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.

Three Hits
Indigo Girls Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Three hits to the heart son
And it's poetry in motion
One could send you down the river
Three's a strange way to be delivered

Would you trade your words for freedom?
That's a barter for a blind man
Three hits to the heart son

And it's poetry in motion

Are you leveed like a treasure?
Only words can help me find you
And this world's a fickle measure
I will painfully remind you

From a wise man to your red hand
You lay covered in our best sins
Three hits to the heart son
And it's poetry in motion

Well I dream you constant stranger
With your best bloods and your anger
You say, "Mother do you claim me?"
My beloved do you blame me?
Well the first two might release you
But the last one sings in me son

Three hits to the heart son
And it's poetry in motion

Three hits to the heart son
And the last one sings in me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "Three Hits" by Indigo Girls are quite abstract and open to interpretation. The first verse talks about the power of words and how just a few can have a significant impact on someone's life, hence "three hits to the heart." This could mean that the right combination of words can influence a person's decisions, emotions and even their destiny. The second verse seems to be about the struggle for freedom and how words can help in the quest for it. The "red hand" referred to in the verse might symbolize a symbol of guilt or accusation, whereas the "wise man" implies a source of wisdom or guidance.

The chorus repeats the statement "Three hits to the heart son and it's poetry in motion," reinforcing the idea that words can be just as powerful as a physical blow to the heart. The final verse is quite mysterious, with the mention of a "constant stranger" and a recurring image of blood. It appears to be a conversation between a mother and her son, with the son questioning whether he belongs to the family or not. The three hits to the heart might represent three different emotions that the son feels: release, anger, and blame. The fact that the third hit "sings" in the mother might symbolize the deep emotional bond that exists between them.

Line by Line Meaning

Three hits to the heart son
Three powerful impacts to the core of your being

And it's poetry in motion
It is an emotional and powerful experience

One could send you down the river
A single strike could cause total destruction

Three's a strange way to be delivered
A unique and unconventional method of delivery

Would you trade your words for freedom?
Are you willing to compromise your values for liberty?

That's a barter for a blind man
It is a trade that cannot be seen or fully comprehended

Are you leveed like a treasure?
Are you protected and valued like a valuable object?

Only words can help me find you
Communication is necessary for connection

And this world's a fickle measure
Life is unpredictable and ever-changing

I will painfully remind you
I will bring you back to reality, even if it hurts

From a wise man to your red hand
From a sage to your unclean and guilty conscience