Firewater is a rock group founded by Tod A. in 1995. He describes them as a… Read Full Bio ↴Firewater is a rock group founded by Tod A. in 1995. He describes them as a "wedding band gone wrong".

After Tod left his previous group, Cop Shoot Cop, he quickly regrouped and formed Firewater to explore the styles of music Cop Shoot Cop had only hinted at, including klezmer, cabaret, ska, jazz, and gypsy forms. More than one source described the original Firewater lineup as an "indie rock supergroup", based on members such as Duane Denison of the Jesus Lizard, Yuval Gabay of Soul Coughing, Jennifer Charles of Elysian Fields, and Hahn Rowe. This original lineup proved unable to tour, and Tod recruited new musicians for the band's first tour. While the lineup has changed over the years, with many different musicians appearing on different albums and tours, Tod remains the singer, songwriter, and bassist of Firewater.

Firewater has released six albums, and has seen some success, especially in Europe and on United States college radio stations.

Their previous album, Songs We Should Have Written, is a collection of cover songs. It includes songs written by Robyn Hitchcock, The Rolling Stones ("Paint It Black" reinterpreted as a crawlingly slow raga which "shove(s) a few downers down the song's throat to counter the original version's adrenaline-fueled fire" ), and a "dark and sweet" take of Sonny and Cher's "The Beat Goes On", described as "10 times more ominous and 20 times more pleasurable" than the original. The album also includes a modern rendition of the Johnny Cash anthem "Folsom Prison Blues".

Their latest album, The Golden Hour, has been recorded with various local musicians and friends when Tod A went on sabbatical and travelled through Thailand, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey and Israel. The record was released May 6 in 2008. The band is currently (October, 2008) touring in support of the album.

Refinery
Firewater Lyrics

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Tonight
Strung out
Like a hazy web of lights
Until the dawn
And the rain
Is falling all along
The Reiperbahn
And you're gone

Ain't it strange
It seems like no one
Touches you these days
Must be unclean
And their words
Are haunting you
Like shadows veiled in storm
Never ending

And she shimmers from the sky like a million golden opportunities
All scattered on the ground
And floating in the gutters of your memory
She's written on the overpass and her broken promise sleeps beside the factory
She's ugly in the dawn and her dress flies on the fence below the refinery
Refinery

In the air
Anonymous
And floating in your chair
You rewrite the story
What's your name?
And tell them who you are
And why you came
And they believe you

Thinking back on nights
When you were just a broken doll
Behind the window
And you know
That no matter which way
You decide to go
You're never going back there

And she shimmers from the sky like a million golden opportunities
All scattered on the ground and floating in the gutters of your memory
She's written on the overpass and her broken promise sleeps beside the factory

She's ugly in the dawn and her dress flies on the fence below the refinery
Refinery

Overall Meaning

The song "Refinery" by Firewater is a haunting portrayal of the desperation and loneliness that comes with a life of addiction. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who is isolated from the world, strung out and alone in the middle of the night. The rain falls down on the Reiperbahn, a red-light district in Hamburg, Germany, as the person tries to escape their inner demons.

The chorus brings in a poignant imagery of a girl who seems to represent hope and opportunity. She shimmers from the sky, but all her possibilities are scattered on the ground, lost and forgotten. The girl is written on an overpass, and her broken promise lies beside the factory. The factory represents the harsh reality of the person's life, and the refinery symbolizes the struggle to refine themselves and rise above their struggles.

The second verse talks about the person's attempt to recreate their story and reinvent themselves. They question their identity and purpose but know their past will always be with them. They recall dark memories of being a broken doll behind a window and acknowledge that they can never go back to that life. The lyrics express the internal conflict of trying to move forward and become a better version of themselves while acknowledging the pains of their past.

Line by Line Meaning

Tonight
The present moment, today

Strung out
Feeling exhausted, tired

Like a hazy web of lights
Feeling disoriented, like there's a blur in front of your eyes

Until the dawn
Until the morning comes

And the rain
Water pouring from the sky

Is falling all along
Pouring all over without any discrimination

The Reiperbahn
A red-light district in Hamburg, Germany, known for its nightclubs and bars

And you're gone
You're no longer there, you're absent

Ain't it strange
Isn't it odd

It seems like no one
It appears as though nobody

Touches you these days
Is physically close to you these days

Must be unclean
There must be something wrong with you

And their words
The things they say

Are haunting you
Are disturbing you repeatedly

Like shadows veiled in storm
Like hazy shapes hidden in the darkness

Never ending
Continuing forever

And she shimmers from the sky like a million golden opportunities
She is so attractive and promising

All scattered on the ground
Spread all over, disorganized

And floating in the gutters of your memory
Lingering in your thoughts like debris in a drainage system

She's written on the overpass and her broken promise sleeps beside the factory
Her broken commitments are everywhere, from the graffiti on the bridge to the factory area

She's ugly in the dawn and her dress flies on the fence below the refinery
She is not as attractive in the morning and her clothing appears dirty after being blown against the fence near the refinery

Refinery
The location where raw materials are processed or purified to create usable products

In the air
Permeating your consciousness

Anonymous
Without an identity, unrecognizable

And floating in your chair
Seeming to levitate along with your body on the chair

You rewrite the story
You are retelling the narrative from your own perspective

What's your name?
What is your title or identity?

And tell them who you are
And describe your true self to them

And why you came
And reveal the reason behind your visit or arrival

And they believe you
And they accept everything you say without questioning it

Thinking back on nights
Recalling memories of past evenings

When you were just a broken doll
When you were vulnerable and incapable of healing on your own

Behind the window
Hiding away from the world