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.
Some Kind of Kindness
Firewater Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie
They say that we can't beat the rap
Just a couple of rats without a hope and both our heads inside a trap
You wash my hands, I'll scratch your back
Because we're so dirty and we need to find
I said, some kind of kindness
Maybe there just ain't no use in trying
Every one of us is born alone and someday soon we will be dying
But don't you ever pay no mind
Because when you lie with me I feel that I
I feel some kind of kindness
You know this is no way for us
Ragged and damned at the heel
And deep down you know
There's gotta be a better life for us
Than drifting like dust through an hourglass
Waiting for our blood to congeal
That's why we're singing...
Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie
(Still singing, still singing)
Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie
Nobody looks you in the eye
Somebody's always got their fingers in somebody else's pie
We may be cheap, but we ain't free
And we're just fighting for the right to know
To know some kind of kindness
We may be deaf, but we ain't dumb
Two more pariahs of the road without a home and on the run
We may be damned, but we're not done
'Cause the time must surely come when we will find
Maybe some kind of kindness
Yeah, this is no place for us
Stuck like sick monkeys in a zoo
Yeah, life is short
And there's gotta be a better way for us
Than sleeping down under the overpass
Dreaming that our dreams have come true
That's why we're singing...
Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie
(Still singing, still singing)
Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie
(Still singing)
Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie
(Still singing, still singing)
Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie
The lyrics of Firewater's "Some Kind of Kindness" deal with themes of loneliness, desperation, and the search for a sense of belonging. The repetition of the phrase "lie lie lie" throughout the song serves to highlight a sense of untruthfulness and deception that surrounds the singer's life, with lines like "Nobody looks you in the eye / Somebody's always got their fingers in somebody else's pie" suggesting a pervasive mistrust and lack of connection between people.
The metaphor of being "rats" caught in a trap is used to describe the singer's situation, with their only option for escape being to help each other out. This leads to the assertion that "we may be cheap, but we ain't free / And we're just fighting for the right to know / To know some kind of kindness." Despite the difficulty of their circumstances, there is still a sense of hope that there may be some form of human connection or kindness to be found.
The lyrics suggest a desire for a better life, with the repeated assertion that "there's gotta be a better life for us / Than drifting like dust through an hourglass" and the image of being "stuck like sick monkeys in a zoo" emphasizing a sense of confinement and a longing for freedom. Ultimately, the song seems to be searching for a sense of meaning or purpose in a world that can often feel oppressive and indifferent.
Line by Line Meaning
Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie
Repeat falsehoods again and again
They say that we can't beat the rap
Some authority says we cannot get out of trouble
Just a couple of rats without a hope and both our heads inside a trap
We are hopeless and trapped like rats
You wash my hands, I'll scratch your back
I'll do you a favor if you do me one
Because we're so dirty and we need to find
I said, some kind of kindness
We are in a bad situation and need help or support
Maybe there just ain't no use in trying
Trying may not be worth it
Every one of us is born alone and someday soon we will be dying
We are born alone and will die alone
But don't you ever pay no mind
Don't worry about it
Because when you lie with me I feel that I
I feel some kind of kindness
I feel some kindness when I'm with you
You know this is no way for us
Our current situation is not ideal
Ragged and damned at the heel
We are in a rough and disadvantaged state
And deep down you know
There's gotta be a better life for us
We know there must be a better life for us
Than drifting like dust through an hourglass
Waiting for our blood to congeal
We don't want to waste our lives waiting for something to happen
That's why we're singing...
We're expressing our feelings through music
Nobody looks you in the eye
People avoid direct eye contact
Somebody's always got their fingers in somebody else's pie
People are always meddling in each other's business
We may be cheap, but we ain't free
We may not have much money, but we still have our dignity
And we're just fighting for the right to know
To know some kind of kindness
We want to understand and experience kindness
We may be deaf, but we ain't dumb
We may not always hear well, but we're not stupid
Two more pariahs of the road without a home and on the run
We are outsiders with no permanent residence
We may be damned, but we're not done
We may have problems, but we're still fighting
Cause the time must surely come when we will find
Maybe some kind of kindness
We believe that eventually we will find kindness
Yeah, this is no place for us
Stuck like sick monkeys in a zoo
We're in a bad place like caged animals
Yeah, life is short
And there's gotta be a better way for us
Life is too short to live like this
Than sleeping down under the overpass
Dreaming that our dreams have come true
We don't want to live under a bridge and only dream of success
That's why we're singing...
We're expressing our feelings through music
Contributed by Nathan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.