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.
Skin
White Zombie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A violent burst of some kind, kind, kind, kind,
Mind state a dirty little drunk and cluttered.
Shinning a problem of pictorial illusion,
Dump the trunk and tear the little freak out, out, out.
An unparalleled account of collapse appearing like yourself
Hold still now, nobody turns, said yeah!
Their back on me. Silence is deafening desperate waking up.
Motive spasm my back aches.
Termination detention, da-la-sco
Now this room don't seem so small sitting here in a cage
Of some kind, kind, kind, kind miracle and some hallucination,
Dropped excitement from my last words shut the door
And turn the T.V. on, on now that I've done all that I can.
The lyrics to White Zombie's song "Skin" are open to interpretation, as is the case with many of their lyrics. The song starts with the singer describing their lack of sight and need to see. The next line suggests someone walked out on them, leading to a violent outburst with repetition of the word "kind." The following lines describe a cluttered mind and a problem with "pictorial illusion." The singer urges themselves to "dump the trunk" and "tear the little freak out," using violent imagery to represent the disturbance in their mind.
The next lines describe a collapse that appears like oneself, and a liberation that appears like oneself, suggesting that the singer may be struggling with their identity or sense of self. As the song progresses, the singer becomes more desperate, urging others to hold still and accusing them of turning their backs on them. The silence is "deafening desperate," and the singer experiences a "motive spasm" that causes their back to ache.
The final lines describe the singer being in a cage and turning to television as a release. The mention of termination and detention suggest that the singer may be struggling with a mental health issue or addiction. Overall, the song presents a dark and intense look into the mind of someone who is struggling with their sense of self and may be experiencing mental health issues.
Line by Line Meaning
Have no eyes, I must see, you walk out,
Despite not having eyes, I am still able to perceive when you leave,
A violent burst of some kind, kind, kind, kind,
The sudden and intense emotional outburst that occurs is overwhelming,
Mind state a dirty little drunk and cluttered.
My state of mind is erratic and disorganized, like that of a messy, intoxicated person.
Shinning a problem of pictorial illusion,
There is a problem with the way we perceive ourselves and our surroundings,
Dump the trunk and tear the little freak out, out, out.
Remove all the baggage and negative traits that make us feel like outsiders and different from everyone else.
An unparalleled account of collapse appearing like yourself,
A complete breakdown that seems to be a reflection of your true self,
Liberation appearing like myself mutilation.
The idea of freedom can sometimes feel like self-harm or mutilation, as if it requires sacrifice.
Hold still now, nobody turns, said yeah!
Remain calm and motionless, as people will not respond to your outbursts.
Their back on me. Silence is deafening desperate waking up.
Others have turned their backs on me and the silence is overwhelming and leads me to a sense of desperation and being awakened to my true situation.
Motive spasm my back aches.
The sudden impulse to act causes physical discomfort and pain in my back.
Termination detention, da-la-sco
Being held in custody or confinement, leading to a feeling of termination or finality.
Now this room don't seem so small sitting here in a cage
Being confined to a small space like a cage makes the room appear larger and more spacious in comparison.
Of some kind, kind, kind, kind miracle and some hallucination,
The experience is some sort of miraculous occurrence or hallucination that is difficult to comprehend.
Dropped excitement from my last words shut the door
The excitement I felt from my previous actions has now dissipated, and I am left with a sense of finality.
And turn the T.V. on, on now that I've done all that I can.
I turn on the TV as a way to distract myself from my current situation, because I feel I have done everything in my power to change it.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROB ZOMBIE, SHAUNA YSEULT REYNOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind