Throwing Muses is known for performing music with shifting tempos, creative chord progressions, unorthodox song structures, and surreal lyrics. The group was set apart from other contemporary acts by Hersh's stark, candid writing style; Donelly's pop stylings and vocal harmonies; and David Narcizo's unusual drumming techniques eschewing use of cymbals. Hallucinatory, febrile songs by Hersh occasionally touched on the subject of mental illness, more often drawing portraits of characters from daily life or addressing relationships.
Donelly left the band in 1991 and was a member of The Breeders and Belly, before starting to perform solo. She also contributed vocals to the Throwing Muses self-titled album in 2003. Hersh has also worked solo, and fronts the power trio 50 Foot Wave (which also includes Muses bassist Bernard Georges). Narcizo works in graphic design and has a musical project Lakuna.
In March 2003, Throwing Muses came back with their eighth album, Throwing Muses, which also saw the return of Tanya Donelly who provided backing vocals on the album. A greatest hits compilation titled Anthology was released in 2011. The band's ninth album, Purgatory / Paradise was released on October 29, 2013 in the UK and November 11 in the US. In early 2014, the band toured a few U.S. cities, with Donelly opening for the East Coast dates.
Not Too Soon
Throwing Muses Lyrics
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Her hallway aching
She'll never move him, likes it that way
He's just a walker and he'll never stop walking away
It's not too soon, he said, you know it's not too soon at all
And you might as well be dead, he said
If you're afraid to fall, I said, I know her
She said, oh, my, why do you stare so hard?
Wrapped up like a doll in bad dreams and broken arms
Make these old bones shiver
It's not too soon, he said, you know it's not too soon at all
And you might as well be dead, he said
If you're afraid to fall, I said, I know her
The last time I saw you, you were standing in the dark
And with a freezing face, I watched you fall apart
It's not too soon, he said, it's not too soon at all
And you might as well be dead, he said
If you're afraid to fall, I said
Done your time, been in your place
I couldn't look you in the face
and tell you that it turns me on
it makes my stomach turn
I know, I know her
The song "Not Too Soon" by Throwing Muses is a poignant and emotional exploration of love and fear of commitment. The lyrics describe a woman with tired, colorblind eyes, who is in a hallway that is aching – perhaps a physical representation of her own pain and instability. She is in love with a man who is a "walker", someone who is always moving, always restless, and who will never stop walking away. However, she likes it that way because she is afraid of falling in love and afraid of the vulnerability that comes with it.
The man tells her that it's not too soon for her to fall in love, and that if she's afraid, she might as well be dead. The woman knows that he's right, but she is still scared. The singer of the song says she knows the woman and understands her fears. The woman asks the singer why she's staring so hard, and says that she feels like she's wrapped up like a doll in bad dreams and broken arms. Her bones are shivering, perhaps with fear or with the coldness of her situation.
The song continues with the singer recalling the last time she saw the woman, who was standing in the dark and falling apart. She tells the woman that she has done her time and been in her place, perhaps meaning that she has experienced similar emotions and fears in her own life. She couldn't look the woman in the face and say that her fear of commitment turns her on; in fact, it makes her stomach turn. This final line suggests that the singer has a similar fear of commitment but is more aware of her own emotions and unwilling to let them control her.
Line by Line Meaning
She colorblind tired eyes
Her eyes are tired and they have difficulty distinguishing between colors.
Her hallway aching
Her hallway causes her pain, possibly indicating a feeling of despair or loneliness.
She'll never move him, likes it that way
She has given up trying to change the person she is interested in and is content with their current state of being.
He's just a walker and he'll never stop walking away
The person she is interested in is not fully committed and consistently leaves, both physically and emotionally.
It's not too soon, he said, you know it's not too soon at all
The person she is talking to is trying to convince her to take certain actions that may be seen as premature, but to him, it is the right time.
And you might as well be dead, he said
If you're afraid to fall, I said, I know her
The person she is speaking to is saying that if she is too afraid to take risks, then she may as well not be alive, while she is well aware of her own fears because she knows herself very well.
She said, oh, my, why do you stare so hard?
She acknowledges that the person she is talking to is staring at her intensely, and she questions why he is doing so.
Wrapped up like a doll in bad dreams and broken arms
Make these old bones shiver
She feels trapped and vulnerable, like a doll in broken dreams and arms, causing her body to shake.
The last time I saw you, you were standing in the dark
And with a freezing face, I watched you fall apart
When she last saw the person she is interested in, he was going through a difficult time and was breaking down, which she watched helplessly.
Done your time, been in your place
I couldn't look you in the face
and tell you that it turns me on
it makes my stomach turn
I know, I know her
She cannot bear to see the person she is interested in in a state of vulnerability, despite having been in that same position before, and the thought of being attracted to that state of being makes her feel sick. She identifies with this feeling and understands it well.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TANYA DONELLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind