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.
On the Way
The Residents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My true love was a Tiger, I'm sure you can see that
I called the tiger Dolly, it was my mother's name
On the way to Oklahoma, I finally became sane
On the way to Oklahoma, a voice inside my mind
Demanding that my senses expanded space and time
The voice revealed a feeling of heated ecstasy
On the way to Oklahoma, I needed to eat meat
So I attacked a dog who was sleeping in the heat
While eating in the sunshine a pleasant thing occurred
On the way to Oklahoma I licked myself and purred
On the way to Oklahoma, his split became complete
Reality had faded, his fantasy concrete
The world he had constructed, from felines and despair
On the way to Oklahoma, became as clear as air
The lyrics to The Residents' song "On The Way" involve a descent into madness and a transformation into an animal. The singer of the song appears to be on the road to Oklahoma, but as he travels, he begins to lose touch with reality. He imagines himself turning into a cat and having a feline lover named Dolly, who shares the name of his mother. This transformation is not just physical, but mental as well, as the singer begins to hear a voice in his mind that promises expanded senses and experiences.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes more and more animalistic, indulging in instincts like attacking and eating meat, and even urinating on trees. At the same time, he becomes more and more detached from human reality, until his constructed world of feline fantasy becomes as clear as air.
The song can be seen as a meditation on the potential loss of sanity and the risks of breaking from societal norms. It is unclear whether the singer is undergoing a genuine transformation or simply losing touch with reality, but either way, the journey is one of chaos and confusion.
Line by Line Meaning
On the way to Oklahoma, I turned into a cat
During my journey to Oklahoma, I felt a sudden transformation in me, and I started experiencing qualities that resemble those of a cat.
My true love was a Tiger, I'm sure you can see that
I found myself extremely fond of tigers, with whom I could relate and connect in a profound and special manner.
I called the tiger Dolly, it was my mother's name
I named the tiger Dolly, a name I had heard and remembered from my mother, who might have once mentioned it in my childhood.
On the way to Oklahoma, I finally became sane
During my journey to Oklahoma, I finally realized that my thought process and emotions were irrational and chaotic until now and that I needed to attain some lucidity and clarity.
On the way to Oklahoma, a voice inside my mind
While progressing towards Oklahoma, something within me started speaking, which to others might seem like schizophrenia, but I knew this as an extraordinary spiritual occurrence.
Demanding that my senses expanded space and time
This inner voice was urging me to transcend my physical boundaries, explore new territories and dimensions, and become limitless in perception and awareness.
The voice revealed a feeling of heated ecstasy
The voice conveyed a sense of overwhelming joy, elation, and rapture, which is beyond the capability of words to describe.
On the way to Oklahoma, I peed upon a tree
At one point while traveling to Oklahoma, I stopped and emptied my bladder right at the foot of a tree, and it made me feel free, uninhibited, and more connected to nature.
On the way to Oklahoma, I needed to eat meat
During my journey, I felt a powerful urge to consume meat, and it seemed like a primal instinct arising within me, which I am yet to understand completely.
So I attacked a dog who was sleeping in the heat
I felt a strong desire to hunt and kill a dog that was resting in the sun, and although it might seem irrational, it felt necessary for my survival at that moment.
While eating in the sunshine a pleasant thing occurred
While devouring the flesh of the dog, I basked in the warmth of the sun, and it induced a peculiar sensation of ecstasy and satisfaction.
On the way to Oklahoma I licked myself and purred
At a certain point during my journey, I began to groom myself like a cat, not caring about the judgment of others and reveling in my animalistic form.
On the way to Oklahoma, his split became complete
During my travels, I had a realization that made me aware of the chasm that had always separated my mind from my body, and it now seemed like the gap had been bridged.
Reality had faded, his fantasy concrete
I felt that my perception of reality had become hazy and insubstantial, and my inner world and dreams had become more tangible and concrete, blurring the line between imagination and reality.
The world he had constructed, from felines and despair
The world I had composed in my mind was built out of experiences and emotions that were painful, sorrowful, and feline in nature.
On the way to Oklahoma, became as clear as air
As I journeyed to Oklahoma, my imaginary world became more transparent and easy to discern, like looking through a glass window or breathing fresh air.
Writer(s): Hardy Winfred Fox, Homer Flynn
Contributed by Molly L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
JJoBo
THIS IS OFFICALY ONE OF THE BEST SONGS ON EARTH!
snlbitchluva
one of the better recent residents songs..... saw there talking light show in dallas.....holy shit if you havn't seen them live you need to before you die
Xephinroth
Hey, I was born in Oklahoma and I LOVE the residents! awesome!
Killingrosh
so so creepy but SO FUCKING AMAZING!!!!!!!
Tesdant313
Beautiful
None Available
best song ever.
Vaza
On the way to Oklahoma I turned into a cat, My true love was a tiger, I'm sure you can't see that! I call the tiger Dolly, it was my mother's name, On the way to Oklahoma I finally beacme sane! On the way to Oklahoma a voice inside my mind, It mended that my sinces expanded space in time! The voice *veel-a* feeling oh he did *extra-sim*, On the way to Oklahoma I peed upon a tree!
andreasfr1
A tin-can chasing cattle over a mountain of jelly beans... that's what I saw when I listened to this song...
Parker Grice
@NecumNaTo There's a short story in this album's booklet to go with this song, about a dude who becomes obsessed with a tiger at the zoo, coming to watch her every day. He finally crawls in the cage, with blood all over him, holding out a dead dog, but he gets dragged away by other people before he can give it to her. These lyrics seem to be from the guy's slightly off-kilter viewpoint of things leading up to the incident. I'm not sure how Oklahoma comes into it. o_o
raceyboy
Parker Grice Google "Joe Exotic". The story made me think of him.