I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Hello Mr. Krinkle
How are you today?
Seems the rumors are about your team might move away
Now, me I'm sentimental
But I'm not one to cry
Say there Mr. Krinkle let's cruise the Bastard boat
Damn them sons a bitches with their gill-nets set afloat
I flip on my telly and I watch the waters die
Come on Mr. Krinkle tell me why
Come on Mr. Krinkle tell me why
Come on Mr. Krinkle won't you please tell me why
Tell me why
Hey ho Mr. Krinkle have you heard the brand new sound
It's a cross between Jimi Hendrix
Bocephus, Cher and James Brown
It's called "Heavy Hometown"
New Wave, cold-filtered, low-calorie dry
Come on Mr. Krinkle tell me why
Come on Mr. Krinkle tell me why
Come on Mr. Krinkle tell me why
Come on Mr. Krinkle tell me why
Mr. Krinkle (x10)
How are you today?
Seems the rumors are about your team might move away
Now, me I'm sentimental
But I'm not one to cry
Say there Mr. Krinkle let's cruise the Bastard boat
Damn them sons a bitches with their gill-nets set afloat
I flip on my telly and I watch the waters die
Come on Mr. Krinkle tell me why
Come on Mr. Krinkle tell me why
Come on Mr. Krinkle won't you please tell me why
Tell me why
Hey ho Mr. Krinkle have you heard the brand new sound
It's a cross between Jimi Hendrix
Bocephus, Cher and James Brown
It's called "Heavy Hometown"
New Wave, cold-filtered, low-calorie dry
Come on Mr. Krinkle tell me why
Come on Mr. Krinkle tell me why
Come on Mr. Krinkle tell me why
Come on Mr. Krinkle tell me why
Mr. Krinkle (x10)
Lyrics submitted by jt
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"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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"At a show in Syracuse New York on November 24th 2003 Les stated that the song was about Mike Bordin from Faith No More. The song is about them speaking to each other while both are on tour with their respective bands.
One possible inspiration of the song is the Twilight Zone episode "Four O'Clock", in which Mr. Crangle tries to make every evil person two feet tall. In it, Mrs. Lucas cries out "Why Mr. Crangle? Why?". The chorus of Mr. Krinkle is "Tell me Mr. Krinkle, Tell me why..." Further, the music for Mr. Krinkle sounds similar to the Twilight Zone music." -wikipedia.org
Wow, people have been at this one for a while and still no dice. This one is like low-hanging fruit. So, this IS about a gripe session between Les and someone else, not sure if its the Faith no More guy though. The first verse speaks to priorities in American life and the fact that many Americans would cry when their sports team moves away. This is a direct tie-in to the second verse about what people would not cry over: the environment. Now, I don't think that Les is some tree-hugging green-lover, but he does enjoy fishing (hence songs like 'The Old Diamondback Sturgeon') so it sucks for him to see all of the over-fishing that goes on. The third verse is just a gripe about advertising and 'the next big thing.' Society puts a lot of time into trying to market things as bigger and better; from lo-cal food to new musical genres. In a nutshell people are out there gill-netting, listening to hometown-heavy new-wave low calorie dry and lamenting about their departed football team while Les just sits on his couch and watches the world go insane.
I think this guy's got it. Makes more sense than others I've seen. Definitely not a song about god, Les is mostly straightforward with the meanings in his songs. Although, I do think the third part is also about how mainstream music started losing quality, most of it started to sound the same, and people didn't care because it was about being "the next big thing" rather than the music.
@petey3eb, I think there is environmental stank on this one, too
As a new member to this site, I am glad that this is the first song I post my comments on. I agree more that this song is about the dissappearance of certain genres of music than that it is a religious statement. This is illustrated in Larry's hair metal costume in the video and the simple fact that Les is playing an upright bass, an instrument that is nontraditional and past its climax of popularity. And besides, does Les really seem like a religious guy?
@Kyle Chizeck, yes, Les does seem religious
@Kyle Chizeck interesting that you are the first comment I've come across that addresses the obvious musical references in the last verse and their relevance to the song. I agree with your comment.
I agree with djnealc about the mike bordin thing, i read somewhere that when he would use Henry Krinkle as his fake name when registering at hotels.
This was the first Primus song I've heard. Great song. Great video. Great band.
Whilst most songs don't have a deeper hidden meaning, I think Primus' do, and there's some interesting ideas here. I always thought it was about identity generally, more personal than music.
I say that because of the literal meaning as opposed to metaphorical, mentioned live and elsewhere. Mike Bordin of Faith No More used the alias Mr. Krinkle in hotels, which Primus scoffed at until someone pretended to be Mr. Les Claypool and stole their stuff. So that's why I thought it might be about stealing identity, such as stealing the unique sound of other people's music and mixing them or his identity/personality as a fisherman (the Bastard boat makes it sound personal, the fish dying is mentioned in Pudding Time etc. as well, he hates the commercialism that leads to overfishing!).
The name "Henry Krinkle" comes from the movie "Taxi Driver". Travis Bickle (the DeNiro character) gives that name to a Secret Service guy because he doesn't want to give his real name.
I can't see any other references to Taxi Driver in the lyrics. It seems to be addressed to the Faith No More guy, maybe making fun of him for following musical trends too much. Maybe Mike Bordin got the name from Taxi Driver, and Les Claypool got it from Mike Bordin.
i agree that it has something to do with mike bordin.
i can't believe no one's touched on this yet.
the song is named after one of Mike Bordin's (Faith No More) hotel aliases. Around '92-'93, FNM had some internal conflict with guitarist Jim Martin, ultimately kicking him out. And anyone who's been through a sour relationship with a bandmate, it almost tears the whole band apart, with picking sides and all that jazz. Since members of both Primus and FNM are friendly with each other and may be kept abreast of things like each others' internal band conflicts, maybe Les wrote this song about what was going on with FNM. Just a thought.
"Your team might move away" (band breaking up/moving on), "Let's cruise the bastard boat" (come hang with us, mike), "Have you heard the brand new sound" (FNM's ever-shifting style).
the great thing about peotry is that only the artist knows its true meaning... If it can mean different things to different people then its good poetry otherwise its just a stupid childrens story with values in bold print
this is good peotry