Hercules and Love Affair is a musical project from New York formed in 2007 … Read Full Bio ↴Hercules and Love Affair is a musical project from New York formed in 2007 by DJ Andy Butler. From 2007 through 2010, members included Nomi Ruiz, Kim Ann Foxman and guest singer Antony Hegarty from the band Antony and the Johnsons. They are signed to DFA Records. Their single "Blind" was released on March 3rd, 2008, and their debut self-titled album (produced by Butler and Tim Goldsworthy) was released on March 10th, 2008. The album has been critically well-received and charted in the top 40 in several countries.

In January 2011, Andy Butler came back with a brand new crew and released "Blue Songs", Hercules and Love Affair's sophomore effort, mainly influenced by nineties house and electro music. Aside from Kim Ann Foxman, band members now includes Mark Pistel, Aerea Negrot, Shaun Wright.

The band's central figure, Andrew Butler, began his musical career at 15, DJing in a Denver leather bar run by a hostess called Chocolate Thunder Pussy. He then moved to Brooklyn, in order to attend Sarah Lawrence College. According to Butler: "I’ve been writing songs since childhood. I made music for dance performances in college (where he studied under Martin Goldray), like a remake of Gino Soccio’s ‘Runaway’ done in the style of Kraftwerk."

Former member of the collective, Nomi, was born and raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York. One of her earlier songs "You'll Never Know" appeared on "The Enlightened Family" Compilation released by Voodoo EROS. She also released her debut album "Lost in Lust" in 2005, an auto-biographical snap shot of life on the streets of Brooklyn. The record was self-released under the Park Side Records label and is being compared to a union between Wu Tang Clan's The RZA on beats and Sade on vocals. Since the album's release Nomi has toured Europe and the US with CocoRosie. She performed at stylist Patricia Field's residence for Fashion Week, toured Europe with Antony and the Johnsons as one of 13 NYC Beauties in the Turning Tour and recently emerged as an MC on a yet to be released version of "Heat of the Moment" with the legendary Deborah Harry.

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Liberty
Hercules and Love Affair Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You can't hide your emptiness
Everyone can see
You don't need to explain yourself,
Specially not to me
You don't have to explain yourself to me
You don't have to explain yourself to me

You can do anything that you want

You are totally free,
You can go anywhere in this World,
But you go without me
You can do what you want, you are totally free
You can go anywhere in this World,
But you go without me
(That's why!)

(That's why!)
(That's why!)
(That's why!)
(That's why!)

[Outro:]
You don't you don't know
You don't you don't know
You don't you don't know

You don't you don't know
Yeaah!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Liberty" by Hercules and Love Affair speak to the idea of freedom and the emptiness that comes with it. The first verse points out that regardless of how much one tries to hide the emptiness they feel inside, others can still see it. The singer reassures the listener that they don't need to explain themselves to anyone, least of all to the singer. The freedom that is referred to in the second verse is not just physical, but also emotional. The singer acknowledges that the listener can go anywhere they want and do anything they want without any restrictions, but they will have to do it without the singer.

The repeated "that's why" in the chorus emphasizes the fact that the listener's freedom means they will have to go without the singer, and that is why the singer understands that they don't need to explain themselves. The outro seems to reinforce this idea, with the repetition of "you don't know," possibly implying that the listener doesn't fully understand the cost of their freedom.

Overall, "Liberty" presents a bittersweet message about the different facets of freedom and how it can bring both joy and loneliness. The lyrics also suggest that freedom, while desirable, can come with a cost.

Line by Line Meaning

You can't hide your emptiness
It's impossible for you to conceal the void within you.

Everyone can see
This emptiness is noticeable to all.

You don't need to explain yourself,
There's no need for you to justify yourself.

Specially not to me
Especially not to me.

You don't have to explain yourself to me
I don't require an explanation from you.

You can do anything that you want
You're completely free to do as you please.

You are totally free,
Your freedom is absolute.

You can go anywhere in this World,
You have the ability to travel anywhere in the world.

But you go without me
However, you'll be doing so alone, without my company.

(That's why!)
(That's why!)

[Outro:]
[Outro:]