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
There Are No More Tickets to the Funeral
Diamanda Galás Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Were you a witness?
And on that holy day
And on that bloody day
Were you a witness?
Were you a witness?
And on that holy day
And on his dying bed he told me
"Tell all my friends I was fighting, too,
But to all the cowards and voyeurs:
There are no more tickets to the funeral
There are no more tickets to the funeral.
Were you a witness?
Were you a witness?
And on that holy day
And on that bloody day
There are no more tickets to the funeral
There are no more tickets to the funeral
The funeral is crowded!
Were you a witness?
Were you a witness?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord
Were you there when they nailed him to the cross
Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble
Were you there when they crucified my Lord
"Were you a witness? Were you a witness?
"Were you there when they dragged him to the grave"
Were you there when they dragged him to the grave
Sometimes it causes me to wonder, wonder, wonder"
Were you there when they dragged him to the grave?
And on that holy day
And on that bloody Day
Were you a witness?
"Were you there when they laid him in the tomb
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb
Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?"
"Were you a witness? Were you a witness?
SWING SWING
A band of Angels coming after me
coming for to carry me home
Swing swing
A band of Devils coming after me
for to drag me to the grave.
Swing Swing
But I will not go
and I shall not go
I will wake up
and I shall walk from this room into the sun
where the dirty angel doesn't run
Where the dirty angel cannot go
And brothers in this time of pestilence
do know that we meet we hear another sick man sigh
Each time that we meet we hear another has died
And I see angels angels angels devils
Angels angels devils
Angels angels devils
Coming for to drag me to the grave
Angels!
Mr. Sandman makes a filthy bed for me
But I will not rest
And I shall not rest
As a man who has been blinded by the storm
and waits for angels by the road
while the devil waits for me at night
with knives and lies and smiles
and sings the "swing low sweet chariot"
of death knells
one by one
like a sentence of the damned
and one by one
of my brothers die
Unloved, unsung, unwanted
Die, and faster please,
we've got no money for extended visits
says the sandman
But we who have gone before
Do not rest in peace
Remember me?
Unburied
I am screaming in the bloody furnaces of Hell
and only ask for you
to raise your weary eyes into the sun
until the sun has set
For we who have gone before
Do not rest in peace
We who have died
Shall never rest in peace
There is no rest until the fighting's done
And I see Angels Angels
Devils
Angels Angels
Angels Angels Devils
Coming for to drag me to the grave
Angels!
The lyrics to Diamanda Galás's song "There Are No More Tickets to the Funeral" describe the devastating aftermath of violence and death. The repetition of the question "Were you a witness?" emphasizes the importance of bearing witness to these horrors, as the singer asks if anyone was there to see what happened. The song references the crucifixion of Jesus and asks if anyone was present to witness that as well. The lyrics also suggest that those who did not fight back in the face of violence are "cowards and voyeurs" and are not welcome at the funeral.
The funeral itself is described as crowded, indicating the many lives lost due to violence. The singer then shifts to a more personal tone, describing their own fear of death and the temptation to give up and be carried away by angels or devils. However, the singer ultimately decides to resist death and continue fighting for justice. The final lines of the song suggest that those who have died in these violent events, including the singer, will never rest in peace until justice is achieved.
Overall, "There Are No More Tickets to the Funeral" is a powerful and haunting reflection on the devastation caused by violence and the importance of bearing witness to these events.
Line by Line Meaning
Were you a witness?
Did you see what happened?
And on that holy day
And on that day that should have been holy
And on that bloody day
And on that day that was filled with bloodshed
"Tell all my friends I was fighting, too,
"Let my friends know that I wasn't a coward like those who just watched
But to all the cowards and voyeurs:
But to those who just watched and didn't help:
There are no more tickets to the funeral
There's no more room for the funeral
The funeral is crowded!
There's no more space for any more people at the funeral!
Were you there when they crucified my Lord
Were you present when they crucified Jesus?
Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble
It's terrifying to think about
"Were you there when they dragged him to the grave"
"Were you there when they took him to his grave?"
Sometimes it causes me to wonder, wonder, wonder"
It makes me think about it a lot
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb
Were you there when they put him in the tomb?
SWING SWING
The sound of the band of angels and devils
A band of Angels coming after me
The angels are coming to take me away
coming for to carry me home
to carry me to heaven
A band of Devils coming after me
The devils are coming for me
for to drag me to the grave.
to take me to the underworld
But I will not go
But I won't let them take me
And I shall not go
And I refuse to go
I will wake up
I'll come back to life
and I shall walk from this room into the sun
and I'll come back to life and live in the sunshine
where the dirty angel doesn't run
where the evil angel can't go
And brothers in this time of pestilence
And during this time of sickness, my fellow humans
do know that we meet we hear another sick man sigh
let's remember that we're all dealing with this together
Mr. Sandman makes a filthy bed for me
Death is coming for me
But I will not rest
But I won't give up yet
As a man who has been blinded by the storm
I've been through so much that I can't even see clearly anymore
and waits for angels by the road
and I'm waiting for the angels to come for me
while the devil waits for me at night
but the devil is also waiting for me
with knives and lies and smiles
ready to hurt me with weapons and deceitful words disguised as kindness
and sings the "swing low sweet chariot"
and sings a song about taking me to the afterlife
"of death knells"
with the sound of death ringing in my ears
one by one
My fellow humans are dying one by one
like a sentence of the damned
as if we're all being punished for something
Unloved, unsung, unwanted
Dying alone, without recognition or love
Die, and faster please,
Just die quickly, please
we've got no money for extended visits
We don't have time or money for long goodbyes
but we who have gone before
But those who have died before us
Do not rest in peace
are not at peace
Remember me?
Don't forget about me
Unburied
Still not laid to rest
I am screaming in the bloody furnaces of Hell
I'm suffering in the depths of the underworld
and only ask for you
And I only ask that you
to raise your weary eyes into the sun
Look up at the sunshine
until the sun has set
Until the end of the day
We who have died
Those of us who have passed away
Shall never rest in peace
Will never be truly at peace
There is no rest until the fighting's done
There won't be peace until we've won the battle
And I see Angels Angels
I see angels
Angels Angels Devils
Angels and devils
Angels Angels Devils
Angels and devils
Coming for to drag me to the grave
Coming to take me to the afterlife
Angels!
Angels are coming!
Contributed by Daniel B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@staciadams9445
One of the biggest bad asses on the planet. We love you Diamanda.
@michaelpolo6117
She is the most underrated, Diva in the; Stratosphere. God Bless her, she is a sweetheart too. The absolute nicest real artist . I've ever met..........
@michaelpolo6117
Diamanda Gala's is, the Ultimate singer ever # The Singer ..;€
@domingadoflaminga3961
I won't even get tired of praising Diamanda's amazing artistic abilities. I want... no, I NEED to see her performing live someday!
@FunKills1969
I've seen her so many times, but even WATCHING this gives me real chills. I'm crying. She heals me, the most beautiful woman in the world. PLEASE come to San Francisco, DG. We need a benediction.
@TobiasLars
The 'Furies'....irrepressible...this is 1 voice that has not been shut down... takes real courage to unlock this level of trapped dimensional energies. Diamanda's music will get your kundalini moving...
@darrenspooner1482
hermoso total
@apikorus
I Love the idea of this as a tango! Thank you evacaneta!
@fraterlucifer888
genius,,, the CASH version breaks my heart this version makes me want to live,full of fire!!!
@gregorypatrick2844
You REALLY have to sit and wait for the end of this piece. THAT is where the magic happens. That last moment of this song brings the whole of her work to an amazing place.