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.
Ghost Child
The Residents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're comin', I'm alone
We're comin', it's dark
We're comin', so dark
We're comin', I'm alone
We're comin', help me
No blood is spilled in
But it is friendless
Empty and endless
She was neglected
But no one expected
She'd hold her breath for
Ever and ever
We're comin', help me
We're comin', I'm alone
We're comin', it's dark
We're comin', so dark
We're comin', I'm alone
We're comin', I'm lost
The Residents' song "Ghost Child" is haunting and eerie, with lyrics that paint a vivid picture of a lost and lonely child. The repeated phrase "We're comin'" creates a sense of urgency and desperation, as if the child is pleading for help. The lines "No blood is spilled in the land of lost children / But it is friendless, empty and endless" suggest a desolate and hopeless landscape. The idea that no blood is spilled seems to imply that there is no violence, but the emptiness and endlessness indicate a different kind of danger - one of isolation and abandonment.
The second verse of the song describes a neglected child who has seemingly given up on life. The line "She'd hold her breath for ever and ever" is particularly heartbreaking, suggesting that the child has lost all hope and has resorted to self-harm. The repetition of "We're comin', help me" in the final verse conveys a sense of inevitability - the child is lost and alone, but help is on the way. However, the repetition of "I'm alone" and "I'm lost" suggests that the child may still feel abandoned, despite the promise of rescue.
Overall, the lyrics to "Ghost Child" are open to interpretation, but the pervasive feeling of sadness and despair is difficult to shake. The song is a haunting reminder of the importance of not ignoring those who are suffering and in need of help.
Line by Line Meaning
We're comin', help me
Someone is urgently asking for assistance from an unknown entity
We're comin', I'm alone
Someone is trying to get help but feels isolated and unsupported
We're comin', it's dark
The environment is pitch black and difficult to navigate
We're comin', so dark
The darkness is overwhelming and unsettling
We're comin', I'm alone
Despite knowing that help is on the way, the artist still feels like they have to face the situation alone
We're comin', help me
The urgency of the request for help is emphasized once again
No blood is spilled in
The environment is not overtly violent
The land of lost children
The setting is a place where neglected children end up
But it is friendless
Despite being populated, the place feels lonely and abandoned
Empty and endless
The environment feels vast and desolate
She was neglected
The song shifts focus to a specific character who is a victim of abandonment
But no one expected
The neglect was unanticipated by those around her
She'd hold her breath for
The girl copes with the trauma by holding her breath and suppressing emotions
Ever and ever
This suppression is ongoing and intense
We're comin', help me
The chorus returns, emphasizing the urgency and need for assistance
We're comin', I'm alone
The feeling of isolation persists despite help being on the way
We're comin', it's dark
The darkness still poses a threat even with the arrival of help
We're comin', so dark
The overwhelming darkness continues to be a source of fear and unease
We're comin', I'm alone
The singer still feels like they are facing the situation alone even with help present
We're comin', I'm lost
The feeling of being lost adds to the sense of fear and hopelessness
Contributed by Colin F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Leo Lerena
Been looking for this song since I was 10 years old, thank you very much for posting it.
Lord Toaster Oven
This song freaks the shit out of me. Like, of all Residents songs, this really freaks me out.
Lord Toaster Oven
I have.
James Bootywolfe
Good. Embrace it.
And welcome back.