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.
Language Or The Kiss
Indigo Girls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lately waking up I'm not sure where I've been
There was a table set for six and five were there
I stood outside and kept my eyes upon that empty chair
And there was steam on the windows from the kitchen
Laughter like a language I once spoke with ease
But I'm made mute by the virtue of decision
And I choose most of your life goes on without me
That I might reap the praise of strangers
And end up on my own
All I've sown was a song
But maybe I was wrong
I said to you the one gift which I'd adore
The package of the next 10 years unfolding
But you told me if I had my way I'd be bored
Right then I knew I loved you best born of your scolding
When we last talked we were lying on our backs
Looking at the sky through the ceiling
I used to lie like that alone out on the driveway
Trying to read the Greek upon the stars
The alphabet of feeling
Oh I knew back then
It was a calling that said if joy then pain
The sound of the voice these years later
Is still the same
I am alone in a hotel room tonight
I squeeze the sky out but there's not a star appears
Begin my studies with this paper and this pencil
And I'm working through the grammar of my fears
Oh mercy what I won't give
To have the things that mean the most
Not to mean the things I miss
Unforgiving the choice still is
The language or the kiss
"Language Or The Kiss" is a poetic exploration of the choices we make in life between love and the more cerebral pursuits of art, language, and knowledge. The song opens with the singer unsure of what is real and what was merely a dream. There is a table set for six, with only five present, and the singer stands outside focusing on an empty chair. Through the steam of the kitchen and the sound of laughter, the singer remembers a language they once spoke with ease but is now made mute by the decisions they have made. The fear of being alone, of reaping the praise of strangers and losing loved ones, is palpable. All the singer has sown is a song, and they begin to wonder if they were wrong.
The song transitions to a conversation with someone the singer loves. The singer yearns for the gift of knowing what the next 10 years hold, but the other person tells them they'd be bored if they knew. The singer realizes they love this person best for their honesty and scolding. The last time they spoke, they were lying on their backs, looking at the sky through the ceiling. The singer once used to do this alone, trying to read the Greek upon the stars – the alphabet of feeling.
The song ends with the singer alone in a hotel room, wishing they could have the things that mean the most and not miss the things they've lost. The unforgiving choice remains between the language they have devoted their life to mastering or the kiss of the person they love. The song leaves us with the realization that each choice comes with its own joy and pain, and we must decide for ourselves which path to take.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know if it was real or in a dream
I'm unsure if my memories of the past are authentic or fabrications of my imagination
Lately waking up I'm not sure where I've been
I often wake up disoriented and confused about my whereabouts and past experiences
There was a table set for six and five were there
I was present at a gathering where five individuals joined for a meal at a table intended for six people
I stood outside and kept my eyes upon that empty chair
I observed an unoccupied chair at the gathering and felt excluded and lost
And there was steam on the windows from the kitchen
The kitchen was active with cooking, indicated by the steam on the windows
Laughter like a language I once spoke with ease
I used to be comfortable engaging in joy and laughter, but now it is difficult
But I'm made mute by the virtue of decision
I am silenced because of my choices and the paths I took in life
And I choose most of your life goes on without me
I let go of the attachment to individuals in my life and accept that they will continue their existence without me
Oh the fear I've known
I have experienced intense anxiety about the paths and choices in my life
That I might reap the praise of strangers
I am afraid of seeking external validation and receiving reward from those who are unfamiliar to me
And end up on my own
I am worried that external validation might leave me isolated
All I've sown was a song
All I have created and contributed to the world was in the form of music
But maybe I was wrong
However, I am uncertain whether focusing on music was the right path for me
I said to you the one gift which I'd adore
I expressed a desire to receive the next ten years of my life as a present
The package of the next 10 years unfolding
I want to have an insight into the future and the experiences that await me
But you told me if I had my way I'd be bored
You warned me that knowing the future might rob me of the joys of spontaneity and risk-taking
Right then I knew I loved you best born of your scolding
At that very moment, I realized how much I loved you because of your honest criticism and guidance
When we last talked we were lying on our backs
The last time we spoke, we were both lying down and looking at the sky
Looking at the sky through the ceiling
We were looking at the stars and the moon through the roof of the building, perhaps through a skylight
I used to lie like that alone out on the driveway
In the past, I used to look up at the sky alone while lying on the driveway
Trying to read the Greek upon the stars
I used to gaze at the stars and imagine them to be constellations that resembled the Greek alphabet
The alphabet of feeling
I found comfort and meaning in the emotional connections I created with the stars and the universe
Oh I knew back then
In the past, I had a clear understanding and awareness of my emotions and the world around me
It was a calling that said if joy then pain
I felt a sense of purpose and responsibility that comes with experiencing both happiness and sorrow
The sound of the voice these years later
Years later, I recognize the same tone and voice that guided me in the past
Is still the same
The voice remains unchanged and still brings me comfort and guidance
I am alone in a hotel room tonight
At present, I am physically isolated and by myself in a hotel room
I squeeze the sky out but there's not a star appears
I try to find comfort in gazing at the sky, but there are no stars to be seen
Begin my studies with this paper and this pencil
I am trying to confront and understand my fears by writing and journaling about them
And I'm working through the grammar of my fears
I am trying to understand the fundamental rules and structures that underlie my anxieties
Oh mercy what I won't give
I am willing to do whatever it takes to have the things that truly matter in life
To have the things that mean the most
I am willing to sacrifice and work hard to attain the things that hold the greatest value
Not to mean the things I miss
I don't want to get consumed by the things I've lost or missed out on in life
Unforgiving the choice still is
I am aware that the choices I've made might be harsh or unforgiving in nature
The language or the kiss
I must choose between the language, which represents my ambitions and work, and the kiss, which represents love and human connection
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EMILY ANN SALIERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind