Suburban Lawns began in Long Beach, California in 1978, started as "The Fab… Read Full Bio ↴Suburban Lawns began in Long Beach, California in 1978, started as "The Fabulons" or "Art Attack" (two were CalArts students). Their big hit was called "Gidget Goes To Hell" released in 1979 on their own indpendent Suburban Industrial Records. "Janitor" was another hit.

The five members were: Su Tissue (Sue McLane), Vex Billingsgate (William Ranson), John Gleur (John McBurney), Frankie Ennui (Richard Whitney) and Chuck Roast (Charles Rodriguez).

Pioneers
Suburban Lawns Lyrics

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Flatten it
Slap 'em up
Pack 'em in

Lost pioneers
Consuming new frontiers

Stand 'em up

Then knock 'em down
Your hopes, your dreams, your desires
Technology for leisure hours
Time to waste, waste, waste, waste

Lost pioneers
Exploring new frontiers

I would rather be sorry than safe
But the price is going up, up, up, up

Lost pioneers
Consuming new frontiers

Make it
Spend it
You earned it
Why not burn it?

I would rather be sorry than safe
But the price is going up, up, up, up

Lost pioneers
Consuming new frontiers

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Suburban Lawns' song "Pioneers" speaks about the consumption culture of the society and the consequences of our actions. The repetition of phrases like "flatten it, slap 'em up, pack 'em in" and "stand 'em up, then knock 'em down" gives an impression of a ruthless assembly line, indicating the barren commercialization of the environment, where everything is reduced to a mere commodity to be consumed. The term “Lost Pioneers" in the lyrics refer to the people who mindlessly consume the new 'frontiers' without paying attention to what they are leaving behind or destroying.

The lines "I would rather be sorry than safe" serve as a commentary on the mentality of instant gratification and the consequences that come later. The song implies that we are always trying to consume new things without considering the degradation of the environment or our future consequences. The lines "technology for leisure hours" and "time to waste" brings out a critical thought of how humanity is adapting to the machine age, sacrificing our natural surroundings for the sake of technology.

Line by Line Meaning

Flatten it
Destroy everything that stands in your way

Slap 'em up
Use any means necessary to control others

Pack 'em in
Cram as many people as possible into small spaces for profit

Lost pioneers
People who once sought new horizons but became trapped in destructive cycles

Consuming new frontiers
The constant need for more, pushing forward without regard for consequences

Stand 'em up
Manipulate and use people for personal gain

Then knock 'em down
Discard people when they are no longer useful

Your hopes, your dreams, your desires
The things that make us human, yet are often sacrificed for material gain

Technology for leisure hours
The shallow pursuits that distract us from our societal and environmental issues

Time to waste, waste, waste, waste
The precious resource that is squandered on these distractions

I would rather be sorry than safe
A willingness to take risks and face consequences rather than live a stagnant life