Forming in 1995 after a chance meeting in New York City club The Knitting Factory, the band's first release was the 1995 Human Pin Cushion EP on Dedicated Records. After some personnel changes the band released an eponymous EP on Motel Records in 1996 that Rolling Stone said "shows how pop culture and high culture can bring everyone to the same place." Original members Steve Calhoon and Rick Lee left the band soon after making this recording, going on to form the band Enon. Soon after their departures, Skeleton Key inked a deal with Capitol Records and put out the critically acclaimed (and Grammy nominated [for artwork]) Fantastic Spikes Through Balloon in 1997. The band then toured the US and Europe with a diverse assortment of acts (Melvins, Girls vs. Boys, Cibo Matto, The Jesus Lizard, They Might Be Giants, Morphine, Brainiac, Primus) before headlining their own US tour. After two gruelling years on the road and a half-finished album recorded, Chris Maxwell departed, leaving the future of Skeleton Key in jeopardy. (From Ipecac Records)
Eventually the band, which had by now been reduced to a lone Erik Sanko, signed with Mike Patton's Ipecac Recordings to release Obtainium in 2002. With a revamped lineup the band hit the road again, playing several successful tours with bands such as Tomahawk, Melvins, Alien Ant Farm and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. That lineup of Sanko, Craig LeBlang, Ben Clapp and Sean Sankey recorded and released the five song EP The Lyons Quintette on Do Tell Records and a live album (Skeleton Key Live at Metro) which is available exclusively through eMusic.
Sankey amicably left the band at the end of 2006 and new drummer Bob Vacarelli was recruited just days before the band headed out on tour with Chemlab and USSA in late 2007.
Official Website: http://www.skeletonkey.org
Fear of Stalling
Skeleton Key Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the engineers will pull you out with a fishing pole
They'll find your book of dreams all unfulfilled and scribbled in red
And the hundred shoes the last fifty men left under your bed
Fear of stalling has left you crawling
For anything that would pin you down
And the architechts with blueprints for sex really were pissed
They said you wouldn't sit still long enough to kill your instabiale thirst
So how appropriately you were on your knees sucking up dirt
Fear of stalling has left you crawling
For anything that would pin you down
The lyrics to Skeleton Key's song, "Fear of Stalling," paint a vivid picture of a person's life that is on a downward spiral. The imagery used in the first verse conveys a sense of hopelessness and despair. The line, "In a hundred years they'll find your head stuck in a hole," suggests a metaphorical burying of one's head in the sand and avoiding the problems in life. The next line, "And the engineers will pull you out with a fishing pole," suggests the idea of being rescued, but not before being dug deeper into the hole. The line, "They'll find your book of dreams all unfulfilled and scribbled in red," reveals the character's unfulfilled aspirations and the notion that those dreams have died or been forgotten along the way. The line, "And the hundred shoes the last fifty men left under your bed," hints at the character's unfulfilled romantic relationships.
The lyrics in the second verse delve deeper into the character's personality and life choices. The line, "Fear of stalling has left you crawling for anything that would pin you down," reveals the character's fear of stagnation and need for stability in their life. However, their search for stability manifests in an unhealthy way through self-destructive behavior. The line, "And your epitaph said you burned a bridge with every kiss," portrays the character as someone who destroys relationships and burns bridges with every romantic encounter. The line, "And the architects with blueprints for sex really were pissed," adds a touch of sarcasm and humor to the song, suggesting that even the architects of pleasure cannot provide stability for this character. The line, "They said you wouldn't sit still long enough to kill your instable thirst," indicates the character's inability to stick with anything or anyone for long enough to find satisfaction. The song concludes with the line, "So how appropriately you were on your knees sucking up dirt," which paints a picture of the character in utter defeat and degradation.
Line by Line Meaning
In a hundred years they'll find your head stuck in a hole
Your future is doomed and you'll eventually be forgotten by the world.
And the engineers will pull you out with a fishing pole
Your worthlessness will be so extreme that even engineers will have to use a fishing pole to extract you out.
They'll find your book of dreams all unfulfilled and scribbled in red
Your aspirations and desires will be left incomplete and marked with frustration.
And the hundred shoes the last fifty men left under your bed
Even though you experience short-lived relationships with many individuals, in the end, they all abandon you.
Fear of stalling has left you crawling
The apprehension of stagnation has made you anxious and aimless.
For anything that would pin you down
You're in search of any opportunity that would aid you in finding direction or stability.
And your epitaph said you burned a bridge with every kiss
You're known for making reckless decisions and leaving a trail of chaos behind in every relationship you have.
And the architechts with blueprints for sex really were pissed
Those who sought to engage in a meaningful sexual relationship with you are outraged and frustrated by your lack of commitment and consistency.
They said you wouldn't sit still long enough to kill your instabiale thirst
Claiming that your instability would always prevent you from satisfying your stagnant thirst.
So how appropriately you were on your knees sucking up dirt
Your constant quest for something other than true and meaningful sustenance has reduced you to the level of succumbing to the least desirable options.
Fear of stalling has left you crawling
The anxiety of being stagnant has worsened your situation, and you now find yourself in search of any opportunity to gain some semblance of stability.
For anything that would pin you down
In your anxiety, you've become desperate, making a search for anything to ground you.
Contributed by Thomas K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.