The Indigo Girls are Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. They met on the playground… Read Full Bio ↴The Indigo Girls are Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. They met on the playground in grammar school in Decatur, Georgia, USA, and have been playing together since high school.

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.

Philosophy of Loss
Indigo Girls Lyrics

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Welcome to why the church has died
In the heart of the exiled in the kingdom of hate
Who owns the land & keeps the commands
And marries itself to the state
Modern scribes write in Jesus Christ

Everyone is free

And the doors open wide to all straight men & women
But they are not open to me
And who is teaching kids to be soldiers
To be marked by a plain white cross
And we kill just a little to save a lot more

The philosophy of loss
There are a few who would be true out of love
And love is hard

And don't think that our hands haven't shoveled the dirt
Over their central American graveyards
Doctors & witch hunters stripped you bare
Left you nothing for your earthly sins
Yeah but who made this noise just a bunch of boys
And the one with the most toys wins
Who is teaching kids to be gamblers
Life is a coin toss
And of course what you give up is what you gain

The philosophy of loss

Whatever has happened to anyone else
Could happen to you & to me
And the end of my youth was the possible truth
That it all happens randomly
Who is teaching kids to be leaders

and the way that it is meant to be
the philosophy of loss

Overall Meaning

In this song, the Indigo Girls reflect on the execution of Faye Tucker, who was a death row inmate in Texas. The singer recalls gambling on the night of Faye's execution, hoping that luck would not abandon her. The lyrics echo the brutal reality of the death penalty- the government executes individuals, while also preaching that every life must be valued. The governor wants to execute Faye, while the minister urges her to live, but in the end, neither of them could truly grant her freedom. The government traps individuals, and in the end, nobody can save them. The lyrics suggest that killing is not a solution, that no matter what the consequences of the action, it doesn't pay because in the end, human life is not truly valued, as evidenced by the state's treatment of Faye.

The song's melody is haunting, and Amy Ray's passionate vocals add power to the already moving lyrics. Through the poetic language, the Indigo Girls engage with the complex emotions surrounding the death penalty debate, raising questions of morality, empathy, and social justice. The song concludes with a powerful question directed at Faye - "What did you learn Faye Tucker?" - which also calls on the listener to examine their own attitudes and beliefs regarding capital punishment, human dignity, and social responsibility.

Line by Line Meaning

On the night they killed Faye Tucker
The night Faye Tucker was executed

I was gambling away my last dime
The singer was gambling all their money

Yeah, well I pulled down the lever
The singer pulled the lever of the slot machine

And I sent up a prayer
The artist prayed for good luck

That my luck would not be denied
The artist hoped their luck wouldn't run out

So roll out the head of Faye Tucker
The singer suggests Faye Tucker's execution is gruesome

Yeah, well never you mind what they say
The singer dismisses what people say about the execution

Well, you may be reborn
The artist alludes to the possibility of an afterlife

But it's all just for scorn
The artist suggests this rebirth is pointless as Faye Tucker has already been scorned by society

And that's what you'll take to the grave
Faye Tucker will carry society's scorn to the afterlife

Well, the minister wants you to live now
The minister advocates for Faye Tucker's life

And the governor wants you to fry
The governor advocates for Faye Tucker's execution

And whatever it was that you thought might occur
The singer acknowledges that Faye Tucker had a different vision for her future

Well, they got something else on their minds
The authorities have differing objectives from Faye Tucker

If you live, they gonna make you a campaigner
If Faye Tucker were to live, she would be forced to advocate for the campaign against capital punishment

(If you die, they gonna make you a grave)
If Faye Tucker dies, she would be used as an example to deter others from committing crimes

(Either way it goes down)
No matter the outcome, Faye Tucker's life would belong to the state

(Hey, your life's not your own)
The state believes they own Faye Tucker's life

That's why killin' don't pay
The singer suggests that the state has no right to kill Faye Tucker

I thought I heard the angels' bells
The artist believed they heard angelic sounds

But they were just the hounds of hell
The sounds were a stark contrast to the horrors of Faye Tucker's execution

What did you learn Faye Tucker?
The artist queries what Faye Tucker has learnt from her ordeal

Yeah, what will you take from this world?
The singer questions what Faye Tucker would have taken away from her experience

Yeah, well mercy could prove us
The artist suggests that mercy could redeem us

But nothing would move us
Despite this, society remains unmoved by mercy

To rise above just being cruel
The singer encourages us to act with kindness instead of cruelty

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AMY ELIZABETH RAY, EMILY ANN SALIERS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind