Lilys, led by singer/songwriter Kurt Heasley, are a notoriously difficult b… Read Full Bio ↴Lilys, led by singer/songwriter Kurt Heasley, are a notoriously difficult band to categorize. With an ever-evolving lineup, home base, and a sound that swings pendulum-like between My Bloody Valentine-influenced shoegazer and indie guitar pop, the answer to the question, "Who are the Lilys?" depends of the qualifiers of "when" and "where."
Along with Apples In Stereo, Olivia Tremor Control, Of Montreal and other bands, Lilys set much of the tone for the American East Coast rock scene in the 1990s
"A Nanny In Manhattan" became a #16 hit in the UK after being used in a 1998 ad campaign for Levi's jeans.
In winter of 2000 K. began recording Precollection in Philadelphia. Three producers and three years later enter Guru of Soul, producer MIchael Musmanno, combining his affections for pop and esoteric rock to deliver all subsequent Lilys recordings.

Periscope
Lilys Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So, that's how it goes
When I dive down so fast
I don't know
Half the time I see
You come come so fast
Toward me

You look like hell

But you taste like snow
You are fast
But I am slow
Do what you want
But you don't have to go
Did you ever think that I--
Do you ever think that I--

Hey, does it show
When you come up so fast
I didn't know
Hey, it's how you seem
When you suck, suck
So hard you swallow me

You look like hell
But you taste like snow
You are fast
But I am slow
Do what you want
But you don't have to go
Do you ever think that I--
Do you ever think that I--

Hey, it's how it feels
When I come, come so fast
It's standing here
Hey, it's how it feels

When I come, come so fast
Just swallow me, please

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Lily's song Periscope depict a relationship dynamic filled with conflicting emotions and desires. The first verse describes the singer's experience of diving down fast, possibly indicating a tendency to fall into her own emotional depths. She confesses to not always knowing what she sees when she looks towards her partner who seems to be approaching her quickly. The second verse alludes to the partner's physically unattractive appearance ("You look like hell") but the intense attraction she feels towards them ("You taste like snow"). The lines "you are fast but I am slow" and "do what you want but you don't have to go" further reveal the power dynamic of the relationship - the partner is perhaps more assertive and in control, while the singer is more submissive.

The chorus sees the singer questioning the relationship and her partner's intentions. The line "Hey, does it show when you come up so fast?" suggests that the partner's actions may be selfish, and they may not be considering the singer's feelings. The next line sees the singer acknowledging the partner's sexual prowess ("When you suck, suck so hard you swallow me"), but the line carries a hint of desperation, as if the singer feels like their partner is consuming them whole. The last verse sees the singer describing the intense pleasure she feels ("It's how it feels when I come, come so fast"), which is juxtaposed with the partner's seeming indifference ("Just swallow me, please"). The song leaves the listener with an unresolved tension, as the singer's desires and fears remain unaddressed.

Line by Line Meaning

So, that's how it goes
This is how it always happens

When I dive down so fast
When I fall for you quickly

I don't know
I'm unsure

Half the time I see
Sometimes I see

You come come so fast
You approach me quickly

Toward me
To me

You look like hell
You appear terrible

But you taste like snow
But you are pure and refreshing like snow

You are fast
You move quickly

But I am slow
But I take things slowly

Do what you want
Do what you feel like doing