Knife in the Water formed in Austin, Texas during the Summer of 1997. Aaron… Read Full Bio ↴Knife in the Water formed in Austin, Texas during the Summer of 1997. Aaron Blunt is the band's primary songwriter and lead gutarist, along with Laura Krause who plays organ and often provides back-up vocals. Their line-up also include steel pedal player Bill McCullough and John Brewington on Bass. Their debut album, "Plays One Sound and Others" was self-released in 1998 and garnered them praise within the Austin scene. Their second album, "Red River" was released by Overcoat two years later, which earned them critical attention and an increased fan base. Two EP's followed, released on the Austin based label Peek-A-Boo, and in 2003 their first two albums were reissued on Aspyr Media. In 2003 they
released "Cut the Cord," also on Aspyr.

i sent you up
Knife In The Water Lyrics

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Well I watched th fire in earnest
'cause I thought it would quell my pain
But the more that I saw you burnin',
The more I only felt the same.
So I sent you up, but the angels turned you down
And the Devil already had you,
So he turned you right back around.
So I put you on the canvas,

Like a prison for all time
But I couldn't stand to see your face
Sent chills along my spine
So I sent you up, but the angels turned you down
And the Devil already had you,
So he turned you right back around.
So I cut you into pieces
And I threw you in the river
Now the fishes they all curse me
For the poison I deliver.
So I sent you up, but the angels turned you down
And the Devil already had you,
So he turned you right back around.
Now your body's in the ocean
About nine hundred miles from home
And your life it never left you
It just wants to be alone.
So I sent you up, but the angels turned you down

And the Devil already had you,
So he turned you right back around.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Knife In The Water's song tell a dark story about a person's attempt to escape their emotional pain by setting their loved one on fire. However, even as the flames consume their lover, the pain does not subside. The singer's attempt to "send them up," possibly referring to adding their ashes to the wind, is thwarted when the angels refuse to take them and the devil sends them back. The next attempt involves putting them on a canvas, trapping them in a prison for all time. However, this causes the singer distress, and they try to dispose of the body by cutting it into pieces and throwing it in the river. But now the fishes curse the singer for the poison they introduced into the water. Despite all these attempts to rid themselves of the pain and memories, the singer cannot escape the guilt and the pain that lingers on.

The lyrics leave one with a feeling of confusion at the singer's actions and the haunting nature of their guilt. It raises questions about what kind of pain they were trying to escape and what led them to the extreme actions they took. Were they mourning the loss of their loved one, or were they trying to escape a toxic relationship? The lyrics ask one to reflect on the nature of pain and how difficult it is to undo the past.

Line by Line Meaning

Well I watched th fire in earnest
With great intensity, I observed the flames burn, hoping it would alleviate my emotional pain.

'Cause I thought it would quell my pain
I had the expectation that the fire would bring me relief from my suffering.

But the more that I saw you burnin',
As I watched the object of the fire burn, instead of feeling comforted, I felt increasingly distressed.

The more I only felt the same.
The sense of sorrow that I felt remained unchanged and perhaps amplified.

So I sent you up, but the angels turned you down
I attempted to send the object away, but my efforts were futile as they were halted by divine rejections.

And the Devil already had you,
Even the devil had claims on the object.

So he turned you right back around.
The devil sent the object back to me, defying my attempts to rid myself of it.

So I put you on the canvas,
In another attempt to deal with my feelings, I captured the object's image permanently on a canvas.

Like a prison for all time
This image served as a permanent reminder, forever trapping the object's memory.

But I couldn't stand to see your face
The object's image began to generate excessively unpleasant feelings for me.

Sent chills along my spine
The object elicited an intense physical reaction from me.

So I cut you into pieces
Driven to further extremes, I mutilated the object into fragments.

And I threw you in the river
I disposed of the fragments by discarding them into a body of water.

Now the fishes they all curse me
The consequence of my actions resulted in negative repercussions not only for myself, but for the surrounding environment.

For the poison I deliver.
My desecration of the object had toxic aftereffects, tainting the water and harming the aquatic life.

Now your body's in the ocean
The object's remains became submerged in the vast depths of the sea.

About nine hundred miles from home
Its final resting place was far from where it originated from.

And your life it never left you
Despite its destruction, the life and meaning behind the object remains unaltered and intact.

It just wants to be alone.
Perhaps the object's ultimate goal was to exist in its own solitude, free from my destructive tendencies.

Contributed by Elijah S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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