Much of their music is politically oriented. This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb is staunchly opposed to war and is concerned with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and racial equality in general.
The band announced their breakup in February 2011, stating via Punknews.org, "The separation of our drummer, Teddy, has made it incredibly difficult to write, record, or perform at a level we were comfortable with. We are planning a few events on both the East and West Coasts to celebrate, but nothing is set in stone at this point. Ryan Modee and Terry Johnson still write and play together in their Chattanooga based band Zippers To Nowhere"
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In the News
On March 2, 2006 at 5:30 am an Ohio University police officer spotted a bicycle attached to the Oasis restaurant bearing a promotional sticker for the band. The officer saw the words, "This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb" and became concerned. The area was cordoned off, and part of the campus was closed for several hours. The bicycle was subsequently destroyed by the Athens bomb squad despite assurances from the bike's owner that it was just a sticker. The owner, a graduate student, was initially charged with inducing panic, a misdemeanor. However, the charges were dropped a few days later. Later the student was awarded money for the damages to his bicycle.
A similar incident occurred in 2001, when a police officer spotted and detained a woman at an Austin, Texas peace rally. Her bicycle was also labeled with the band's sticker. The woman was released after the band's existence was confirmed.
On March 14, 2006 Bellarmine Hall at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, PA was evacuated because of another bicycle with the band's name painted on it. No charges were filed.
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Discography
* S/T 7" Ghost Meat Records , 1997 Out Of Print
* Of Chivalry and Romance in a Dumpster 10" Fab Records , 1999 Out Of Print
* Black Panther Party 7" Arkam Records , 2001
* Dance Party With... CD Plan-It-X Records , 2001
* Dance Party With... 10" Troy from Vancouver , 2004
* Front Seat Solidarity LP Plan-It-X Records , 2002 Out Of Print
* Front Seat Solidarity CD Plan-It-X Records , 2002
* This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb/Carrie Nations Split 7" Shake/Plan-It-X Records , 2004 Out Of Print
* This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb/The Devil Is Electric Split 7" Risk Records , 2004 Out Of Print
* Three Way Tie for a Fifth CD Plan-It-X Records , 2004
* Three Way Tie for a Fifth LP No Idea Records , 2005
* Convertible LP Plan-It-X Records , 2008
* Convertible CD Plan-It-X Records , 2008
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The band
Rymodee - Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica
Terry Johnson - Bass, Vocals
Teddy "Ted" Helmick - Drums, Jokes, Vocals
Depression
This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're exactly where you want to be.
You wouldn't have it any other way.
Any other way would be complication.
Depression ain't so bad.
Makes you wish you'd never been born,
But you always jump right back.
Now i've been on top of the world,
I have kicked and i've crawled,
Tried to get my way back up.
But there's nothing wrong with a break before you get back up.
Depression ain't so bad.
Look at all the good it's done robert johnson.
The song "Depression" by This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb seems to be about the paradoxical nature of depression, and how it can feel like a comforting state even while it causes intense pain. The lyrics suggest that when someone has nothing, not even hope, they may feel like they're in the right place because anything else would be too complicated. The line "Depression ain't so bad" is repeated often throughout the song, indicating that the singer sees some sort of value in this state. It's almost as if depression is being presented as a necessary evil that one must endure to fully appreciate life.
The second half of the song acknowledges that the singer has experienced both highs and lows in life, but ultimately concludes that there's nothing wrong with taking a break before getting back up. This could be interpreted as a message of self-care or self-acceptance - that it's okay to not always be "on top of the world" and that taking time to recover is normal and necessary. The mention of Robert Johnson suggests that depression can be a source of great artistic inspiration, like it was for the blues musician.
Line by Line Meaning
When you have nothing, you haven't even hope to spare.
If you have nothing, you are not even hopeful about the future.
You're exactly where you want to be.
You are satisfied with where you are in life.
You wouldn't have it any other way.
You prefer to live this way and wouldn't change it.
Any other way would be complication.
If you lived any other way, it would be too complicated.
Depression ain't so bad.
Depression is not as bad as people make it out to be.
Makes you wish you'd never been born,
Depression can make you feel like you never should have existed.
But you always jump right back.
But you always come back to reality after a depressive episode.
Now i've been on top of the world,
I have experienced great success in life.
And i've been stuck at the bottom.
I have also experienced deep lows in life.
I have kicked and i've crawled,
I have fought and struggled to overcome obstacles before.
Tried to get my way back up.
I have tried to work my way back up from rock bottom.
But there's nothing wrong with a break before you get back up.
There is nothing wrong with taking a break before trying to rise again.
Depression ain't so bad.
Depression can have some positive effects, like inspiring great art.
Look at all the good it's done robert johnson.
Depression is credited with inspiring the music of Robert Johnson and other artists.
Contributed by Ellie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
William McCanless
on Joe Hill
this isn't eat a block of tofu!