Tribe 8 has had some turnover of personnel, but Lynn Breedlove, Flipper (Silas Howard), and Leslie Mah (formerly of Anti Scrunti Faction), and Slade Bellum were consistent members. In concert, lead singer Lynn frequently performed shirtless, wearing a strap-on dildo, and encouraged audience members to interact with it. Their songs often deal with subjects such as S/M and the band was the subject of controversy because of this, nudity, fellation, and transgender issues.
Tribe 8 toured throughout the U.S., playing at venues such as DUMBA and 924 Gilman Street; they also played in Europe and Canada, and released a number of recordings on independent record labels.
Outside of the band, Lynn Breedlove is also the author of a novel, Godspeed, published in 2002, now tranlated into German "Goetterspeed". Leslie Mah has appeared in various films including The Yo-Yo Gang by G.B. Jones; Shut Up White Boy, co-directed by Vu T. and Thu Ha; and produced her own film, Estrofemme, in 1998, as well as appearing in movies with Tribe 8.
In 1996, the band made its screen debut in A Gun For Jennifer, directed by Todd Morris. The band performs live in the documentary film She's Real, Worse Than Queer by Lucy Thane, released in 1997. As well, members of the band are interviewed, speaking about a range of topics including the development of the queercore music scene. In 2003 the film Rise Above: A Tribe 8 Documentary, by director Tracy Flannigan, was released, documenting not only performances by the band but, as well, the motivations and reasons behind the band and the part it plays in their lives. The movie has won many awards at film festivals throughout the U.S. and created a new audience for Tribe 8.
Lynn Breedlove wrote, co-directed, co-produced, and starred in a short film "Godspeed" based on his novel by the same name debuting in festivals in 2007 to garner attention for the feature length screenplay, now looking for a producer. It features Jillian Lauren, Adam Horowitz, and Leslie Mah. His comedy solo show, 'Lynnee Breedlove's One freak Show", continues to tour.
Speed Fortress
Tribe 8 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At the airport
And my thoughts
Turned to sin
What evil froth
Could I lather up
To daub my too-clean head?
What ritual blood spill
What destruction celebrate
With you gone
Flying into the sun to melt the wax in my wings
Burn myself up
Purging sin with pure sin
Only death is sublime the fire's so bright
It invites me to die
But I'd never have you
In sackcloth and ashes
And the blood rushes back
To my head as I wake
To your call to your call
Down my long dungeon hall
As you beg me me to put off
Death for awhile
To live while i have a life
And die when we're dead
To live while i have a life
And die when we're dead
And then I say
You don't understand
You don't know what it's like
Aw fuck it
I'm going back to my
Speed fortress
Where i don't have any needs
Don't need you
Don't need food
Don't need to sleep
All I need is booze
In my speed fortress
My feelings locked up tight
My brain's a coil ready to spring
I can fuck I can fly
I can do anything
In my speed fortress
No one can get inside
No one can hurt me
Cuz I have no feelings
I can't feel shit
You can't make me
Yours is a foreign tongue
A foreign place
Blue speck
Drifting into
Infinite space
In my speed fortress
My feelings locked up tight
My brain's a coil ready to spring
I can fuck I can fly
I can do anything
Anything I want
You can't stop me
I'm sucked back
Into my black
Cold confort
Into my lonesome void
Into my lonesome glassedin void
You can't love me there
You can't touch me there
You can't reach me there
You can't fuck me there
Fuck you
Don't tell me
I'm deluding myself
I'm a teenager
The lyrics to Tribe 8's song "Speed Fortress" explore themes of isolation, addiction, and the struggle to find meaning in life. The song begins with the singer dropping off a loved one at the airport and feeling temptations of sin creeping up on them. The lyrics suggest that the singer is struggling with demons within themselves and wonders what extreme measures they can take to purge themselves of these feelings while their loved one is gone. The imagery of flying into the sun to melt the wax in their wings is a reference to the Greek myth of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and fell to his death. The singer desires death but acknowledges that they cannot have their loved one if they pursue this self-destructive path.
The chorus of the song shifts to the singer's "speed fortress," which is a metaphor for the singer's addiction to a lifestyle that numbs them to their emotions. The fortress is a place where the singer can lock up their feelings and engage in behaviors that are destructive without fear of judgment or consequences. The singer suggests that they can do anything within their fortress, and no one can stop them. However, this behavior comes at a cost, as the singer is completely isolated and unable to connect with other people. The final lines of the song suggest that the singer is deluding themselves, and they are still dealing with the same issues they faced as a teenager.
Line by Line Meaning
I dropped you off
I left you at the airport
At the airport
We were at the airport
And my thoughts
My mind
Turned to sin
Became sinful
What evil froth
What wickedness
Could I lather up
Could I create
To daub my too-clean head?
To soil my innocent mind?
What sacrifice perform?
What ritual to do?
What ritual blood spill
What blood to shed?
What destruction celebrate
What to destroy?
With you gone
After you left
Flying into the sun to melt the wax in my wings
Taking a dangerous course of action
Burn myself up
Risking harm to myself
Purging sin with pure sin
Trying to absolve sin but only committing more of it
Only death is sublime the fire's so bright
Death seems appealing compared to the dangers of life
It invites me to die
I am tempted to die
But I'd never have you
But I would not want you
In sackcloth and ashes
In mourning clothes
And the blood rushes back
I start to feel alive again
To my head as I wake
As I come to my senses
To your call to your call
To your repeated pleas
Down my long dungeon hall
Through my mind
As you beg me me to put off
As you ask me to postpone
Death for awhile
Dying for now
To live while i have a life
To enjoy life
And die when we're dead
To die when the time comes
And then I say
But I respond
You don't understand
You do not comprehend
You don't know what it's like
You cannot relate
Aw fuck it
Nevermind
I'm going back to my
I am returning to
Speed fortress
My private retreat
Where i don't have any needs
Where I require nothing
Don't need you
I do not need you
Don't need food
I do not need food
All I need is booze
I only need alcohol
My feelings locked up tight
I keep my emotions bottled up
My brain's a coil ready to spring
My mind is always on edge
I can fuck I can fly
I can indulge in any pleasure, I am free
I can do anything
I am capable of anything
No one can get inside
No one can enter
No one can hurt me
I am invincible
Cuz I have no feelings
Because I am emotionless
I can't feel shit
I cannot express any emotion
You can't make me
You cannot force me
Yours is a foreign tongue
You speak a different language
A foreign place
A different world from mine
Blue speck
A tiny dot
Drifting into
Floating towards
Infinite space
Endless void
Anything I want
Whatever I desire
You can't stop me
You cannot hinder me
I'm sucked back
I am pulled back
Into my black
Into my dark thoughts
Cold confort
Cold comfort
Into my lonesome void
Into my lonely emptiness
Into my lonesome glassedin void
Into my isolated emptiness
You can't love me there
You cannot care for me there
You can't touch me there
You cannot reach me there
You can't reach me there
You cannot connect with me there
You can't fuck me there
You cannot satisfy me there
Fuck you
Screw you
Don't tell me
Do not inform me
I'm deluding myself
I am fooling myself
I'm a teenager
I am immature
Contributed by Carter O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
clover
on Neanderthal Dyke [Explicit]
I think the lyric is "feminist theory" not just feminist.