(1) Failure is an alter… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists under this name:
(1) Failure is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, USA, which was active from 1990 to 1997, and reunited in 2014. They are distinguished by their meticulous attention to textural sonic detail, inventive use of guitar effects and signal processing, and the overall expansive sound design of their later albums.
Members played in other bands after the initial breakup, including Year of the Rabbit, Autolux, A Perfect Circle, Queens of the Stone Age, Veruca Salt, Enemy, Blinker the Star, and Campfire Girls.
Current lineup:
Ken Andrews - vocals, guitar
Greg Edwards - bass, keyboards
Kellii Scott - drums
(2) Failure is a DIY New Jersey hardcore band with four kids looking to add their style of fast hardcore into the East Coast.
(3) Failure is a dutch punk band. Founded in 2006, and split up in March 2007. The members were Anouk (on vocals), Loes (Luas-R on drums), Willem (on guitar), Rob (on guitar) and Elske (on bass guitar). Their last performance was at an Emergenza semi-final at 013 Tilburg.
(4) Russian post-industrial, acoustic, avant-garde music project. https://vk.com/ingirumimusnocteetconsumimurigni
(5) Honduran depressive black metal band based in La Ceiba, split up in 2013.
(6) Fastcore band from northern Italy https://failure.bandcamp.com
Smoking Umbrellas
Failure Lyrics
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Just in time for all the brilliant red lights
They were streaming through my half shuttered windows
Christmas lights in time with my stuttered brain waves
The door knob was glowing
All my photographs were rippled and melting
Through the walls I could hear panicked voices
And nowhere not burned out
The fireman calls out
We've got another
Smoking umbrella left
In the hallway and
I gave no answer
To all their shouted questions, just lay back choking
Didn't want to stay but my bed was on fire
Instead of screaming I fell back into dreamland
Blinking and sighing
The song "Smoking Umbrellas" by Failure is a hauntingly beautiful depiction of the curious and confusing state of a dream. The opening lines of the song talk about waking up in a warm bed just in time for the brilliant red lights streaming through the half-shuttered windows. The line "Christmas lights in time with my stuttered brain waves" suggests a slow and fractured thought process that mirrors the flickering of the Christmas lights. Through the distorted photographs melting off the walls, the singer can hear panicked voices telling them to go back to sleep, implying a deeper desire to remain in the tumultuous and fantastical world of dreams.
As the singer hesitates, the fireman calls out that they have another smoking umbrella in the hallway, a metaphor for how life can be unpredictable and dangerous, even in the safety of one's own home. The singer gives no answer to their shouted questions and chokes in their bed instead of screaming out, choosing to fall back into the dream world where reality is elusive, but manageable. The ending line "Blinking and sighing" represents a return to unconsciousness and a willingness to surrender to the confusing but enchanting world of the subconscious.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke in my warm bed
I woke up in my comfortable bed
Just in time for all the brilliant red lights
I woke up at the same time when everything in the world was going wrong
They were streaming through my half shuttered windows
The unpleasant events outside were making their way into my room through the open windows
Christmas lights in time with my stuttered brain waves
The colorful and flashy Christmas lights were in sync with my chaotic and tumultuous thoughts
The door knob was glowing
The doorknob was illuminated by the fire outside
All my photographs were rippled and melting
The heat and smoke outside were causing my cherished photographs to distort and melt
Through the walls I could hear panicked voices
The walls were so thin that I could hear the petrifying screams and cries of people outside
They seemed to say, go back to bed there's no choices
The voices outside were shouting that there was no way out but to return to bed and give up
And nowhere not burned out
The fire had engulfed every inch and corner of the building
The fireman calls out
The firefighter shouted
We've got another
The situation is getting even worse
Smoking umbrella left
There is still something that's about to ignite and cause havoc
In the hallway and
It's in the corridor and is not far away
I gave no answer
I didn't respond
To all their shouted questions, just lay back choking
I lay back helplessly due to suffocation from the smoke
Didn't want to stay but my bed was on fire
I was reluctant to remain in my bed, but the flames had already reached me
Instead of screaming I fell back into dreamland
Instead of shouting for help, I passed out into a deep slumber
Blinking and sighing
I was experiencing momentary flashes of consciousness and breathing heavily due to the impenetrable smoke
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GREG EDWARDS, KEN ANDREWS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind