Kristin Hersh spent more than a decade previously playing with Throwing Muses, releasing several solo albums as well. Her solo tours in the late 1990s and early 2000s focused on acoustic guitar playing. In 2003, she launched the more electric guitar-oriented 50 Foot Wave.
The band was designed as a power trio, with a lineup including former Chalk FarM drummer Rob Ahlers and Throwing Muses bassist Bernard Georges. Hersh contributes guitar, lyrics, and vocals to this project. The band's first live performance was recorded in Burbank in October 2003 and released on a very limited basis as an official bootleg. Among other live appearances internationally in 2004, 50 Foot Wave performed a month-long residency of shows in January that year at the Silverlake Lounge, while the group was based in the Los Angeles area. The group's self-titled studio mini-album was co-released in March 2004 by the band's ThrowingMusic label and 4AD Records.
Hersh has described 50 Foot Wave's music as "having a lot of math in it," while also calling it less emotionally and musically "tangled" than some of her past Throwing Muses work. Others have described some of the new songs as having "confrontational" lyrics.
In March 2005, the group released its long-planned, full-length album, Golden Ocean, on ThrowingMusic, in partnership with 4AD.
The group toured Europe and the United States in 2005, while Hersh simultaneously continued her solo concerts in alternating parts of the year.
In December 2005, the band released a new EP called Free Music! available via free FLAC and mp3 downloads at their website and several download partner sites. The downloads reserved some rights though Creative Commons licenses.
In December 2008, the band released their new EP Power + Light as a stream. In early March 2009, the band released all their previous albums along with a selection of live tracks, an Instrumental EP and the upcoming Power+Light album for download at their website. As before the tracks were available in FLAC and mp3 format and the band reserved some rights though Creative Commons licenses.
Vena Cava
50 Foot Wave Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You keep a goldfish in your sink
So this happens
No it doesn't
Yeah this happens
Well, it shouldn't
And burning sugar in your hair
So this happens
No it doesn't
Yeah this happens
Well, it shouldn't
Race you to a heart attack
Rip off your vice, make it mine
Wait for it, you wait for it
But you don't like it, you don't like it
So you won't get out of bed
I can go it alone today
It doesn't bug me
No it doesn't
It doesn't bug me
Well it shouldn't
Race you to a heart attack
Rip off your vice, make it mine
Wait for it, you wait for it
But you don't like it, you don't like it
Vena cava
We come
Drained and whining
Vena cava
We come
Gray and hopeful
The lyrics of 50 Foot Wave's song Vena Cava are ambiguous and open to interpretation. The first two lines mention a destructive behavior pattern of pill popping and drinking everything, alongside a goldfish in the sink. The second verse mentions the smell of fry and burning sugar in the hair. The chorus talks about racing someone to a heart attack and ripping off their vice to make it one's own. The lines "So this happens, No it doesn't, Yeah this happens, Well, it shouldn't" indicate an internal conflict between the singer's actions and their awareness of their consequences.
The third verse mentions the vena cava, which is the largest vein in the body and returns blood to the heart from the lower body. It is a central and vital part of the circulatory system, and its mention in the song can be symbolic of a source of life or a metaphor for the singer's pain. The final lines of the chorus, "But you don't like it, you don't like it" suggest that despite the singer's destructive tendencies, they are not fully comfortable with them and may be struggling to cope.
The song can be interpreted as a commentary on addiction, self-destructive behavior, and the internal conflicts that come with it. The lyrics are evocative and poetic, leaving room for the listener to create their own meaning and interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
Pill popping, you drink everything
You consume pills and drinks excessively
You keep a goldfish in your sink
You have strange and unconventional living habits
So this happens
These situations occur frequently
No it doesn't
The situation is not normal or acceptable
Yeah this happens
These situations happen often, despite being strange
Well, it shouldn't
These situations are abnormal and should not be happening
The smell of fry is in the air
The scent of cooking oil is present
And burning sugar in your hair
The smell of burned sugar is also present, likely from cooking
Race you to a heart attack
You compete with others to see who can live the unhealthiest lifestyle
Rip off your vice, make it mine
You try to take on others' addictions as your own
Wait for it, you wait for it
You anticipate negative consequences, but continue with bad habits
But you don't like it, you don't like it
Despite the anticipation of negative consequences, you still do not stop unhealthy behaviors
So you won't get out of bed
You struggle with motivation and getting up in the morning
I can go it alone today
You can function without the presence or influence of others
It doesn't bug me
You are not bothered by the negative consequences of your actions
No it doesn't
Negative consequences do not affect you in the same way as others
Well it shouldn't
You acknowledge that your behavior is problematic and should not continue
Vena cava
The major vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the body back to the heart
We come
We all experience the same struggles and challenges
Drained and whining
We are exhausted and constantly complaining about our problems
Gray and hopeful
Despite our struggles, we are still optimistic about the future
Contributed by Matthew W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.