Both had drummed with Ministry, and were pleased with the notion of a rock music band with two drummers, rather than the usual one. The duo formed Pigface, and began a revolving-door collaboration with many experimentally-minded musicians, many of whom — especially early on — had recorded for the influential industrial music record label Wax Trax.
Trent Reznor was also an early partner, when, due to legal troubles, Nine Inch Nails were prevented from recording under that name. "Suck" — cowritten with and sung by Reznor — was something of an underground hit, and Reznor later rerecorded the song.
Rieflin eventually left Pigface, leaving Atkins in charge. The dozens--perhaps hundreds--of musical collaborators to record and perform with Pigface have ensured that each album, and each song, is unique. This practice has, however, led to some negative criticism due to a perceived lack of continuity.
Pigface concerts are characterized by high-energy performances. Frequently there will be upwards of 10 people on stage at any time during the show. Not only that but Martin Atkins and the rest of the band love interacting with the audience, and members of the audience are nearly always invited on stage for the encore.
Weightless
Pigface Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The silence burns you, you can close your eyes
Waiting to be over, to be over
You can beat the bigot man
The sucker of his slaves
Undecided, undecided, and injured out of place
To be over to be over to be over
The first time I saw you
The shore caressed you
In violent face, in cruciform for saints
Still frozen intact, a stillborn suffers
Strangers laugh out loud
The shore caressed you
In violent face, in cruciform for saints
Too much time is weightless
Sentiment is weightless
Still grown to the ears, a stillborn suffers
Strangers laugh out loud
The shore caressed you
In violent face, in cruciform for saints
Too much time is weightless
Sentiment is weightless
Too much time is weightless [x3]
The lyrics to Pigface's "Weightless" are abstract and open to interpretation. The song seems to be about the frustration and pain of being stuck in a negative situation and wanting to escape it. The first few lines address the idea of dishonesty ("the bigger eves are lies") and the internal struggle it creates ("the silence burns you"). The singer is waiting for this struggle to be over, to move on to a better place. They are also encouraging others to stand up against prejudice and oppression ("you can beat the bigot man/ the sucker of his slaves"). However, despite this call to action, the singer still feels "injured out of place" and unsure of how to move forward.
The lyrics then shift to a more surreal depiction of a stillborn child suffering, and strangers laughing at them. This disturbing image may symbolize the singer's own sense of powerlessness and helplessness in the face of their situation. They feel frozen and trapped, unable to move forward or make a change. The repetition of "too much time is weightless/ sentiment is weightless" further reinforces the idea of being stuck in a limbo-like state.
Overall, "Weightless" seems to be a meditation on the frustration of feeling trapped and powerless, and the desire to break free from negative circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
You can speak the bigger eves are lies
You have the power to expose the deceptions of those in authority
The silence burns you, you can close your eyes
The pain of staying quiet is excruciating, but you can try to tune out the world and escape
Waiting to be over, to be over
You are yearning for an end to the pain and hardship you are experiencing
You can beat the bigot man
You have the strength to stand up against oppressors and those who perpetuate hate and discrimination
The sucker of his slaves
Those who oppress and dominate others are weak and dependent on their victims
Undecided, undecided, and injured out of place
You feel lost and unsure, like you don't fit in anywhere and are suffering
To be over to be over to be over
You desperately want everything to be finished and to find peace
The first time I saw you, Your skin was still intact
When I first met you, you had not yet been wounded or hurt in any way
The shore caressed you, In violent face, in cruciform for saints
You were at peace by the water, but your tranquility was soon disrupted by chaos and pain, like a martyr on a cross
Still frozen intact, a stillborn suffers
Someone who has died before birth is still and cold, experiencing pain and loss
Strangers laugh out loud
People who do not know you well find humor in your pain and suffering
Too much time is weightless, Sentiment is weightless
The passage of time does not lessen the pain and trauma experienced, and emotions hold no weight
Too much time is weightless [x3]
No matter how much time passes, the pain and trauma remain immeasurable and weightless
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MARTIN CLIVE ATKINS, PAUL G. BARKER, WILLIAM FREDRICK RIEFLIN, CHISTOPHER P. CONNELLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Airfixx _
Chris Connelly... Always such a bad ass!!!
ava h.
fucking love this performance. chris’s vocals are on point
mr. Pinkerton
ahhhhhhhhhhh here we are so many year later. It's 2019 and there is going to be a PigFace tour
schmedhead
Love me some Pigface. FYI, song starts @ the 1:25 mark.
chrisdeitzel
I forgot how good this was.
Tim Bucknall
if only the rest of the DVD looked and sounded as good as weightless... and if only welcome to mexico sounded like this. just release the full metro gig ffs!
Saibot216
Bill Rieflin stage right. I just learned this song on guitar today :)
WilliamKJ WilliamKJ
It looks like En Esch? Can’t really tell.
Raimy Winter
😪 rest in power .
Cynthia Novoselsky
U Rocked my world!!!