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

Scratch
Skeleton Key Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

This is my volcano. And this is how the top blows.
Smoke comes out of it's nose.
Sit back, and watch it explode.

This is my. This is my. This is my. Safety match.
Put the red head to the rough spot and scratch.

This is how I burned down. The best idea that I found.

The paper doll curled in pain. The last ash left with the rain.

This is my. This is my. This is my. Safety match.

Put the red head to the rough spot and scratch.
And scratch. And scratch.

Overall Meaning

In "Scratch" by Skeleton Key, the lyrics speak to the feeling of potentially explosive emotions building inside the singer. Describing his emotions as a volcano about to blow, the lyrics emphasize the smoke that comes out of its nose, suggesting the intensity of the upcoming burst. The lyrics tell us to watch it explode, again indicating the potential danger of uncontrolled emotions.

The song then introduces the idea of a safety match - a way to control and navigate intense emotions without causing harm. The words suggest striking the match and watching it burn, using it as a metaphor for letting emotions express themselves without causing damage. However, the lyrics acknowledge that sometimes even with the safety of a match, things can still burn down. The image of a paper doll curling in pain is a poignant representation of the damage that intense emotions can cause. Ultimately, the pain and destruction leave only the last ash, in this case, washing away in the rain.

Line by Line Meaning

This is my volcano. And this is how the top blows.
This is my intense emotional state that is about to erupt, causing chaos and destruction.

Smoke comes out of it's nose.
The signs of my internal turmoil are becoming apparent to others.

Sit back, and watch it explode.
There's nothing anyone can do to stop this meltdown, so they might as well buckle up and observe the wreckage.

This is my. This is my. This is my. Safety match.
I possess the tools for self-destruction or self-preservation, and how I use them is up to me.

Put the red head to the rough spot and scratch.
If I intentionally create friction or ignite conflicts, I risk setting off a chain reaction that could ignite something much larger and uncontrollable.

This is how I burned down. The best idea that I found.
My previous attempts at self-sabotage have led to catastrophic outcomes, despite being presented as viable solutions at the time.

The paper doll curled in pain. The last ash left with the rain.
The emotional distress and damage caused by these actions are irreparable and haunt me like a ruined and forgotten memory.

And scratch. And scratch.
Repeatedly engaging in destructive behavior ultimately leads to an unsustainable and increasingly volatile state that will inevitably end in disaster.

Contributed by David Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS