The band was unique in that all of the members had sung lead vocals on at least one recording and the songwriting responsibilities were distributed throughout, though Mike Park was generally regarded as the front man.
Skankin' Pickle's lyrics range from silly, in songs such as "Fakin' Jamaican" and "Asian Man", to sociopolitical, in songs like "Racist World" and "Ice Cube, Korea Wants a Word With You". As a band, Skankin' Pickle promoted racial equality in the tradition of two-tone ska bands, such as The Specials, in late 1970s England.
Following their breakup in 1996, Knackstedt and Nylander started another skacore band called 78 RPMs. Mike Park released an album and toured with The Bruce Lee Band, a side project consisting of Park and members of Less Than Jake. Later, Park started a short-lived, all-Asian ska band called The Chinkees. Lundquist went on to play trombone for Mu330.
My Hair
Skankin' Pickle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Set my alarm, to wake me at eleven,
the sun was shining in my face when I awoken.
My mom yelled at me that my friend was here at seven,
I just rolled over, prayed that I was dreaming.
I knew I wasn't when my dog bit me on my nose.
Crawled out of bed, slipped a felt hat on my head.
I ran downstairs, saw my friend was standing there,
[Chorus]
You talk talk, you talk about the future.
How you think that it's funny if they've got no brain.
Doesn't matter if they've got no hair.
Doesn't matter if they look like yarn Look like yarn look like yarn
[Spoken]
Oh, Lynette! I thought we had a deal:
You cut your hair and I go out with you.
You didn't cut your hair! I'm gonna go out with my grandmother.
She's dead, Lynette, I'm gonna dig her up and go out with her.
Go! I'm outta here!
[Chorus]
[Verse]
Went back upstairs, and looked into my mirror.
In my reflection, I saw it so much clearer.
I didn't know, that I was so ugly,
if it was dark in Central Park no one would even mug me.
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Skankin' Pickle's song "My Hair" tell a story of a lazy and disorganized young man who struggles to wake up in the morning, but when he finally does, he finds his friend waiting for him downstairs. He rushes to get ready and greets his friend, but upon catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he realizes that his hair is a mess. The chorus comments on the superficiality of societal expectations and how people are judged based on their appearance, whether it be their brains or their hair.
The spoken interlude in the song adds a humorous touch, with the singer threatening to go out with his dead grandmother if his love interest doesn't cut her hair as they agreed. The second verse takes a darker turn, as the singer looks deeply into the mirror and sees his own perceived ugliness. The final line suggests that even in a dangerous place like Central Park, he would not be a likely victim of a mugging due to his appearance.
Overall, "My Hair" is a song that comments on society's fixation on looks and how it affects people's self-esteem and interactions with others. The singer's struggle with waking up and getting ready mirrors the struggle many people have with conforming to societal standards while dealing with their own insecurities.
Line by Line Meaning
Set my alarm, to wake me at eleven,
I planned to get up late by setting the alarm for 11 AM.
the sun was shining in my face when I awoken.
I woke up to the sun shining in my face.
My mom yelled at me that my friend was here at seven,
My mom yelled that my friend was already here at 7 AM.
I just rolled over, prayed that I was dreaming.
I tried to ignore the situation and hoped it was a dream.
I knew I wasn't when my dog bit me on my nose.
I realized the situation was real when my dog bit my nose.
Crawled out of bed, slipped a felt hat on my head.
I got out of bed and put on a felt hat.
I ran downstairs, saw my friend was standing there,
I hurried downstairs and saw that my friend was waiting for me.
looked in the mirror, saw my hair was everywhere.
I checked myself out in the mirror and saw that my hair was a mess.
You talk talk, you talk about the future.
You talk a lot about the future.
How you think that it's funny if they've got no brain.
You find it amusing when people seem dumb.
Doesn't matter if they've got no hair.
It doesn't matter if they're bald.
Doesn't matter if they look like yarn Look like yarn look like yarn
It doesn't matter if they look like a mess.
Oh, Lynette! I thought we had a deal:
Oh, Lynette! I thought we agreed to something.
You cut your hair and I go out with you.
You promised to cut your hair if I would go out with you.
You didn't cut your hair! I'm gonna go out with my grandmother.
You didn't keep your promise, so I'll date my dead grandmother instead.
She's dead, Lynette, I'm gonna dig her up and go out with her.
I'm so desperate that I'll even date my dead grandmother that I have to dig up.
Go! I'm outta here!
Go away! I'm leaving.
Went back upstairs, and looked into my mirror.
I went back upstairs and looked in the mirror.
In my reflection, I saw it so much clearer.
I saw my appearance more clearly in my reflection.
I didn't know, that I was so ugly,
I never realized that I was so unattractive.
if it was dark in Central Park no one would even mug me.
I'm so unattractive that no one would even rob me in the dark.
You talk talk, you talk about the future.
You keep talking about the future.
How you think that it's funny if they've got no brain.
You find it amusing when people seem stupid.
Doesn't matter if they've got no hair.
It doesn't matter if they are bald.
Doesn't matter if they look like yarn Look like yarn look like yarn
It doesn't matter if they look like a mess.
Contributed by Isabelle F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.