After years playing violin as a session musician with the likes of John Mellencamp, Indigo Girls and Bob Dylan, Germano embarked on a solo career in 1991 with the understated but occasionally brilliant On The Way Down From The Moon Palace on her own label, which led to a deal with Capitol, who released her second album. Although Happiness was a massive step up in terms of confidence and songwriting, troubles at the label led to her buying back the rights. In 1994 4AD released a re-sequenced and remixed version of Happiness with a new sleeve and a few different tracks (including a gloomy version of the formerly scintillating ‘... Dresses’).
She turned out to be not just a great musician (she plays most of the instruments: piano, guitar, percussion and tape effects, as well as her trademark violin) and a wittily melancholy if kooky songwriter (‘I Love A Snot’, indeed), but a phenomenal arranger whose innovation and breadth of expression is comparable to PJ Harvey at her tape-mangling best.
As her style developed, so the music’s potential commercial appeal increased without compromising its uniqueness. Bright kaleidoscopes during an otherwise dark time in 4AD’s history, the following three albums, Geek The Girl, Excerpts From A Love Circus and Slide all won critical acclaim, but sadly failed to reach the wide audience they deserved; Germano was dropped in 1998, and announced her retirement from the music business.
(In 1997, she also released a collaboration with Giant Sand and future members of Calexico under the name OP8 Featuring The Ilk Of Lisa Germano).
Retirement didn’t suit her, and she was soon out on tour again, sessioning for David Bowie and Neil Finn, before, in 2003, releasing the self-funded Lullaby For Liquid Pig on ArtistDIRECT imprint Ineffable. A return to the woozy, after-the-carnival soundworld of ...Love Circus, the album was made with help from collaborators Finn, Johnny Marr and Wendy Melvoin.
Label-less again after Ineffable dissolved, Swans mainstay and longtime Germano fan Michael Gira snapped her up for his Young God label, which in 2007 released In The Maybe World, a stripped-down but ultimately hopeful reflection on mortality inspired by the death of, well, a cat, but also the imagined death of her Father. Young God subsequently reissued Liquid Pig with an extra CD of live recordings and demos, whose between-song banter highlighted Germano’s unique and cat-slanted take on life and death.
In September 2009 the album Magic Neighbor was released, again on Young God Records.
She also works with Maynard James Keenan's Puscifer
Official site: www.lisagermano.com
Sand
Lisa Germano Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My heart is cold, my soul is free
I am a stranger in your land
A wandering man, call me sand
Oh sir, my fire is very small
It will not warm thy heart at all
But thee may take me by the hand
Young woman, share your fire with me
My heart is cold, my soul is free
I am a stranger in your land
Wandering, call me sand
At night when stars light up my sky
Oh sir, i dream my fire is high
Oh, taste these lips sir if you can
Wandering man, i'll call thee sand
Oh sir, my fire is burning high
If thee should stop sir, i would die
The shooting star has crossed my land
Wandering man, she whispered... Sand (sand)
Young woman shared her fire with me
Now warms herself with memories
I was a stranger in her land
A wandering man, she called me sand
He was a stranger in my land
A wandering man
She called me
Sand
The lyrics of Lisa Germano's song "Sand" tell the story of two strangers - a wandering man, who is cold and disconnected, and a young woman who generously shares her warmth and fire with him. The man, who is lost and only marked by the name "sand", finds comfort and connection in the woman's presence. He longs to taste her lips and dreams of her at night, yearning for more than just temporary relief from his loneliness.
The woman, though she is kind and sympathetic towards the man, recognizes that her fire is not enough to truly warm his heart. She also acknowledges her own attachment and affection towards him, admitting that she would be devastated if he were to leave. Despite the fleeting nature of their encounter, there is a sense of mutual understanding between the two strangers that goes beyond words.
The lyrics can be interpreted in many different ways, but at its core, "Sand" is a contemplation on human connection and the longing for warmth and companionship in an otherwise cold and lonely world.
Line by Line Meaning
Young woman, share your fire with me
The singer is asking the young woman to share her passion with him, possibly to ignite his own inspiration.
My heart is cold, my soul is free
The singer feels disconnected and without passion or purpose.
I am a stranger in your land
The singer is out of place and feels like they don't belong in the woman's world.
A wandering man, call me sand
The artist feels aimless and without direction.
Oh sir, my fire is very small
The woman responds that she doesn't have much passion for the artist to share.
It will not warm thy heart at all
The woman doesn't think her passion will have any effect on the singer's heart or soul.
But thee may take me by the hand
Despite her small passion, the woman is willing to connect with the singer and see what they can share together.
Hold me, and i'll call thee sand
The woman is willing to be vulnerable with the artist, and the two of them can share their aimlessness.
At night when stars light up my sky
The woman is indicating a time and place where she feels most inspired and connected to her own passion.
Oh sir, i dream my fire is high
The woman imagines herself with more intense passion, possibly something the artist could aspire to as well.
Oh, taste these lips sir if you can
The woman invites the singer to share in her passion, possibly in a romantic way.
Wandering man, i'll call thee sand
The woman is connecting with the artist's aimlessness, and sees potential for a connection through that shared experience.
Oh sir, my fire is burning high
The woman's passion has intensified, possibly as a result of her connection with the singer.
If thee should stop sir, i would die
The woman is afraid that losing her passion, or the singer's connection, would be devastating for her.
The shooting star has crossed my land
The woman is possibly alluding to a moment of divine inspiration or connection she has had.
Wandering man, she whispered... Sand (sand)
The woman is again connecting with the artist's aimlessness, and sharing a nickname for him that gives them a shared identity.
Young woman shared her fire with me
The artist has received inspiration and passion from the young woman.
Now warms herself with memories
The woman has moved on and is now reflecting on her own passion.
I was a stranger in her land
The singer began the song feeling out of place, but has made a connection with the woman and shared a moment of passion.
He was a stranger in my land
The woman reflects on the artist's presence in her life.
A wandering man
The artist is still aimless and without direction.
She called me
The woman gave the artist a nickname that connects them through their shared feelings of aimlessness, and inspires him to keep moving forward.
Sand
The nickname that the woman gave the singer, connecting them through their shared experiences of aimlessness.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LEE HAZLEWOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@corinabock
Lisa ist sowas von beeindruckend! Und mit Howe zusammen sowas von genial.
@lifeiscomplicated1
This is an another masterpiece which is underrated.
@thelyran
Three of my favourite female singers,Tess Parks,Mazzy Star and Lisa Germano.I bought Happiness the week it come out and still play it twenty years later.But I love Geek The Girl,it was an emotional nightmare.Beautiful when she was young,but so tragic.
@AnnePannes
This song is soooo cool! I love it <3
@BIgBass255
Haunting yet brutal.
@misac240
いいなあ！
最高！
HOW NICE!
@shinepat07
What a gorgeous and talented woman
@snieni
Great👍👍👍
@derrickpenney4937
This is an awesome update of the Lee Hazlewood (and Nancy Sinatra) classic!
@reuireuiop0
Yep, Lisa & Howe instead.
Plus, interesting role play :)