Sign Of The Crab

Album: Enter: The Conquering Chicken (1994)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Around May 1993, Mia Zapata told fellow band member Steve Moriarty that she wanted to write a song about a serial killer. In 2007, Moriarty said in a TV interview when he asked her why, she replied "Because it's happening so much."
  • "Sign Of The Crab" runs to 2 minutes 33 seconds and is the final track on the album Enter: The Conquering Chicken; it was also an epitaph because in the small hours of July 7, 1993, Mia Zapata was raped and strangled in Seattle where she had relocated to begin her musical career. Her murderer was not a serial killer, but it took over a decade to bring him to book. On March 25, 2004, Jesus C. Mezquia was convicted of her murder; five years later his conviction was affirmed on appeal.
  • Enter: The Conquering Chicken was released March 22, 1994, but "Sign Of The Crab" was re-recorded by Evil Stig for the eponymous album; Stig is of course an anagram of Gits. On this recording, the vocalist is Joan Jett. The album was made for a series of benefit concerts aimed at raising money to hire a private detective to bring to book Mia's killer. In the end the crime was solved by forensics due to the foresight of a pathologist and developments in DNA profiling. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 3

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.

Sam Hollander

Sam HollanderSongwriter Interviews

The hitmaking songwriter/producer Sam Hollander with stories about songs for Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Train, Pentatonix, and Fitz And The Tantrums.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Church Lyrics

Church LyricsMusic Quiz

Here is the church, here is the steeple - see if you can identify these lyrics that reference church.

Martin Page

Martin PageSongwriter Interviews

With Bernie Taupin, Martin co-wrote the #1 hits "We Built This City" and "These Dreams." After writing the Pretty Woman song for Go West, he had his own hit with "In the House of Stone and Light."