Indovina and Human Drama began their career in New Orleans in the early 80s as The Models, releasing two singles along with compilation appearances. A mid-'80s move to Los Angeles and the discovery of an already existing Australian band also named The Models set the stage for Indovina and company to begin their new incarnation.
The newly renamed Human Drama became a member of the "Scream scene" of the mid-'80s, which sprang up around the short-lived Los Angeles underground goth/metal club that brought Guns N' Roses and Jane's Addiction to the world. Human Drama contributed a song, "Wave of Darkness", to the 1987 Scream Compilation LP, which led to a major label deal with RCA.
1989 saw the release of the debut Hopes Prayers Dreams Heart Soul Mind Love Life Death EP and the full length Feel LP. Both releases featured a electric guitar-oriented approach. Indovina felt that RCA wasn't properly promoting the band, and the band and label parted ways.
Moving to the independent Triple X label, the next Human Drama release was 1992's The World Inside. Stylistically different from the first two releases, Indovina moved Human Drama into a quieter, more strings-based sound. This album is widely regarded as Indovina and Human Drama's most important work. The LP earned the band critical raves and a near fanatical following, especially in Mexico. A solo performance of various cover songs by Indovina at the album's release party predicted the next Human Drama album. Released in 1993, PinUps was an open tribute to David Bowie's album of the same name, a collection of remakes of various sources of inspiration.
A move to New York city accompanied a temporary co-release stint on the Projekt label, resulting in two additional mid-decade releases, 1994's Human Drama EP and 1995's Songs of Betrayal, which was later re-released as two separate discs with additional tracks.
The next Human Drama release would be a live album. 1997's Fourteen Thousand Three Hundred Eighty Four Days Later, featuring many of the early Feel-era songs, along with some new cover song choices.
1999 brought Solemn Sun Setting, which saw a merging of the two "different" Human Drama styles, before the following year's career overview, Best of Human Drama...In a Perfect World.
The final Human Drama album, 2002's Cause and Effect, continuing themes from Solemn Sun Setting, was an unexpected goodbye from Indovina and company, for both the band and their fans.
In 2004, Human Drama recorded their final track, the Beatles "Let It Be", which was given to fans who attended the band's farewell performance in Los Angeles. When asked why he chose "Let It Be" as their final recording Indovina answered, "I strived my entire career to write a song as good as that, but since I couldn't, I decided to record it as a salute to, what is in my opinion, the best song ever written".
Indovina has since moved on with his next project, Sound of the Blue Heart.
The Carpet Crawlers
Human Drama Lyrics
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There is lambswool under my naked feet.
The wool is soft and warm,
- gives off some kind of heat.
A salamander scurries into flame to be destroyed.
Imaginary creatures are trapped in birth on celluloid.
The fleas cling to the golden fleece,
Each thought and gesture are caught in celluloid.
Theres no hiding in my memory.
Theres no room to avoid.
The walls are painted in red ochre and are marked by strange insignia, some looking like a bulls-eye, others of birds and boats. further down the corridor, he can see some people; all kneeling.
Broken sighs and murmurs they struggle, in their slow motion to move towards a wooden door at the end. having seen only the inanimate bodies in the grand parade of lifeless packaging, rael rushe
Talk to them.
The crawlers cover the floor in the red ochre corridor.
For my second sight of people, theyve more lifeblood than before.
Theyre moving in time to a heavy wooden door,
Where the needles eye is winking, closing in on the poor.
The carpet crawlers heed their callers:
Weve got to get in to get out
Weve got to get in to get out
Weve got to get in to get out.
Whats going on? he cries to a muttering monk, who conceals a yawn and replies its a long time yet before the dawn. a sphinx-like crawler calls his name saying don
K him, the monk is drunk. each one of us is trying to reach the top of the stairs, a way out will await us there. not asking how he can move freely, our hero goes boldly through the door.
D a table loaded with food, is a spiral staircase going up into the ceiling.
Theres only one direction in the faces that I see;
Its upward to the ceiling, where the chambers said to be.
Like the forest fight for sunlight, that takes root in every tree.
They are pulled up by the magnet, believing theyre free.
The carpet crawlers heed their callers:
Weve got to get in to get out
Weve got to get in to get out
Weve got to get in to get out.
Mild mannered supermen are held in kryptonite,
And the wise and foolish virgins giggle with their bodies glowing
Bright.
Through a door a harvest feast is lit by candlelight;
Its the bottom of a staircase that spirals out of sight.
The carpet crawlers heed their callers:
Weve got to get in to get out
Weve got to get in to get out
Weve got to get in to get out.
The porcelain mannikin with shattered skin fears attack.
The eager pack lift up their pitchers - they carry all they lack.
The liquid has congealed, which has seeped out through the crack,
And the tickler takes his stickleback.
The carpet crawlers heed their callers:
Weve got to get in to get out
Weve got to get in to get out
Weve got to get in to get out.
The song "The Carpet Crawlers" by Human Drama tells the story of a man, Rael, who finds himself stuck in a passage, but eventually discovers a long carpeted corridor leading him to strange and surreal events. As he enters the corridor, he feels the warmth and softness of lambswool under his naked feet, but he also witnesses strange events where imaginary creatures are trapped in birth on celluloid, fleas cling to the golden fleece, and the walls are painted in red ochre with strange insignia of birds and boats. Further down the corridor, he sees people kneeling and struggling to move towards a wooden door, which leads to a table loaded with food and a spiral staircase going up into the ceiling.
The chorus, "The carpet crawlers heed their callers: We've got to get in to get out," implies that everyone is trying to move towards a way out and escape their current situation. However, Rael's journey becomes more surreal as he encounters mild-mannered supermen held in kryptonite, wise and foolish virgins glowing brightly, and a porcelain manikin with shattered skin fearing attack. Despite all these strange events, the strangers he meets all seem to be moving towards a common destination and following a higher purpose that is beyond their understanding.
The lyrics in "The Carpet Crawlers" have been interpreted in several ways, including as a metaphor for the human condition, our search for meaning and purpose, and the struggles we face in life. The surreal imagery and fantastical events in the song highlight the limited control we have over our lives, and how we often have to follow a path that we do not fully comprehend. Ultimately, the song represents a journey of self-discovery and finding a way out of challenging situations by following an unknown path towards an uncertain goal.
Line by Line Meaning
There is lambswool under my naked feet.
The ground is soft and warm under my feet.
The wool is soft and warm, gives off some kind of heat.
The wool is soft and warm, and seems to emit some kind of warmth.
A salamander scurries into flame to be destroyed.
A salamander rushes towards fire and perishes.
Imaginary creatures are trapped in birth on celluloid.
Imaginary creatures are born and trapped on film.
The fleas cling to the golden fleece, hoping they'll find peace.
The fleas are desperate and grasp at anything they can, hoping to find comfort.
Each thought and gesture are caught in celluloid.
Every thought and movement is captured on film.
There's no hiding in my memory. There's no room to avoid.
My memories are all-encompassing, with no way to escape them.
The crawlers cover the floor in the red ochre corridor.
Tiny creatures crawl across the floor of the red hallway.
For my second sight of people, they've more lifeblood than before.
The people I see now have more vitality than the ones I saw earlier.
They're moving in time to a heavy wooden door, where the needle's eye is winking, closing in on the poor.
The people are moving towards a heavy wooden door with a closing needle's eye, as if it's their only hope.
The carpet crawlers heed their callers: We've got to get in to get out.
The tiny creatures on the ground seem to be responding to a call to action: they must enter to exit.
What's going on? he cries to a muttering monk, who conceals a yawn and replies it's a long time yet before the dawn.
He asks a monk what's happening, but the monk is indifferent and remarks that dawn is far in the future.
A sphinx-like crawler calls his name saying don't ask me to change, the monk is drunk.
A strange creature resembling a sphinx calls his name, telling him not to expect the monk to change as he's intoxicated.
Each one of us is trying to reach the top of the stairs, a way out will await us there.
Everyone is trying to climb to the top of the stairs in hopes of finding an exit.
There's only one direction in the faces that I see; It's upward to the ceiling, where the chambers said to be.
I can see a single direction in the faces of those around me: upward toward the ceiling, where there are supposed to be chambers.
Like the forest fight for sunlight, that takes root in every tree. They are pulled up by the magnet, believing they're free.
Just like trees in a forest compete for sunlight, these people are drawn upward believing they're free from outside forces.
Mild-mannered supermen are held in kryptonite, and the wise and foolish virgins giggle with their bodies glowing bright.
Even the most powerful among us have weaknesses, and the foolish and wise can both be overtaken by desire.
Through a door, a harvest feast is lit by candlelight; it's the bottom of a staircase that spirals out of sight.
I see a feast behind a door, illuminated by candlelight, but the only way to reach it is by descending a seemingly endless spiral staircase.
The porcelain manikin with shattered skin fears attack.
A fragile porcelain figure with damaged skin is scared of being attacked.
The eager pack lift up their pitchers - they carry all they lack.
A group of people eagerly lift up their glasses, as if hoping to find what they lack inside.
The liquid has congealed, which has seeped out through the crack, and the tickler takes his stickleback.
The liquid has congealed and leaked through a crack, and someone is using a stickleback to tease the others.
Contributed by Annabelle P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.