The Dickies were amongst the first punk rock bands to emerge from Los Angel… Read Full Bio ↴The Dickies were amongst the first punk rock bands to emerge from Los Angeles, and the first California punk band to be signed to a major record label and appear on network television.

The Dickies' style was campy and humorous with obvious influences from the Ramones. They were extremely popular in the UK and had a top 10 hit with "Banana Splits (Tra La La Song)" in 1979; oddly enough, many of their lyrics were about aspects of Southern California life not easily decipherable to those unfamiliar with the region, in songs like "Waterslide", "I'm A Chollo", "Manny, Moe and Jack", and "(I'm Stuck in a Pagoda with) Tricia Toyota", which is about a local TV news anchorwoman.

Drug problems slowed them down considerably in the 1980s, but they have continued playing and recording sporadically to the present day. In 1988 they did the theme music for the cult classic movie Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

Former Dickies guitarist Steven Fryette, who laughingly claims to have been one of the few who "survived" being in The Dickies, now designs and manufactures guitar amplifiers from his FRYETTE Amplification studios in Burbank, California. His FRYETTE (formerly VHT) amps are known worldwide, and have been used by many of today's top Heavy Metal and Rock touring acts, including Helmet, Danzig, Prong, Children Of Bodom, and many others.

Cross Eyed Tammy
The Dickies Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

doesn't have a boy to call her own
nobody to call her on the phone
you can always see the sun in her eyes
and her mammaries are twice their size
tammy's so cross-eyed to me
you can take her out upon the town
she'll be looking up while looking around
if you've had enough than take her home

take her back into the twilight zone
in her sweater she looks better

and i think you'll find
cross-eyed tammy's got a lot on her mind

Overall Meaning

The Dickies's song Cross-Eyed Tammy is about a woman named Tammy who does not have a man in her life to call her own. She does not have anyone to call on the phone either. Tammy is always happy and you can see the sun in her eyes, but her breasts are twice their size. The lyrics suggest that Tammy's breasts are a defining characteristic for her.

Tammy's cross-eyed gaze is mentioned in the song's chorus, "tammy's so cross-eyed to me." The lyrics detail that when taking Tammy out on the town, she would be looking up while simultaneously looking around. This quirk of hers may be seen as endearing or strange depending on the listener's interpretation.

The song's outro mentions that in her sweater, Tammy looks better, and that she has a lot on her mind. It is unclear what Tammy is thinking about, but the lyrics suggest that there is more to her than meets the eye.

Overall, the song seems to serve as a character study of Tammy, highlighting both her physical attributes and unique behavior.

Line by Line Meaning

doesn't have a boy to call her own
Tammy doesn't have a significant other

nobody to call her on the phone
Tammy doesn't receive phone calls from anyone

you can always see the sun in her eyes
Tammy's eyes are always wide open, shining and noticeable

and her mammaries are twice their size
Tammy has a large bust

tammy's so cross-eyed to me
Tammy appears to be cross-eyed to the singer

you can take her out upon the town
Tammy can be taken out for a night on the town

she'll be looking up while looking around
Tammy's cross-eyes cause her to be looking up and around simultaneously

if you've had enough than take her home
If the person accompanying Tammy has had enough, they can take her home

take her back into the twilight zone
Taking Tammy home is compared to entering the twilight zone; an eerie and unsettling place

in her sweater she looks better
Tammy looks better while wearing a sweater