The story of Big Scary begins in 2006, when Melbourne duo Tom Iansek (#1 Da… Read Full Bio ↴The story of Big Scary begins in 2006, when Melbourne duo Tom Iansek (#1 Dads) and Jo Syme, armed with just acoustic guitars and egg shakers, started playing songs together in the living room of Jo’s parents’ house. After a bit of a break, the two reconvened in 2008, this time with more instruments—electric guitars, drums, piano, mandolins and ukuleles—and a bolder, more expansive vision. What began as a few rainy day acoustic ballads in their first incarnation soon grew into an all-encompassing, genre-defying sound. Before long, the newly named Big Scary were writing anything they pleased—fuzzed-out garage rock; piano-led pop; intricate, pastoral instrumentals—each imbued with an effortless pop sensibility and lightness of touch that would quickly see the duo attract a strong following.

These gifts translated onto the stage where, from the outset, Big Scary proved themselves a remarkably fluid and compelling live act, capable of not only bringing their songs to life, but also of adapting their set to suit the moment.

In late 2008, the band headed into the studio for the first time, laying down six live tracks in a single day. Another quick-fire recording session soon after resulted in a four-track mini-EP, led by the towering single ‘This Weight’. Featuring Iansek’s huge distorted guitar and high-wire vocals backed by Syme’s thumping drums, ‘This Weight’ quickly caught the ears of the press, who hailed this ‘talented and fearless’ new duo.

Inspired by a wave of severe weather that hit the country, Big Scary went on to release the six-track ‘At The Mercy of The Elements’ ep. Ranging from rousing, piano-led ballads (‘Falling Away’), to thumping, distorted numbers (‘Hey Somebody’) and intricate, sonorous instrumentals (‘At The Mercy of the Elements’), the ep was a full-to-bursting showcase of the duo’s vital, dexterous sound. ‘Thoroughly excellent,’ raved The Australian. ‘Packed with anxiety and bravado,’ Beat said.

With a growing national profile, Big Scary embarked on a period of heavy touring, with a diverse list of supports that reflected the duo’s eclectic output: The Vasco Era, Florence and the Machine, Midlake, Little Red, Editors. Soon enough the duo began headlining their own shows, first in their hometown of Melbourne and then all over the country.

Big Scary remain endlessly fascinated by the natural world. In 2010, the duo released four seasonally themed, limited-edition eps, which were eventually collected as The Big Scary Four Seasons. A rich, thrillingly diverse set of songs, The Four Seasons showcased Iansek and Syme’s uncanny ability to translate the vagaries and glories of the elements into utterly compelling music.

‘Four Seasons proves to be the defining turning point for Big Scary, for they are no longer the next best thing in Australian music, they are the best thing,' Beat Magazine said of the lp, while the AU Review hailed ‘the versatility and obscene… talent of the players.’
A national tour followed, with the band playing to packed houses all over the country. Several months later, as the band began to ready their new album, ‘Autumn’, one of the standout tracks from the Four Seasons, was placed in a high-profile AT&T ad in the US, introducing the band to American audiences for the first time.

The vision for the new record came together on a small island farm, where Iansek and Syme holed up for several weeks after a run of successful summer festival shows, writing and demoing songs. ‘We knew we had a lot of songs that we liked, but they were all so far from each other on the genre scale—super bratty garage, really poppy piano stuff, epic guitar songs, folky acoustic stuff,’ Syme says. ‘The album will still have elements of all that, but we've got some really strong tracks that we think tie it all together.’

Instead of painting themselves into a corner, on the new album Big Scary celebrate the diversity of their songwriting. ‘We write songs with completely different feels and vibes,’ Iansek says. ‘In the studio, we thought that we should try not suppress this too much, and just roll with it.’
By their own admission, the two worked ‘a lot harder’ in putting together the new album material than they had before, re-writing parts and lyrics until they were satisfied. This process continued into the studio, where every sound was carefully considered and experimented with—often for hours at a time. Layers were added to some songs, while parts were culled from others, as Iansek and Syme sought to make each song ‘as strong as it could possibly be.’
The new album, which is due in October, promises to be another startling document from a band whose only constant seems to be their capacity for invention, their desire to keep moving forward.

www.bigscary.net

Label page: Pieater

Phil Collins
Big Scary Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

lady of the forest, take me to the river
pluck me from my warm nest, down to the river
baby of the water, I long for my mother’s arms
angel of disorder, I long for a lover’s charms
send my voice into the heavens and my heart into the black earth
but I’ll not forfeit all my love ’cause I know you’re up above somewhere
curse me with your brimstone, curse me with your fire
it’s not a book, it’s not a throne, it is you whom I require

oh the torture and the pain, and the sight of you standing there
but I’ll not forfeit all my love ’cause I know you’re up above somewhere
heathen child of fire, conquer my desire
be the word out on the streets, be the words that I admire

be the song down from the heavens and the rumble of the black earth
but I’ll not forfeit all my love ’cause I know you’re up above somewhere

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Big Scary's song "Phil Collins" are filled with imagery and metaphors that speak to the human experience of longing, love, and pain. The opening lines, "lady of the forest, take me to the river, pluck me from my warm nest, down to the river," set a mystical tone for the song as the singer calls out to a higher power or force to transport them to a new, uncharted territory. The imagery of the river suggests a metaphorical journey, perhaps towards a proverbial rebirth, and the use of "warm nest" symbolizes the comfort and familiarity of the singer's current state.

The second part of the stanza, "baby of the water, I long for my mother’s arms, angel of disorder, I long for a lover’s charms," further emphasizes the singer's desire for guidance and support in their journey, while also touching upon themes of abandonment and the search for love. The line "send my voice into the heavens and my heart into the black earth" suggests a desire for connection to both the divine and the earthly, highlighting the duality of human existence.

The next stanzas continue this theme of longing and desire, with the singer acknowledging the pain and suffering that often comes with love and human connection. The final stanza, "heathen child of fire, conquer my desire, be the word out on the streets, be the words that I admire, be the song down from the heavens and the rumble of the black earth," once again speaks to the singer's desire for transcendence and their longing for a greater understanding of themselves and the world around them.

Overall, "Phil Collins" is a song that speaks to the universal human experience of grappling with desire, longing, and the search for purpose and meaning in life.

Line by Line Meaning

lady of the forest, take me to the river
I am surrendering myself to nature, asking it to take me away from my comfort zone and transport me to a place of uncertainty.

pluck me from my warm nest, down to the river
I am ready to leave behind the safe and familiar to experience something new and exciting, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.

baby of the water, I long for my mother’s arms
I am seeking comfort and familiarity in the unknown, as if I am a newborn longing to be cradled by a motherly figure.

angel of disorder, I long for a lover’s charms
I am seeking chaos and unpredictability in my life, even though I also yearn for the comfort and affection of a romantic partner.

send my voice into the heavens and my heart into the black earth
I want to express my feelings and emotions, both to the heavens above and the earth below, as a symbolic gesture of surrendering myself entirely to the universe.

but I’ll not forfeit all my love ’cause I know you’re up above somewhere
Despite feeling lost and unsure, I am holding onto the belief that there is something greater out there, whether it be a higher power or a greater purpose, and that my love and emotions are not in vain.

curse me with your brimstone, curse me with your fire
I am willing to endure pain and suffering, and am even daring the universe to test me with its most challenging obstacles.

it’s not a book, it’s not a throne, it is you whom I require
I am seeking something more profound than material possessions or titles, and am instead looking for a deeper connection with the universe or a higher power.

oh the torture and the pain, and the sight of you standing there
I am acknowledging the difficulties of life, and am aware that the universe may not show me mercy in my struggles.

heathen child of fire, conquer my desire
I am embracing my own fiery and rebellious spirit, and am using it as a force to overcome the desires and temptations that may keep me from reaching my true potential.

be the word out on the streets, be the words that I admire
I am seeking inspiration and motivation from the world around me, and am open to learning from anyone or anything that can help me grow and improve.

be the song down from the heavens and the rumble of the black earth
I want to experience the full spectrum of life, from the exultant highs to the devastating lows, and am willing to embrace it all to gain a deeper understanding of the universe and myself.

but I’ll not forfeit all my love ’cause I know you’re up above somewhere
Despite any hardships or obstacles, I know that my love and emotions have value, and that there is a greater purpose or plan at work in the universe.

Writer(s): IANSEK THOMAS, SYME JOANNA SARAH

Contributed by Connor V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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