Seemingly powered by pistons, gears, and rusty watch springs, Skeleton Key … Read Full Bio ↴Seemingly powered by pistons, gears, and rusty watch springs, Skeleton Key is a clanky but productive machine. Using ancient microphones, primitive guitars, and found objects, the band heaves with a unique rhythmic undertow yet has a knack for winsome, haunting melody. Their music "strips down, toughens up, picks up some debris, and gets an extra dose of rhythm" according to Jon Pareles of the The New York Times. Skeleton Key creates music both exotic and familiar, elegant yet crass, cerebral yet visceral. "It's luxurious, yet affordable" says bassist/singer Erik Sanko (ex of The Lounge Lizards, and collaborator with Yoko Ono, John Cale, and Gavin Friday, among others.)

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

Little Monster
Skeleton Key Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We'll I wasn't born in this diving bell
It wasn't there when the water broke
Now men canonize my cryptic frame
But I only feel like I'm going to choke

Little monster are you dreaming, is your head so full?
Little monster, don't you worry, you're so beautiful
And behind that sigh, what was amplified to death?

Well I wasn't born with a north or south
Only this threadbare human map
Now I've got a compass to get out
Out of this maze of lumps and flaps

Little monster are you dreaming, is your head so full?

Little monster, don't you worry, you're so beautiful
And behind that sigh, what was amplified to death?

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Skeleton Key's song Little Monster hint at a feeling of entrapment and discomfort. The diving bell metaphor suggests being stuck underwater, struggling to breathe. The singer wasn't born in this situation, but now feels suffocated and overwhelmed. The line "Now men canonize my cryptic frame" adds to the sense of isolation, as if the singer is being studied and analyzed by others. Despite this scrutiny, the singer still feels like they're "going to choke," emphasizing the emotional toll of feeling trapped and misunderstood.

The chorus introduces the titular "little monster," who is described as dreaming and beautiful. This could be interpreted as a message of hope amidst the singer's feelings of suffocation. The second line of the chorus also implies an understanding and empathy for the little monster's worries. The line "And behind that sigh, what was amplified to death?" could be seen as an acknowledgement of the little monster's pain and a call to dig deeper to understand it.

The second verse continues the theme of feeling lost and seeking a way out. The lack of a north or south suggests a lack of direction or purpose. The human map is "threadbare," implying a sense of weariness or vulnerability. However, there is still hope in the form of a compass to guide the way out of the "maze of lumps and flaps." The repetition of "little monster" in the chorus reinforces the idea that the two are connected and perhaps united in their struggle.

Line by Line Meaning

We'll I wasn't born in this diving bell
I didn't start my life trapped in this restrictive environment

It wasn't there when the water broke
This enclosed space is a recent addition

Now men canonize my cryptic frame
People celebrate my mysterious appearance

But I only feel like I'm going to choke
I feel overwhelmed and suffocated in this situation

Little monster are you dreaming, is your head so full?
Are you lost in your thoughts, dear child?

Little monster, don't you worry, you're so beautiful
Don't be concerned about your appearance, you are stunning just as you are

And behind that sigh, what was amplified to death?
What was the source of the intense emotion in that exhalation?

Well I wasn't born with a north or south
I'm not predisposed to any specific direction or path

Only this threadbare human map
All I have is a worn-out, imperfect guide to navigate life

Now I've got a compass to get out
But I have found a tool to help me escape

Out of this maze of lumps and flaps
Out of this confusing and difficult situation