, check em out)
Sugar Hieroglyph
we're gonna untag the flood tonNIGHT, LET"S GO!!...
sorcerybird
song written about Mike Flood, creator of "Natural Bridge" album cover (Silver Jews). At least this is a hypothesis. Northhampton, MA contains some ubiquitous dudes
eindhoven24
:)
Sugar Hieroglyph
untap? untag? whats the dif