Michael Gira (pronounced jeer-AH) (born 1954) is an American musician, auth… Read Full Bio ↴Michael Gira (pronounced jeer-AH) (born 1954) is an American musician, author, and artist. He is the main force behind the New York City musical group Swans, active from 1982 to 1997, reformed in 2010. He also fronts The Angels of Light and is founder of Young God Records (YGR website).
Gira lived with his parents in a relatively affluent suburb of Los Angeles, California, though they divorced when he was a young teenager. After staying with his alcoholic mother for much of his youth, he was sent to live with his father in Indiana and then Paris. He ran away from home and hitch-hiked across Europe, and was finally arrested for selling drugs in Israel. Although he was only a teenager at the time, he was placed in an adult prison. His father found Gira with the aid of Interpol and sent him back to the United States. Back in Los Angeles, he played in a band called Little Cripples and enrolled in art school and imagined that he would someday be a visual artist (Gira sketched obsessively); however, he soon became disillusioned with the elitism and academia surrounding the art world and dropped out. He was also in a band called Curtain, later called Strict Ids (source: Brendan Mullen's book "Live at the Masque"). However, Gira's interest in art is known to have affected his music; Inner Female is a study of Francis Bacon. It could also be said that Gira's visceral, surreal writing style is comparative to Bacon's paintings.
In 1979 Gira moved to New York City in order to start a band; he was influenced by No Wave and noise artists like Suicide and Glenn Branca. He played with the band Circus Mort before forming Swans. Before achieving success with his music, Gira was forced to work many tedious, backbreaking jobs in construction and demolition. He also began a short-lived art magazine, No.
Initially, Swans' focus was raw rhythm and abrasive textures, usually eschewing melody for visceral power. They became known for their abrasive experimental and post-industrial sound. The band's lineup and sound evolved over time, most markedly with the inclusion of Gira's eventual girlfriend, Jarboe, who added her ethereal voice and synthesizers to the group in 1985. Gira and Swans spent the next twelve years releasing studio, live, and side-project albums. Gira's frustration with the various record labels they recorded for grew over time.
After dissolving Swans in 1997 Gira released a solo album under his own name and began a new musical direction with The Angels of Light, which are a quieter, more acoustic-based group than Swans. Nonetheless, The Angels of Light retain much of the intensity of Gira's former project. While The Angels of Light are a rather traditional "song-based" group, Gira also spent time experimenting with soundscapes, found sound, and loops with the The Body Lovers project. He has also released several albums under his own name including Drainland (1995), The Somniloquist (2000, a spoken word album), and What We Did (2001), a collaboration with Windsor For the Derby's frontman Dan Matz.
Gira founded his own record label, Young God Records, which has released albums from such artists as Devendra Banhart, Mi and L'au, and Akron/Family as well as the Swans, The Angels of Light and The Body Lovers back catalogues.
Akron/Family served as Gira's backing band during the recording of and touring for The Angels of Light's 2005 album, The Angels of Light Sing 'Other People'.
Gira lived with his parents in a relatively affluent suburb of Los Angeles, California, though they divorced when he was a young teenager. After staying with his alcoholic mother for much of his youth, he was sent to live with his father in Indiana and then Paris. He ran away from home and hitch-hiked across Europe, and was finally arrested for selling drugs in Israel. Although he was only a teenager at the time, he was placed in an adult prison. His father found Gira with the aid of Interpol and sent him back to the United States. Back in Los Angeles, he played in a band called Little Cripples and enrolled in art school and imagined that he would someday be a visual artist (Gira sketched obsessively); however, he soon became disillusioned with the elitism and academia surrounding the art world and dropped out. He was also in a band called Curtain, later called Strict Ids (source: Brendan Mullen's book "Live at the Masque"). However, Gira's interest in art is known to have affected his music; Inner Female is a study of Francis Bacon. It could also be said that Gira's visceral, surreal writing style is comparative to Bacon's paintings.
In 1979 Gira moved to New York City in order to start a band; he was influenced by No Wave and noise artists like Suicide and Glenn Branca. He played with the band Circus Mort before forming Swans. Before achieving success with his music, Gira was forced to work many tedious, backbreaking jobs in construction and demolition. He also began a short-lived art magazine, No.
Initially, Swans' focus was raw rhythm and abrasive textures, usually eschewing melody for visceral power. They became known for their abrasive experimental and post-industrial sound. The band's lineup and sound evolved over time, most markedly with the inclusion of Gira's eventual girlfriend, Jarboe, who added her ethereal voice and synthesizers to the group in 1985. Gira and Swans spent the next twelve years releasing studio, live, and side-project albums. Gira's frustration with the various record labels they recorded for grew over time.
After dissolving Swans in 1997 Gira released a solo album under his own name and began a new musical direction with The Angels of Light, which are a quieter, more acoustic-based group than Swans. Nonetheless, The Angels of Light retain much of the intensity of Gira's former project. While The Angels of Light are a rather traditional "song-based" group, Gira also spent time experimenting with soundscapes, found sound, and loops with the The Body Lovers project. He has also released several albums under his own name including Drainland (1995), The Somniloquist (2000, a spoken word album), and What We Did (2001), a collaboration with Windsor For the Derby's frontman Dan Matz.
Gira founded his own record label, Young God Records, which has released albums from such artists as Devendra Banhart, Mi and L'au, and Akron/Family as well as the Swans, The Angels of Light and The Body Lovers back catalogues.
Akron/Family served as Gira's backing band during the recording of and touring for The Angels of Light's 2005 album, The Angels of Light Sing 'Other People'.
Destroyer
Michael Gira Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Destroyer' by these artists:
A Storm of Light WE WERE SO AFRAID THERE WAS NO TRUST ALL THE TELEVISED RAG…
A Void bathe in this blackened world o great and perfect presence …
Allie destroy my love for you swing big, and follow through pull…
Angels of Light Here she comes dressed in white Her mouth is filled with…
Anthrax (Snider) Twisted Forever (Twisted Sister tribute album) …
Arkh Zeus All these one-sided conversations I've been having with God …
Aron D'Alesio You followed your heart so many times But you still don′t…
Before the Dawn Devoid of air So serene Sound doesn't travel in the void A…
Benediction Originally performed by Twisted Sister he spent his life …
Blind Illusion Coming out of nowhere prepare to eat your dreams friction…
BS-1 Another dark new day Our race has fallen, their to blame The…
Candlemass Land of thousand needles Land of cripple and lame So much …
Chmcl Str8jckt Destroyer The kid was 6 (6,6) in '76 when Ezrin and the…
Citizen-X 시간의 터널을 지나서 감은 눈을 뜨는 순간 짧은 꿈에서 깨어난 듯…
City Under Fire When will I learn that we all must go? This ghost…
Crash Street Kids Stoned and sleeping on the bathroom floor Read it in a…
Crobot I am the one who stole the sun And brought the…
Crooked Fingers Someday, babe, I'm gonna make you mine And in the days…
Dad Manki I still can't understand why don't you see Everything is gon…
David Gray My panic than intent More luck than good judgment They're ra…
Dead Man Winter Little paper Where you write down your disappointments In a …
Destroyer And though the solitudes have won I cannot begin to crave…
Dok & Martin Another day of pain Another day of strife Is there anything …
DONTYELL Stop this, motherfucker Bitches are annoying I’m calling the…
Drowned Days of death and nights of terror, prayers can not…
Duskfall Skulls piled on concrete, executions made with ease. Tombs f…
Enforcer Wrapped around your neck Chains of death now are tense Swo…
Fear No Empire The manifesto Counterfeit 20 bucks A deathblow Vigilante cop…
Figg You're casting a line The misery precedes you I'm not going …
Fight Paris We're ridin high so don't be surprised to see a…
Fleeting Joys When the sun breaks Over the mountain When the sun breaks Ov…
Frente I´m the destroyer I´m the destroyer I live in your fingers I…
Future Fable They call me angry when I speak my mind Sometimes I…
girlpuppy Why did I come to Brooklyn? I can't ride the train…
Gorgoroth khouza3bilat KHouza3bila boukhe chokhe HOTA is our god HO…
Great American Ghost I'm the name splashed across your lips The black keys at…
Helstar Venom hordes to greet the time lord Of whence to come, Sco…
Heyrocco Take a few to disappear Any exit I see's here Lay down…
I The Breather Another dark new day Our race has fallen, their to blame The…
Inferi A void tears the sky in two Unveiling hellish beings from…
K.P. Riot Brigade In future harmonies But let you say Wild boys rule As I find…
Kevin Morby Have you seen my lover With her long blonde hair? Everything…
Lala Lala Following a lead of all my debts I sense violence and…
M-THRILL Up and then down we go Sweet is the sound I…
M.A.G.S inside your mind don't wanna wait here any longer if things …
Mastodon Lesson The honoring instinct of animal Pressure No blame …
MEANS DISTED Одна и та же чушь в другой обёртке (такая же) Как…
Mindforce I am the destroyer There's nothing you can do Sooner or late…
MONSTA X 시간의 터널을 지나서 감은 눈을 뜨는 순간 짧은 꿈에서 깨어난 듯…
N.d I bring suffering to you! Something changes... I rule over y…
Nutronic My destroyer My destroyer You′re a darkness rushing up A lo…
NUTRONIC Soul Extract My Destroyer My Destroyer You're a darkness Rushing up A lo…
O.B.I. Another dark new day Our race has fallen, their to blame The…
Of Monsters and Men I want to be the king of my body and…
Ofln - Parkway Drive Destroy, destroy, destroy, destroy destroyer We speak in li…
Ohhms I am the unsecure We are not in control and if…
ONE DAY IN PAIN I am the one slithering down the street I am the…
Panama God, how I wish YOU COULD BE HERE You have to…
Panama (Cosmo's Midnight Remix) God how I wish you could be here You have to…
Parkway Drive Destroy, destroy, destroy, destroy destroyer We speak in li…
Phantogram Empty, heavy eyes Drift away to my heaven Whatever waits ins…
Project 86 Ready yourself for the end Ready yourself 'cause you cannot…
R.O.C.K. Losing in the crowd Feel afraid of storm You stir my cloud…
Raider I have come from the end of time to bring…
Retribution Gospel Choir I am the destroyer I am the angel of death My head…
Roe You feed some words into my mouth And now I paint…
Royal Hell Crashing through the door Terrorize the core Breaking all th…
Ruby Haunt It's something I could never confront How to navigate disast…
Saint Motel Give it a rest I'm quite aware It was a doomed…
Satan Takes a Holiday I'm afraid this is where it ends This one you can't…
Seasick Mama Taking off from family rockin' blue suit, Crossing states a…
Simplefast Fire burning in my eyes Million souls to sacrificed Running,…
Sincerely Collins In and out of misery Come test me, and I'll simply,…
Six Feet Under He spent his life, a silent sentinel for all to…
Skillet Destroying all the lies Destroying all the lies Destroying a…
Skylar Grey I am blowing everything to pieces, mmm It's too late to…
Sons of Thunder You're in our sights And our message bites You might say we'…
Spirit and Dave NO DESTROYER I man is blooming again, and the roots…
Static X (cannibal) Take it down with a steam hammer Pack it hard Lead shot…
Stolas The Earth is hollow, anxious to go home. Wasted my life. D…
Sworn Enemy right now the way i'm feeling inside there's no way…
Telepathe I see a glowing light, In my cresses I know The chore…
Tenops All the walls I've built was destroyed All the bridges has…
The Angels of Light Here she comes dressed in white Her mouth is filled with…
The Birthday Massacre This is a fantasy, projecting the vanity A quiet delusion, c…
The Kinks Met a girl called Lola and I took her back…
The Stills When you don't seem to miss me When you're eyes sag So…
TR-ST I'm the destroyer, of everyone Rest assure, after hours Del…
Twisted Sister He spent his life A silent sentinel For all to fear He walks…
Vassago [Music: Pepa, Bloodlord] [Lyrics: Sin] The evil-creator gav…
Venom Satanic bastard mystic sublime Rampant iconoclast evil divin…
Vitne I know what I'm in for I know I wasn't made…
Waltzer Don't ruffle your feathers Get your rabbit foot on your chai…
Wardance Dark past - ancient time You must fight to stay alive Blas…
Wild Earth How could I never follow The savior of my soul My heart…
Young Galaxy Your heart is in the waste No trace of the mess…
Yuppicide You live only to destroy yourself, feeding on apathy You′re …
スタティック-X 시간의 터널을 지나서 감은 눈을 뜨는 순간 짧은 꿈에서 깨어난 듯…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Michael Gira:
Blind Now some of us are weak, and some endure Some people…
Fan Letter And the violence in my insides is glowing and malignant,…
God And All Across America The Poison Fires Glow And In The Bloo…
I See Them All Lined Up I SEE THEM ALL LINED UP, LIKE NAKED CHILDREN AT…
Jim It's time To sleep It's time To leave. To loose The binds To…
Low Life Form When they crucify your body On the white wall above your…
On the mountain Let the wind wear away Words cut into stone Let it clear…
Oxygen Oxygen, amen I cannot breathe again Oxygen, come in Burn …
Un Real When the cool light flows through 10 million minds Our expe…
Unreal When the cool light flows through 10 million minds Our exper…
Where Does Your Body Begin The future's leaking through a shut lead door In the ruins…
Where Does Your Body Begin- The future's leaking through a shut lead door In the ruins…
Where Does Your Body Begin? I saw you kneeling on a desert plateau Your eyes were…
Why I Ate My Wife I heard your voice in my mind - you were…
You See Through Me (You see through me) (You see through me) (You see through…
Your Naked Body Down at the bottom of the deep black sea Your naked…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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