Allen and Halliwell spent time in the USA with extended stays in New York and Louisiana in 1987. These stays led to a new vision of rock and roll. Soon they brought on Martyn Barker, another ex-Shrieker, to play drums and Dominic Miller to play guitar. Miller had spent time in the band World Party (and now is with Sting.). To round out the band, they recruited Walter Wray to be their lead singer.
Shortly after King Swamp's self-titled album release in May 1989, the press had much to say- Music Week called the album "a throbbing blast of molten rock from a band with London sass" ; Sounds noted that the album had "startling gravity....towering and volatile, and alive with primal energy"; and RAW judged it as "a blistering, caustic rock 'n' roll album.....King Swamp swathe into the jungle with the arrogance and certanty of missionaries" .
King Swamp's first single, "Is This Love?", reached number 21 on Billboard's Album Rock chart.
The band released two albums and nine singles & promo Cds before disbanding in 1991.
Wray later produced a solo album with Dominic Miller in 1993, who later went on to play with Sting.
King Swamp's albums:
King Swamp - self titled debut album
released in 1989
Tracks:
Is This Love?
Blown Away
Man Behind The Gun
Original Man
Widders Dump
Year Zero
The Mirror
Motherlode
Louisiana Bride
The Sacrament
Wiseblood - the second album
released in 1990
Tracks:
Wiseblood
One Step Over The Line
Floating World
Walk The Knife
Can't Be Satisfied
Nightfall Over Eden
Walk On Gilded Splinters
Some Kind Of Love
Kiss The Sun
Wiseblood (original mix)
Kiss the Sun
King Swamp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On my shoulder
Singing Smokestack
Lightnin' in my ear,
Lord,
Got no star to follow,
Got no hill to climb,
Only love to lose in
And now I will go
Down to the edge of
The world,
And dive down in the
Ocean,
I will sing a song to
Break a siren's heart,
And I will kiss the sun
One time for you.
On a winter's evening
The city died,
Only the clouds were
Crying, only they
Didn't know why,
I hear the dogs, a
Howling fit to wake
The dead,
Black stars flickering
As the sky turns red.
And now I will go
Down to the edge of
The world,
And dive down in the
Ocean,
I will sing a song to
Break a siren's heart,
And I will kiss the sun
One time for you
In the first verse of King Swamp's song "Kiss the Sun," the singer describes having a drunken angel on their shoulder who is singing the blues tune "Smokestack Lightnin'" in their ear. This image lends a sense of weariness and lostness to the singer's story. They suggest that they have no guiding star to follow or hill to climb, but only love to lose in the tough times.
The second verse describes a desolate scene: the city is dead, the clouds are crying, and dogs are howling. The black stars flicker as the sky turns red, a sense of foreboding that suggests something sinister is just around the corner. The singer seems to suggest that they are ready to go down to the edge of the world, to dive down into the ocean - this might be a metaphor for facing danger or exploring the depths of their own sadness.
The final line of the song, "And I will kiss the sun one time for you," is a poignant and bittersweet image. It suggests that the singer is willing to take risks and push beyond their own limitations to honor someone else. It's an evocative and memorable ending to a song that speaks to themes of love, loss, and persistence in difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a drunken angel
I have a feeling of being exposed and vulnerable like having an unpredictable force keeping me company.
On my shoulder
I feel like I am weighted down by the unpredictability of the circumstances.
Singing Smokestack
The drunken angel is whispering music and visions of charred, abandoned industry in my ear.
Lightnin' in my ear,
The sensations have me feeling like lightning in my ear.
Lord,
An acknowledgement of a superior power. Something that can help you in a time of desperation.
Got no star to follow,
I have nowhere to go, nobody to show me the way.
Got no hill to climb,
I have no ambitious goal to pursue.
Only love to lose in
The only thing I have to lose is love, but it is imperative to keep that love alive in these times.
These times.
Referring to current times of hardship, anxiety, and fear.
And now I will go
I am making a conscious decision to take action.
Down to the edge of
I am determined to go as far as I need to go, to the place where things end.
The world,
I am on a journey, leaving everything behind.
And dive down in the
I am immersing myself in the depths of something, exploring.
Ocean,
Referring to the vastness of the unknown and the power of natural forces.
I will sing a song to
I will express my emotions, thoughts, and fears through my God-given talent.
Break a siren's heart,
I will use my talent to help others find their beauty in the midst of chaos.
And I will kiss the sun
I will reach out to and touch something unattainable, beautiful, and radiant.
One time for you.
I will do this in honor of someone I love.
On a winter's evening
Describing an ominous and bleak time.
The city died,
This is the point where everything started to fall apart.
Only the clouds were
The only remaining witness to the decay of the city.
Crying, only they
The clouds are mourning and shedding tears for what was lost.
Didn't know why,
The tears and mourning show that it was something valuable that was lost.
I hear the dogs, a
The sound of dogs howling in sadness and despair, adding to the sense of hopelessness.
Howling fit to wake
The dogs are making noise so desperately that it can wake someone from the dead.
The dead,
In this context, the word refers to people who have lost their spirit and optimism.
Black stars flickering
The sky is filled with negative emotions and despair. It is as if stars have lost their beauty and turned dark.
As the sky turns red.
The sky is angry, warning of impending danger.
Contributed by Caleb M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
L Whitby
One of my all-time favorites. The idea, I think is this: You can kiss the sun one time because to kiss the sun is to die. In other words, "I would die for you."
petra gewald
What a great band they were in late 80's, early 90's. Pity they split up. I played them constantly..........
Philip Smith
It is, isn't it!! I'm so glad you like it. Thank you to King Swamp !
Cilie
Thanks for sharing this wonderful song ❣
Philip Smith
My pleasure
Gary Frost
Great song thanks for posting
Alan White
This track is very reminiscent of the style of Walter Wrays solo album Foxgloves and Steel strings.
Crystal Belle 2
Beautiful lyrics from a talented writer! Very creative video. Well done artist.
Philip Smith
Thank you so much!
CallmeToddy
One of the finest numbers.