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.

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Rock and Roll Heaven's Gate
Indigo Girls Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It didn't happen for you,
No one wants to hear the truth,
Coming from three political queers.
Plucking the punk rock bloom.

So you break up the band
And leave us all in tow.
Now we gotta figure out
Where to go.

I caught it at a rave
Did it give you vaccination?
I saw it on my T.V.
Did it lighten up your load?
And every fuckin D.J.
Did you feel affilliated,
Is telling me I'm free.
Like you really had a home?

Free to be a loser
Were the ticket prices too high?
Free to be a trend
Were the lights too bright?
Free to be a backlash over and over again.
Was it all a bunch of hype?

You say, "I'm losing inspiration,
One band at a time.
I gotta know there's someone, somewhere, out there singing for our side."

Where I come up, we share the mortar and the glue.
And what we build together, we share that too.
And the wind may come, and the rain may fall,
But we stand together or we don't stand at all.
Where are you going to now,
Now that the goings gone?

So here's to your survival
And swimming up the stream,
Crossing over one dam after another
Until we get to Rock and Roll Heaven's gate.

I caught it at a rave
Did it give you vaccination?
I saw it on the T.V.
Did it lighten up your load?
And every fucking D.J.
Did you feel affiliated,
Is telling me I'm free.
Like you really had a home?

Free to be a loser
Were the ticket prices too high?
Free to be a trend
Were the lights too bright?
Free to be a backlash over and over
Until I get to Rock and Roll Heaven's gate.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Indigo Girls' "Rock and Roll Heaven's Gate" are a reflection on the tumultuous landscape of the punk rock music scene of the time, the consequences of politicians ignoring the truth, and the desire for a place to belong. The song's opening lyrics lament how the band has broken up leaving their fans stranded and searching for a new home. The next verse talks about the commodification of the movement with prices for shows and light shows used as a way to exploit fans who crave belonging. The chorus expresses the desire for an inspirational leader, someone they can look up to who is fighting for their side.

The third verse addresses the idea of being "free" to be a loser or a trend, highlighting how these labels are placed on people by the media and industry, rather than being true self-expression. The song's final verse emphasizes the importance of community, standing together through tough times, and persevering until they reach the "Rock and Roll Heaven's gate." The lyrics are a call to action, urging listeners to stand up for what they believe in and not to give in to the pressures of the music industry.

Line by Line Meaning

It didn't happen for you
You didn't make it as a band

No one wants to hear the truth
The harsh reality is that you never achieved success

Coming from three political queers
People don't want to hear the truth from people who don't fit the mainstream mold

Plucking the punk rock bloom
You failed to capitalize on the punk rock movement

So you break up the band
You disbanded

And leave us all in tow
You left behind fans who now have to find new music to enjoy

Now we gotta figure out
Your fans now have to find new music to listen to

Where to go
Because you're not around anymore

I caught it at a rave
I discovered new music at a rave

Did it give you vaccination?
Did it protect you from the negativity of the world?

I saw it on my T.V.
I discovered new music on TV

Did it lighten up your load?
Did it ease your burdens?

And every fuckin D.J.
Every DJ I listen to

Did you feel affiliated,
Did you feel connected

Is telling me I'm free.
Is telling me that I have choices

Like you really had a home?
Did you feel like you belonged somewhere?

Free to be a loser
Free to not be successful

Were the ticket prices too high?
Was your band too expensive to see live?

Free to be a trend
Free to be just a passing fad

Were the lights too bright?
Did your band put on an over-the-top show?

Free to be a backlash over and over again
Free to face criticism repeatedly

Was it all a bunch of hype?
Was your band just a big publicity stunt?

You say, "I'm losing inspiration,
You claim to have lost your passion to make music

One band at a time.
One band losing inspiration at a time

I gotta know there's someone, somewhere, out there singing for our side."
You want to know that there are still people making music that aligns with your political views

Where I come up, we share the mortar and the glue.
Where I come from, we build things together and stick together no matter what

And what we build together, we share that too.
And what we create together, we share ownership of

And the wind may come, and the rain may fall,
We may face difficult circumstances

But we stand together or we don't stand at all.
But we support each other no matter what or we fall apart completely

Where are you going to now,
Where have you gone now that you've disbanded?

Now that the goings gone?
Now that your band is no more?

So here's to your survival
Here's to hoping you're still making music

And swimming up the stream,
And overcoming the odds

Crossing over one dam after another
Overcoming obstacle after obstacle

Until we get to Rock and Roll Heaven's gate.
Until we achieve music-making success

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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

Teyha

17y↑1

They played this today at the Power to the Peaceful festival in San Francisco today. They were great, as always!

0bovine

17y↑1

This made me smile. I love the live footage and the way the "crowd" fights off being sprayed with homogeneity. Individuals can indeed come to consensus without losing their integrity! Anybody know where the live footage was from? Some of it reminded me of Toronto 2006...