PAIN TEENS is distinguished from other rock groups mainly by Scott Ayer's guitar playing- a unique sound that combined swamplike psychedelia and twisted, effects-laden sounds. Bliss Blood's disturbing lyrics and icy delivery helped the PAIN TEENS sound like no other band on earth.
Beginning in 1987, PAIN TEENS released nine out-of-print cassette tapes and two LPs on their own Anomie Records label. Soon after, they released four LPs for Trance Records, an Austin, Texas label run by King Coffee of the band Butthole Surfers.
The live version of the band went through several lineups, including Steve Cook on bass, Ralf Armin on guitar, David Parker and Bart Enoch on drums in 1988, followed by Kirk Carr on bass and Frank Garymartin on drums. They ceased performing live in 1993, after touring with the Boredoms, Fudge Tunnel, Brutal Truth & Season to Risk in that year.
Bliss Blood moved to New York City in 1995 after the release of their sixth full length release, "Beast of Dreams", and formed The Moonlighters with Henry Bogdan from Helmet; Delta Dreambox, a 1920's style blues band; Voodoo Suite, a 1950's exotica lounge jazz group, the "crime jazz"-style Nightcall with Stu Spasm from Lubricated Goat, and many other projects. She currently lives in Brooklyn.
Scott Ayers and Frank Garymartin continued playing together in their new band Walking Timebombs, releasing several cds, Culturcide, Truth Decay, and Anarchitex. In 2009 Scott Ayers began performing solo under the name GelTab, which has been described as "ambient/country", and later started the band Dead Links, which has a heavy progressive rock sound and one album release so far. Other projects include the Electric Knives (psych/punk/noise) and Dead Cowboys (country/folk/blues/americana)
Kirk Carr died of cancer in May 2008.
Swimming
Pain Teens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Swimming in those arms
Whose embrace I knew before
Only in my dreams
Is a wonder, wonder,
Wonder of such beauty
That I'm overwhelmed.
I'm drowning in ecstasy
Drowning in ecstasy
Sinking into a sea of bliss
We are transfixed
The clouds, the wind,
The trees all whisper
To hush our frenzied fall
The clouds, the wind,
The trees all whisper
To hush our frenzied fall,
Falling into the light.
The lyrics of Pain Teens' "Swimming" are poetic and evocative. It seems to be about the experience of being wrapped in someone's arms and feeling overwhelmed with ecstasy, as though sinking into a sea of bliss. The imagery of the clouds, wind, and trees whispering to hush their "frenzied fall" suggests that this experience is something that they should savor and suspend in time, as if it were a suspended moment of utter peace and fulfillment.
The phrase "swimming in those arms" suggests a sense of being engulfed or immersed in this experience, and the line "whose embrace I knew before only in my dreams" adds a sense of longing and anticipation to the mix. The overwhelming beauty of the experience, which is described as a "wonder of such beauty," is enough to make the singer feel as though they are drowning in ecstasy, sinking deeper and deeper into the pleasure of the moment.
The repetition of the lines "I'm drowning in ecstasy" and "sinking into a sea of bliss" emphasizes the magnitude of the experience, and the final stanza brings in the natural world to reinforce the idea that this moment is suspended in time, as though even the clouds, wind, and trees are conspiring to keep the moment still.
Overall, "Swimming" is a powerful and evocative song that captures the experience of intense pleasure and fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
Swimming, swimming,
Repeatedly going back and forth, moving like you're in water
Swimming in those arms
Being held by someone
Whose embrace I knew before
Having had previous experience being held by this person
Only in my dreams
This embrace is something that only exists in the imagination
Is a wonder, wonder,
This experience is awe-inspiring
Wonder of such beauty
This experience is beautiful and remarkable
That I'm overwhelmed.
This experience is so intense that it's difficult to handle
I'm drowning in ecstasy
Feeling completely overcome with joy
Sinking into a sea of bliss
Being engulfed in a feeling of profound happiness
Drowning in ecstasy
Being so happy that it's almost overwhelming
We are transfixed
We are completely absorbed by this experience
The clouds, the wind,
The weather
The trees all whisper
Nature is trying to communicate something to us
To hush our frenzied fall
To calm us down and bring us back to reality
Falling into the light.
Becoming lost in this beautiful experience
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel Francis
Mr. SeagreenSerenade, you have most excellent taste.
Great selection of records.
Diversity rules.
scotty brix
wicked song!!!
Bliss Blood
All releases by Pain Teens are now available to download from Bliss Blood at Bandcamp, including 9 cassette only releases. https://blissblood.bandcamp.com/music