Left Lyrics In The Practice Room is one of those seemingly simple songs which actually contains loads of references to other artists and songs, both musically and lyrically (see comments). Doesn’t outstay its welcome, either. Thanks to William L, Toerag and Norbert D
See lyrics to Left Lyrics In The Practice Room
PLEASE NOTE for context that the first few comments below were made some time ago, on other pages, discussing an early version of this song. They’ve been moved here for relevance.
Ricardo
The coda at the end is the latest of NB57’s many nods to old blues/gospel standards. Let Your Light Shine On Me was recorded by many artists, most notably Blind Willie Johnson.
13 August 2010
Neil G
The chords just after ‘Black Sabbath bam balam’ are taken from the track called Black Sabbath on the album called Black Sabbath, by the band called, of course, Black Sabbath. (I know I could have sneaked the word ‘eponymous’ in there but where else but in record reviews do you hear the word ‘eponymous’ being used?)
Warning! Heavy, heavy, heavy.
16 August 2010
John Anderson
While I’m feeling eg self satisfied smug, the lines
How much more can I exhume?
How much more can you consume?
Are obviously a nod to “Exhume To Consume” by tea dance favourites Carcass.
22 July 2011
Jeff Dreadnought
Brilliant stuff, John. NB57 eternally grateful to his past influences, no doubt. I’ll add that Carcass number to the And Black Lace Can’t Sue playlist.
22 July 2011
Charles Exford
Apologies for using this thread to leave a “FAO Gez”. All due respect to your dedication in doing the unofficial references on your site, Gez, but I have it on good authority that the “consume/exhume” rhyme was in no way influenced by the band Carcass – not before, during or after their collaboration with Vanburn Holder. I am told that any resemblance to their rhyme is purely coincidental, in so far as someone searching for their umpteenth deliberately contrived rhyme with “room” can be considered to have chanced upon anything. Indeed, I was told that’s really what the line is partly about – the comic sound of the far-from-bottomless rhyme barrel being scraped.
By the way Gez, do we assume you were influenced by John A’s contribution off here (above, 22 July 2011) or are you both, separately, death metal aficionados ?
I can’t resist irritating everyone concerned with a bit of a skit:
Hey Gez from that hmhb.co.uk place
You left your references in cyberspace
So (with all due respect for your dedication
In bringing Biscuit references to the nation)…
I was on my travels the other day
When I heard a slighted singer say
He’d never even heard a Carcass song
So don’t write that, right that wrong!
Did you leave it there because, mayhap,
Someone on here said so, so it couldn’t be crap?
Did you not feel a touch sceptical when you read it ?
(You changed ‘obviously’ to ‘probably’, to give you credit)
But come on Gez you’ve got to give it an edit!
.
23 August 2011
John Anderson
@ EXXO Can’t speak for Gez, but I’m definitely not a Death Metal fan, although I find Carcass’ song titles hilarious. My favourite is “Crepitating Bowel Erosion.”
24 August 2011
Charles Exford
No offence intended, John. In fact my comment lost its way slightly, late last night, when its original thrust was meant to veer more towards “Hey folks from the lyrics room (like Richard, 11 August above, for example), remember Gez’s hmhb.co.uk website is 100% unofficial despite its name and URL. Please don’t order through the links to Amazon or Virgin on his site, but get it from Probe Plus.”
After your comment in July, I read Carcass’ Wikipedia entry and it struck me that it reads like a half-decent spoof, but yes the titles are great, e.g.:
“Disattack then changed its name to Carcass. In April 1987, they recorded the Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment demo, the only Carcass recording featuring vocalist Sanjiv, who left shortly after. Walker, Steer and Owens shared vocal duties for the debut album, which was done in only four days. Despite the primitive production values of Carcass’ debut Reek of Putrefaction, which the band was very displeased with, it became a favorite of Radio 1 legend John Peel. Due to his interest, they were asked to participate in their first Peel Session in 1989, where they debuted new material for their second album. The Peel Session was released as an EP with the band members adopting pseudonyms: K. Grumegargler, J. Offalmangler, and W.G. Thorax Embalmer. Also that year, Steer and Walker appeared as members of Lister’s fictional band Smeg and the Heads in an episode of Red Dwarf. Symphonies of Sickness, the second album, which contained a much improved production quality (courtesy of Colin Richardson), featured more death metal structures, longer songs with more slow passages and guitar solos…”
Anyway no reference needed, but no offence intended.
24 August 2011
Martin
Just after the intro, does anyone else want to start singing “Well I’m going out west where I belong….”, cos the intro sounds just like the one to The Ramones’ California Sun? If everyone shouts back “No”, then I guess I’ll just jump off the roof of Dignitas.
23 September 2011
nickinko
My joint favourite on the new album (along with Fix It So She Dreams Of Me). The first verse is hilarious.
One suggestion – I thought the singer was imploring Chris to “buck up”, rather than “rock up” (a phrasal verb I’m not familiar with). It makes sense: Chris is self-indulgently morose and needs reminding that a more upbeat demeanour would better suit his personal circumstances.
Question-wise, can anyone explain the Oranjeboom and Dr.Desperate references? And much as I love the musical wit in that coda, is there something I’m missing about the ‘lighthouse’ bit? Is it simply amusingly obvious that one’s guiding light literally be, well, a guiding light? The more I think about that one, the funnier it seems actually.
12 November 2011
nickinko
“buck up” would also be more consistent with the “man up” that I believe appeared on the session version?
12 November 2011
Rubber Faced Irritant
I would like to endorse ‘buck up’. And although the casual use of the exclamation mark can trigger apoplexy, I do think one would provide appropriate emphasis at the end of the second paragraph i.e. We gotta meet this cat today!
12 November 2011
bomaya
Ha! I’ve been singing “fuck off, you’re from Ilfracombe” but that probably says more about me.
And isn’t the exhume/consume couplet supposed to be in quotes as that’s some more of the left behind lyrics?
12 November 2011
nigel, no not that one (nx3tn)
@Bomaya, a seconder for the quotation marks.
@nickinko, I’m tempted to hear “buck up” but it’s all a bit fuzzy to these ears of mine so I cannot be sure
13 November 2011
Chris The Siteowner
I agree that “buck up” (or just about anything) would be more of an everyday – and likely – phrase than the odd “rock up”, but I’m still hearing that. Anyone else have any thoughts?
Thanks for the missing set of quotation marks, they make sense, and I think I could add the exclamation mark without fear of an apoplectic fit (indeed, that line could have quotation marks too, but let’s not push things too far).
13 November 2011
Charles Exford
Oh dear, I’m afraid I’m going to have to advise you to remove those quotation marks again, because those lines aren’t directly supposed to be part of the Future Doom lyrics.
I’ll further elucidate my comment from 24th August (now moved above – Ed).
After unofficial Gez started to put in his unofficial ‘references’ on his unofficial site for this song, and mentioned unofficially that this was “probably a reference to ‘Exhume to Consume’ by Carcass”, I did ask NB57 whether this unofficial comment was true and he said no, no way, pointed out that Gez’s references were unofficial (which apparently some readers still don’t realise), and told me that when he was nearing the end of this song he was wondering literally how much more of these deliberately overcooked “-omb/-ume” rhymes he could dig up, and indeed how much more could the listener (of both the supposed Future Doom bits and the narrator’s bits) withstand, i.e. this couplet is NB57 being wryly self-deprecating about his own lyrics (but simultaneously using the kind of rhymes that the other band would use) …and wry self -deprecation is not something that one imagines the gloomy Future Doom frontman’s own lyrics would do a lot of.
Gez has since removed that “reference”.
13 November 2011
John Burscough
I’m sorry, I don’t get “You’re from Ilfracombe” at all. I’ve always heard “Come on, rock up, it’s only Ilfracombe”.
13 November 2011
Charles Exford
I’m not sure myself what’s between “rock up” and “Ilfracombe” in the album version, but it does perhaps involve an /əu/ vowel sound (as in “oh”) and an /i;/vowel sound (as in “see”), so John B’s suggestion fits that. Sometimes I hear “come on, rock up, you’re goin’ the Ilfracombe”, but that won’t be it.
I shall probably ask next time I get the chance.
13 November 2011
aiwacat
I’m hearing “rock off”, rather than “rock up”.
13 November 2011
EzekialPunchedDanBrown
“Demon Fiend”?
I’ve been hearing “Demon Seed” – which makes a lot more sense in terms of seeking out the virgin womb n’that.
I could be wrong though, I’m not making any claims to infallibility.
13 November 2011
2 Chevrons
I hear “Rock off, it could be Ilfracombe”.
13 November 2011
dagenham Dave
I’m in the ‘rock up you’re from Ilfracombe’ camp.
13 November 2011
John Anderson
I’m absolutely sure it’s “demon fiend” and “rock off”. Much preferred “man up” though.
13 November 2011
nigel, no not that one (nx3to)
I rescind my seconding of the quotation marks.
I don’t know what I was thinking.
I have still no idea on the Ilfracombe controversy
14 November 2011
Hagerty F.
It’s definitely ‘Rock up, you’re from Ilfracombe’, though I do agree with John Anderson that ‘man up’ was better on the Riley version.
14 November 2011
John Burscough
OK, having listened repeatedly over the weekend, I’m now firmly in the “You’re from Ilfracombe” camp.As you were.
14 November 2011
Dave Wiggins
The camera at the Republic of Ireland game keeps panning on Mr Poom’s kipper. He is marginally better looking than Peggy Mount. And Richard Dunne definitely had a slightly raised shoe a moment ago there.
15 November 2011
Charles Exford
Way things are going in the game I’ve been watching (and I’m a bit smug that it’s been the tie to watch through both legs) any minute now a swarthy Portuguese centre half will give the ref one helluva smacker on the lips.
15 November 2011
Darren
The “Whoh-oh Black Sabbath, bam-a-lam” is, of course, a reference to the ‘classic’ rock of Ram Jam’s “Black Betty”.
16 November 2011
John Burscough
Well that’s what I thought Darren, but see the ‘Lists’ discussion where Jeff Dreadnought points out that Leadbelly had prior art.
16 November 2011
grilly
Oranjeboom is exactly the kind of cheap continental lager you’d drink in the practise room. I’ve been there.
Interestingly, as someone who made the carcass mistake myself (owning, as I do, the complete earache peel sessions boxset), I like the separation between this site (pure lyrics) and that site (pure references). I suppose it gets confusing when you’ve got competing interpretations of what a ref might even be to.
16 November 2011
Darren
Thanks for the ref John. I’m not cut out for pedantry!
17 November 2011
Thoor Murstone
Too right Grilly. As a fellow muso, I see it as a solemn duty to drink lager that rhymes with where I am.
In the cellar bar? It’s too much Stella Artois,
In the beer garden? Excessive Hoeegarden
Chatting to the barman? O/D on Staropramen..
During our soundchecks? A boring round of Becks.
7.30 pm doors? One too many Coors.
Thirsty mid-show? Loads of Nastro Azzuro.
Before the encore? Beaucoup de 1664.
In the after-gig transport? The last of the Export.
Back at the hotel? Way too much San Miguel.
Some fruit juice at breakfast? We prefer Buckfast …
All in all it’s a good thing we spend so much time in the practice room, dressing room, etc., ‘cos the Oranjeboom is currently cheaper than any of them. Except the Buckfast of course. Taking the piss there.
17 November 2011
johnbarrett
i’m pretty sure its ‘rock off, you’re from ilfracombe’. however if ‘man up’ was used at 6music then ‘rock up’ may make more sense. who knows! need to ask nigel.
28 November 2011
Jeff Dreadnought
My seven-year-old son reckons it’s “Whoh-oh black salad, bam-a-lam”. I looked up the expression “black salad”, and apparently it means “a mixture of half-smoked marijuana and resin from your chosen apparatus that is stockpiled for the duration of a bag and smoked in the place of good greens when the supply is out”, which sounds like exactly the sort of thing Chris from Future Doom would leave in the practice room, along with his lyrics – clearly penned under the influence of said black salad.
Could my son be onto something here?
29 November 2011
John Burscough
Here’s the Oranjeboom ‘Eye Level’ advert (for anyone who hasn’t worked out how to use YouTube yet).
29 November 2011
johnbarrett
yeah, its ‘rock up’. definitely.
30 November 2011
Tom Fallon
Carcass are great. The lyrics and titles are meant to be funny, just thought I’d warn you lest you end up being “that bloke”, the one who laughs at things thinking he’s clever, only to discover that they were MEANT to be laughed at.
21 December 2011
steve nicholls
Hey Councillor Crabb, I understand your gloom…
20 June 2012
Matlock Bath
Steve, you beat me to it – I was going to ask William Shatner to “rock up”
20 June 2012
mRsPECIALpANTS
Did you leave them there so that when
The band who practice 8 ’til 10
May read them and perhaps then say
We gotta meet this cat today!
That bit makes my brain hurt! Hoping that the band who practice 8 ’til 10 would have made more sense surely?
15 March 2013