Their line-up has rotated much over the past couple of decades, with husband and wife Lux Interior and Poison Ivy--the lead singer and lead guitarist, respectively--as the only permanent members.
Lux picked up Ivy when he was driving on the highway. Ivy had raised her hand for an auto stop, Lux stopped his car and ...fate brought them together.
They were part of the early CBGB's punk rock movement that had emerged in New York, although they had formed several years earlier in California. The band is credited as a prominent factor in terms of influence on the gothabilly genre.
Their sound was heavily influenced by early rockabilly and proto-rock'n'roll like Link Wray and Hasil Adkins, 1960s surf music acts such as The Ventures, The Surfaris and Dick Dale, 1960s garage rock artists like The Standells, The Gants, The Trashmen, The Green Fuz and The Sonics, as well as the post-glam/early punk scene from which they emerged. They also were influenced to a degree by The Ramones as well as Screamin' Jay Hawkins, who is often credited for having pioneered their style of theatrical horror-blues.
On February 4, 2009, Lux Interior died of a pre-existing heart condition at the age of 62.
Discography:
Albums & EPs:
Gravest Hits
Songs The Lord Taught Us
Psychedelic Jungle
A Date with Elvis
Stay Sick!
Look Mom No Head!
Blues Fix
Flamejob
Big Beat from Badsville
Fiends of Dope Island
Live albums:
Smell of Female
Rockin n Reelin in Auckland New Zealand
Singles:
"Surfin' Bird" / "The Way I Walk" "Human Fly" / "Domino" "Fever" / "Garbageman" "Garbageman" / "TV Set" "Garbageman" / "Drug Train" "Drug Train" "Goo Goo Muck" "The Crusher" "Faster Pussycat" "I Ain't Nuthin' But a Gorehound" "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?" "What's Inside a Girl?" "Kizmiaz" "Get Off the Road" "Bikini Girls with Machine Guns" "All Women Are Bad" "Creature from the Black Leather Lagoon" "Eyeball in My Martini" "Let's Get Fucked Up" / "How Come You Do Me?" "Ultra Twist!" "Naked Girl Falling Down the Stairs" "Like a Bad Girl Should" "Big Black Witchcraft Rock"
Compilations
...Off the Bone Bad Music for Bad People How to Make a Monster The Secret Life of the Cramps
Shortnin' Bread
The Cramps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mammas little baby loves shortnin, shortnin,
Mammas little baby loves shortnin bread.
Mammas little baby loves shortnin, shortnin,
Mammas little baby loves shortnin bread.
Three little children layin in the bed.
Two were sick and the other most dead.
"Feed those children on shortnin bread."
Mammas little baby loves shortnin, shortnin,
Mammas little baby loves shortnin bread.
Mammas little baby loves shortnin, shortnin,
Mammas little baby loves shortnin bread.
When those children layin in the bed
Heard that talk about shortnin bread,
They popped up well and started to sing,
Skipping round the room doing the pigeon wing.
Mammas little baby loves shortnin, shortnin,
Mammas little baby loves shortnin bread.
Mammas little baby loves shortnin, shortnin,
Mammas little baby loves shortnin bread.
Put on the skillet! Put on the lid!
Mammas going to make some shortnin bread.
Thats not all shes going to do,
Mammas going to cook us some cocoa too!
Mammas little baby loves shortnin, shortnin,
Mammas little baby loves shortnin bread.
Mammas little baby loves shortnin, shortnin,
Mammas little baby loves shortnin bread.
I snuck to the kitchen, picked up the lid,
I filled my pockets full of shortnin bread.
I winked at the pretty little girl and said,
"Baby, howd you like some shortnin bread?"
Mammas little baby loves shortnin, shortnin,
Mammas little baby loves shortnin bread.
Mammas little baby loves shortnin, shortnin,
Mammas little baby loves shortnin bread.
Got caught with the skillet. Got caught with the lid.
Got caught with my mouth full of shortnin bread.
Six months for the skillet, six months for the lid
And five for stealing that fine bread
"Shortnin' Bread" is a traditional song that has been covered by numerous artists, including The Cramps. The song is about the love for shortening bread of a little baby, and it has a catchy tune that can easily stick in your head. However, the lyrics reveal a darker side of the story. The song tells the tale of three sick children who are given shortning bread by the doctor as a cure. Once they hear about the bread, they immediately pop up, start singing, and dancing around the room. The song concludes with the singer stealing the bread and being punished for it with imprisonment.
One interpretation of the song is that it is a commentary on poverty and the desperation that can come with it. The use of shortening bread as a cure suggests that it was all the family could afford. The fact that the children immediately become well after eating the bread highlights the power of food and how important it is in combating illness. The punishment at the end of the song suggests that stealing, perhaps out of necessity, is also a crime.
Another interpretation could be that the song is a reflection of the African American experience during times of slavery. Shortening bread was a staple of slaves' diets, and the song's lyrics suggest that it was an expression of their limited options for food. The joy and excitement of the children after hearing about the shortening bread could be seen as an act of defiance in the face of injustice and hardship.
Line by Line Meaning
Mammas little baby loves shortnin, shortnin,
Mama's little baby craves shortbread
Mammas little baby loves shortnin bread.
Mama's little baby adores shortbread
Three little children layin' in the bed.
Three children are in bed
Two were sick and the other most dead.
Two of them are sick and the other is nearly dead
Sent for the doctor, the doctor said,
Sent for the doctor, who told them
"Feed those children on shortnin bread."
"Feed those children shortbread."
When those children layin' in the bed
When the children in the bed heard
Heard that talk about shortnin bread,
About the talk of shortbread,
They popped up well and started to sing,
The children felt better and started to sing,
Skipping round the room doing the pigeon wing.
Skipping around the room and dancing
Put on the skillet! Put on the lid!
Put the skillet on the stove!
Mammas going to make some shortnin bread.
Mama is going to make some shortbread
Thats not all shes going to do,
That's not all she's going to make
Mammas going to cook us some cocoa too!
Mama will also make some cocoa for the children
I snuck to the kitchen, picked up the lid,
I went to the kitchen, and took the lid from the pot
I filled my pockets full of shortnin bread.
I put lots of shortbread in my pockets.
I winked at the pretty little girl and said,
I winked at a cute girl and said,
"Baby, howd you like some shortnin bread?"
"How would you like some shortbread?"
Got caught with the skillet. Got caught with the lid.
They got caught with the pot and lid
Got caught with my mouth full of shortnin bread.
They got caught while eating shortbread
Six months for the skillet, six months for the lid
Six months in jail for taking the pot and lid
And five for stealing that fine bread
Plus five more months for stealing the delicious bread.
Contributed by Michael Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.