Wisdom: 40oz To Freedom

Index

40oz
  1. Ruca
  2. Get Out *
  3. 40 oz to Freedom
  4. Smoke Two Joints
  5. We're Only Gonna Die for Our Own Arrogance
  6. Don't Push
  7. 5446/Ball and Chain
  8. Badfish
  9. Let's Go Get Stoned
  10. New Thrash
  11. Scarlet Begonias
  12. Live at E's
  13. D.J.s
  14. Chica me Tipo
  15. Right Back
  16. What Happened?
  17. New Song
  18. Ebin
  19. Date Rape w/ Rawhide *
  20. Hope
  21. KRS-One
  22. Babylon
  23. Thanks (extended) **

* - only featured on the first few pressings of the album (Skunk Records)
** - extended version only available on the original Skunk cassette

Ruca

Samples:

  • "Punk rock changed our lives" - D Boone from The Minute Men, History Lesson Pt. 2, Double Nickles on the Dimes
  • Barking - Lou Dog
  • "Damn Tough" - Kurtis Blow, Tough, Tough
  • "Be-biddy by-by-by" - KRS-One / Boogie Down Productions, The Style You Haven't Done, Ghetto Music: The Blueprints of Hip-Hop

References:

  • Ruca - Spanish slang for the other woman (like a mistress)
  • Heina - Spanish slang for your woman or girlfriend/wife

Trivia:

  • The Curtis Blow and KRS-One samples are actually a sample within a sample taken from the song KRS-One occurring later on this album.

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Get out!

Samples:

  • Phillis in the office - Brad's once girlfriend, Eileen's landlord
  • Drum Fill - The Minutemen, It's Expected I'm Gone, Double Nickels On The Dime
  • Scratched Keyboard Melody - Willie D (from the Geto Boys), Clean Up Man, Willie D, Goin' Out Like a Soldier
  • Background Horns - Beastie Boys, Slow Ride, Licensed to Ill (1986)
  • Drum Roll at 1:14 & 2:50 - Led Zeppelin, Moby Dick, Led Zeppelin 2
  • "1, 2, 3, 4" and "There were elk and bison, a gnu or two, giraffes and elephants, quite a few" - The Four-Legged Zoo, Schoolhouse Rock! (1973)
  • "Let me bust a freestyle then." - Eazy E (NWA), Ruthless Villain, Eazy-duz-it
  • "Fuck you man! I got a bone to pick!" - Geto Boys, Fuck 'em, The Geto Boys
  • Bassline at the end - Led Zeppelin, Lemon Song, Led Zeppelin 2

References:

  • chord progression/melody at ~0:33 is taken straight from George Michael Waiting For That Day (1990) complete with samples from the song "Funky Drummer" by James Brown.
  • Flops - deadbeats (flop house)
  • "You should have seen all the flops in my house / We was jumpin' on walls and kickin' ceilings / Nowadays people listen to me / When I say, 'Get out'" - adaptation of the lyrics "In days of yore for all bad feelings / Washing socks and stripping ceilings / Nowadays its used medicinally / For all known human malady" from Medicine Show by Big Audio Dynamite (1985)
  • "I'm cuttin' hits like Bert Susanka's got the shrimp dip" - Bert Susanka, lead singer for The Ziggens; this lyric specifically refers to their song I Got Me a Girlfriend from Wake Up and Smell (1991) where Bert sings, "I got me some shrimp dip"
  • Minutemen - band with legendary front man Mike Watt
  • Peni - punk rock band "Rudimentary Peni"
  • The Pit - Moshpit
  • Yellow Lover - Nickname for Marshall Goodman who was playing d-r-u-m-s at the time
  • fussin' and fightin' - this was the name of an early Bob Marley song on Soul Revolution (1971). The phrase was also used by The Beatles, We Can Work It Out, single (1965)

Trivia:

  • This song was left off the commercial album release because Sublime could not clear all the samples.
  • While the keyboard melody in Get Out was sampled from the Geto Boys, that G.B. song was actually using a sample from Betty Wright's Clean Up Woman, I Love the Way You Love (1972).
  • Same goes for the "Fuck you man! I got a bone to pick!" sample - the sample used comes from the Geto Boys song but that sample contains a sample ("Fuck you man!") from the 1983 movie Scarface, spoken by Al Pacino!
  • In addition to the lyrics from Medicine Show above, the style of cutting in non-musical samples could certainly be influanced by Big Audio Dynamite as well
  • The answering machine message at the beginning is from Brad's girlfriend at the time, Eileen. Eileen also makes a personal appearance on the once rare Sublime demo track, Slow Ride (now easily found on Second Hand Smoke) where she says, "...get a clue babe, there's nothin' to talk about". She was also mentioned in a rare studio freestyle called, Eireen, available on the bootleg The Black Album II.

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40 Oz to Freedom

Samples:

References:

  • 40oz - a 40oz of beer (usually Malt Liquor)
  • AM/PM - the name of a convenience store like 7-11

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Smoke Two Joints

Samples:

  • Beginning Lecture - movie: Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)
  • Bong Hit - Chris Hauser (as indicated in the liner notes)
  • "Smoked cigarettes 'til the day she died" - The Ziggens, Outside!, Wake Up and Smell (1991)
  • "Smoke a big spliff of some good sensimilla" - Just Ice, Na Touch Da Just, The Desolate One (1989)
  • "Eazy-E, were you ever caught slippin'? Hell naw!" - Eazy E, No More ?'s, Eazy Duz It (1988)

References:

  • This is a cover of The Toyes song by the same name
  • "Rock me tonight..." - Freddie Jackson, Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake), Rock Me Tonight (1985)

Trivia:

  • Brad wrote a letter to The Toyes informing them of his admiration of the song and how he was covering it.
  • The Just-ICE song is again referenced in the song DJ's below.
  • Brad's guitar riff at ~0:30 is reused on All You Need, Robbin' The Hood at ~2:12

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We're Only Gonna Die For Our Own Arrogance

Samples:

  • Dialogue (skunk version) - Peter Finch, Network, movie (1976)

References:

  • This Song is a cover of Bad Religion, We're Only Gonna Die, How Could Hell Be Any Worse? (1982)

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Don't Push

Samples:

References:

  • "Stolen from an African land" - Bob Marley, Buffalo Soldier, Confrontation
  • Bob Marley - The King of Reggae
  • "Could you be loved?" - Bob Marley, Could You be Loved, Uprising (1980)
  • Half Pint - Reggae artist
  • Mike Tyson - Heavyweight Boxer
  • Boomtown Rats - Reggae Band
  • "Staying up all night" - The Boomtown Rats, Up All Night, Mondo Bongo (1980)
  • King Adrock - Beastie Boy, Adam Horovitz
  • "stupid dumb" - "she was crying like a baby, stupid dumb..." from She's Crafty, Licensed to Ill (1986)
  • "Comfortably numb" - Pink Floyd, Comfortably Numb, The Wall
  • 439-O116 - actually Brad's old phone number
  • "Racism is schism on a serious tip" - Beastie Boys, Lookin' Down the Barrel, Paul's Boutique
  • "Higher the mountain, it hard to climb"... - Chuck Turner, We Rule the Dance, single (1987)
  • "Go and wake the town..." is covered from Tenor Saw, Wake the Town, Wake the Town
  • Lick shot - Jamaican term for shoot (a gun). The same phrase, "pump-pump, lick-a-shot" occurs on the song Lick A Shot by Boogie Down Productions, Live Hardcore Worldwide (1991).

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5446/Ball and Chain

Samples:

  • "ohh give it to me, yeah!" - some porno?

References:

  • 54-46 That's My Number is a cover of Toots and the Maytals, Single (1968)
  • give it to me x times - and other phrases also taken from Toots & The Maytals
  • "si-boops-deh..." (rasta banter) - Supercat, Boops, Si Boops Deh (1985)
  • Lord have His Grilled Cheese - As the story goes, Brad, Jack Maness, and Ino Tanner (friend of Sublime, mentioned on Thanks) were cruising in Brad's car and Brad put in a Bounty Killer tape. When Bounty Killer's cliché "Lord Have Mercy" line came on, Ino joked "Lord Have Grilled Cheese," and Brad used it randomly on 5446 and D.J.s.
  • Ball and Chain - Spouse / SO / Lover

Trivia:

  • In the original song 54-46 That's my Number by Toots and the Maytals, the "54-46" referred to the prisoner ID number Toots had while in prison for marijuana. In addition to Sublime; Aswad, Yellowman, Buju Banton (and others) have covered the song.

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Badfish

Samples:

  • "Hey man, what's up?" - Spoken by Greg Abramson (see Thanks below)
  • "Tell Todd he can turn the radio back up." - Spoken by Miguel Happoldt, Todd was the bartender at Shannon's Bayshore Saloon who turned the radio down for Abramson and and Happoldt so they could record the bar sound effects (ala Nite Klub).

References:

  • Badfish - the meaning of this phrase leaves much to the imagination. One could take urbandictionary.com's unsubstantiated word for it and believe Brad would write/sing a song dedicated to a gateway drug user; but to most big Sublime fans, the song leads you believe in something different. Perhaps its as simple as a reference to Dr. Seuss' (1960) One Fish Two Fish...? Where Bradley wonders if "you" are a bad fish (not like the other goody-two-shoes fishes) too?

    Seuss Fish

    Maybe it's just best that such a beautiful song is left to the individual listener's concept of what a "badfish" means to them. We will leave it to one dedicated fan (Kate D.N.) to put it into perspective:

    As for me, I always thought it encompassed more than [a gateway drug user]. When I hear the song and listen to Brad's lyrics in the context of the song, this is what I feel.... it's a hodgepodge of emotion. The feeling of drowning further and further into something you know will pull you under, yet soothes your soul like the calm waves. It isn't a song just about drug use, it's about life and where he was at that time... where we've all been at some point. I know I have issues that could potentially drown me, and this life I live leaves more than just my liver soaked in sin, but I am living how I want... carefree on the outside as the life of the party, while my inside knows I'm drowning. It's a conflict song wrapped up in a smooth as hell melody. It's quite the conundrum because the lyrics are bordering dark, while the music just makes you want to crack open another corona and duck dive off into the sunset....


  • "I'm a parasite, creep and crawl I step into the night" - basically a line from The Specials, Nite Klub, Specials (1979)

Trivia:

  • In addition to the "parasite" phrase, Badfish may have been influenced by Nite Klub's intro bar background noise.
  • The Ziggens, All the Fun That We Missed, Rusty Never Sleeps - is quite similar in melody to Badfish and is credited as the inspiration for the song in the Cornerstone RAS (record label) DVD: Sublime live 94-96 (2002)

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Let's Go Get Stoned

Samples:

  • "my goodness" - sample as yet unknown, but the same sample is used on Juvenile, Bounce For The Juvenile, It's Jimi (1992)
  • "damn, now lick my balls" - NWA (Eazy E), Just Don't Bite It, 100 Miles and Runnin'
  • "The rhythm, the rebel" - Public Enemy, Rebel Without a Pause, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back
  • "the young heifer"(?) - Public Enemy, Contract On the World Love Jam, Fear of a Black Planet
  • "and I said suck the mutha-fucka, you bitin' it, shit" - NWA (Eazy E), Just Don't Bite It, 100 Miles and Runnin'
  • "Word" - Public Enemy, Contract On the World Love Jam, Fear of a Black Planet
  • "Let's Go Get Stoned" (skunk version) - Ray Charles, Let's Go Get Stoned, single (1966)
  • Drum Roll & "There it is... kick it!" - Beastie Boys, The New Style, Licenced to Ill

References:

  • Monkey on my back - addiction
  • melody near the end is based on The Minutemen, #1 Hit Song, Double Nickels On the Dime

Trivia:

  • The Beastie Boys sample above from The New Style containing the drumroll and phrase "there it is", is another sample(s) within a sample becuase the Beastie Boys were in that moment sampleing Trouble Funk, Drop The Bomb (1982); AND Run-DMC, Peter Piper, Raising Hell (1986)

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New Thrash

Samples:

References:

  • "there ain't no life no where" - phrase from Jimi Hendrix, I Don't Live Today, Are You Experienced (1967)

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Scarlet Begonias

Samples:

  • Background Beat - James Brown, Funky Drummer, In the Jungle Groove (1970)

References:

  • This song is a cover of the Grateful Dead, Scarlet Begonias, Grateful Dead from the Mars Hotel (1974)
  • Sublime incorporated the "Stalag" riddim for their version of this tune
  • Microbus - Volkswagen bus, peace van type thing
  • Mushroom Tea - form of the hallucinogen Psilocybin
  • Ecstasy - euphoric drug popular at raves
  • Nitrous - N2O, drug commonly found in aerosol whip cream, "whip-it"
  • Opium - sedative drug related to heroin most popular in China during the depression
  • Acid - Lysergic acid diethylamide (aka: LSD), highly psychedelic and hallucinogenic narcotic
  • Heroin - highly addictive and powerful opiate that caused Brad's death
  • PCP - Phencyclidine (aka: sherm) hard core fucked up drug, makes you hyper/insane

Trivia:

  • This song (the harmony portions) is sung by Miguel Happoldt and Bradley Nowell. Miguel was the Dead fan in the band and it was his idea to cover the song according to Greg Abramson - see "Kimmy" in the Thanks section.

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Live at E's

Samples:

References:

  • Field Marshall Goodman (aka Ras MG, aka "Pleasy(?) G") and Eric Wilson are the featured "rappers" on this tune (along with Brad singing of course)
  • E's - According to RAS MG (also played drums on this track, a recording session at Cal State Dominquez Hills): It was called “Live At E’s” because Dominquez Hills, is near Compton, CA. So Miguel & Brad were intrigued by Eazy E, being from Compton and all that and Cal State Dominquez is right next to Compton. So that’s why it was called “Live At E’s” because we were live in Compton, essentially.
  • 5000 - Later, bye, out, as in the car 'Audi 5000'

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D.J.s

Samples:

  • "damn" - NWA (Eazy E), Just Don't Bite It, 100 Miles and Runnin'

References:

  • "all of the DJs surely have taken a lesson" - Just-ICE, Na Touch Da Just, The Desolate One (1989)
  • "The stone that the builder refuse, shall be the head corner stone" - Bob Marley, Corner Stone, Soul Rebels (1970)
  • "there ain't nothin' wrong ain't nothin' right, and still I sit and lie awake all night" is most certinly a rephrase of Conway Twitty, Heavy Tears, Cross Winds (1979): "there ain't nothin' wrong but then there ain't nothin' right, it's just the kind of thing that keeps you up all night"
  • Rubbadub Blender - A term for reggae music
  • Lord have His Grilled Cheese - As the story goes, Brad, Jack Maness, and Ino Tanner (friend of Sublime, mentioned on Thanks) were cruising in Brad's car and Brad put in a Bounty Killer tape. When Bounty Killer's cliché "Lord Have Mercy" line came on, Ino joked "Lord Have Grilled Cheese," and Brad used it randomly on 5446 and D.J.s.
  • "Ghost Rider they call them Ghost Rider..." - phrase straight from General Trees, Ghost Rider (1985)
    In addition, there is another song called Ghost Rider with simmilar lyrics by Squeechie Nice, which also came out in 1985.
  • "dreaddy got a job to do ... we will survive in this world of competition" - Bob Marley, Ride Natty Ride, Survival (1979)
  • Stop your messin' around ... or you'll wind up in jail - The Specials, A Message to You Rudie, The Specials

Trivia:

  • "The stone that the builder refuse, shall be the head corner stone" - was probably inspired by the Bob Marley song but the phrase originates from Psalm 118 & Matthew 21:42, The Bible which is possibly Bob's inspiration for the tune.

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Chica me Tipo

Samples:

References:

  • The main rhythm of this song includes a noticeable section of “The Villain's Theme”, an old tune with difficult to trace origins which has been used in everything from silent films to video games.
  • See lyrics for a translation of the Spanish

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Right Back

Samples:

References:

  • "a bright holiday (holiday)" - is a line from Bob Marley, Mix Up, Mix Up, Confrontation (1983)

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What Happened?

Samples:

  • beginning horn - George Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue

References:

  • "da-da dada-da-da da-da" melody - The Champs, Tequila, single (1958)
  • "Play it Boy Wonder!" - random phrase from Fishbone, Party at Ground Zero, Fishbone EP (1985)

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New Song

Samples:

  • "Why must I feel like that?" - George Clinton, Atomic Dog, Computer Games

References:

  • "I heard that payback..." - modified phrase from Ice Cube, The Nigga Ya Love To Hate, Amerikkka's Most Wanted (1990)
  • "runnin' from the gun of a brain that weighs a ton" - phrase from Public Enemy, I Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya Man, Fear of a Black Planet (1990)
  • Flava-Flave - rapper from Public Enemy
  • "P it stands for Freedom", - if that is what Brad says, might be a reference to KRS-One, P Is Free (original), South Bronx (12" single, 1986)

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Ebin

Samples:

References:

  • PLO - Palestinian Liberation Organization
  • KKK - Klew Klux Klan
  • JFA - Jodie Foster's Army (80's punk band)

Trivia:

  • Supposedly this song gets it's name from a former classmate of Brad's, "Eben". A great story about it here.

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Date Rape

Samples:

References:

  • "Let me tell you 'bout..." is inspired by The Untouchables, Mandingo, Wild Child (1985)
  • the melody of Date Rape is very similar to a song by The Sonics, The Witch, Here Are The Sonics (1965)
  • the storyline is right in line with the 2nd half of the tune The Boiler, by The Special AKA, single (1982)
  • The Rawhide song at the end of the Skunk version of this track is a cover of the theme song of the 1959 TV show Rawhide. The song was first written and sung by Frankie Laine.

Trivia:

  • The video for Date Rape features pron king Ron Jeremy as a Judge and friend of the band, Tod Zalkins as the rapist.
  • The Rawhide cover was removed for copyright reasons.
  • Sublime were certainly influenced by the Dead Kennedys and Blues Brothers covers as much as the original TV version of Rawhide.

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Hope

Samples:

References:

  • This is a cover of The Descendants, Hope, Milo Goes to College (1982)

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KRS-One

Samples:

  • Scratching & "Damn tough" - DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Charlie Mack, He's The DJ I'm The Rapper
  • "... Norman?" - ???
  • "be a producer" - KRS-One / Boogie Down Productions, The Style You Haven't Done, Ghetto Music: The Blueprints of Hip-Hop (1989)
  • "Be-biddy by-by-by" - KRS-One / Boogie Down Productions, The Style You Haven't Done, Ghetto Music: The Blueprints of Hip-Hop (1989)
  • Piano melody at 1:21 - The Four-Legged Zoo, Schoolhouse Rock! (1973) *song was also sampled on Get Out.
  • "You must learn" - KRS-One / Boogie Down Productions, You Must Learn, Ghetto Music: The Blueprints of Hip-Hop (1989)

References:

  • "And I know ... because of KRS-One" - A line from the beginning of KRS-One / Boogie Down Productions, Breath Control, Ghetto Music: The Blueprints of Hip-Hop (1989)
  • KRS-One (Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone) - Rapper from Boogie Down Productions
  • Elijah Muhammad - Muslim Prophet

Trivia:

  • As in Get Out, KRS-One contains a sample within a sample. Sublime used the DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince cut, but the part "Damn tough" if from Curtis Blow, Tough, Tough (1982). You can tell Sublime didn't simply sample Curtis Blow because you can hear Jazzy Jeff's turntable scratch-cuts just prior to the sample, which has been re-cut on itself by Sublime.

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Rivers of Babylon

Samples:

References:

  • This is a cover of the Melodians, Rivers Of Babylon, Rivers Of Babylon (1970)
  • "King Alpha" refers to Emperor Haile Selassie I

Trivia:

  • Jack Maness sang and played guitar on this track along with Bradley Nowell.
  • One could say that the REAL original version of this song appears in Psalm 137, The Bible

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Thanks Dub...

Samples:

References:

  • The entire premise of this track is based upon I Gotta Say What Up!!! by Ice Cube on Kill at Will (1990) which has the same thanks concept and same phrases including several "I gotta say what(s) up” and “The mutha-fuckin' trigger happy Geto Boys”.
  • musical baseline - based upon The Clash, Armagideon Time, London Calling (single) (1979) which is a cover of Willie Williams' Armagideon Time, (single) (1978)
  • The rhythem of this track, and Armagideon Time above, both use the "Real Rock" riddim
  • now onto who was thanked:
  • Smoke Two Joints - jacked (stolen) from The Toyes
  • B. (Brent) Dowe and F. (Trevor) McNaughton - wrote Rivers of Babylon
  • Happoldt - Miguel's family
  • Nowell - Bradley's family
  • Wilson - Eric's family
  • all the Players - people that played an instrument on the album
  • Kelly Vargas - part-time drummer for Sublime (and other related bands)
  • LBP - Long Beach Posse
  • World Famous Juice Bros - The Juice Brothers - a punk band consisting of Bud Gaugh, Eric Wilson, Dennis "Scummy" Elm and Michael "Miguel" Happoldt
  • Field Marshall Goodman - aka Ras MG: toured with Sublime, and played most drums on this album
  • Floyd-I - Bud Gaugh
  • Bad Religion - Originally wrote and performed, We're Only Gonna Die, which Sublime covered on this album (and live)
  • The Descendants - Originally wrote and performed, Hope , which Sublime covered on this album (and live)
  • George Hurley - drummer for the Minutemen and Firehose
  • Mike Watt - front man from the Minutemen and several other bands
  • All those flops - as mentioned in Get Out, people who stayed around with no contributions
  • Toby Dog - Eric's dog, who walked away into the woods one day and Eric never saw him again (he was very old)
  • Louie Dog - aka Lou Dog (November 25, 1989 - September 17, 2001), Brad's Dalmatian and mascot for Sublime
  • Matt Dog - Bud's dog, it went blind and got hit by a car
  • James Brown - (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) singer and songwriter, considered the "Godfather of Soul"
  • The BSM - ?
  • Miles Davis - (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time
  • Ken The All Night Rocker - Kenneth Ramsey - the paraplegic punk rocker who fronted the band, KTANR. He also wrote songs for Flipside. He has since passed away in 2006.
  • South Side Pat and Catherine - ?
  • Ino and Shelly, and their baby - Ino Tanner, a close friend of Sublime. Lives in Austin, TX now. Also mentioned on this album on the song DJ's, and additionally, the track Rosarito by The LBDA.
  • Jimi Hendrix - (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) considered to be one of the greatest guitarists of all time
  • Beer - alcoholic beverage made from barley, hops, and wheat
  • Sonic Lizard - band
  • The Rapemen - was a band fronted by Steve Albini in the late 80s; OR, an unlikely reference to the guy at the party during Brad's years at Santa Cruz who mentioned the line "If it wasn't for date rape I'd never get laid" which inspired the hit song, Date Rape
  • Bob Marley - (February 6, 1945 – May 11, 1981) the "King of Reggae", Sublime covered/referenced many of his songs
  • Bob Dobbs - fictional founder of the Church of the Sub-Genius and the guy who has his head pictured three times on the 40oz CD (the pipe dude)
  • Bob Forrest - the front man for LA band Thelonious Monster. They played the Foothill, Bogart's, Blue Cafe, etc. with Sublime and were friends of many of the bands mentioned (Diet Faith, Imagining Yellow Suns)
  • all those punker sluts - the other members of Thelonious Monster/related bands? Maybe just a reference to Sublime groupies?
  • Eek-A-Mouse - reggae musician
  • Tom - Tom Cheney, co-editor of "The Beat" magazine?
  • Crass - 80's English punk band
  • Chili Pot All Night - ?
  • Peni - another 80's British punk rock band, Rudimentary Peni
  • Fugazi - American punk band on Discord Records
  • Rhino 59 - actual name: Rhino 39 (It was an inside joke, Sublime called them Rhino '59 because they were old), a punk band out of Los Angles - Brad may have lived with their lead singer Jason Scharback for a while
  • Reek One - Reek-1 was Opie Ortiz, his old alias when he did only art
  • Last Pariahs - band from Portland, OR
  • Naomi's Hair - band from Lakeland, FL
  • Butthole Surfers - a band Brad played with and later wrote songs with lead singer, Paul Leary (ex. Seed, April 29th, 1992)
  • Frank Zappa - (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) Member of "Mothers of Invention" and also a solo artist
  • Aunt Bea - maybe something to do with the Andy Griffith show, Aunt Bea was the Grand-Aunt to the Opie character
  • Big Drill Car - punk band that Sublime performed with at Bogart's
  • Bert Susanka and all the Ziggens around the world - Bert Susanka is the lead singer of The Ziggens who were sublime's "brother band"
  • Jack the Third - ?
  • Julia Parker - an Ex-Girlfriend of Miguel Happoldt
  • Jeff the King - Owner of club 'Toe Jam', was using Sublime's mic stands as collateral
  • Martini (with his 40oz in hand) - ?
  • Jai Dodds and his son Christin - friend of the band, mentioned in the song 40oz to Freedom
  • Scum - Denis "Scummy" Elm, he was in the (World Famous) Juice Bros
  • Hard as Smoke and Cheap as Wood - reference to Wood & Smoke, an Orange County band Sublime played with at Bogart's in the early days
  • Scumette - Scum's then (psycho) girlfriend, but presently could be used to describe Scum's wife (rudely) or daughter (affectionately)
  • The Vandals - a Huntington Beach punk band
  • H.R. - ("Human Rights") is the stage name of Paul D. Hudson, lead singer of the Bad Brains. Sublime performed with on H.R. a few occasions, and backed him for his solo release, Charge.
  • Nick Tweak - ?
  • Joann - ?
  • Carolyn - ?
  • Snow - friend of the band (pictured inside Robbin' the Hood liner notes)
  • Bam Bam - ?
  • East Side Stoners - generic reference to pot heads living in East LA
  • Saint Tucko - ?
  • Shawn Stern - one of three brothers from LA Punk band Youth Brigade, they played shows with Sublime
  • Kenji Easley Project - A joke band that Eric (drums), Scummy (bass), and Kenji Easley (guitar/vocals) had. They never performed live. On a side note, Kenji Easley was in Sublime for 8 or 9 months.
  • Steve Zepeda - arguably "made" Sublime, one of their early promoters and booking agents; a club promoter, did Bogarts, Blue Cafe and Foothill in Long Beach.
  • Richard Greco - Owner of Bogart's
  • Bogarts - was a bar on Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach; Closed in 1994
  • Dave Shea - a roadie with Sublime - but after Imagining Yellow Suns broke up, Dave Shea, Dave Cornblum, and Elder D. all formed a band called Shave. Miguel helped produce their album. Their first show happened to be at Golden Sails with Sublime in 1993.
  • Greg A - Greg Abramson, was the person who gave Jon Phillips a Sublime demo when they both worked for Gasoline Alley. He still DJs, going by the moniker Groovy Greg or Rewind Selecta.
  • Sacramento - capital city of California
  • BMD - ?
  • Danny Lovitz in Arcata - ? Arcata is a small college town in Northern CA, a favorite place to play for Sublime
  • Diet Faith - was a band with Greg Abramson, Miguel Happoldt and a couple other peeps who played a one-off show opening for Sublime at The Nugget at CSULB
  • Imagining Yellow Suns - A band from Long Beach / Orange County, CA. Consisting of bassist Tim Bugge, guitarist Ed Bernard, drummer Rob Fadtke, and another guitarist Scott Cross (AKA Elder D.). And, Scott did mastering for some of Juice Bros albums.
  • Ben is Dead - Magazine (now defunct)
  • Kevin Swinsen - ?
  • Frija - Marshall Goodman's old hardcore band
  • Cold Duke Train - band?
  • Wister - ?
  • Mark Mandoo and the One Live Crew - ?
  • Lakeland Posse - Lakeland, Florida; Miguel Happoldt was from Lakeland, FL
  • Mr. Capoo - ?
  • Antioch Posse - Antioch is a city/suburb near Lakeland, FL
  • Johnson Family - ?
  • Dirty Al - Sublime's merch guy during this album's time frame and considered part of the "LBP"
  • Jennifer Henry - ?
  • Kelly 2 (in San Francisco)- ?
  • Lisa Johnson in Austin - friend to the band, took many pictures featured in later documentaries
  • Tonto - Wayne Jackson, former Skunk/Martian Church employee, he was Brad and Eric's room-mate during Robbin' and 40oz; Rivers of Babylon was recorded in his living room. Wayne got the nickname "Tonto" from a sizeable tattoo of an Indian on his arm.
  • Jimmy Carl Black - from Mothers of Invention (Frank Zappa's early stuff)
  • Mercado Carribe - a now defunct punk/ska/reggae club in Austin, TX (on 6th st.)
  • Lee - Lee Gettys, he was the owner of Mercado Caribe at the time Sublime visited
  • Jimmy's - bar in New Orleans where Sublime played
  • Hardback - bar in Gainesville, Florida where Sublime played
  • Mark Goodnight - Had some "psycho-pad" where Sublime stayed - where a well known 1989-90 murder occurred
  • Jack Tripper - ?
  • Ingrid in Arcata - Miguel's sister(?)
  • Rusty - ?
  • Bermuda Pete - ?
  • Sarah - ?
  • Shannon Boyle - ?
  • The Spacefish - band
  • NKOTB (in Costa Mesa) - New Klub On The Block, a punk rock venue in Costa Mesa
  • OK Hotel - Hotel in downtown Seattle on Alaskan Way
  • Joel at Waves - Waves is a Reggae bar that was in Downtown Los Gatos and is now in Downtown San Jose, Joel is the owner
  • Ninja Man - reggae artist
  • Tam - ?
  • Darby Crash - lead singer for The Germs. (he committed suicide by heroin overdose)
  • D. Boone - Lead Singer of the Minutemen
  • Alex & Eka - 2 brothers, Alex was roommates with Greg Abramson when they met Happoldt back in the day
  • Grin - ?
  • Craig Caskey - Friend, worked at Skunk Records before and after Gasoline Alley; also credited by Sublime-influenced band "Bargain Music", on their album titled "77 003"
  • Dave Cornblum - mentioned above with Dave Shea, they were in the band Shave. He met his wife at the "4th Street" Sublime show 1990.
  • Beth Larson - ?
  • Church of Rock and Roll - small club in the Niles district of Fremont, CA
  • Cori and best friend, Georgi - Cori C. and Georgi L., part of the LB Posse (LBP) and friends of Sublime from the beginning. Sublime performed at Georgi's party on 4/20/1990, which is considered to the the oldest known video of Sublime.
  • Meat Puppets - rock band
  • Tar Babies - band
  • Katlyn and Frank - These two owned an awesome (but now defunct) punk record store in Long Beach called Zed Records, that always had rare Sublime boots. The address used to be: Zed Records, 1940 Lakewood Blvd., Long Beach (562)498-2757 [Current Website]
  • Scott (at Ten Ton) - Scott Papa. He owned Ten Ton Records in Long Beach. It closed in early '93. Sublime, Suburban Rhythm, and other LB bands used to play here and promote their music. Address was: 2749 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA
  • Everyone at DeJa - ?
  • CMJ Enterprises - College Music Journal
  • Molly Contrel - ?
  • Courtney Beatman - a guy named Courtney who owned Culture Beat, a reggae record store in Long Beach
  • Mecca Parks and Recreation Department - Mecca is a city in CA near Palm Springs
  • 29 Palms - city in California near Palm Springs, the bitterness was reference to a couple of outdoor desert jam parties Sublime played at in Mecca that kinda got out of hand and the authorities were involved
  • Lisa G - another Ex-Girlfriend of Miguel Happoldt (who may have been Miguel's lady at that time)
  • Kimmy - old friend from Long Beach State, she was with Greg A and Happoldt at a Grateful Dead show in Las Vegas when Happoldt heard Scarlet Begonias and said he was going to get Sublime to record the song
  • Busface - Long Beach punk band that at one time Bud and Eric were in (amongst others)
  • Soup-lime - Another band consisting of the friends of Sublime
  • The Mentors - band
    [the following is only available on the extended version]
  • Just-ICE - rapper from New York City, His song Na Touch Da Just was sampled by Sublime within Smoke 2 Joints and quoted on D.J.s
  • Kris Parker, commonly known as KRS-One - famous NYC Rapper, sampled by Sublime and obvious inspiration for the song KRS-One
  • D-Nice - Derrick Jones, Another NYC Rapper and part of Boogie Down Productions with KRS-One
  • Queen Latifah - famous Rapper/Singer
  • Shelly Thunder - 1980s reggae dance-hall artist (Just-ICE used her "riddim" from Kuff (1988) for part of Na Touch Da Just
  • Geto Boys - rap group from Houston, TX, frequently sampled by Sublime
  • Public Enemy Number One - NYC rap group sampled by Sublime
  • N.W.A. - (Niggaz With Attitude), a rap group from Compton, California, also sampled by Sublime
  • Ice Cube - rapper from Compton, California, once a member of N.W.A.
  • Lench Mob - was a West Coast rap group associated with Ice Cube
  • Cypress Hill - rap group from South Gate, California
  • South Gate posse - South Gate is a city in California, and part of South-East Los Angeles County
  • Scott Cunningham - was Brad's high school friend: photo here
  • Gina G. - Brad's first girlfriend
  • That long-haired soundman dude - a weird, tweeky-looking sound guy that worked at Bogarts
  • Prince Jammy - (AKA Lloyd James, King Jammy) dub mixer and record producer
  • Scientist - dub reggae artist that worked with Prince Jammy and King Tubby
  • Ini Kamoze - Jamaican reggae singer
  • Tenor Saw - Jamaican dancehall singer in the 1980s
  • Super Cat - Jamaican dancehall singer in the 1980s
  • Major Mackerel - 1980s reggae singer
  • Daddy Tiger - 1980s reggae singer
  • Major Worries - reggae artist who's song Me No Response used the Pinchers Agony riddim which was also used by Just-ICE for part of Na Touch Da Just
  • Half-Pint - prominent Jamaican dancehall and reggae singer mentioned on Don't Push and Robbin' the Hood's All You Need
  • U-Roy - Jamaican musician, mentioned on Robbin' the Hood's All You Need
  • Daddy Lizard - reggae singer
  • Redman Superpower - a reggae compilation album
  • Shinehead - Jamaican reggae singer
  • Shabba - Shabba Ranks, Jamaican dancehall recording artist
  • The Beastie Boys - popular hip hop group that Sublime sampled
  • Maggie and Jules and the Arlington crew - ? (Arlington is an area of Riverside, California)
  • Bradco Tires - on Anaheim and Orange(?), "always the lowest prices!"
  • YOU! - All the fans of course!

Trivia:

  • Billy Wilson - Eric's father, this album was dedicated posthumously to him in the liner notes but not directly in this song
  • This track is spoken by Miguel Happoldt, not Bradley as often assumed

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