The Dead Milkmen are a satirical punk rock band that formed in Philadelphia… Read Full Bio ↴The Dead Milkmen are a satirical punk rock band that formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band's best known lineup consisted of Joe Jack Talcum (Joe Genaro; guitar, vocals), Dave Blood (Dave Schulthise; bass), Dean Clean (Dean Sabatino; drums), and Rodney Anonymous (Rodney Linderman; vocals, synth). The original version of the band formed in 1980 around Genaro's songwriting (a predominantly acoustic and often satirical take on New Wave Punk Rock) when he was seventeen; Genaro produced several home tapes as The Dead Milkmen, sometimes with other members credited (occasionally bootlegs or mp3's of these tapes surface). In 1983, the band was re-formed with Schulthise and Sabatino, and lastly vocals were handed over to their friend Rodney Linderman, forming the classic line-up.

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.

My Many Smells
The Dead Milkmen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sometimes I smell like a barrel of rotting fruit
Stinking up the jungle under the hot tropical sun
Other times I smell like thick black swamp-water
Backed into your toilet on a warm summer day

These are a few of my many smells
Won't you come and smell me?
Won't you share my stench?

Won't you come and smell me?
Won't you share my stench?

Once I smelled just like the bathroom
After Grandma'd used it and she's been eating prunes
Other times I smell like a city garbage strike
When all the horseflies grow to 3 inches long

These are a few of my many smells
Won't you come and smell me?
Won't you share my stench?
Won't you come and smell me?
Won't you share my stench?

Sometimes I smell just like death itself
A sickening sweet smell
It can really make you ill

Smell me
Smell me
Smell me
Smell me
See me
Hear me
Touch me
Smell me
Smell me
Smell me

Smell me
Smell me

Overall Meaning

The Dead Milkmen's song My Many Smells is a humorous and playful exploration of the various odors that can emanate from human beings. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the different scents that the singer can produce, ranging from the pungent aroma of rotting fruit to the sickening sweetness of death. The song takes a lighthearted approach to the topic of personal hygiene and invites listeners to join the singer in embracing their unique olfactory characteristics.

The first verse of the song describes the singer's smell as being reminiscent of a barrel of rotting fruit, an image that evokes the lush, sweltering heat of a tropical jungle. In the second line, the smell is described as "stinking up the jungle," indicating that it is strong and overpowering. The second half of the verse describes the singer's smell as that of "thick black swamp-water," a smell that is equally unpleasant and evocative of murky, stagnant water. The imagery in this verse is striking and vivid, creating a vivid sensory experience for the listener.

The second verse continues in a similar vein, with the singer describing smells that are equally off-putting and humorous. The reference to Grandma's use of the bathroom after eating prunes is particularly amusing, as is the description of a "city garbage strike" and "three-inch long horseflies." Throughout the song, the singer's voice is playful and mischievous, inviting the listener to join in the fun of exploring the different smells that our bodies can produce.

Line by Line Meaning

Sometimes I smell like a barrel of rotting fruit
Occasionally I have a putrid odor resembling the stench emanating from a container filled with decaying fruit, permeating through the hot rainforest environment.

Stinking up the jungle under the hot tropical sun
My stench is wafting throughout the jungle, filling the air with a revolting scent, due to the hot and humid climate.

Other times I smell like thick black swamp-water
At other times, I give off a scent similar to the foul-smelling, stagnant water in a murky swamp.

Backed into your toilet on a warm summer day
My smell is akin to raw sewage and the malodorous stink of a hot, humid summer day, trapped inside your commode.

These are a few of my many smells
These are just some examples of the diverse aromas that I produce.

Won't you come and smell me?
Would you mind taking a whiff of my various odors?

Won't you share my stench?
Will you indulge in the putrid fragrance that emanates from me?

Once I smelled just like the bathroom
At one time, I had an aroma that resembled the unpleasant smell of a bathroom.

After Grandma'd used it and she's been eating prunes
My scent was reminiscent of a bathroom after my grandmother consumed prunes and utilized the facilities.

Other times I smell like a city garbage strike
On other occasions, my scent is similar to the putrid odor of garbage in a city during a sanitation workers' strike.

When all the horseflies grow to 3 inches long
During this time, the stench from the garbage is so fetid that even the insects have grown to a considerable size.

Sometimes I smell just like death itself
I give off an odor that resembles death, putrefaction, and decay.

A sickening sweet smell
This particular scent is both cloying and nauseating in its overpowering sweetness.

It can really make you ill
This fragrance has the potential to make you sick with its noxiousness.

Smell me
I implore you to give me a sniff.

See me
Behold my form and scent.

Hear me
Listen to my request to experience my diverse fragrances.

Touch me
Come closer and experience my odors through your sense of touch and smell.

Smell me
Once again, I encourage you to take a whiff of me.

Smell me
I insist that you take a second sniff of my various aromas.

Smell me
For the third time, I request that you experience my many scents.

Smell me
I implore you once more to take a whiff of the diverse smells I produce.

Smell me
I encourage you to continue smelling me and experiencing my various aromas.