Where Does a Body End?
Swans Lyrics
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In the ruins of a city under the forest floor.
Your naked body's buried in a vacant field
What does your body feel now
The air is black and has no oxygen
The bodies in the river float beneath the sun
Transparent skin it shines a light from deep within
Where does your body begin
The stars are hidden by a mirrored sky
And darkness disappears behind reflected light
Perception is a distance in a closed-in space
How will your body escape
The crowd is feeling you inside your head.
Your imagination's canceled by its opposite
And every possibility's been proved untrue
Now is your body you
These lyrics are haunting and somewhat surreal, touching on themes of death, decay, and the unknown. The first verse sets a scene of a desolate world, where the future seems hopeless and inaccessible behind a shut lead door. The image of a ruined city under a forest floor is particularly startling, suggesting that the natural world has overtaken human life. The second line of the verse introduces a more personal element, with the suggestion that the listener's naked body is buried in a vacant field. The question then becomes: what does the body feel now? This line could be interpreted literally, as in, what sensations does the body experience when it is buried, or it could have a more existential meaning, asking how one feels when they are no longer alive.
The second verse continues with the apocalyptic theme, describing a world with no oxygen, where bodies float in a river under a black sky. The idea of transparent skin shining a light from deep within is also surreal and somewhat mystical. It suggests that even in death, there might be some kind of inner light that remains. The final verse returns to a more personal tone, describing a crowd that is "feeling you inside your head." This line suggests the intrusion of other people's thoughts and feelings into one's own inner life. The final lines, "Now is your body you," are cryptic but seem to affirm the idea that the body is an essential aspect of identity, even after death.
Line by Line Meaning
The future's leaking through a shut lead door
The possibility of the future is escaping through a door that is closed and sealed.
In the ruins of a city under the forest floor.
Amidst the destruction of a city buried under the ground, there is a tale waiting to be uncovered.
Your naked body's buried in a vacant field
Your exposed and vulnerable body lies beneath the earth in a barren, empty space.
What does your body feel now
In this state of being, what sensations does your body experience?
The air is black and has no oxygen
The suffocating atmosphere is devoid of life-sustaining air.
The bodies in the river float beneath the sun
Lifeless forms drifting down a current, illuminated by the sun's rays.
Transparent skin it shines a light from deep within
Despite the outer facade being clear, the inner depths emit a shining radiance.
Where does your body begin
What is the true origin or starting point of your physical form?
The stars are hidden by a mirrored sky
The celestial bodies that guide us are obscured by a reflection that distorts their true appearance.
And darkness disappears behind reflected light
In the presence of this false illumination, the darkness that conceals may be revealed as nonexistent.
Perception is a distance in a closed-in space
Our understanding of our surroundings is defined by the distance between object and observer, even in enclosed environments.
How will your body escape
What is the means by which your body can break free from its current state of confinement?
The crowd is feeling you inside your head.
The collective is experiencing and interpreting your thoughts and actions through their own individual consciousness.
Your imagination's canceled by its opposite
The antithesis of your creative vision brings about its ultimate destruction and negation.
And every possibility's been proved untrue
All potential outcomes have been tested and rejected as false or inconsequential.
Now is your body you
The current moment defines your physical existence in a way that is irrevocable and absolute.
Contributed by Owen I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Germania Cuesta
I saw you kneeling on a desert plateau
Your eyes were melting from inside your skull
The wind was burning holes into my skin
Where does a body end?
Your voice is drifting through the stratosphere
My mouth is drinking from your pool of tears
I saw your heartbeat in the radium screen
What does a body mean?
The future's leaking through a shut lead door
In the ruins of a city under the forest floor
Your naked body's buried in a vacant field
What does your body feel now?
The air is black and has no oxygen
The bodies in the river float beneath the sun
Transparent skin it shines a light from deep within
Where does your body begin?
The stars are hidden by a mirrored sky
And darkness disappears behind reflected light
Perception is a distance in a closed-in space
How will your body escape?
The crowd is feeling you inside your head
Your imagination's canceled by the opposite
And every possibility's been proved untrue
Now is your body you?
Arno Burtner
I must agree.
1. The Great Annihilator
2. Children of God
3. Shame Humility Revenge (ok, project but Gira is Swans and Skin is Gira)
4. Die Tur ist zu (I personally prefer it above Soundtracks for some tracks, others not)
5. White Light from the mouth/Love of Life (both somewhat the same great album)
no after 1997 period things to be seen here though The Seer is a pretty good album IMHO but nothing compared to the above.
Invisible Babyface
I usually don't care much for lyrics but the lyrics to this song are incredible.
Garfilth
Same. It’s one of those few songs where I focus on the lyrics the most.
commie
Gira is a very intelectual man, from Nietzsche to Merleau-Ponty, he know his stuff. I think I see Merleau-Ponty in "Perception is a distance in a closed-in space".
Germania Cuesta
I saw you kneeling on a desert plateau
Your eyes were melting from inside your skull
The wind was burning holes into my skin
Where does a body end?
Your voice is drifting through the stratosphere
My mouth is drinking from your pool of tears
I saw your heartbeat in the radium screen
What does a body mean?
The future's leaking through a shut lead door
In the ruins of a city under the forest floor
Your naked body's buried in a vacant field
What does your body feel now?
The air is black and has no oxygen
The bodies in the river float beneath the sun
Transparent skin it shines a light from deep within
Where does your body begin?
The stars are hidden by a mirrored sky
And darkness disappears behind reflected light
Perception is a distance in a closed-in space
How will your body escape?
The crowd is feeling you inside your head
Your imagination's canceled by the opposite
And every possibility's been proved untrue
Now is your body you?
T. N.
This is, by a wide margin, my favorite studio album that Swans put out in the 90s. I must admit that, aside from Blood Promise, I mostly ignored this album for well over a decade after I got into them. It's only within the past year that I realized what a mistake that was. The lyrics, production, and drums are just incredible. R.I.P. Bill Rieflin... you were an incredible drummer.
Simone Rovere
Some of the best lyrics ever put in music like this, this track is insane
SomeBasementNerd
This is definitely my favorite song on this album, and one of my favorite songs of all time.
Eric Portillo
I'm just discovering this album, this is amazing !
extremely gay
This song is like a rollercoaster and the parts where he repeats the chorus are the drops.
ScotchRobbins
I remember the first time I heard this song. I was driving to visit a friend living in Kalamazoo, MI at the time. It was overcast and raining for the drive until the sun poked through a small hole in the dark clouds as the rain stopped. Was an interesting aesthetic to accompany the song. Pulled over and immediately bought the record.