They were frequently classified as industrial rock, but were often quite different from many bands so dubbed. Tod A.'s lyrics were clever, snide and evocative (Art Black and David Sprague suggest that "Black humor beats black metal any day") and their "weirdly catchy" music which drew "on hot jazz and swing as much as clanging rock, emphasizing the group's stand-apart attitude."
The group had little mainstream success (scoring a few hits on college radio), despite tours with Iggy Pop and music videos on MTV's Headbanger's Ball and 120 Minutes (notably $10 Bill, featuring a number of little people). They retain a cult following, however, and their out-of-print releases sometimes sell for large amounts among fans.
Swimming in Circles
Cop Shoot Cop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Undercurrent calling me home
Vision is dimming
Are you going to swallow me whole
Are you going to swallow my soul
Wrap me in your cool green arms
Surround me with your sympathy
Voices are memories
I want to feel your gentle caress
Will you show me your depth
'Cause I'm swimming in circles
'Cause I've tried so hard to be good since you been gone
But everything seems to take so long
And I've tried so hard to be good
But every little lie I told is heavy like a sack of gold
And it's pushing me down, pulling me down
Every little lie I told keeps dragging me down
I had a dream when I was a child
I still remember it now
A machine I could not understand
Made a terrible sound, a terrible sound
Now I'm falling asleep
In the arms of the deep
Drowning in your eyes
'Cause I've tried so hard to be good
But every little lie I told is heavy like another stone
And it's dragging me down, pulling me down, pushing me down, dragging me down
Every little lie I told keeps dragging me down
Now I'm falling asleep
In the arms of the deep
And I'm drowning in your eyes
"Swimming in Circles" is a haunting and introspective song that expresses feelings of being lost and suffocated by overwhelming emotions. The lyrics describe a sense of being pulled in by an undercurrent, represented by the ocean ("Wrap me in your cool green arms"), and losing one's sense of direction ("'Cause I'm swimming in circles"). The singer feels vulnerable and at risk of being consumed entirely by their emotions: "Are you going to swallow me whole / Are you going to swallow my soul". The voices in the singer's head ("Voices are memories") are overwhelming them, and the silence is even more oppressive ("It's the silence that's killing me").
The song then shifts to explore the singer's struggle with being honest ("And I've tried so hard to be good / But every little lie I told is heavy like a sack of gold"). The weight of their lies is depicted as a heavy burden that is constantly dragging them down. The song concludes with the singer's surrender; they fall asleep while drowning in the "arms of the deep" and get lost in the sadness of their own eyes.
Overall, Cop Shoot Cop's "Swimming in Circles" depicts a struggle with one's personal demons, the internal battle that comes with isolation and grief.
Line by Line Meaning
Swimming in circles
I am lost and moving aimlessly, not making any progress
Undercurrent calling me home
Something is pulling me towards its direction, almost like a force of nature
Vision is dimming
I can't see as clearly as I used to
Are you going to swallow me whole
I am afraid of being consumed by something much larger than myself
Are you going to swallow my soul
I am afraid of losing a part of myself to something else
Wrap me in your cool green arms
I am seeking comfort and protection from whatever is causing me distress
Surround me with your sympathy
I am seeking understanding and compassion from those around me
Voices are memories
I am haunted by past experiences and the voices of those who have influenced me
It's the silence that's killing me
The lack of noise and activity is causing me great distress
I want to feel your gentle caress
I am seeking physical and emotional comfort from someone else
Will you show me your depth
I am curious and seeking a deeper understanding of someone or something
'Cause I'm swimming in circles
I feel lost and stuck, unable to move forward
'Cause I've tried so hard to be good since you been gone
I have been attempting to better myself since someone left my life
But everything seems to take so long
I am frustrated with the slow pace of progress in my life
And I've tried so hard to be good
I have made a lot of effort to improve myself
But every little lie I told is heavy like a sack of gold
I feel guilty and weighed down by the lies I have told
And it's pushing me down, pulling me down
The burden of my actions is causing me to sink deeper into negative feelings
Every little lie I told keeps dragging me down
The weight of my dishonesty is too much for me to handle
I had a dream when I was a child
I had a significant experience or thought when I was young
I still remember it now
The memory is still with me and seems important
A machine I could not understand
An object or idea that was beyond my comprehension at that age
Made a terrible sound, a terrible sound
The experience was frightening and overwhelming
Now I'm falling asleep
I am drifting off to sleep
In the arms of the deep
I am succumbing to the overwhelming sensation of being underwater or surrounded
Drowning in your eyes
I am lost in the gaze of someone else
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER NANTZ, JAMES COLEMAN, PHILIP C. PULEO, STEVE MCMILLEN, TODD C. ASHLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Exegesis
This band got me through high school in the 90's.
SDRUFFA
Gay version of consumer revolt basically