Quoth Nicole Carlson <nnicole@hooked.net>:

In the JH song "Stomp Box", the second verse intones "pour the poison in my ear." This is a reference to Hamlet. In Hamlet, by Bill Shakespeare himself, Claudius kills the old king (Hamlet's dad) by--you guessed it--pouring poison in his ear. I've tried to apply the rest of the song to Hamlet, but it doesn't seem to fit. The first verse could be a paraphrasing of the Ghost's instructions to Hamlet, but it doesn't make much sense for the Ghost to ask Hammie to "pour the poison in my ear" in the second verse. After all, Claudius killed the king, not Hamlet. And I have no idea what a "stomp box" could refer to. So, after sober reflection, I must conclude that while "Stomp Box" contains a clear, concrete Hamlet ref, it is not about Hamlet.

Quoth Philip Sandifer <SANDIFER001@WCSUB.CTSTATEU.EDU>:

Stomp Box is a song about demons, satanism, and self sacrifice. I elaborate.

"Stomp Box Speak my thougts! Vent these voices from the dark!"

Stomp Box (Whatever it is) spread my words! Release the words of the demons to the world!

"Shout Shout Shout Shout! Scream it out!"

This one is continuing. Scream out your message. Force the pitifull souls of the world to listen to your message! You are the superior being!

"Blast your missive! Tell the wordless message!"

Repeat your thoughts. Force it all upon everybody! This cult is under your control! They are all simply your minions. (And onions)

"Little Stomp Box Tear it From My Heart!"

Rip out this satanic voice. Sacrafice your own life towards this insane cause!

"Stomp Box, Voice of Fear! Pour the Poison in my ear!"

Switching tones. From the hailing of the Stomp Box, we move to the people who decry it. We start my mocking it, begging it to release more of it's poisonous messages to the world.

"Kill Kill Kill Kill! Kill me now!"

Kill me! I would rather die than become a slave to the madness the Stomp Box is releasing to the world! (At this point the person is slowly succumbing to the Stomp Box)

"Free the demon! Hear the ceaseless screaming!"

Free the Stomp Box from me! Let all hear the screaming of it! Let all succumb as I have!

"Little Stomp Box Tear it from My Heart!"

The last glimmer of hope. No! Rip the Stomp Box out of me! Kill me! Do not let me become one of the slaves of the Stomp Box!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Either his death scream as he frees himself of the Stomp Box's insane influences, or the scream of total submission as the Stomp Box's messages enter his mind forever.

Quoth David Harrington <daveh@mail.frontiernet.net>:

First, I want to note that I feel Stomp Box sounds a whole lot like Dig My Grave. Anywhatevers, Stomp Box seems to be about Heavy Metal Music and their devoted fans love of evil, darkness, and death..

"Stomp Box speak my thought
Vent these voices from the dark"

Obviously Metal Fan expressing his delight in the band and how it reaches him and speaks to him about the creatures of evil and darkness

"Shout Shout Shout Shout
Scream it out"

Much of Heavy Metal Music includes loud screams of agony and pain

"Tell the wordless message"

Reference to the screaming (the wordless message)

"Stomp Box, voice of fear
pour the poison in my ear"

Reference to parental units who are aganist Heavy Metal music.. The music makes the censors afraid for the children (voice of fear) and many critics say gives wrong messages to a child and poisons their mine through the music entering through their ears (pour the poision in my ear)

"Kill Kill Kill Kill
Kill me now"

Some Heavy Metal Music contains lyrics which could be considered promoting suicidal actions and violence..

"Free the demon"

Some Heavy Metal music (particually Death Metal) deal with the powers of evil and darkness such as demonic creatures..

"Hear the ceaseless screaming"

Reference to Teen Angst, anger, and Heavy Metal Music

"Little Stomp Box
tear it from my heart"

The heart is often considered the location of a person's spiritual soul and feelings.. To take away the music would be to "tear it from my heart"

Quoth ASN <palptine@onramp.net>:

One thing that I just wanted to add about Stompbox was a possible meaning for the word 'Stompbox'. I think there's a kind of guitar effect pedal known (or at least referred to) as a 'Stompbox'. I don't know what kind of effect it does, but it could fit in nicely with the Heavy Metal idea :) Also, I found out there's a group called Stompbox, but I don't think they have any connection to TMBG...

Quoth Drew Seibert <st942510@PIP.CC.BRANDEIS.EDU>:

The other interps are good, but i can't help but feel that they are looking too deeply into the song. TMBG rarely have a serious musical style AND a serious message (The End of the Tour is the only one i can think of at the moment that does). So this is what i think - Stomp Box is a synonym for Mosh Pit. I've seen at least one interview with the Johns where they talk about the absurdity of slam dancing, or "pass the dude" at their concerts (especially during slower ballad-type songs), or the absurdity in general. I think the song is basically poking fun at slam dancing, and what more clever way to do so than by writing music you can slam dance to? I don't want to analyze every single line, but here are a couple:

vent these voices from the dark

voices of audience members in a darkened concert hall?

tell the wordless message

wordless - a little contradictory to the last line, eh? voices without words. people who slam dance claim it's a form of expression and a way to rid themselves of their teen angst. which leads me to another line:

hear the ceaseless screaming

venting frustration by screaming and running into each other? there are a few references to screaming and shouting, which are often heard at concert, especially with a mosh pit. all the violent lyrics in the song are just sort of mirroring the attitude of the dancers who dance violently, even though they're not really trying to hurt anyone. they're just venting. I think TMBG is maybe saying that slam dancing is silly, because it's really not a very expressive form of dancing at all (not that i don't enjoy a good mosh pit from time to time).

Quoth <kliever@proaxis.com>:

Heres an interpretation thats been flying through my head for awhile (a great empty expanse, I know), could the stomp box be a tv? if you listen, it sounds like it could be (a very anti t.v statement), so lets all go online instead! maybe this has all been been said before, so if it has, nevermind, I plead ignorance. On a similar note, could the "dancing, shouting......shreiks of pain, the lovely music.....smell of burning autumm leaves be religious ceremonies, if you go from the interp that this song is from the view of god, it makes sence.

Quoth Dean <dm530@dancris.com>:

The guy in the song is pleading with his subconcious mind, pleading with it so he can release every primal though he has ever had-and just scream.

Quoth chris corn <colbleep@sprynet.com>:

First off, a stomp box is a distortion pedal.

My personal interpretation of the song stomp box is as follows:

sometimes you need to be angry. when everything builds up inside of you, one way to release that tension is by being loud. i beleive that "the demon" john is referring to is his anger and bitterness (yes i beleive that both john and john are capeable of being angry and bitter, every person on this earth gets those feelings) trying to make its way out of him.

Quoth Jason C Riek <wanderlust+@CMU.EDU>:

I think that Stomp Box is about someone who doesn't deal well with bad news, either telling it or hearing it. Maybe he's someone who tends to not show emotion well, and keep things bottled up inside. Regardless, he needs the Stomp Box to help him. Allow me to demonstrate:

Stomp Box speak my thought

He's asking the Stomp Box to say the things he cannot.

Vent these voices from the dark

Voices from the dark side of the psyche, maybe. Emotions or sentiments he's embarrassed or ashamed of.

Shout Shout Shout Shout
Scream it out
Blast your missive

Again, telling the SB to say these things.

Tell the wordless message

Maybe the thing that he needs said is just a shout or scream of frustration, rage, anger, etc. Again, that whole bottling things up and not being able to express yourself. Thus a "wordless message".

Little Stomp Box
Tear it from my heart

It will hurt, but please take these messages from me and say them.

Stomp Box, voice of fear
Pour the poison in my ear

Now we've reversed things. He wants the Stomp Box to tell him things he couldn't hear otherwise. They frighten him (hence the SB is the "Voice of fear"), but he still needs to hear them. The messages are the metaphoric "poison".

Kill Kill Kill Kill
Kill me now

The things that the SB will tell him may be so frightening/painful/surprising that they may kill him.

Free the demon

The demon inside me, the dark side in all of us, that has been pent up so long. This could be seen as either going back to the first verse, or that the things he will hear from the Stomp Box are so chilling as to release the demon inside him.

Hear the ceaseless screaming

Again, either a reference from the first verse or a reaction to the things the Stomp Box tells him.

Little Stomp Box
Tear it from my heart
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The ceaseless screaming? The wordless message? I think that the Stomp Box has helped him, as he asked, and he is finally able to let out the things he's kept inside for so long.

What is the Stomp Box? I don't really know. The adjective stomp certainly implies aggression and violence, so that seems to be in keeping with it's role as a messanger of unpleasant messages, maybe things that are to violent to be comfortable with. Box seems to indicate the inanimate, so maybe he talks to something, like a stuffed animal or his reflection, or maybe it's a pet. Alternately, it could be a person who remains deteched, and thus seems more like an object than a person, like a therapist, shrink, priest taking confession, etc.

Anyway, this is one of my favorite songs, and I've heard to many people who think that it's about Satanism or cults or evil heavy metal groups. I think that the Stomp Box is helping this guy, doing things for him that he couldn't do himself.

Quoth Bill Van Hecke <Rush2112@aol.com>:

I was reading the song interpretations on the web page, and it seems there is a little confusion about the term "stomp box." let me clear this up... A stomp box is a slangy kind of term in the guitarist/basssist community for any kind of effects pedal. Incidentally, it sounds like there's quite a bit of stomp box effects in this song.

Quoth Anthony <QLBF60A@prodigy.com>:

"Little Stompbox, tear it out (my heart)!"

Just a song about a person who wants to die. In this case stomp-box sounds like a slang term for the heart. He wants someone to tear his heart from his chest and end his suffering.

Quoth Andrew Hardie <hardie@lisa.ls.rmit.edu.au>:

A 'Stomp Box' is a distortion pedal. The lyrics would suggest it's just a fun attempt to convey an image of the hard rock guitarist in full, almost 'possessed' flight. Doesn't the sound of the song and the distorted vocals back this up? It's about expression through thrashing a guitar!