Uncle Outrage is an Electro/Punk/Alternative band, hailing from Edmonton, A… Read Full Bio ↴Uncle Outrage is an Electro/Punk/Alternative band, hailing from Edmonton, AB.

Uncle Outrage was started in 1999 as a joke/hobby by Nils Rasmussen. He produced 3 albums (a total of 87 songs) over the next 3 years through mp3.com. As the band grew in popularity (even having the 3rd most plays on mp3.com in Canada at one point), Nils decided that he needed help in order to play demands for live performances. He recruited his best friend Matt "H" on guitar (whom he has known since kindergarten), Matt Poles on bass, and Ryan Holmes on synth.

It took about a year for the band to really find their sound as a cohesive group before they finally released Bonecock Vol. 1 in early 2004. Earlier in the year, they had released a limited copy of a self titled CD. After being disappointed with the overall quality of that album, they decided to take matters into their own hands. Bonecock Vol. 1 was produced almost entirely in a studio set up in Nils' basement. The band was far more satisfied with the new sound, and it seemed the public was too. The album was well-received in the Edmonton area, and word of mouth spread their songs throughout the United States and the rest of Canada. This album allowed Nils to work with some of his music idols from bands like The O/gONNAgETgOT, Betty's Trash, Erotic Golf, and Switchee. The group continued to play shows around Western Canada as they began writing their follow-up album Dance Extreme in 2006. Dance Extreme took the band in a slightly new direction with higher standards in recording quality, and had the guys taking their work a little more seriously.

The following year presented many stresses in the personal lives of the band, causing a lull in producing new material as well as live performances. After a long period of consideration, H and Ryan decided that they couldn't continue being a part of UO. Despite this unhappy turn of events, Nils continued to crank out new songs on his own, with the help of Poles for basslines and song structure. For the first time in six years, Nils was working on his own, and unable to perform live once again. After about 2 years of hard work, The Chinchilla Album is born. While still maintaining the tongue in cheek nature that Uncle Outrage started out with, in songs such as "Superbowl" and "A.D.D", the new album also explores new ideas and diverse genres. Songs such as "Kingfish", "Fear Of God", and "Strange Harvest" demonstrate Nils' lyrical prowess. Whereas before, the band was struggling to compromise in order to suit everyone's tastes, the newest offering from Uncle Outrage still has the patented UO sound, but with more eclectic elements.

Totoro
Uncle Outrage Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm climbing rocks in the fog
Through the deep marshes I slog
I'm searching
I'm searching

Trek through frontiers yet unknown
I wonder where is his home
I'm searching

I'm searching

Pull yourself together now
Make sure that you're steady now
If you wanna hang around
Totoro

Children see them 'til they grow
Then by cat-bus they can't go
I don't want to grow up, no
Totoro

Soot sprites in the attic no
Cute and all, but gotta go
Chibi Toties white as snow
Totoro

But if you wanna sit around,
Talk about downtown
If you wanna hang around
Totoro

To! To! To! To! To! To!
Totoro!
To! To! To! To! To! To!
Totoro!
To! To! To! To! To! To!
Totoro!
To! To! To! To! To! To!
Totoro!

Pull yourself together now
Make sure that you're steady now
If you wanna hang around
Totoro

Children see them 'til they grow
Then by cat-bus they can't go
I don't want to grow up, no
Totoro

Soot sprites in the attic no
Cute and all, but gotta go
Chibi Toties white as snow
Totoro

But if you wanna sit around,
Talk about downtown
If you wanna hang around
Totoro

To! To! To! To! To! To!
Totoro!
To! To! To! To! To! To!
Totoro!
To! To! To! To! To! To!
Totoro!
To! To! To! To! To! To!
Totoro!

I don't want to grow up never knowing Totoro

I wanna wanna wanna ride the cat-bus
What?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Totoro" by Uncle Outrage contain several allusions to the Japanese animated film "My Neighbor Totoro". The song talks about the singer's search for Totoro, a forest spirit, who is the central character in the movie. The lyrics depict the search as a challenging journey through fog and deep marshes, indicating the singer's determination to find Totoro, no matter what. The chorus of the song emphasizes the singer's desire to "hang around" with Totoro and not "grow up" and move away from the world of magic, wonder, and innocence represented by Totoro.

The lyrics also refer to other characters from the movie, such as the Soot Sprites in the attic, and the Chibi Toties, who are described as being "white as snow". The song mentions the Cat-Bus, which is a magical creature that appears in the movie and helps the singers in their search for Totoro. The song's final lines express the singer's longing to ride the Cat-Bus and never stop searching for Totoro.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm climbing rocks in the fog
I'm searching for something, even though it's hard to see and unclear

Through the deep marshes I slog
I'm struggling through difficult terrain to find what I'm looking for

Trek through frontiers yet unknown
I'm exploring new and uncharted territories

I wonder where is his home
I'm curious about where Totoro lives

Pull yourself together now
Get ready and focus

Make sure that you're steady now
Be prepared and in control

If you wanna hang around
If you want to stick around or be around Totoro

Totoro
The elusive and beloved creature I'm searching for

Children see them 'til they grow
Kids can see Totoro, but adults can't

Then by cat-bus they can't go
Once they're adults, they can no longer access Totoro or the magical world

I don't want to grow up, no
I don't want to lose my connection to Totoro and childhood magic