fIREHOSE was formed in the spring of 1986 shortly after the accidental death of D. Boon brought an end to Watt and Hurley's previous band, Minutemen. Crawford, a then 21-year-old Ohio State student and Minutemen fan was invited up on the roof of the Camper Van Beethoven van in Columbus, Ohio, where the members of Camper Van Beethoven told Crawford a false rumor that Watt and Hurley were auditioning guitarists for a new band. Crawford, having found Watt's phone number in the phone book, called him up and expressed his desire to come out to California and play with them. Still mourning the loss of his friend Boon, Watt initially was not interested and in fact had lost much of his desire to play music, however Crawford's persistence eventually paid off when he showed up unannounced in San Pedro and asked Watt for the chance to come over and play for him. Watt eventually agreed and the two met with Crawford "auditioning" for Watt by playing him The Who's, "I'm One" as well as a few Minutemen songs. Impressed with Crawford's passion and enthusiasm, Watt and Hurley agreed to give the inexperienced "kid" from Ohio a shot and the band was formed. Crawford quickly relocated to San Pedro where he became known as Ed Fromohio and spent nine months sleeping under a desk in Watt's one bedroom apartment. The name of the band was taken from a short film of Bob Dylan doing "Subterranean Homesick Blues" as Watt thought it was funny when Dylan held up a cue card for the lyric that said "firehose".
The band played their first gig in June 1986 and by the end of the year released their debut album, 'Ragin', Full On' via the independent label, SST. That same year, they also supported Sonic Youth on their "Flaming Telepaths Tour". The band quickly gained a loyal fanbase especially among the underground skateboarding crowd thanks in part to the inclusion of some of the their early material in several key skateboarding videos from the late 1980s. "Brave Captain" from Ragin', Full On, as well as "Sometimes", "Hear Me", and "Windmilling" from their sophomore release, If'n were all featured in the Santa Cruz Skateboards video series, "Streets on Fire".
Over the course of seven and a half years, the band developed their own musical identity apart from the Minutemen while still maintaining the same dynamic synthesis of punk, funk, and free jazz. They toured non-stop and consistently played to packed audiences. All in all, Firehose played 980 gigs, released five full-length albums and two EPs before disbanding in 1994. They played their final gig on February 12, 1994 at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, California.
In January 2012, it was announced that the band would perform at the Coachella Festival that April.
In My Mind
fIREHOSE Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time you leave,
And the pictures that keep playin in my mind;
I declare, I swear, I can't compare,
Simple things we shared,
To the pictures that keep playing in my mind
I been thinkin' about the time before
Every time you leave,
And every time you smile that smile,
A smile I won't forget
I've pictures of you playin' in my mind.
Yeah I been thinkin' about the time before
Every time you leave,
And the pictures that keep playin' in my mind;
I can guarantee to some degree
Everything you see
Are just pictures that you playin' in my mind
I been thinkin' about the time before
Every time you leave,
And the pictures that keep playin' in my mind;
I declare, I swear, I can't compare;
Simple things we've shared
And the pictures of you playing in my mind.
The lyrics of fIREHOSE's "In My Mind" talk about the memories of a past relationship that keep playing in the singer's mind. The song opens with the singer reminiscing about a time before the present, a time when they were together. The memories are so vivid that they keep playing in the singer's mind every time their partner leaves. The singer swears that they can't compare the simple things they shared to the pictures that keep playing in their mind.
The second verse expands on this idea of memories and how they are triggered. The singer talks about how their partner's smile is etched in their mind forever. The pictures of their time together are firmly embedded in the singer's mind, and they can't get rid of them. The chorus repeats the theme of the song, and the singer emphasizes that everything they see is just pictures they are playing in their mind.
The song's overall theme is about the power of memories and how they can both haunt us and bring us joy. The singer is stuck in the past, unable to move on from the relationship and the memories it holds. The song conveys a sense of loss, regret, and longing, and it shows how memories can both comfort and torment us.
Line by Line Meaning
I been thinkin' about the time before
Reflecting on memories of our past together
Every time you leave
When you depart from my presence
And the pictures that keep playin' in my mind
Recurring visual memories that occupy my thoughts
I declare, I swear, I can't compare
Emphasizing the uniqueness and incomparability of our shared experiences
Simple things we shared
Experiences that were seemingly insignificant or simple but meaningful to us
To the pictures that keep playing in my mind
Contrasting the lasting impact of the memories to the fleeting nature of current experiences
And every time you smile that smile
Recalling a specific and memorable expression of joy on your face
A smile I won't forget
Highlighting the significance of that particular smile in my recollections of you
I've pictures of you playin' in my mind
Reiterating the visual nature of the memories and their constant presence in my thoughts
I can guarantee to some degree
Expressing confidence in the accuracy of my recollections
Everything you see
Acknowledging that current experiences are subject to interpretation and not always accurate representations of reality
Are just pictures that you playin' in my mind
Asserting that memories are a product of personal perception and not objective truth
And the pictures of you playing in my mind
Concluding with a repetition of the central theme of the song- the persistence of memories despite changing circumstances
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: CRAWFORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
dewayne terwilliger
one of the best songs ever!!!!!!!!! saw them twice and met them great guys!!!
Ed Helvey
I was fortunate enough to have seen them at least ten times. One of the best shows I saw was them at UC Riverside's campus bar The Barn. For an encore they played the Who's "A Quick One" - the entire album.
Mike D
They don't have one bad song. I saw them in Chicago Down with the bass was bad ass
Everett Ridgeway
The drummer is awesome
jpowers1971
truely a great band. lost my shoe in a mosh pit at a concert sometime around 1992. Ed asked me after the show if I was OK. Nice guy. Never found my shoe.
josef2012
Loved these guys so much 💗
MrPERPS
fIREHOSE,,sountracks to my favourite memories,,,always picks me up.
miked
Great live too. Got me through the dark years of my life. Flyin my Flannel
SpikyMagpie
Great song!!
sickpoola
ohh,i remember when i heard this album from a radio show at first...great album!!