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.
Perfect World
Indigo Girls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We get to be a rock that's thrown
We get to be a boy on the bridge
Standing over the reservoir
See the water lap along the shore line
The buried forest of a man made lake
Cemeteries are laying underneath it
Your heart like a dam when it breaks
We are floating, we are swimming
And in this moment we are forgetting
What it costs, what it takes
For one perfect world
When we look the other way
I'm okay, if I don't look a little closer
I'm OK if I don't see beyond the shore
I'm OK if I don't have to do the killing
Or know what the killing is for
We are talking, we are driving
And in this moment we are denying
What it costs, what it takes
For one perfect world
When we look the other way
It's one perfect world
When we look the other way
It's one perfect world
When we look the other way
It's one perfect world
If you can't see beyond the myth of isolation
And the miracle of daybreak doesn't move you anymore
Connect the points and see the constellations
As the night comes down on the reservoir
We are swimming, we are floating
And in this moment we are beholden to
What it costs, to what it takes
For one perfect world
Can we learn to live another way?
It's one perfect world
Can we learn to live another way?
It's one perfect world
Can we learn to live another way?
It's one perfect world
We get to be a ripple in the water
The lyrics to Indigo Girls' song "Perfect World" highlights the human tendency to stay oblivious to the price of perfection - the cost we pay for our collective idea of the perfect world. The song begins by acknowledging the variety of choices we have to live our lives; we can be a ripple in the water, a rock that's thrown, or even a boy standing on a bridge, gazing at the man-made reservoir below. However, we are quickly reminded that the reservoir has buried forests and cemeteries underneath it, leaving us to question the hidden costs of our utopian world.
The chorus emphasizes the human desire for escapism, as we are "floating, swimming" - forgetting what it takes to maintain this perfect world. The lyrics "I'm okay if I don't look a little closer" emphasizes how we willingly remain ignorant to the harm that comes from our perfect world. Furthermore, "talking and driving" and "in this moment we are denying" highlights how our current society is so enamored with the idea of progress and success that we refuse to look at the consequences of our actions.
The song's final admonition for us to "connect the points and see the constellations" and "learn to live another way" highlights that we can only progress as a society when we are willing to acknowledge and confront the price of our supposed utopia. The song is a powerful reminder that we cannot have one perfect world unless everyone is willing to pay the price, and ultimately learn to live another way.
Line by Line Meaning
We get to be, a ripple in the water
We have the opportunity to create small changes that can make a big difference
We get to be a rock that's thrown
We have the capacity to bring attention to something by being a disturbance
We get to be a boy on the bridge, Standing over the reservoir
We have the power to observe and protect our environment
See the water lap along the shore line
We can enjoy the simple things in life
The buried forest of a man made lake
Human interventions can sometimes hide remnants of the past
Cemeteries are laying underneath it
Artificial changes can displace important history
Your heart like a dam when it breaks
When we experience emotional pain, it can be overwhelming and destructive
We are floating, we are swimming
And in this moment we are forgetting
What it costs, what it takes
For one perfect world
When we look the other way
We can get so caught up in the present and forget about the consequences of our actions on the world
I'm okay, if I don't look a little closer
I'm OK if I don't see beyond the shore
I'm OK if I don't have to do the killing
Or know what the killing is for
We can choose to ignore the harsh realities of the world, if it means that we can go on living our lives normally
We are talking, we are driving
And in this moment we are denying
What it costs, what it takes
For one perfect world
When we look the other way
We can talk and move on, without considering the impact our actions have on the environment
If you can't see beyond the myth of isolation
And the miracle of daybreak doesn't move you anymore
Connect the points and see the constellations
As the night comes down on the reservoir
Sometimes, it can be difficult to see beyond our own perceived problems, but there is beauty in the world that can be found if we are willing to look for it
We are swimming, we are floating
And in this moment we are beholden to
What it costs, to what it takes
For one perfect world
Can we learn to live another way?
We have the ability to change the way we think and act to help create a better world
It's one perfect world
Can we learn to live another way?
We have the opportunity to create a beautiful, perfect world if we make a conscious effort to change our behaviors
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: AMY ELIZABETH RAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind