Their first release in 1985 was a seven-inch single named "Crazy Game", with the B-side "Everybody's Waiting (for Someone to Come Home)". That same year, the Indigo Girls released a six-track Extended play album named "Indigo Girls", and in 1987 released their first full-length album, Strange Fire, recorded at John Keane Studio in Athens, Georgia, and including "Crazy Game". With this release, they secured the services of Russell Carter, who remains their manager to the present; they had first approached him when the EP album was released, but he told them their songs were "immature" and they were not likely to get a record deal.
They were signed to Epic Records in 1989 and won the Grammy for best contemporary folk album later that year (for their self titled release) Some of their hit songs include "Galileo," "Closer to Fine," and "Shame on You."
Aside from being musicians, Ray and Saliers are activists, constantly supporting causes like gun control, women's rights, Native American rights, environmental protection, the abolition of the death penalty, and as lesbians themselves, LGBT rights. They constantly devote their time and money to such causes, often playing benefit concerts.
Ray and Saliers both have side projects. Ray owns and founded Daemon Records, an independent label based in Decatur. She also has a career as a solo artist, and has released two albums thus far. Saliers is the part owner of Watershed, a restaurant and wine bar in Decatur.
Together, the Indigo Girls are constantly touring. Their new album, Poseidon and the Bitter Bug, was released March 24, 2009.
Blood and Fire
Indigo Girls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Leaning over ledges, only two flights up.
Cutting my heart, burning my soul.
Nothing left to hold,
Nothing left but, blood and fire.
You have spent nights, thinking of me
Missing my arms, but you needed to leave.
Leaving the cuts, leaving my burns,
Hoping I'd learn.
Blood and Fire
Are too much for these restless arms to hold.
And my nights of desire are calling me,
Back to your fold.
And I am calling you, calling you from 10,000 miles away
Won't you wet my fire with your live, babe?
I am looking for someone, who can take as much as I give,
Give back as much as I need,
And still have the will to live.
I am intense, I am in need,
I am in pain, I am in love.
I feel forsaken, like to things I gave away.
Blood and Fire
Are too much for these restless arms to hold.
And my nights of desire are calling me,
Back to your fold.
And I am calling you, calling you from 10,000 miles away
Won't you wet my fire with your live, babe?
I am intense, I am in need, I am in pain, I am in love.
I am intense, I am in need, I am in pain, I am in love.
I am intense, I am in need, I am in pain, I am in love.
Blood and Fire
Are too much for these restless arms to hold.
And my nights of desire are calling me,
Back to your fold.
And I am calling you, calling you from 10,000 miles away
Won't you wet my fire with your live, babe?
The lyrics to "Blood and Fire" by Indigo Girls convey intense feelings of desperation and longing. The lines "I have spent nights with matches and knives, / Leaning over ledges, only two flights up. / Cutting my heart, burning my soul," describe the singer's self-destructive tendencies and the pain they are experiencing. They feel like they have nothing left to hold onto and are consumed by "blood and fire," which represents their emotional turmoil.
The song also touches on the idea of a tumultuous relationship. The lines "You have spent nights, thinking of me / Missing my arms, but you needed to leave. / Leaving the cuts, leaving my burns, / Hoping I'd learn" suggest that the singer and their partner have a complicated dynamic. Despite missing each other, they have hurt each other in the past and are struggling to reconcile their feelings. The singer is hoping for a second chance and is calling out to their partner, who is thousands of miles away.
Overall, "Blood and Fire" is a powerful and emotional song that explores themes of pain, love, and desperation.
Line by Line Meaning
I have spent nights with matches and knives,
I have been destroying myself, both physically and emotionally, by engaging in self-destructive behaviors such as cutting and burning myself.
Leaning over ledges, only two flights up.
I have even contemplated suicide, with thoughts of jumping off buildings or other high places.
Cutting my heart, burning my soul.
These acts of self-harm are reflective of the intense emotional pain I am experiencing internally.
Nothing left to hold,
I have lost control of my actions and emotions, and have nothing left to cling onto.
Nothing left but, blood and fire.
All that is left of me is the physical and emotional scars of the damage I have inflicted upon myself, symbolized by blood and fire.
Blood and Fire
The repeated reference to blood and fire is symbolic of the intense pain and self-harmful actions the singer is experiencing.
Are too much for these restless arms to hold.
These destructive patterns are too much for me to handle and control.
And my nights of desire are calling me,
Despite knowing that these behaviors are harmful, I am still drawn to them, as they provide temporary relief from my emotional pain.
Back to your fold.
The artist is drawn back to a past lover, who is seen as an escape from the artist's pain.
And I am calling you, calling you from 10,000 miles away
Despite being far away, the artist is still desperately reaching out to this past lover for comfort and solace.
Won't you wet my fire with your live, babe?
The singer is asking this past lover to reignite their relationship, in order to provide the love and support the singer desperately needs.
I am looking for someone, who can take as much as I give,
The artist is seeking a partner who can withstand the intense emotional intensity and neediness of the artist.
Give back as much as I need,
This partner must be able to reciprocate the emotional support the singer is seeking.
And still have the will to live.
Despite the intensity of the relationship, the singer needs a partner that has the strength to withstand it all without faltering.
I feel forsaken, like to things I gave away.
The singer feels abandoned and lost without this past lover, as they have given so much of themselves to the relationship.
I am intense, I am in need, I am in pain, I am in love.
The artist describes themselves as intensely emotional and in need of deep love and support.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AMY ELIZABETH RAY, EMILY ANN SALIERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind