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.
The Man on the Burning Tightrope
Firewater Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well once upon a time,
There was a happy ever after to this story
But you won't hear one today
The man is sweating bullets
And his heart beats out a cold tattoo
So everybody won't you stand
Won't you give a big hand
To the man on the burning tightrope
He's always walked this tightrope
Between the devil and the deep blue sea
A monkey on a wire
But he's drunk his cup of sorrow
He's thrown his curses at the moon
Manifestos on the fire
So everybody stand
Everybody won't you give a big hand
To the man on the burning tightrope
C'mon people
Let's hear it!
Put your hands together
For the one, the only, the dying man
On the burning tightrope!
He could'a been somebody
He could'a been somebody else
Yes it could of been much worse
But now the show's over people
There's really nothing more to see
Hope you got your moneys worth
So everybody stand everybody won't you give a big hand
To the man on the burning tightrope!
(Is it just me, or is it getting a little hot in here?)
(Inch by inch, mile by mile, day by day, year by year)
(C'mon people, put your hands together, and pray)
The song "The Man on the Burning Tightrope" by Firewater is a ballad about a man who is on the verge of losing everything. The lyrics draw a picture of a daredevil who has performed many feats of courage but is now in a precarious position. The song's opening lines, "Is everybody in? Is everybody in?" creates a sense of a community performance, as if everyone has gathered to see the man on the high wire. The man's anxiety is palpable as he sweats bullets and his heart beats a cold tattoo while the band plays. His life on the tightrope between life and death, heaven and hell is likened to a monkey on a wire.
The song is an allegory about the precariousness of life and the fragility of our existence. The man on the tightrope is analogous to how we navigate through life where death is always a hair's breadth away. It is a reminder of the inevitability of our fate, and how sometimes we can be grateful for the little things in life. The song's final lyrics suggest that no matter how much we achieve or how much we lose, we all end up in the same place. The message in the lyrics is especially ironic when considering that the song is full of joyous celebration, as if the singer is enjoying the spectacle of a man's final moments.
Line by Line Meaning
Well once upon a time,
There was a happy ever after to this story
But you won't hear one today
The man is sweating bullets
The man is nervous
And his heart beats out a cold tattoo
His heart is beating fast
As the band begins to play
The show is about to begin
So everybody won't you stand
Won't you give a big hand
To the man on the burning tightrope
Applaud the performer on the tightrope
He's always walked this tightrope
He's always taken risks
Between the devil and the deep blue sea
Between two difficult situations
A monkey on a wire
A performer on a tightrope
But he's drunk his cup of sorrow
He's experienced sadness and suffering
He's thrown his curses at the moon
He's expressed his anger and frustration
Manifestos on the fire
His beliefs and ideas are burning
So everybody stand
Everybody won't you give a big hand
To the man on the burning tightrope
Applaud the performer on the tightrope
C'mon people
Let's hear it!
Put your hands together
For the one, the only, the dying man
Applaud the performer who may die
On the burning tightrope!
On the dangerous tightrope
He could'a been somebody
He could've been successful
He could'a been somebody else
He could've lived a different life
Yes it could of been much worse
Things could have gone even more wrong
But now the show's over people
The performance is finished
There's really nothing more to see
The show is over
Hope you got your moneys worth
Hope you enjoyed the performance
So everybody stand everybody won't you give a big hand
To the man on the burning tightrope!
Applaud the performer on the tightrope
(Is it just me, or is it getting a little hot in here?)
Comment about the temperature
(Inch by inch, mile by mile, day by day, year by year)
Small steps towards progress
(C'mon people, put your hands together, and pray)
Celebration and hopefulness
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Haven Sabaini
I can listen to Firewater everyday. Always clever and relevant. Tod A. is one of my musical superheroes!
rex palmeter
Love this song
Edgar Baez
Simply Amazing! My imagination is running with this song: I'm imagining a grimy, rundown circus comp. run and produced by Tim burton :p
Brandon Krause
My exact thoughts on this song have already been posted in a few comments already. Tom Waits/Krusty the Klown is singing at a depressing, rundown, almost abandoned, demented circus performance directed by Tim Burton.
Trinity Mann-Beam
There are so many great lines causally hidden within the repetition. The cold crisp to his voice so very well compliments the multitude of messages conveyed. Well done.
Jason Covalcine
I've always equated this song as the American public walking the tightrope during a regular session of Congress or the House. Politicians screwing everyone as they point and laugh at the "dumb" voter" who has no chance to the "rules" applied to them by the "Lion Tamer" "Popcorn/Cotton Candy vendor" the true "clowns" as the politicians. "Give a BIG hand to the man on the burning tightrope!"
DIN DCS ANIMAÇÕES
OLA DICKERSON SOU O NOVO
INSCRITO DO SEU CANAL
UM FORTE ABRAÇO FELIZ 2020
Jacob Easton
It only feels more comfortable when its uncomfortable.. I love not having to trick myself..
Mustafa Güven
everybody stand! everybody won't you give hand... to the man onthe burning tightrope!
Deddoify
This is the MTG Rakdos Guild's Theme-song.