Garrett Schwarz was working as a business consultant for IBM when he'd fina… Read Full Bio ↴Garrett Schwarz was working as a business consultant for IBM when he'd finally had enough. He was no longer interested in corporate business, since the repetitive routine wasn't creative enough for this musician in the making. He had a hidden agenda and Balligomingo was it.

Schwarz grew up in the Chicago suburb of Romeoville, later moving to Minneapolis during his senior year of high school. He was already fond of the electronic sounds of Jean Michel Jarre and Pink Floyd thanks to his father's interests. Still, music wasn't a tangible idea, let alone a sensible career move. He graduated from Arizona State University with a business degree, later earning additional graduate credits in business. Having a typical nine-to-five job in Los Angeles was secure for awhile, but Schwarz wasn't satisfied. He was too enthralled by the musical beauty of Enya, Massive Attack, Sunscreem, and mesmerized by the intensity of Nine Inch Nails and the Prodigy. By the late '90s, he threw caution to the wind and began making music on his computer. After talking with Delerium's Kristy Thirsk, he left for Vancouver, BC, to work with programmer Vic Levak. There, the exotic sounds of Balligomingo were born.

In 1999, Schwarz scored a deal with RCA Victor. He, Levak, and Delerium's Bill Leeb and Chris Peterson honed Balligomingo's atmospheric instrumentals for the next year.

Seven female vocalists from the U.S. and Canada were also brought in to capture Balligomingo's artistic expression and emotion. He made his first introduction with "Lost" being included on the ambient techno compilation Elevation, Vol. 3, while "Heat" appeared on Under Water, Vol. 1. Balligomingo's lush soundscapes were finally spooled into a daydream trip for a debut album. In June 2002, Beneath the Surface was released worldwide.

Privilege
Balligomingo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I am the freedom that you're fighting
I am sweetness that you're hiding
I am heaven at your door and I am waiting
I have wings and they are beating
I am flying and I am free
Don't you see the way I'm heading for shore

Taking me home do you see the sun through the sea

Heaven asking for more
Heaven asking for more

I am brave and I am staying
I am hands and they are praying
I am heaven at your door and I am waiting
I am day and I am breaking
In the dawn it is I'm waking
Don't you see the way I'm heading for shore

Taking me home
Do you see the sun through the sea
Taking me home
Do you see the sun through the sea

And I found freedom in your eyes and I know its the same
Heaven asking for more
Heaven asking for more

Taking me home
Taking me home

Taking me home
Through the sea I am home

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Balligomingo’s “Privilege” are enigmatic and open to interpretation, but it is possible to decipher their meaning based on the emotional tone of the words and the imagery employed. The lyrics speak of freedom, bravery, and a sense of waiting for something, symbolized by the doors of heaven opening. The singer identifies themselves as these things, claiming that they are “the freedom that you’re fighting” and “the sweetness that you’re hiding.” These statements suggest that the people around the singer are struggling with issues related to control and self-expression, and that the singer represents a kind of release from those struggles.

The idea of flight also appears in the lyrics, with the singer saying that they “have wings and they are beating” and that they are “flying and [they] are free.” This sense of airborne liberation further emphasizes the theme of freedom and release. Throughout the song, the singer seems to be urging the listener to join them in their journey towards home, which is represented by the image of the sun through the sea. This could be interpreted to mean that the singer is seeking a kind of spiritual or emotional home, rather than a physical one.

Overall, the lyrics of “Privilege” speak to a sense of yearning for liberation and release from the constraints of everyday life. The imagery of doors opening, wings beating, and the sun through the sea all suggest a sense of movement and transformation. The singer seems to be urging the listener to join them on this journey, to embrace their bravery and seek out their own freedom.

Line by Line Meaning

I am the freedom that you're fighting
I symbolize the very essence of freedom that you yearn for and fight to attain

I am sweetness that you're hiding
I embody the sweetness that you keep hidden deep inside, too afraid to show

I am heaven at your door and I am waiting
I am a paradise-world knocking at your doorstep, eager to be discovered

I have wings and they are beating
I am endowed with wings, flapping and ready to soar high

I am flying and I am free
I am effortlessly gliding through the air with no restrictions or limitations

Don't you see the way I'm heading for shore
Can't you see the direction I'm heading towards, my undeniable purpose?

Taking me home do you see the sun through the sea
As I'm being guided towards my true destination, can you see the sun shining through the waves?

Heaven asking for more
The perfect world that I come from is craving for more of its own kind

I am brave and I am staying
I am courageous and willing to remain steadfast despite any obstacles that may arise

I am hands and they are praying
I am hands folded in prayer, devoutly seeking divine intervention

I am day and I am breaking
I am a new day, breaking through the darkness to reveal new possibilities

In the dawn it is I'm waking
As the sun rises in the early hours, I too am awakening to a new dawn

And I found freedom in your eyes and I know it's the same
By looking into your eyes, I discovered what true liberation feels like and I see that you understand it too

Taking me home
Guiding me back to my heavenly abode

Through the sea, I am home
Having crossed the vast ocean, I have finally returned to where I belong

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GARRETT E SCHWARTZ, JODY QUINE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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