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
The Needle Never Ends
Skeleton Key Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To pull, pull the poker from the fire
And see, see the sanguine connesuire
When he says "guess", "am I the killer or the cure?"
Because this time, is no time to make amends
When we shine, the needle never ends
Hippocrites is dead, and now
All the hedonists agree. They agree in love.
It's the love of alchemy.
Because this time, is no time to make amends
When we shine, the needle never ends
The lyrics of Skeleton Key's The Needle Never Ends are highly symbolic and open to interpretation. The song opens with the image of a taxidermy man conspiring, which can be seen as a metaphor for the manipulation of appearances and the creation of false facades. The line "pull, pull the poker from the fire" may represent the pulling away of something dangerous or harmful. The sanguine connoisseur, who may be a collector of blood or a lover of all things bloody, asks the question "guess, am I the killer or the cure?" which suggests a sense of duality in his intentions.
The chorus of the song, "Because this time is no time to make amends when we shine, the needle never ends," appears to be a commentary on the relentless pursuit of pleasure and the fear of dying without having fully lived. The needle is often associated with drug use, and the idea that it never ends suggests that there will always be more to chase, more to experience. The final verse introduces the idea of alchemy, the ancient practice of turning base metals into gold. This may be seen as a metaphor for transformation, growth, or the pursuit of the impossible.
Overall, The Needle Never Ends is a complex and thought-provoking song that touches on themes of deception, mortality, pleasure, and transformation.
Line by Line Meaning
Watch, the taxedermy man conspire
Observe as the taxidermist man plots something nefarious
To pull, pull the poker from the fire
To remove the hot poker from the fire with force
And see, see the sanguine connesuire
Notice the enthusiastic expert in his field
When he says "guess", "am I the killer or the cure?"
When he poses the question, "Am I the source of the problem or the solution?"
Because this time, is no time to make amends
There is no opportunity for reconciliation now
When we shine, the needle never ends
When we triumph, our success seems to continue perpetually
From a vial of poison thread and rumours
Derived from a concoction of poisonous stories and hearsay
Hippocrites is dead, and now
The hypocrite is deceased, and at present
All the hedonists agree. They agree in love.
All the pleasure-seekers share a common passion
It's the love of alchemy.
It is the affection for transforming things into gold
Contributed by Muhammad V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
elecktrikmoon
you guys are awesome, I saw you play in oregon. you sounded like the album but better, so much energy.