CANCER COFFINS

XYCHQ "Cancer Coffins" MP3


February 1989. Michael and I were in two bands together simultaneously. XYCHQ and (in Parentheses). Both of which played at this particular party.

XYCHQ was normally Ray singing, Jeff playing bass, Michael on guitar, me on drums. But there were one or two songs that I played guitar and sang on. "Things I Hate" was one, "Cancer Coffins" was another. Both were "searing" (cough) indictments of the shallow world around my 17-year-old self. Y'know, the social injustice of um people using tanning beds.

So yeah, this song "Cancer Coffins" was sort of a funky metal thing at the beginning. Then a thrashy riff for the chorus. And then the breakdown, which will be familiar to anyone who ever heard Devilcake's song "Fribble." or the (in Parentheses) track "Enthalpy." Hey, never let a good riff go to waste.

Michael slays the drums on this one. Jeff still on bass. I'm not sure why I was yelling the words.


Ya look so fake with your February tan
soak up as much fluorescent as you f'ing can
don't you see you look stupid as hell
just for a tan your fertility you'll sell

climb into the coffin to brown your skin
but you're getting cancer, you just can't win
your f'ing false tan looks stupid as sh!t
they say it's unsafe but you don't listen to it

lay down lay down
in your coffin
lay down lay down
and get a tan


stupid little goggles on your face
be the winner of the tanline race
?
?

take off your clothes lay in the tanning bed
but is it worth it for you to be dead
the winter is not the time to peel
your face is so red it's unreal


repeat with increasing petulance. Take that, orange people.