Galás is known for being a fiercely confrontational avant-garde performer and is noted for her wailing, four-octave vocal range. Galás was the daughter of Greek Orthodox parents and her singing was roundly discouraged, although her prowess as a classical pianist was nurtured; ultimately, her strict upbringing resulted in a reckless, drug-fueled youth prior to her entrance into the University of California's music and visual arts program. Galás made her performing debut in 1979 at France's Festival d'Avignon, which led to an invitation to assume the lead role in composer Vinko Globokar's politically charged opera Un Jour Comme un Autre. In subsequent solo performance art pieces like Wild Women with Steak Knives and Tragouthia Apo to Aima Exon Fonos, Galás further honed her unique, shattering vocal style, inspired by the Schrei ("shriek") opera of German expressionism (a form employing a system of four microphones and a series of echoes and delays).
She worked with many avant-garde composers including Phillip Glass, Terry Riley, John Zorn, Iannis Xenakis and Vinko Globokar. She made her performance debut at the Festival d'Avignon in France as the lead in Globokar's opera, Un Jour Comme Une Autre which deals with the death by torture of a Turkish woman. The work was sponsored by Amnesty International. She also contributed her voice to Francis Ford Coppola's film Dracula (1992) and appeared on the film's soundtrack.
Her work first garnered widespread attention with the controversial 1991 live recording of the album "Plague Mass" in the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York. With it, Galás attacked the Catholic Church for its indifference to AIDS using biblical texts. In the words of Terrorizor Magazine, "The church was made to burn with sound, not fire." Plague Mass was a live rendition of excerpts from her same-titled trilogy which began as a response/homage/indictment to the multitudinous effects of AIDS upon the silent class - of which her brother was a member. During the period of these recordings, Galás had "We are all HIV+" tattooed upon her knuckles; an artistic expression of disillusionment and disgust with the ignorance and apathy surrounding the AIDS epidemic. Her brother, who died during the trilogy's final production, reportedly appreciated her efforts.
Susan McClary (1991) writes that Galás, "heralds a new moment in the history of musical representation," after describing her thus: "Galás emerged within the post-modern performance art scene in the seventies...protesting...the treatment of victims of the junta, attitudes towards victims of AIDS...Her pieces are constructed from the ululation of traditional Mediterranean keening...whispers, shrieks, and moans."
In 1994, Galás collaborated with Led Zeppelin bass guitarist John Paul Jones. The resultant record, "The Sporting Life", while containing much of Galás's trademark vocal gymnastics, is probably the closest she has ever come to rock music.
Galás also performs as a blues artist interpreting a wide range of songs into her unique piano and vocal styles. This aspect of her work is perhaps best represented by her 1992 album, "The Singer" where she covered the likes of Willie Dixon, Roy Acuff, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins while accompaning herself on piano. For that album, she also recorded several traditional songs as well as the rarely heard Desmond Carter-penned version of Gloomy Sunday. Many of her selections both within and outside of blues repertoire have sometimes been categorized as 'homicidal love songs'. She also focuses on the death penalty. One program of songs, "Frenzy", has been dedicated to Aileen Wuornos and features the work of Phil Ochs and Hank Williams Sr.
Her latest song cycle is an interpretation of songs by Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich.
Official Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/songsofexile
25 Minutes to Go
Diamanda Galás Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Johnny Cash)
Well they're building a gallows outside my cell I've got 25 minutes to go
And the whole town's waitin' just to hear me yell I've got 24 minutes to go
Well they gave me some beans for my last meal I've got 23 minutes to go
But nobody asked me how I feel I've got 22 minutes to go
Well I sent for the governor and the whole dern bunch with 21 minutes to go
Then the sheriff said boy I gonna watch you die got 19 minutes to go
So I laughed in his face and I spit in his eye got 18 minutes to go
Now hear comes the preacher for to save my soul with 13 minutes to go
And he's talking bout' burnin' but I'm so cold I've 12 more minutes to go
Now they're testin' the trap and it chills my spine 11 more minutes to go
And the trap and the rope aw they work just fine got 10 more minutes to go
Well I'm waitin' on the pardon that'll set me free with 9 more minutes to go
But this is for real so forget about me got 8 more minutes to go
With my feet on the trap and my head on the noose got 5 more minutes to go
Won't somebody come and cut me loose with 4 more minutes to go
I can see the mountains I can see the skies with 3 more minutes to go
And it's to dern pretty for a man that don't wanna die 2 more minutes to go
I can see the buzzards I can hear the crows 1 more minute to go
And now I'm swingin' and here I go-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!
Diamanda Galás's version of Johnny Cash's song "25 Minutes to Go" is a haunting, intense, and dramatic interpretation that emphasizes the impending doom of the lyrics while also adding her unique vocal range and style to the performance. The song tells the story of a man facing his execution by hanging, with 25 minutes left until his death. The man reflects on his last meal, the people who came to see him, and his impending death, all while swinging on the gallows waiting for the moment of his execution.
Galás's performance of the song adds layers of emotion to the lyrics, with her intense vocal range and eerie vibrato creating a sense of despair and hopelessness. Her use of spoken word and guttural screams also add to the sense of impending doom and the inevitability of the man's death. As the song progresses, Galás's vocals become more urgent and intense, reflecting the increasing tension of the situation and the man's dwindling time.
Overall, Galás's interpretation of "25 Minutes to Go" is deeply emotional and evocative, creating a sense of foreboding and unease that is both powerful and unsettling.
Line by Line Meaning
Well they're building a gallows outside my cell I've got 25 minutes to go
I am going to be executed by hanging in 25 minutes and they are building the gallows just outside my cell.
And the whole town's waitin' just to hear me yell I've got 24 minutes to go
The people of the town are eagerly waiting for my execution and they want to hear me yell during the process. I have 24 minutes left to live.
Well they gave me some beans for my last meal I've got 23 minutes to go
I have been given beans as my last meal before my execution. I have only 23 minutes left to live now.
But nobody asked me how I feel I've got 22 minutes to go
I have not been asked about my feelings or thoughts on the execution. I have 22 minutes left to live.
Well I sent for the governor and the whole dern bunch with 21 minutes to go
I have sent for the governor and everyone else involved in my execution, but only 21 minutes are left for me to live.
And I sent for the mayor but he's out to lunch I've got 20 more minutes to go
I also sent for the mayor, but he is not available as he is out having lunch. I have 20 minutes left to live.
Then the sheriff said boy I gonna watch you die got 19 minutes to go
The sheriff has informed me that he will be watching me die. I have 19 minutes left to live.
So I laughed in his face and I spit in his eye got 18 minutes to go
I laughed and spat in the sheriff's eye, perhaps as a defiance against his authority. 18 minutes is all that's left for me to live.
Now hear comes the preacher for to save my soul with 13 minutes to go
The preacher has arrived to save my soul, but I only have 13 minutes left to live.
And he's talking bout' burnin' but I'm so cold I've 12 more minutes to go
The preacher is talking about burning, but I am too cold to care. I only have 12 minutes left to live.
Now they're testin' the trap and it chills my spine 11 more minutes to go
They are testing the trap which will lead to my hanging and just thinking about it gives me chills. I have only 11 minutes left to live.
And the trap and the rope aw they work just fine got 10 more minutes to go
The trap and the rope work perfectly fine and I still have 10 more minutes to live before I'm executed.
Well I'm waitin' on the pardon that'll set me free with 9 more minutes to go
I am still hoping for a pardon that could save me from execution, but only 9 minutes are left for me to live.
But this is for real so forget about me got 8 more minutes to go
However, I realize that this is not a joke and I must accept my fate. I have 8 minutes left to live.
With my feet on the trap and my head on the noose got 5 more minutes to go
I am now standing on the trap with the noose around my neck, and I only have 5 more minutes to live.
Won't somebody come and cut me loose with 4 more minutes to go
I am still hoping for a miracle that would save me from this execution. I only have 4 more minutes to live.
I can see the mountains I can see the skies with 3 more minutes to go
With only 3 more minutes to live, I am looking around and admiring the beauty of nature that I will soon leave behind.
And it's to dern pretty for a man that don't wanna die 2 more minutes to go
I am realizing that the world is too beautiful for someone who is about to die, and it's only 2 more minutes before my execution.
I can see the buzzards I can hear the crows 1 more minute to go
I am now hearing the sounds of the birds, and my time is running out as there is only 1 more minute to live.
And now I'm swingin' and here I go-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!
I am now being executed and my body is swinging as I take my last breath. This is the end.
Contributed by Riley C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.