Allmusic had this to say about the Residents: "Over the course of a recording career spanning several decades, the Residents remained a riddle of Sphinx-like proportions; cloaking their lives and music in a haze of willful obscurity, the band's members never identified themselves by name, always appearing in public in disguise -- usually tuxedos, top hats and giant eyeball masks -- and refusing to grant media interviews. Drawing inspiration from the likes of fellow innovators including Harry Partch, Sun Ra, and Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, the Residents channelled the breadth of American music into their idiosyncratic, satiric vision, their mercurial blend of electronics, distortion, avant-jazz, classical symphonies and gratingly nasal vocals reinterpreting everyone from John Philip Sousa to James Brown while simultaneously expanding the boundaries of theatrical performance and multimedia interaction.
It was commonly accepted that the four-member group emigrated to San Francisco, California from Shreveport, Louisiana at some point in the early '70s. According to longtime group spokesman Jay Clem -- one member of the so-called Cryptic Corporation, the band's representative body -- they received their name when Warner Bros. mailed back their anonymous demo tape, addressed simply "for the attention of residents". Finding no takers for their oddball sounds, the Residents founded their own label, Ralph Records, for the purposes of issuing their 1972 debut "Santa Dog", released in a pressing of 300 copies which were mailed out to luminaries from Frank Zappa to President Richard Nixon. Their debut full-length, 1974's "Meet the Residents", reportedly sold fewer than 50 copies before the group was threatened with a lawsuit from Capitol Records over its cover, a twisted, dada-esque parody of the art to "Meet the Beatles".
The follow-up, 1974's neoclassical excursion "Not Available", was recorded with the intention of its music remaining unissued; locked in cold storage upon its completion, only a 1978 contractual obligation resulted in its eventual release. 1976's "The Third Reich 'N Roll" was the next official offering, a collection of pop oldies covers presented in a controversial jacket portraying Adolf Hitler clutching an enormous carrot. After a 1976 concert in Berkeley, California which cloaked the Residents behind an opaque screen, wrapped up like mummies -- the most famous of only three live performances mounted during their first decade of existence -- they issued an abrasive 1977 cover of The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction", which became an underground hit on both sides of the Atlantic at the peak of the punk movement. As the decade drew to a close, the group released a flurry of recordings, further building upon their growing cult following; among them were 1978's "Duck Stab", 1979's "Eskimo" (purportedly a collection of native Arctic chants) and 1980's "Commercial Album", a compilation of 40 one-minute "pop songs" that aired on San Francisco radio only because the Residents played them during the advertising time they bought.
In 1981 the Residents embarked upon their "Mole Trilogy", a prog rock collection of albums -- 1981's "Mark of the Mole", 1982's "The Tunes of Two Cities" and 1985's "The Big Bubble" -- recounting an epic battle between a pair of tribes named the Moles and the Chubs; a lavish, multimedia tour, "The Mole Show", followed. In the interim, the group also mounted another ambitious project, the "American Composer" series, although only two of the projected titles -- 1984's "George & James" (a reinterpretation of songs by George Gershwin and James Brown) and 1986's "Stars & Hank Forever" (celebrating John Philip Sousa and Hank Williams) -- ever appeared. Instead, in the wake of financial and corporate difficulties which resulted in the creation of a New Ralph label, the Residents issued the one-off "God in Three Persons" (a talking blues outing), and 1989's "The King and Eye" (a reinterpretation of Elvis Presley standards).
After losing control of the Ralph label as well as their back catalog, the Residents regained the rights to their music in 1990 and began reissuing long-out-of-print material as well as the new "Freak Show", a meditation on circus sideshows and carnival dementia. Four years later, Freak Show was reissued as a CD-ROM, marking the group's first leap into the new digital interactive technology; "Have a Bad Day" followed in 1996, and included the soundtrack to the CD-ROM game "Bad Day on the Midway." In 1997, the band celebrated their silver anniversary with the release of the career-spanning overview "Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses". "Wormwood: Curious Stories From the Bible" followed the next year, with "Roadworms" (songs from Wormwood as performed in the stage show) being issued in mid-2000. They followed that up with the awesome "Icky Flix" DVD, an incredibly detailed collection of their videos that featured both old and new soundtracks, 5.1 Digital Stereo Surround sound, countless hidden videos and in-depth histories of each individual track. That was followed by another one of their rare tours, which saw them incorporate the DVD into their live act and bring out guest singer Molly Harvey for some truly creative duets. The "Petting Zoo" retrospective followed in the spring of 2002, acting as a budget sampler for new fans and giving old fans something to tide them over while several high concept projects neared completion. The first was "Demons Dance Alone", a complicated pop album that hearkened back to the catchier material from "Duck Stab" and the "Commercial Album". That was followed in 2002 by a live retrospective called "Kettles Of Fish On The Outskirts Of Town" that contained 3 cd's and a DVD, and a further look at their past via remasters and remixes put out by EuroRalph (including a remix of their previously unreleased and notorious "Warner Brothers Demo"). A DVD of the Demons Dance Alone tour came out in 2004 and another new project, "Animal Lover" was released in 2005."
Summer of 2006 brought the internet download project, The River of Crime: Episodes 1-5. River of Crime was their first project with Warner Music Group's Cordless label. Following the success of "River of Crime", The Residents launched their weekly Timmy video project on YouTube. In 2007 they did the music for the documentary "Strange Culture" and also released a double instrumental album, "Night of the Hunters". On the Fourth of July, 2007, the planned October release of their latest project with Mute Records, The Voice of Midnight (a music theater adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffmann's short story Der Sandmann), was announced on their website.
On the 21st of May 2008 they announced on their website that their first North America tour since "Demons Dance Alone" for a project entitled "The Bunny Boy" is set to begin on October 9th in New York — later an earlier date was added for Santa Cruz. Soon, it was announced that the tour will also include Europe, starting November 13th. On June 3rd, the Residents.com website boasted the planned release of "The Bunny Boy" which was released on September 1st. The website had posted information in which Foxboro claimed this would be a Farewell Tour; it was later revealed that this was nothing more than a mistake by Foxboro.
In October 2017, Hardy Fox identified himself as both the anonymous primary composer and producer for The Residents as well as the pseudonymous Charles Bobuck.
Hardy Fox died on October 30, 2018.
Fire Fall
The Residents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How could I understand
I'm just an old man
How could I understand
I remember danger when the strangers came
They, they knew my name
They seemed to know my, my neighbors
Then there was a, a pounding sound
And screaming voices all around
I offered them my, my daughters
Then a light, a light came from the, the strangers' skin
They said we had to go away
My wife was worried they, they
I'm just an old man
How could I understand, yes
Fire fell from the sky
And tears fell from my eyes
Fire fell from the sky
Tears fell, fell from my eyes
Turned to stone like a bone
Or maybe salt had hardened on her
I was lonely for my wife, oh
It only ever happened once or twice, yes
I'm just an old man
How could I understand, yes
I'm just an old man
Who just can't stand his memories
The Residents' song Fire Fall tells the story of an old man who reminisces about a traumatic event that happened in his past. The lyrics begin with the old man questioning his ability to comprehend what had happened, stating, "I'm just an old man, how could I understand?" The event in question appears to be a hostile invasion by strangers who knew the old man's name and that of his neighbours. In an effort to protect his family, the old man gave the strangers safety in his home. But it wasn't to last.
Suddenly, there was a loud sound and the voices of people screaming. The old man then offered his daughters as safety to the strangers, and that's when things took an even more disturbing turn. The strangers' skin began to emit a bizarre light, and they claimed that they had to leave. The old man's wife was worried about them, but before she could act, something horrifying happened. Fire fell from the sky, and tears fell from the old man's eyes as he watched in horror. His wife, turned to stone or salt, was lost forever.
The song is heavy with emotion and explores themes such as loss, trauma, and despair. It's a haunting and memorable tune that paints a vivid picture of a tragedy that the old man can never forget.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm just an old man
I am an elderly man
How could I understand
I may not comprehend everything
I remember danger when the strangers came
I recall feeling threatened when unknown people arrived
They, they knew my name
They were familiar with my identity
They seemed to know my, my neighbors
It appeared as if they knew everyone in the community
So I gave them safety in my home
I provided them shelter and protection at my house
Then there was a, a pounding sound
Suddenly, there was a loud noise
And screaming voices all around
I heard people yelling in every direction
I offered them my, my daughters
To ensure their security, I suggested my daughters stay with them
Then a light, a light came from the, the strangers' skin
A bright illumination emanated from the strangers' bodies
They said we had to go away
They declared that we had to depart
My wife was worried they, they
My spouse was unsettled by their presence
Fire fell from the sky
There was a downpour of flames from above
And tears fell from my eyes
I welled up and cried
Turned to stone like a bone
It seemed like she had transformed into a rigid state
Or maybe salt had hardened on her
Perhaps some sort of crystallization had occurred on her
I was lonely for my wife, oh
I longed for my wife's presence
It only ever happened once or twice, yes
This phenomenon occurred infrequently
I'm just an old man
I am a senior citizen
Who just can't stand his memories
I cannot bear the recollections I possess
Contributed by Mia O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
World's Filthiest American Being
this band is so underrated
TheHeavyMetalBrony
Indeed, but atleast we´re able to spread the word so to say.
setup dept
I'm just an old man
How could I understand
I'm just an old man
How could I understand
I remember danger when the strangers came
They, they knew my name
They seemed to know my, my neighbors
So I gave them safety in my home
Then there was a, a pounding sound
And screaming voices all around
I offered them my, my daughters
Then a light, a light came from the, the strangers' skin
They said we had to go away
My wife was worried they, they
I'm just an old man
How could I understand, yes
Fire fell from the sky
And tears fell from my eyes
Fire fell from the sky
Tears fell, fell from my eyes
Turned to stone like a bone
Or maybe salt had hardened on her
I was lonely for my wife, oh
It only ever happened once or twice, yes
I'm just an old man
How could I understand, yes
I'm just an old man
Who just can't stand his memories
TheHeavyMetalBrony
Great visuals with a great song!
Carmelo R. CarneoBraca
No words. Just an excellent work of art.
Markus Berzborn
I was there in Bonn. My first Residents concert. Unforgettable.
YRI Palmkoeck
what a show!! tnx for posting this
Thomas Paine
Was just watching china, il where frank talks about gen 19 and remembered this song. <3 residents
theo9952
The most impressive part of this show, absolutely awesome. I made me cry inside for poor Lot.
theo9952
HOMMER ON FIRE !