In Spring of 1989, they signed to U2's independent Mother Records label to release their eponymous debut CD. "Grey Matter" was a mild local hit, but it was followed by "Celebrate", which hit the top 10 of the Ireland charts. College radio stations began to pick up the song. It received significant airplay, and eventually reached the top 5 of the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. Atlantic Records signed the band, and re-released "Grey Matter" in the US, where it became a lesser college rock hit. Atlantic released their debut album internationally, where it received generally poor reviews but sold well in Ireland.
After a tour to support the debut album, An Emotional Fish returned to the studio to record Junk Puppets. The songs were recorded over eight months, and four of the songs were produced by David A. Stewart. In 1993, the album was released, and An Emotional Fish opened for U2 on the Zoo TV Tour. However, the album sold few copies outside of Ireland. In 1994, the band released Sloper, but only secured a distribution deal in the UK. The album was released in the US two years later.
In 2002, Gerard Whelan began performing again as Jerry Fish, including two albums with Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club. The other former members of An Emotional Fish all made appearances as Mudbug Club musicians.
Hole in My Heaven
An Emotional Fish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somebody said it would make me feel better
When all I really need is a change in the weather
To fill the hole in my heaven.
Yes there's a hole in my heaven
as big as forever.
How will I hold it together
Somebody, anybody, anybodies, everybody
and who knows that better ?
We know it's best to be careful
When there's a hole in your heaven.
Yes there's a hole in my heaven
as big as forever.
How will I hold it together
When there's a hole in my heaven.
Yeah I sat down and wrote about it joked about it smoked about it
Lord I even talked about it with you
but you had other ideas you
told me all your baby fears
O darling you and I will never agree.
How high is high to that girl in the sky ?
What's the use of a tear without a dream ?
If wasn't for people like you
and people like me uh ! oh !
you know there wouldn't be people at all.
Now there's a hole in my heaven
as big as forever.
How will I hold it together
When there's a hole in my heaven.
Yes there's a hole in my heaven
as big as forever.
How will I hold it together
When there's a hole in my heaven.
The lyrics to "Hole in My Heaven" by An Emotional Fish explore the feeling of emptiness and the search for ways to fill it. The first verse sees the singer write a letter in hopes of feeling better, but ultimately recognizes that a change in their environment - represented by the weather - would be necessary to truly fill the hole in their life. The chorus repeats the phrase "there's a hole in my heaven," comparing the magnitude of the emptiness to that of the eternal sky. The singer wonders how they will be able to hold themselves together in the face of such a vast emptiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah I sat down and wrote me a letter
I tried to find some solace by writing about how I feel
Somebody said it would make me feel better
Someone suggested that writing would help me feel better
When all I really need is a change in the weather
But what I really need is a change in my circumstances
To fill the hole in my heaven.
So that I can be happy again
Yes there's a hole in my heaven
I feel unfulfilled and incomplete
as big as forever.
It's a deep sense of emptiness that feels like it will never go away
How will I hold it together
I don't know how to cope with this feeling
when there's a hole in my heaven.
When I feel so lost and unhappy
Somebody, anybody, anybodies, everybody
I've reached out to anyone and everyone
and who knows that better ?
But who can truly understand how I'm feeling?
We know it's best to be careful
I know I need to be careful not to make things worse
When there's a hole in your heaven.
When you're feeling so lost and empty
Yeah I sat down and wrote about it joked about it smoked about it
I've tried to distract myself and find ways to cope
Lord I even talked about it with you
I've even turned to a higher power for answers
but you had other ideas you
But I didn't get the answers I was hoping for
told me all your baby fears
Instead, I was reminded of the fears and insecurities of others
O darling you and I will never agree.
I feel like I'm all alone in my struggle
How high is high to that girl in the sky ?
What may seem small to others can feel insurmountable to me
What's the use of a tear without a dream ?
Why bother crying if I don't feel like things can get better?
If wasn't for people like you
But I still hold onto the belief that people are the reason for hope
and people like me uh ! oh !
That together, we can find a way to overcome our struggles
you know there wouldn't be people at all.
Because people are what make life worth living
Now there's a hole in my heaven
But even though I'm struggling, I haven't given up hope
as big as forever.
Because I know that this feeling won't last forever
How will I hold it together
I just need to find the strength to keep going
When there's a hole in my heaven.
Even though I feel lost and empty.
Contributed by Hunter D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.