The band quietly disbanded in late 2017.
Indiana
Cymbals Eat Guitars Lyrics
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Lake Michigan had been frozen for decades
I conducted the warmth from my metronome sternum
To our massive jetting vessel billowing plumes of spent fuel
The tundra under us cracked and ruptured
To reveal palisades
Made of blades of gray, gray bristling grass
I was so frightened
As my grip on you tightened
Your skin got slicker
I am a deserted bus depot
Though our approach suggested
An American hazy sea
Like the one I found inside
After driving you home once
Still half high
I-90 through utter desolation
I sense evil at the heart of each far flung well lighted home
I close my eyes and see cellar stairways
Vermiculated with delicate animal bone
Musty rooms house racks of fur jackets
Spattered with plasma
On a bus in Indiana
I called you and screamed
Under ceaseless patterns of weeping light
The lyrics of "Indiana" by Cymbals Eat Guitars are filled with vivid imagery, creating a surreal scene of a descent into an unknown place. The opening lines suggest an icy, otherworldly environment, with the singer feeling like they are flying over a frozen Lake Michigan. The use of the phrase "metronome sternum" is interesting, as it implies that the singer's own body is keeping time, perhaps with fear or excitement. As they descend further, the surroundings become more bizarre, with the tundra breaking apart to reveal sharp, grassy palisades and strange papulose lichen. The singer becomes more frightened, holding onto a companion whose skin grows slick with sweat.
The second half of the song continues this sense of unease and confusion, with the singer feeling like a "deserted bus depot" as they drive through a desolate landscape. They sense evil lurking in the well-lit homes around them and imagine macabre scenes of bone-filled cellar stairways and blood-spattered fur jackets. The final lines are a frantic phone call, with the singer screaming to their companion under "ceaseless patterns of weeping light."
The lyrics of "Indiana" are open to interpretation, but it seems to be exploring themes of fear, isolation, and uncertainty. The imagery is consistently strange and unsettling, never resolving into a more concrete narrative. It's a lyrically dense song that rewards repeated listens and close analysis.
Line by Line Meaning
As the descent began I got the distinct impression
As we started descending, I had a strong feeling
Lake Michigan had been frozen for decades
That the Lake Michigan had been frozen for years
I conducted the warmth from my metronome sternum
I took the warmth from my chest and spread it around
To our massive jetting vessel billowing plumes of spent fuel
I dispersed the heat to our huge airplane as it released used fuel
The tundra under us cracked and ruptured
The icy ground beneath us broke apart
To reveal palisades
And exposed a line of steep cliffs
Made of blades of gray, gray bristling grass
Made of tall, gray, sharp-looking grass
And papulose lichen
Covered in bumpy lichen
I was so frightened
I was extremely scared
As my grip on you tightened
So I held on to you tighter
Your skin got slicker
Your skin became more slippery with sweat
I am a deserted bus depot
I feel like an abandoned bus station
Though our approach suggested
Even though our arrival seemed to indicate
An American hazy sea
We were in a hazy, American landscape
Like the one I found inside
Similar to the one I experienced before
After driving you home once
When I took you home in the past
Still half high
Still a bit intoxicated
I-90 through utter desolation
We were driving through complete emptiness along I-90
I sense evil at the heart of each far flung well lighted home
I felt a sense of malevolence in each distant, illuminated house
I close my eyes and see cellar stairways
When I close my eyes, I picture stairs leading down to cellars
Vermiculated with delicate animal bone
Winding and decorated with fragile animal bones
Musty rooms house racks of fur jackets
The smelly rooms contain rows of fur coats
Spattered with plasma
Some of which have blood splattered on them
On a bus in Indiana
This was all on a bus, in the state of Indiana
I called you and screamed
I phoned you and yelled
Under ceaseless patterns of weeping light
Amidst continuous, tear-shaped lights
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
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