The Suicide Machines were a band formed in 1991 in Detroit, Michigan under … Read Full Bio ↴The Suicide Machines were a band formed in 1991 in Detroit, Michigan under the original name Jack Kevorkian and the Suicide Machines. The band's original lineup consisted of Jason Navarro on vocals, Dan Lukacinsky on guitar, Jason Brake on bass, and Stefan Rairigh on drums. This lineup lasted a year until Bill Jennings replaced Rairigh, but he was himself soon replaced by Derek Grant. They recorded the band's first demos The Essential Kevorkian and Green World in 1993 and 1994, both released through their own label Sluggo's Old Skool Records. They also released the "Vans Song" 7" single on Youth Rendition Records. Brake left the group in 1994 and was briefly replaced by Dave Smith until Royce Nunley joined as the new permanent bass player. The lineup of Navarro, Lukacinsky, Nunley, and Grant would last for the next four years. This lineup reduced the band's name to The Suicide Machines and recorded the Skank for Brains split album with The Rudiments.

1996-2001: Hollywood Records years

In 1995 the band signed to Hollywood Records, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. 1996 saw the release of their first album, Destruction by Definition. Its blend of punk rock and ska brought the national attention in the midst of the mid-1990s punk rock mainstream revival. The single "No Face" became a minor hit on modern rock radio stations and the album was supported through extensive touring across the United States. They released a follow-up in 1998 entitled Battle Hymns, which continued their ska punk style while incorporating more aggressive elements of hardcore punk, with nearly all of its songs lasting under two minutes in length.

Following the release of Battle Hymns Grant left the band. He went on to play with numerous groups including Thoughts of Ionesco, The Vandals, face to face, and Telegraph before finding a permanent position in the Alkaline Trio. He was replaced by Erin Pitman for some touring before new permanent drummer Ryan Vandeberghe joined. In 2000 this lineup released The Suicide Machines, a more pop rock oriented effort that moved away from the ska influences of their earlier releases. They received some radio and video play for the single "Sometimes I Don't Mind" and performed on the Warped Tour that Summer. In 2001 they released Steal This Record, which continued their exploration of pop punk style while mixing in elements of their earlier ska punk and hardcore albums.

2002-2005: Side One Dummy years

Following touring in support of Steal This Record bassist Nunley left The Suicide Machines to start his own band, Blueprint 76, and was replaced by Rich Tschirhart. The band also ended their contract with Hollywood Records, fulfilling their contractual obligations by releasing the compilation album The Least Worst of the Suicide Machines. They then moved to the independent label Side One Dummy Records. Their next album A Match and Some Gasoline, released in 2003, found the band abandoning the pop experimentations of their previous two albums and returning more to the ska punk and hardcore styles of their earlier years. They also began to explore sociopolitical themes in songs such as "Did You Ever Get a Feeling of Dread?" and "Your Silence," which were critical of President George W. Bush's administration, its response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They toured internationally in support of the album and again performed on the Warped Tour.

In 2005 the band released the album War Profiteering is Killing Us All, which continued their political themes by openly attacking the Bush White House, the continuation of the Iraq War, and conservative Republicanism. Navarro also launched his own record label, Noise Riot Records, and released On the Eve of Destruction: 1991-1995, a compilation of the band's early EPs, singles, and demos.

2006: Breakup and post-Suicide Machines activity

In 2006, while touring in support of War Profiteering is Killing Us All, the band abruptly broke up. Explanations given by the band members for this included Vandeberghe's desire to take a break from touring, which he did while friend Steve McCrumb filled for a performance at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on May 11. A tour of Mexico had been planned to follow this, and Navarro had suggested that the band perform its final shows that Christmas. However, interpersonal tensions came to a head after the Troubadour show when Lukacinsky refused to finish the tour. Lukacinsky himself further elaborated that the band had been planning to break up for some time.

Following the band's breakup, Navarro and Vandeberghe continued working with Left in Ruin, a band they had started as a Suicide Machines side project and had worked on and off with for almost 6 years. Vandeberghe also joined the new band Hifi Handgrenades. Lukacinsky, meanwhile, started his own band Bayonetting the Wounded. Navarro is currently fronting Hellmouth. Tschirhart is in The A-Gang.

Green
The Suicide Machines Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I don't understand your problems, 'cause you got too many of them
It's hard to relate to you, well

We've been told that the grass is always greener on the other side,
The other side, oh yeah, but that doesn't mean we should stop
What we're doing on the outside, the outside - OUTSIDE! Buy

We all know that everything changes, this always seems better than the other
Gotta keep my mind focused on right now
I can't take my eye off thinking 'bout how

Well I don't understand your reasoning,
'Cause you know that it really doesn't make any sense to me, well

We've been told that the grass is always greener on the other side,
The other side, oh yeah, but that doesn't mean we should stop
What we're doing on the outside, the outside - OUTSIDE!

We all know that everything changes, this always seems better than the other
Gotta keep my mind focused on right now
I can't take my eye off thinking 'bout how

You know I'd never say these things to you if they didn't mean something to me
You know I'd never try to get in your head,
Try to make you believe what I want you to see, yeah,
They told me that everything changes, well yeah,
Just remember that everything changes

I'm just a casual observer
I'm always just taking it in, I watch the world go by, well

We've been told that the grass is always greener on the other side,
The other side, oh yeah, but that doesn't mean we should stop
What we're doing on the outside, the outside, outside!

We all know that everything changes, this always seems better than the other
Gotta keep my mind focused on right now
I can't take my eye off thinking 'bout how

We all know that everything changes, this always seems better than the other

Gotta keep my mind focused on right now
I can't take my eye off thinking 'bout how

Overall Meaning

The Suicide Machines' song "Green" seems to be a commentary on the human tendency to always be looking for something better, always thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. The lyrics suggest a frustration with someone who is constantly complacent with their life, always complaining about their problems but never doing anything to change them. The singer acknowledges that everything changes, but emphasizes the importance of staying focused on the present and not letting oneself get too caught up in thinking about the future or past.

The repetition of the word "outside" seems to suggest a desire to break free from whatever mental or emotional space is holding the person back. The use of the casual phrase "just taking it in" also reinforces this idea of complacency and a lack of action. Despite this frustration, the singer makes it clear that they still care about the other person and want them to understand the importance of being present.

Line by Line Meaning

I don't understand your problems, 'cause you got too many of them
It's hard for me to empathize with you because you have so many issues that I can't relate to.

We've been told that the grass is always greener on the other side, The other side, oh yeah, but that doesn't mean we should stop What we're doing on the outside, the outside - OUTSIDE!
We've heard the saying that things are better somewhere else, but that doesn't mean we should give up on what we're doing here and now.

We all know that everything changes, this always seems better than the other Gotta keep my mind focused on right now I can't take my eye off thinking 'bout how
We all know that change is constant and it's easy to imagine things would be better elsewhere, but we need to focus on the present and can't get too caught up in daydreaming.

Well I don't understand your reasoning, Cause you know that it really doesn't make any sense to me, well
I can't comprehend your thought process because it doesn't make sense to me.

You know I'd never say these things to you if they didn't mean something to me You know I'd never try to get in your head, Try to make you believe what I want you to see, yeah, They told me that everything changes, well yeah, Just remember that everything changes
I wouldn't say these things if I didn't care and I'm not trying to manipulate you. The world is constantly changing, so it's important to keep that in mind.

I'm just a casual observer I'm always just taking it in, I watch the world go by, well
I'm just observing and not trying to insert myself too much in the situation. I'm watching everything unfold.

We've been told that the grass is always greener on the other side, The other side, oh yeah, but that doesn't mean we should stop What we're doing on the outside, the outside, outside!
We've heard the saying that things are better somewhere else, but that doesn't mean we should give up on what we're doing here and now.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KAYE ADELAIDE WOODWARD, MALCOLM IAN STEWART GRANT, PAUL CHRISTOPHER KEAN, ROBERT MARSHALL SCOTT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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