The Dead Milkmen's songs found moderate success on alternative and college radio stations. Videos, notably Punk Rock Girl, even found their way onto MTV in the late 1980s. Topics for their music include satire on the 1980s music scene, toxic waste, jellyfish afterlifes, UFOs, conspiracy theories, and cover bands.
Irreverent absurdity fueled their initial popularity, particularly among college DJs. However, this genre was somewhat abandoned with the 1992 release of Soul Rotation, a much more subtle album.
After the Dead Milkmen went on indefinite hiatus in 1994, Genaro and Sabatino formed a new band, Butterfly Joe. Sabatino was also in the punk rock bands Narthex, Big Mess Orchestra, and Hunger Artists. Genaro was in a band called Touch Me Zoo. Linderman was in a band called Burn Witch Burn. Schulthise left music in the early 1990s after developing tendonitis, preventing him from playing bass, and committed suicide in 2004.
The Dead Milkmen took the stage again for two consecutive nights in November 2004 at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia to play a show in memory of Dave Schulthise. Proceeds were donated to a variety of mental health organizations and to a Serbian monastery that Schulthise supported.
The band reunited in 2008 and released a new album (The King in Yellow) in 2011.
Born to Love Volcanos
The Dead Milkmen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seen em on PBS
Born to love volcanos
My apartment is a mess
Somewhere under that pile of clothes
Lies a whole $10 bill
Telephones are ringing
In a land called PBS
In a land called PBS
Maybe she loves volcanos too
I'll just have to take a guess
She looks like a little volcano
With her red hair and brown dress
Born to love volcanos (x7)
Volcanos, volcanos, volcanos, volcanos
Born to love volcanos
Seen em on PBS
Born to love volcanos
This city is a mess
Somewhere on a steam vent
Sits a man without a home
Tribute to Carl Sagan
Tonight on PBS
Alistair Cooke is beggin'
Tonight on PBS
Maybe he needs my money more
Than a man without a home
He wants to make a documentary
On the footwear of ancient Rome
Born to love volcanos (x8)
Volcanos, volcanos, volcanos, volcanos
Born to love volcanos
Seen em on PBS
Born to love volcanos
This country is a mess
Every 2 minutes a girl gets pregnant
Cause no one gives them the facts
Intellectuals are phoning
To a land called PBS
Some old man is droning
In a land called PBS
Maybe he needs my money
More than a bunch of pregnant teens
A toll-free number to call in my money
Appears upon my screen
Born to love volcanos (x8)
Volcanos, volcanos, volcanos, volcanos
Born to love volcanos
In The Dead Milkmen’s “Born to Love Volcanos” song, the singer is someone who is passionate about volcanos and has seen them on PBS. The song is a commentary on the state of our world, which is chaotic and messy, even though society is advanced. The singer looks around his apartment, which is unkempt, and sees a possibility of finding money, plunged beneath a heap of clothing.
The song paints a picture of a nation in disarray. Phones are ringing incessantly as the PBS requires donations. Meanwhile, the overweight woman is singing, who the singer says resembles a mini-volcano with her red hair and brown dress. The chorus “Born to love volcanos” seems to refer to the singer’s love for volcanos and connects the chaotic and disorderly aspect of the environment with the imagery of a volcano's power.
“Born to Love Volcanos” is less about volcanos themselves and more about how the singer chooses a different perspective in life wherein he is passive about everything going on around him. The song is an ode to powerful nature, along with how people can be oblivious to the issues and careless towards society. It is a critique of people who disregard the norms and just want to live their life without societal obligations.
Line by Line Meaning
Born to love volcanos
I have a natural inclination towards volcanic activity
Seen em on PBS
I have seen documentaries about volcanoes on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
My apartment is a mess
My living space is disordered and untidy
Somewhere under that pile of clothes
There is a ten-dollar bill lying hidden beneath a heap of garments
Telephones are ringing
There are many phone calls coming in
In a land called PBS
On the television channel known as Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
Fat lady is singing
A heavy-set woman is performing
Maybe she loves volcanos too
Perhaps she shares my interest in volcanoes
She looks like a little volcano
Her appearance is reminiscent of volcanic activity with her red hair and brown dress
Born to love volcanos (x7)
I have a deep-seated passion for volcanic eruptions
This city is a mess
My urban environment is in a state of disarray
Somewhere on a steam vent
There is a homeless man sitting on a vent emitting steam
Tribute to Carl Sagan
A program honoring the life and work of Carl Sagan is being aired
Alistair Cooke is beggin'
A request for monetary donations is being made by Alistair Cooke
Maybe he needs my money more
It is possible that my financial contribution would be of greater benefit to Alistair Cooke than to the homeless man
He wants to make a documentary
He has an interest in producing a film about ancient Roman footwear
Every 2 minutes a girl gets pregnant
A teenage girl becomes pregnant every two minutes due to a lack of sexual education
Intellectuals are phoning
Educated individuals are calling into the television station
Some old man is droning
An elderly man is speaking monotonously
Maybe he needs my money
Perhaps this elderly man could benefit from my monetary donation
A toll-free number to call in my money
A free-of-charge phone number is being provided for me to make a donation
Born to love volcanos (x8)
My passion for volcanoes is a defining aspect of my personality
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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