The Mummies are a garage rock band from San Bruno, California, with influen… Read Full Bio ↴The Mummies are a garage rock band from San Bruno, California, with influences of surf rock, 1950s and 1960s garage rock bands such as The Sonics and more contemporary garage punk bands as Thee Mighty Caesars. Their first show was at the Chi Chi club in San Francisco in December of 1988. The Mummies are especially known for their matching mummy costumes they wore on stage and their impertinent attitude that they brought with them. They have also been known for releasing their music only on vinyl for many years, but have finally given in to the CD format in the 2000s.

Most of the band's equipment was purchased from thrift shops, and the band was known for stealing things out of clubs that didn't pay or treat them well. They often toured their native California in a vintage 1950s ambulance converted to a band "van" (the car was the same model as the Ghostbuster's). Their albums were recorded in their homes in a pre-digital age, mixing everything live and using no computers or dubbing of any kind.

One by One
The Mummies Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Beg for the fire

Then you ran outside

To light you hand rolled cigarette

And watched our home burn

You were running wild

And thats in your nature

It’s not my cup of tea

No babe it ain’t me

Did you know that I wanted to

Did you know that I wanted you

Give me one more chance

Don’t rush away

In your eyes when I look at you

Like the sun meets the morning dew

Makes me somehow feel

Less far away

Sentimental things can break me

Falling from the tree that made me

Give me one more chance to comfort you

One more chance to show you it can be cool

Its all about you

Did you know that I wanted to

Did you do what I couldn’t do

Give me one more chance

To feel the day

Deep in my heart if I know it’s true

It’s in my soul and I know it’s you

Swimming through my veins

My novocain

Sentimental things can break me

Falling from the tree that made me

Give me one more chance to comfort you

One more chance to show you it can be cool

Its all about you

Did you know that I wanted to

Did you do what I couldn’t do

Give me one more chance

Did you know that I wanted to

Did you do what I couldn’t do

Give me one more chance

Overall Meaning

The Mummies’s song One by One tells a story of a tumultuous relationship between two people. The first verse tells the story of a fire that destroyed their home. The singer accuses the other person of being wild and reckless, and laments that it’s not something they can handle. Nonetheless, the singer desires to reconcile with the other person, urging them not to leave and promising to comfort them. In the chorus, the singer continues to plead for another chance, revealing their deep feelings and connection to the other person.

The second verse depicts the fragility of the singer’s emotions, which can be easily broken by sentimental things. They want to show the other person that they can be cool and make things work between them. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the singer’s plea for another chance to be with the other person.

Overall, the lyrics of One by One paint a picture of a troubled relationship where the singer is trying to hold on to a deep connection with someone whom they admire but struggle to understand.

Line by Line Meaning

Beg for the fire
You asked for trouble

Then you ran outside
You fled the scene

To light you hand rolled cigarette
To indulge in your vice

And watched our home burn
While our world went up in flames

You were running wild
You were out of control

And thats in your nature
It's just who you are

It’s not my cup of tea
It's not my thing

No babe it ain’t me
It's not who I am

Did you know that I wanted to
I desired your company

Did you know that I wanted you
My affection was for you

Give me one more chance
Let me try again