The band was formed in January 1985 by Daniel House and Jack Endino. Ben McMillan and Matt Cameron later joined the band in the same year. Skin Yard played its first show in June 1985 and opened for the U-Men. Skin Yard was featured on the Deep Six compilation. This album featured the first commercial recordings of Green River, Melvins, Soundgarden, Malfunkshun, and Skin Yard. In 1987, Skin Yard released their first single and debut self title LP. Matt Cameron left the band in June 1986 and joined Soundgarden in September. He was replaced by Steve Wied, but he only lasted two shows. Future Mother Love Bone drummer Greg Gilmor replaced Wied but he too only lasted two shows.
In the fall Jason Finn (later of The Presidents of the United States of America) joined Skin Yard. Jason left after eight months for personal reasons. Scott McCullum filled the vacancy in May 1987. He lasted two years and left after a U.S. tour that was quoted as being "the tour from hell". Skin Yard took a fourteen month hiatus and when Barrett Martin joined the band they started playing again.
In March 1991, Daniel House quit the band because he had just become a father and wanted to spend time with his family. He was replaced by Pat Pederson who stayed with the band until their breakup. The band had decided to break up after recording their 5th album.
Ben McMillan and Scott McCullum had started the band Gruntruck prior to the break up. Pat Pederson and Barret Martin worked with Jack Endino in Endino's Earthworm. Daniel House is now head of C/Z Records. Barrett Martin played with Screaming Trees until their breakup. Martin also worked with Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley and Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready in Mad Season, Peter Buck of R.E.M. and even toured with R.E.M.
Words on Bone
Skin Yard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You say you want to start something new
And it's breaking my heart, you're leaving
Baby I'm greaving
But if you want to leave, take good care
Hope you have a lot of nice things to wear
But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there
Oh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh baby baby, it's a wild world
I'll always remember you like a child, girl
You know I've seen a lot of what the world can do
And it's breaking my heart in two
Because I never want to see you sad, girl
Don't be a bad girl
But if you want to leave take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad
And beware, beware
Oh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh baby baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
Baby I love you
But if you want to leave take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad
And beware
Oh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile, yeah
Oh baby baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
Oh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile, yeah
Oh baby baby, it's a wild world
The song "Words on Bone" by Skin Yard speaks about the pain and heartache that comes with losing someone that you love. The opening lines express the singer's feelings of devastation after losing everything to the person he loved. The person who has left him now wants to start something new, and he acknowledges that it's breaking his heart as he grieves the relationship's end. He then sends them off, hoping that they take good care of themselves and wear nice things, aware that things can turn bad outside.
The chorus then makes a statement on the difficulties of living in the world, often feeling like a wild place. Despite that, he hopes that he will always remember her as a child. The singer then sadly notes that he has seen a lot of what the world can do and just wants her not to be a bad girl. The hopefulness of the chorus comes in again, but with a warning to beware while she is out there making friends. The song ends with him expressing his feelings and wishing her well while emphasising that he will always love her.
Line by Line Meaning
Now that I've lost everything to you
I've given you everything and now you're leaving me
You say you want to start something new
You're saying you want to move on and start a new life
And it's breaking my heart, you're leaving
Your departure is causing my heart to break
Baby I'm grieving
I'm in mourning over the loss of our relationship
But if you want to leave, take good care
If you're going to go, take care of yourself
Hope you have a lot of nice things to wear
I hope you have plenty of good clothes to wear
But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there
But sometimes nice things can turn bad
Oh baby baby, it's a wild world
The world is a crazy and unpredictable place
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
It's tough to survive on just a positive attitude
I'll always remember you like a child, girl
I'll remember you fondly, like the innocent girl I first met
You know I've seen a lot of what the world can do
I've experienced firsthand how cruel the world can be
And it's breaking my heart in two
It's devastating me to witness you going through this
Because I never want to see you sad, girl
I don't ever want to see you unhappy
Don't be a bad girl
Don't get into trouble
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
I hope you meet many good people in your new life
But just remember there's a lot of bad
But be mindful that there is also a lot of bad in the world
And beware, beware
Be careful, be cautious
Baby I love you
I still love you very much
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
No matter what, I'll always see you as the young girl I first knew
Contributed by Maya W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Zombiepizza88
the type of music to listen to on the way to work.