The core of Geggy Tah comprises Greg Kurstin and Tommy Jordan. Each of them has a younger sister who was unable to pronounce her brother's name when very young; "Geggy" and "Tah" were the baby girls' mispronunciations of their brother's names.
Geggy Tah's first release, Grand Opening, appeared in 1994 on David Byrne's Luaka Bop label. For their 1996 release Sacred Cow, they added drummer Daren Hahn to the lineup. Also on Luaka Bop, the album spawned the hit single "Whoever You Are." The song appeared in a Mercedes commercial circa 2001.
In 1999, the band announced a new album entitled Music Inspired by The Fragrance, and released two songs ("Space Heater" and "Sweat") on the web in mp3 format. However (in part because of Luaka Bop's move from Warner Brothers to Virgin Records) the album went unreleased until 2001, by which point it had acquired a new title: Into The Oh.
She Withers
Geggy Tah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where there' s no skin to scar
And there' s no time to waste
Full of emptiness I cannot touch the bottom
Lines on her face falling in her autumn
With her while she withers
Away
In a mangel-wurzel for the cattle
And hold on
Slaughter is to you a manicure her nails
On impaled palms
Springing out of this flesh stirs a life at the bottom
With her while she withers
Away
With her while she withers
Away
The lyrics of Geggy Tah's "She Withers" depict a sense of hopelessness and indifference towards the process of aging and death. The opening lines "Out of the way there is a quiet place/Where there's no skin to scar/And there's no time to waste" suggest that the singer, possibly the singer, is trying to find a place where they can escape the inevitable scars of life and the ticking clock. The lines "Full of emptiness I cannot touch the bottom/Lines on her face falling in her autumn" further reinforce the idea of decay and the inability to truly understand or reach the depths of this phenomenon.
The second verse takes a surreal turn as the singer juxtaposes the image of a vegetable called "mangel-wurzel" for the cattle and the act of washing for the "battle hymn to hurry up and hold on." The lines "Slaughter is to you a manicure her nails/ On impaled palms" suggest a brutal, violent reality in which even the act of getting one's nails done is compared to torture. The final lines "With her while she withers away" is a reminder that the entire song is centered on the withering away of someone or something, most likely a person who is facing the end of their life.
Overall, the lyrics of "She Withers" are haunting in their portrayal of aging and death. The song asks the listener to confront the inevitability of decay, the futility of trying to escape it, and the acceptance required to make peace with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Out of the way there is a quiet place
There exists an isolated and tranquil location away from the usual path
Where there's no skin to scar
It is a place where there are no physical or emotional wounds
And there's no time to waste
There is a sense of urgency and purpose in this place
Full of emptiness I cannot touch the bottom
Despite the apparent void, it feels profound and bottomless
Lines on her face falling in her autumn
The woman seems aged and vulnerable, nearing the end of her life
With her while she withers
Stay by her side as she declines and fades away
In a mangel-wurzel for the cattle
There is a metaphorical food source for the livestock, but nothing nourishing for humans
Washing for the battle hymn to hurry up
Preparation is being made for a fight or struggle, and time is limited
And hold on
Grab onto something and maintain your footing
Slaughter is to you a manicure her nails / on impaled palms
The violence that may be commonplace to one person seems like torture and suffering to another
Springing out of this flesh stirs a life at the bottom
New growth and energy can arise from a state of decay
With her while she withers
Stay by her side as she declines and fades away
Away
The song ends with a sense of finality and departure
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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A B
One of the more underrated records of the 90's I'd say.
KID-X
Love these vocals at and dark lyrics!
Matthew Stryker
You rock Obehbi, Thank You :)