Named after the 1932 Bela Lugosi film, White Zombie's musical style was sample-heavy, based around groovy riffs and Rob Zombie's snarling vocals. The samples that filled their records were mostly from obscure horror films, but used creatively to create a kind of carnival freak-show vibe.
Rob Zombie, still known at this time as Rob Cummings, supported himself through multiple jobs, including working as a cycle courier. Most famously, he was a production assistant on Pee-Wee's Playhouse, but he also worked as a designer on pornographic magazines. At this time, he became involved with Shauna Reynolds, another up-and-coming designer. Together they shared a love of classic horror and sci-fi, heavy music, and the weirder corners of American underground culture. They decided to form a band that would draw upon all these influences and White Zombie was formed. Rob took vocals and the name Rob Straker (later changed to Rob Zombie), while Reynolds became the bassist and assumed the name of Sean Yseult. They became the only constants in the often-fluctuating band line-up.
White Zombie best showed their signature style on their final two studio albums. La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 and Astro-Creep: 2000 Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head were impressive displays of their sample/riff style, thanks to higher production values.
In 1998, Rob Zombie founded his own label, Zombie-A-Go-Go, signing surf and horror acts like The Bomboras and The Ghastly Ones, as well as compiling the mix album Halloween Hootenany. He was managing the new band of his brother Michael, now known as Spider One, the punk-tinged Powerman 5000, but also looked to his own solo career.
After huge opening week sales of his first solo album, Hellbilly Deluxe that dwarfed those of any White Zombie release, it was announced that the band had split up. Bassist Sean Yseult left to form female horror-rockers Famous Monsters and, later, Rock City Morgue. Rob Zombie went on to continued success with his solo music project, and new acclaim as a successful film director.
I Am Legend
White Zombie Lyrics
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Gotta kick in to feel it, terminate another no one is my brother, yeah!
The sun burns on me well, hell is home tomb city-stone
Nail me to another cross [yeah!]
Pour the gasoline, yeah burn the fucker clean
Tell me who'd she coo I what her
Like a suicide flex, Hit the run and hide!
Tell me who'd she coo shine the body!
Well I am the one a God with a gun
I am Legend!! Planet, grave, hard, kill the saveNail me to another cross [yeah!]
Pour the gasoline, yeah burn the fucker clean
Tell me who'd she coo I what her
Like a suicide flex, Hit the run and hide!
Tell me who'd she coo shine the body!
Vampire sharpshooter "O" I said, "A messanger for the damned"
I got a holy gun, come a loaded to kill everything that I am.
Well I am the only nitty-gritty
Ride a rail and look at the crime, Yeah!
Well I am the only [God] one they can, find.
Pour the gasoline, yeah burn the fucker clean
Tell me who'd she coo I what her
Like a suicide flex, Hit the run and hide!
Tell me who'd she coo shine the body!
Yeah!
The lyrics to White Zombie's "I Am Legend" are heavily influenced by the 1971 science fiction novel "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson. The novel tells the story of the last surviving human in a world overrun by vampires. The main character is referred to as "the last man on Earth" and spends his days hunting and killing vampires in order to survive.
The lyrics seem to focus on the idea of being the last man on Earth and the feeling of isolation that comes with it. The line "when I'm in the sky, I'm too far away" suggests a feeling of disconnection and detachment from the world around him. He has to "kick in to feel it" in order to feel anything at all.
The chorus of the song, with the lines "nail me to another cross, pour the gasoline, yeah burn the fucker clean" suggests a desire for destruction and a willingness to embrace violence in order to survive. The reference to being "the one a God with a gun" also reinforces this idea of power and control.
Overall, the lyrics to "I Am Legend" capture the bleak and desperate feeling of the novel and offer a glimpse into the mind of someone struggling to survive in a world that has been turned upside down.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, when I'm in the sky, I'm too far away
When I feel disconnected from the world, I become numb and need a stronger sensation to feel alive.
Gotta kick in to feel it, terminate another no one is my brother, yeah!
I need something extreme to feel alive and disconnected from any human emotion, including love or a sense of belonging.
The sun burns on me well, hell is home tomb city-stone
I am used to suffering and feeling nothing after being exposed to intense situations for a long time. I feel like I belong in a dark, dead place.
Nail me to another cross [yeah!]
I am willing to go through extreme pain and debasement to prove my point or show my strength.
Pour the gasoline, yeah burn the fucker clean
I want to destroy all traces of the past or anything that might have a hold on me by using fire.
Tell me who'd she coo I what her
I am not capable of understanding or appreciating love anymore.
Like a suicide flex, Hit the run and hide!
I feel powerful, but I am also aware of how fleeting my strength can be. Death is always an option.
Tell me who'd she coo shine the body!
I am incapable of feeling anything, including love or tenderness, for another human being anymore.
Yeah... omega-man say, "It's all gone away, I cannot believe it."
I am surprised by how much I have lost over time and how alone I feel now. I am no longer able to connect with other people.
Well I am the one a God with a gun
I feel powerful and capable of controlling others, even if it means using violence.
I am Legend!! Planet, grave, hard, kill the save
I am someone to be feared and respected. I want to kill anything and everything that stands in my way or threatens me.
Vampire sharpshooter "O" I said, "A messanger for the damned"
I feel like a dark, sinister figure and will do whatever it takes to survive, even if it means destroying others.
I got a holy gun, come a loaded to kill everything that I am.
I wield a powerful, divine weapon that will allow me to destroy anything, even if it means destroying myself in the process.
Well I am the only nitty-gritty
I am the only one who is willing to do whatever it takes to survive, no matter how painful or difficult it may be.
Ride a rail and look at the crime, Yeah!
I have seen and done terrible things to survive and am not afraid to admit it or confront the consequences of my actions.
Well I am the only [God] one they can, find.
I feel like a supreme being or powerful figure, and that no one else can understand or compete with the level of power I possess.
Yeah!
I am powerful, but also indifferent to the struggles and suffering of others. I am a legend in my own mind, and no one can stand in my way.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IVAN PETER DE PRUME, JAY NOEL YUENGER, ROB ZOMBIE, ROB WOLFGANG ZOMBIE, SHAUNA YSEULT REYNOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind