1) Iota was a short-li… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name:
1) Iota was a short-lived 60's psychedelic rock band from Texas. They released one 45 and recorded an LP's worth of material in Memphis which was posthumously released by Shadoks records and Rockadelic records in the 2000's.
2) iOTA is an Australian musician making his name not only in music, but on stage. He arrived on the music scene in 1999 with his debut album "The Hip Bone Connection". Since then he has had two ARIA Award nominations and gone on to release three more albums and a renowned EP "Little Carlos". In 2006 iOTA took to the stage as Hedwig Robinson, the lead of the cult musical Hedwig & the Angry Inch. iOTA was busy that year, as he released his latest masterpiece, "Beauty Queen of the Sea", that October. 2007 saw iOTA return to Australian theatres as Hedwig and he is set to star as Frank-N-Furter in the upcoming revival of the Rocky Horror Show.
3) Iota is a French electro-dub producer. In live session, he plays often with Anartiste, a dancer, and Says, a MC poet.
Most of his musics are proposed like free releases, under a Creative Commons license, by the netlabel Zeste.
http://www.zeste.net
But, the next project of Iota is a real cd album in November 2007.
4) Iota is a psychedelic 3-piece rock band out of Salt Lake City, Utah, currently signed to Small Stone Records of Detroit, Michigan. This Iota originally formed in 2002. Their debut full length, called Tales, was released on Small Stone Records in 2008.
http://www.iotaslc.com
http://www.smallstone.com/45-iota.html
4) IOTA is a drone/postrock trio from Gothenburg, Sweden. Their first 3-track EP under the name IOTA was released in 2012.
http://open.spotify.com/album/5ol9sQoznDXIi7qz0tFYzF
5) Iota was a rock band from Texas, who released a self-title full length album in 1971 on Suemi Records.
6) IOTA is a 5 piece alternative rock band from Bristol, UK.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0AAQCfqbOwGKGzYl9Frrx3?si=lrLu7HXQR-iQKxYW6UEQNg
Outside
Iota Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Remember all the
Bloody things they said
Wiping my hands
That bleed
Bleeding into the dirt
That groans under me
Constantly my dirty friend
There's a fence by the road
I should climb
It was there
That my palette
And I would wait
For our paintings
To flower and stitch up
The canvas on our return
Elbow on a broken seed
Opening an angry mouth
That bleeds
Times when the grounds
Crawling like mice
Are birds and like birds
Are men and me eyes
On either side
Of my head so never
Either eye shall meet
Firey come, firey go
Burning you memory on me
There’s an artist
Whose strength I admire
Who’s warming his feet
By my fire
These riches he owns
Aren’t the same
As the tokens we win
Playing games
We play outside
In "Outside," Iota presents vivid imagery and a powerful message of perseverance through hardship. The opening lines, "Painting my roses red, remember all the bloody things they said," seem to reference the classic children's story "Alice in Wonderland," in which the Queen of Hearts demands that her gardeners paint the white roses red to avoid punishment for failing to grow them properly. The repetition of the phrase "bloody things they said" suggests that the singer is facing criticism and perhaps even violence from those around them. The image of bleeding hands and dirt that "groans under me" adds to the sense of physical and emotional struggle.
Despite this adversity, the singer maintains the support of a "dirty friend" who helps them "roll over again." The fence by the road could represent a barrier or obstacle that the singer must overcome, while the palette and painted canvas suggest artistic aspirations that provide a source of comfort and escape. The line "Times when the grounds crawling like mice are birds and like birds are men and me eyes on either side of my head so never either eye shall meet" is particularly striking, creating a sense of confusion and disorientation as reality blurs together.
The final stanza introduces an artist who offers a contrast to the singer's struggles. The artist may have more material wealth, but the singer suggests that their own experiences have given them a different sort of strength, represented by playing games outside rather than amassing tokens. The song ultimately presents a message of persistence and resilience in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Painting my roses red
Putting on a false front, pretending everything is fine
Remember all the Bloody things they said
Recalling hurtful words spoken by others
Wiping my hands That bleed
Trying to clean up the mess caused by one's own mistakes
Bleeding into the dirt That groans under me
Feeling the weight of one's own pain and suffering
Constantly my dirty friend Help me roll over again
Overcoming obstacles and persevering despite adversity
There's a fence by the road I should climb
Recognizing a way out of a difficult situation
It was there That my palette And I would wait For our paintings To flower and stitch up The canvas on our return
Taking the time to plan and execute a creative endeavor, and finding beauty in the process
Elbow on a broken seed Opening an angry mouth That bleeds
Feeling frustration and negativity, and struggling to express those feelings in a healthy way
Times when the grounds Crawling like mice Are birds and like birds Are men and me eyes On either side Of my head so never Either eye shall meet
Feeling disconnected from reality and struggling to find a sense of unity or common ground with others
Firey come, firey go Burning you memory on me
Experiencing intense emotions that leave a lasting impact
There’s an artist Whose strength I admire Who’s warming his feet By my fire
Recognizing and appreciating the talents of someone else
These riches he owns Aren’t the same As the tokens we win Playing games
Recognizing the difference between true talent and superficial success
We play outside
Living life to the fullest, embracing challenges and opportunities
Contributed by Sebastian E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.