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
Double-Barrel Prayer
Diamanda Galás Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
the dogs have come to stay
It's time to get your gun out
And drive the dogs away
They can smell your blood inside
It's loo late lo go and hide
The dogs are' on their way
Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to men of good will
We praise thee; we bless thee;
we adore thee; we glorify thee
We give thanks to thee for thy great glory
O lord God, Heavenly King,
God theFather Almighty,
O Lord, the only begotten son, Jesus Christ,
O Lord, lamb of God, son of the Father
The dogs know when you're sleeping
They know when you're awake
How fast your heart is heating
So be ready, or too late
They'll drag you by the collar
And they'll take you through the town
Your friends can help no longer
Once your ass is on the ground
Thou who takest away the sins of the world
have mercy upon and receive our prayer
Thou who sittest at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy upon us
For thou art holy,
thou only art the Lord, thou only Jesus Christ, art most high,
with the holy ghost in the glory of God the Father.
The dogs have come today
The dogs have come to stay
The dogs want you to pay
And this is what I say:
The trick to saying prayers
When the Devil's in the way
Is to help God pull the trigger
On the dogs this Judgment Day
AMEN.
The song Double-Barrel Prayer by Diamanda Galás is a dark and intense piece with thought-provoking lyrics. The opening lines of the song suggest that the singer is warning someone about the dogs, who have come to stay, metaphorically representing the evils and dangers in life. The dogs can smell fear and weakness in people and come closer when they sense it; thus, the singer advises to prepare oneself to fight against them.
The song contains biblical references with Christian prayer intertwined throughout the lyrics, emphasizing the importance of faith and remaining steadfast in belief to resist the influence of the devil. The final lines of the song highlight the importance of prayer and faith in the face of the judgment day, preserving one's soul and providing the strength necessary to overcome one's challenges in life.
Overall, the song Double-Barrel Prayer is a warning against the dangers and evils of the world, emphasizing the importance of faith and strength to overcome them.
Line by Line Meaning
The dogs have come today
The danger is present and it has come to stay
the dogs have come to stay
The danger is not going anywhere, it is here to stay
It's time to get your gun out
It is time to take action to defend yourself
And drive the dogs away
Take control of the situation and escape danger
They can smell your blood inside
The danger can sense vulnerability and weakness
It's loo late lo go and hide
It is too late to hide or run from the imminent danger
The dogs are' on their way
The danger is approaching
Prepare yourself today
Get ready to face the danger, take action immediately
Glory to God in the highest
Praise to God who is the highest and most powerful
and on earth peace to men of good will
May there be peace on earth for those who have good intentions
We praise thee; we bless thee;
We show respect and admiration to God through our actions
we adore thee; we glorify thee
We worship and honor God with love and admiration
We give thanks to thee for thy great glory
We are grateful to God for His magnificent glory
O lord God, Heavenly King,
God, the almighty King of heaven
God theFather Almighty,
God, the all-powerful Father
O Lord, the only begotten son, Jesus Christ,
Jesus, the only son of God
O Lord, lamb of God, son of the Father
Jesus, the son of God who takes away the sins of the world
The dogs know when you're sleeping
Danger is aware of your weaknesses and can strike when you least expect it
They know when you're awake
Danger is aware of your movements and actions
How fast your heart is heating
Danger can sense your fear and can use it to their advantage
So be ready, or too late
Be prepared to face the danger or it will be too late
They'll drag you by the collar
Danger has control over you
And they'll take you through the town
The danger will show you no mercy and expose you to shame
Your friends can help no longer
When danger has you, your friends cannot help anymore
Once your ass is on the ground
Once you are defeated, you will remain hopeless
Thou who takest away the sins of the world
God who forgives and pardons our sins
have mercy upon and receive our prayer
We ask for God's mercy and acceptance of our pleas
Thou who sittest at the right hand of the Father,
Jesus who sits at the right hand of God
have mercy upon us
We ask for Jesus' mercy upon us
For thou art holy,
You are holy, Lord
thou only art the Lord, thou only Jesus Christ, art most high,
You alone are the Lord, and Jesus Christ is the greatest High Priest
with the holy ghost in the glory of God the Father.
With the Holy Spirit in the eternal glory of God the Father
The dogs want you to pay
Danger wants you to pay the price of agony
And this is what I say:
And this is my message:
The trick to saying prayers
The secret to effective prayer
When the Devil's in the way
When obstacles come your way
Is to help God pull the trigger
Is to take action and let God deliver you from danger
On the dogs this Judgment Day
On the danger that is threatening you on this day of judgement
AMEN.
So be it.
Contributed by Penelope H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-qz7ug7lj7c
The dogs have come today
The dogs have come to stay
It's time to get your gun out
And drive the dogs away
They can smell your blood inside
It's too late to go and hide
The dogs are on their way
Prepare yourself today
Glory to God in the highest
And on earth peace to men of good will
We praise thee; we bless thee;
We adore thee; we glorify thee
We give thanks to thee for thy great glory
O lord God, Heavenly King
God the Father Almighty
O Lord, the only begotten son, Jesus Christ
O Lord, lamb of God, son of the Father
The dogs know when you're sleeping
They know when you're awake
How fast your heart is beating
So be ready, or too late
They'll drag you by the collar
And they'll take you through the town
Your friends can help no longer
Once your ass is on the ground
Thou who takest away the sins of the world
Have mercy upon and receive our prayer
Thou who sittest at the right hand of the Father
Have mercy upon us
For thou art holy
Thou only art the Lord, thou only Jesus Christ, art most high
With the holy ghost in the glory of God the Father
The dogs have come today
The dogs have come to stay
The dogs want you to pay
And this is what I say:
The trick to saying prayers
When the Devil's in the way
Is to help God pull the trigger
On the dogs this Judgment Day
@Conn30Mtenor
I travelled all the way from Australia to catch her show in Austin Tx. Worth every minute and every red cent.
@johnbrown1809
I've liveed in the area all my life..shit I missed it
@VitruvianVision
Lifted my life up so many levels as a child/teenager. Forever grateful.. a really amazing, strong woman.
@blackamericanlesbianprofes4357
This is my first hearing this singer and band. Something about this is interesting to me. I like. I will research more about this singer and band. Thank you for posting.
@ronromijn79
A band?
@octagram2955
May wanna check out Die Form as well
@sombersombrero9338
Imagine if you're about to do some drum practice with your buddy, when some goth looking woman comes in and starts screaming like a banshee and fucking around on the floor with a gun. I think I too, would just keep playing to see what happens next.
@artvandelay3840
Drummer 1: Dude, what the fuck, let's just get out of here
Drummer 2: Hold on, let's see where she's going with this...
@phantomaniperv
Lol she does not look goth at all
@Itsyrm8
@@phantomaniperv yep, shes above & beyond all that, a league of her own