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.
Hope Alone
Indigo Girls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything's in motion
Though I've only ever loved you kind
And with devotion
I remember when I met you
And even from the start
I thought one day you'd probably just come home
And break my heart
It's funny what you know
And still go on pretending
With no good evidence
You'll ever see that happy ending
You
Looking for your distance
And sensing my resistance
You had to do your will
I
Had to learn the hard way
We were just an empty dream too big
For hope alone to fill
I know I'm a dreamer
(i know that I'm a)
So I'll give you that
(dreamer)
Still I hope I'm more than just a place
(still I hope I'm more)
You laid your hat
(than a place you laid your hat)
You're a land of secrets
(you are its only)
Its only citizen
(citizen)
And though I paid my dues
(though I paid)
I was never allowed in
(i was never allowed in)
And so I am a stranger
(so I am a stranger)
Especially today
(especially today)
As I get sad and lonely
And you get your way
You
Were looking for your distance
And sensing my resistance
You had to do your will
I
I had to learn the hard way
That we were just an empty dream too big
For hope alone to fill
Holding on for change I know
We never stood a chance
(no we never stood a chance)
So I could only wait
And watch you slip right through my hands
(watch you slip right through my hands)
You
Were always looking for your distance
And sensing my resistance
You had to do your will
I
I had to learn the hard way
We were just an empty dream too big
For hope alone to fill
The Indigo Girls' song "Hope Alone" seems to be about a failed relationship where one partner was more invested than the other. The singer talks about their devotion to the other person, but how they always knew that their heart was going to be broken eventually. The other person seems to have been distant and resistant, always looking for their own way and doing what they wanted, without considering the feelings of the singer. The singer laments that they were just an empty dream too big for hope alone to fill, suggesting that perhaps they held onto hope for the relationship despite the evidence that it was never going to work out.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a relationship that was bound to fail from the start. The singer's devotion and emotions clash with the other person's detachment and selfishness, creating a dynamic that is inevitably doomed. The repeated chorus about being "just an empty dream too big for hope alone to fill" underscores the futility of trying to make something work that was never meant to be.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's not drag this out
Let's not prolong the end of our relationship.
Everything's in motion
Our lives are constantly changing.
Though I've only ever loved you kind
I have only ever loved you with kindness and respect.
And with devotion
And with complete dedication.
I remember when I met you
I recall the moment we first met.
And even from the start
Even at the beginning of our relationship.
I thought one day you'd probably just come home
I had hoped that one day you would return to me.
And break my heart
But in the end, you shattered my heart.
It's funny what you know
It's ironic what you are aware of.
And still go on pretending
But you continue to pretend that things are okay.
With no good evidence
Without any concrete proof.
You'll ever see that happy ending
That we will ever have a happy ending.
You
You, the person I loved.
Looking for your distance
Trying to keep your distance from me.
And sensing my resistance
Knowing that I am resistant to your attempts at reconciliation.
You had to do your will
You had to do what you wanted, regardless of my feelings.
I
I, the person who loved you.
Had to learn the hard way
Had to learn the painful truth through experience.
We were just an empty dream too big
Our relationship was a hollow dream that was too grandiose to fulfill.
For hope alone to fill
Hope could not remedy the shortcomings of our relationship.
I know I'm a dreamer
I know I tend to have an idealistic outlook.
(i know that I'm a)
So I'll give you that
I acknowledge that about myself.
(dreamer)
Still I hope I'm more than just a place
But I also hope that I am more than just a temporary home for you.
(still I hope I'm more)
You laid your hat
Where you have settled for now.
(than a place you laid your hat)
You're a land of secrets
You are a complex and mysterious individual.
(you are its only)
Its only citizen
The only inhabitant of that place.
(citizen)
And though I paid my dues
Even though I made significant sacrifices for you.
(though I paid)
I was never allowed in
I was never fully granted access to your inner world.
(i was never allowed in)
And so I am a stranger
As a result, I feel alienated and disconnected from you.
(so I am a stranger)
Especially today
Especially on this day when we have officially parted ways.
(especially today)
As I get sad and lonely
As I feel sad and isolated.
And you get your way
And you move forward with the decisions you have made.
Holding on for change I know
I am aware that holding onto the hope for change is futile.
We never stood a chance
We never had a real chance to succeed as a couple.
(no we never stood a chance)
So I could only wait
So all I could do was wait for the inevitable.
And watch you slip right through my hands
And watch as you leave me, unable to hold onto you.
(watch you slip right through my hands)
You
You, the one I loved.
Were always looking for your distance
Were always trying to maintain a distance from me.
And sensing my resistance
And noticing that I was resistant to your efforts to reconcile.
You had to do your will
You had to do what you wanted, even if it meant leaving me behind.
I
I, the one who loved you.
I had to learn the hard way
I had to learn the truth painfully through lived experience.
We were just an empty dream too big
Our love was simply an unrealistic fantasy, too grandiose to come true.
For hope alone to fill
I hoped for things to change, but hope alone could not fulfill our needs.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANNIE LESLIE ROBOFF, EMILY ANN SALIERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind