1. Billy Pilgrim (also bi… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists named Billy Pilgrim;
1. Billy Pilgrim (also billy pilgrim) is an American folk-rock duo based in Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of Andrew Hyra and Kristian Bush. The band's name was taken from the time-traveling protagonist of Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse Five. The name was adopted in 1994; before that the duo simply billed itself as Andrew Hyra and Kristian Bush.
Kristian Bush and Andrew Hyra first began working together in 1990. After performing together for about a year they started recording their songs to tape. The self-release St. Christopher's Crossing was recorded in two days in a studio in Knoxville and appeared in 1991[2] (credited to "Andrew Hyra & Kristian Bush") on cassette. The album was released on CD in 1992 when Amy Ray of Indigo Girls helped them with the release costs. Playing hundreds of shows in the Southwest their effort was noticed and they proceeded to record their second album Words Like Numbers under the indie label Sister Ruby. After this they signed to Atlantic Records, naming the group "Billy Pilgrim". [3]
In 1993 Billy Pilgrim recorded their debut album at Nickel and Dime Studios with Don McCollister producing and Hugh Padgham mixing the record. The eponymous album was a moderate success when released in 1994. With the next album, Bloom, the band launched a fall tour, headlining larger venues than they had in the past. Yet in early 1996, the band was dropped by Atlantic. After releasing several albums thru Internet only, the album In the Time Machine became their last effort to date, released on May 12, 2001.[1] Billy Pilgrim released their most recent album in 2021.
2. Billy Pilgrim was the pseudonym used by itsu jitsu netlabel curator Jason Kavanagh between August 1999 and March 2001, all of the Billy Pilgrim material was written and recorded in St. Andrews, Scotland.
In his time as Billy Pilgrim, Jason recorded three albums of electronic music and a handful of 'various artist' compilation exclusive tracks before holstering his sampler and hanging up his patch cords for nearly ten years. In late 2009 he re-emerged from his non-music making slumber as awaycaboose (experimental, ambient, field recording) and Cavity Pitch (noise, harsh noise, power electronics).
Somewhat bizarrely he also took his moniker from the anti-hero of Kurt Vonnegut's seminal novel Slaughterhouse 5, just like the guys above.
Here We Go Again
Billy Pilgrim Lyrics
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Shedding fur in patches and pulling at her face
I've been taking these things all night long
Hoping it will make me tired
Hoping it will keep me strong
Keep me strong
Bloodshot and blue
I can smell the guns
I can hear them run
Angels scurrying like rats
Until the daylight comes
And if it's me locked inside this box
Then I pray that my love can pick these locks
Oh no, here we go again
You try and you try
To untie the knots
With the grace of a sailor
And the will of a box
Both shaking like a leaf
Both staring at the lights
Both trying not to sleep
Both trying not to fight
And it's nights like this
When I'm scared to death
Will the morning come quickly
Will there be anything left?
Here we go again
The house finds the hush
And the battlefield is soft
And the footprints where a man and a woman have walked
Where a man and a woman have walked
The first verse of Billy Pilgrim's "Here We Go Again" describes a situation where the singer sees a woman lying down on a bed, shedding fur in patches and pulling at her face. The second verse shifts focus to the singer's own state of mind, as he confesses that he has been taking "things" all night long to help him sleep and keep him strong. He also mentions the sound of guns and angels scurrying like rats until daylight arrives. In the third verse, the singer and the woman are both described as shaking like leaves and trying not to sleep or fight. They are both scared to death and wonder if there will be anything left in the morning.
The lyrics suggest a darkly surreal atmosphere of fear, paranoia, and desperation. The presence of guns and war imagery, along with references to drugs (such as taking "things" to help sleep), indicate a sense of chaos and danger in the world outside. The image of the woman pulling at her face suggests a sense of internal turmoil or distress, perhaps mirroring the singer's own sense of inner disquiet. The repeated phrase "here we go again" implies a sense of cyclical repetition or recurrence, as if the singer and the woman have been caught in this same desperate state multiple times before.
Line by Line Meaning
Just for the record there she lays
Beginning with a record of her existence.
Shedding fur in patches and pulling at her face
A sign of her misery and desperation.
I've been taking these things all night long
Using drugs all night as a way to cope.
Hoping it will make me tired
An attempt to find some sleep and rest.
Hoping it will keep me strong
A futile wish for strength against his anxiety.
Bloodshot and blue
Describing his physical state, possibly from drug use.
I can smell the guns
Hearing the sounds of war and being triggered.
Through the bedroom walls
The sounds are so loud that they are heard through the walls.
I can hear them run
Hearing the sound of soldiers running.
Angels scurrying like rats
Associating the sounds with rats rather than angels.
Until the daylight comes
The war continues until dawn.
And if it's me locked inside this box
If he is trapped and isolated in his mind from this trauma.
Then I pray that my love can pick these locks
Hoping that his love can help him break free from his mental state.
Oh no, here we go again
Acknowledging the cycles of his anxiety and PTSD.
You try and you try
A common phrase heard during therapy sessions.
To untie the knots
Working to unravel the tangled, traumatic memories.
With the grace of a sailor
Careful and methodical in his approach.
And the will of a box
Willpower to stay focused and endure.
Both shaking like a leaf
Feeling physically and emotionally overwhelmed.
Both staring at the lights
Unable to sleep or rest, but stuck in a state of anxious alertness.
Both trying not to sleep
Afraid of falling asleep and reliving the trauma through nightmares.
Both trying not to fight
Struggling to keep control of his emotions and reactions.
And it's nights like this
Suffering through long and difficult nights like this is a common experience.
When I'm scared to death
Feeling intensely afraid and anxious.
Will the morning come quickly
Desperately waiting for the morning and the relief it may bring.
Will there be anything left?
Questioning whether he will survive and recover from this trauma in the end.
The house finds the hush
The silence after the night of intense anxiety.
And the battlefield is soft
Combat is replaced by calmness.
And the footprints where a man and a woman have walked
A poignant reminder that life goes on even after trauma.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KRISTIAN BUSH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
paul vega
love this album..every track is well crafted. a real album side to side
Mark Kapsha
How awesome to have this lovely list of tunes to rediscover Billy Pilgrim all over again! I love Bloom, every track is a great song with great harmonies. Now I get to newly discover the Billy Pilgrim album as well! If any of you listeners are young musicians, take a lesson on well crafted songs and harmonies! These guys are some of the best there ever was!