The band tour the U.S. frequently in a renovated vintage Green Tortoise bus, and their live performances have featured puppet shows, pseudo-scientific scholarly presentations, and performances by members of the Butoh group inkBoat. SGM's music has been categorized as anything from avant-prog to art rock to experimental metal to RIO (Rock In Opposition). Many reviewers have remarked that the group is altogether unclassifiable.
The band uses many homemade devices as instruments, such as the viking row-boat and the spring-nail guitar. Rathbun plays a stringed bass instrument of his own construction called The Log which uses piano strings and is perhaps 7 feet long; it is played with two sticks: one in the left hand generally used as a fret, another in the right hand striking the strings. Mellender's percussion instruments consist of restaurant kitchen equipment, trash can lids, and other "found" metal objects, in addition to traditional percussion instruments.
They've announced their imminent end, as their last concerts will be held early April around California. But 2011 will still see a new album, a movie and a live DVD.
Cockroach
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be done with your miniscule affairs
O hungry creeping speck
I release you from your cares Be gone Roach!
You live on carrion That's outrageous
You're probably contagious
Blind crippled and half-squashed
And yet you carry on
I could never find myself trusting
A creature that would rather live in the trash than in the lawn
Cockroach your problems are not mine
I love life but with you I draw the line
Not to flaunt my superior design
But next to you I'm practically divine
Cockroach your problems are not mine
The lyrics of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum's song "Cockroach" convey a message of superiority and disdain towards the titular insect. The first stanza begins with addressing the cockroach as a "loathsome crawling thing" and encourages it to move on from its "miniscule affairs." The lyrics then describe the cockroach as a "hungry creeping speck" and release it from its cares. The chorus urges the cockroach to be gone, asserting that "your problems are not mine."
The second stanza continues the negative portrayal of the cockroach, labeling it as a creature that lives on carrion and may be contagious. Despite being "blind crippled and half-squashed," the cockroach retains its persistence, which is described as "disgusting." The lyrics criticize the cockroach's choice to live in the trash rather than in the lawn, and the singer declares that they could never trust such a creature. The final lines of the song reiterate the separation between the singer and the cockroach, asserting that while the singer loves life, they draw the line at the cockroach.
Overall, the lyrics of "Cockroach" focus on portraying the cockroach as an inferior and repulsive creature. The song uses strong language and imagery to create a sense of disgust and superiority towards the insect.
Line by Line Meaning
O loathsome crawling thing
Oh disgusting creature that crawls on the ground
Be done with your miniscule affairs
Finish your insignificant tasks and leave me alone
O hungry creeping speck
Oh small and sinister creature that sneaks around looking for food
I release you from your cares Be gone Roach!
I don't care about your problems, leave now roach!
You live on carrion That's outrageous
You survive by eating dead and decaying things, which is disgusting
You're probably contagious
You might spread diseases
Blind crippled and half-squashed
You're damaged and deformed
And yet you carry on
Despite your deformities, you continue living
Your persistence is disgusting
Your determination to survive despite all odds is disgusting
I could never find myself trusting
I would never trust a creature like you
A creature that would rather live in the trash than in the lawn
You would rather survive in the filth of the garbage than in the clean and safe lawn
Cockroach your problems are not mine
I don't care about your issues, they're not my concern
I love life but with you I draw the line
I value life, but I cannot tolerate you
Not to flaunt my superior design
I'm not trying to show off, but I'm a better creature than you
But next to you I'm practically divine
Compared to you, I'm almost godlike
Cockroach your problems are not mine
Once again, I don't care about your problems
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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