Sister Machine Gun founder Chris Randall and guitarist Miguel Turanzas are, without a doubt, one of music's hardest working duos. In addition to recording, producing, and touring, they also run their own record label, Positron! Records. Not simply a vehicle for SMG, the label has unleashed 17 releases including albums from Van Christie (Die Warzau), Matt Walker (Filter/Smashing Pumpkins/Cupcakes) and Mike Fisher (Machines of Loving Grace).
SMG's extensive catalog explores just about every genre of modern music, from electro-funk dance to Hendrix-flavored industrial strength rock. Their seventh release, Influence, is an elektro-industrial tour-de-force that recalls the industrial sound of the late eighties and early nineties. Heavy beats, distorted guitars and pounding synth lines drag your favorite sounds kicking and screaming into the future.
Sister Machine Gun's catalog of critically acclaimed albums includes four on the pioneering Wax Trax! label: Sins Of The Flesh (1992), The Torture Technique (1994), Burn (1995), and Metropolis (1997); plus three on their own Positron! Records: [R]evolution (1999) sistermachinegun: 6.0 (2001) and Influence (2003). The liner notes of these albums read like a veritable Who's Who of modern music, and include Reeves Gabrels (David Bowie/Tin Machine), Sascha & En Esch (KMFDM), Charles Levi (Thrill Kill Kult/Pigface), Gino Lenardo (Filter), Scott Churilla (The Rev. Horton Heat), Matt Walker (Filter/Smashing Pumpkins/Cupcakes), and Jim Marcus & Van Christie (Die Warzau).
With fans that treat the band as a religion, and an online presence second to none, Sister Machine Gun are Chicago's Ambassadors of Industrial.
White Lightning
Sister Machine Gun Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Burn a hole in my skin with my cigarette
But it doesn't hurt coz I'm used to pain
And I aint felt nothing yet
I don't know what to do when any thing goes wrong
Except wander around like I don't belong
Cant take anymore, got no reason to fight
White lightening gonna come down and put out the lights
-sometimes I can't take all the things that you do to me
I just can't take it, your such a god damn motherfucker
Motherfucker I don't need this shit-
Well I know that hard times have just begun
And I don't think that I have what it takes
To be one of the lies I've heard like a matter of fact
Each turn around something get stabbed in the back
Well the thing that think I don't think
Well I guess that's no reason to get distressed
When I don't think I can take anything else
White lightning comes down and I'm down like the rest
Oh white lightning
White lightning
White lightning
White lightning
-Sometimes I just can't take it anymore I just cant take it
Demons crawling on my back saying shit I don't wanna hear
I just don't wanna hear it
I turn down the lights and I stay quiet
My head in my hands-
Oh white lightning
White lightning
White lightning
White lightning gonna make everything alright
The lyrics of Sister Machine Gun's "White Lightning" paint a picture of a person who is going through a hard time and struggling with the pain and hardship that life brings. The song begins with the singer waking up in a cold sweat and burning a hole in his skin with a cigarette, conveying his intense emotions and feeling of being overwhelmed. Despite being used to pain, the singer feels like he can't take anymore and doesn't know what to do when things go wrong. He wanders around feeling like he doesn't belong and doesn't have any reason to fight. The chorus speaks to the singer's desire for release, as he yearns for "white lightning" to come down and put out the lights.
In the second verse, the singer acknowledges that hard times have just begun, and he doesn't feel like he has what it takes to overcome the challenges that he's facing. He's heard too many lies and has been stabbed in the back too many times to have faith that things will get better. He feels like he's hanging on by a thread, and when he reaches his breaking point, white lightning will come down and knock him down like the rest. The repeating chorus emphasizes the singer's need for relief and the hope that the white lightning will make everything alright.
Overall, "White Lightning" conveys a sense of despair and hopelessness, as the singer feels like he's reached his limit and needs something to break him free from the cycle of pain and hardship. The imagery and repetition of the chorus reinforce this message, creating a powerful depiction of a person who's struggling with the weight of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I wake up in a cold cold sweat
I wake up in fear and anxiety
Burn a hole in my skin with my cigarette
I feel numb and disconnected from the physical pain
But it doesn't hurt coz I'm used to pain
I have become desensitized to the emotional pain I feel
And I aint felt nothing yet
I know there is still more pain to come
I don't know what to do when any thing goes wrong
I feel lost and helpless when faced with difficult situations
Except wander around like I don't belong
I feel like I don't fit in anywhere
Cant take anymore, got no reason to fight
I am exhausted and don't see a reason to keep trying to endure the pain
White lightening gonna come down and put out the lights
I hope that death will come quickly and end my suffering
Well I know that hard times have just begun
I am aware that my troubles are far from over
And I don't think that I have what it takes
I doubt my own ability to cope with the challenges ahead
To be one of the lies I've heard like a matter of fact
I know that society's expectations and norms are not realistic or healthy
Each turn around something get stabbed in the back
Every time I try to trust someone, I end up getting hurt even worse
Well the thing that think I don't think
I am confused and uncertain about what I believe
Well I guess that's no reason to get distressed
I am trying to find some comfort in uncertainty
When I don't think I can take anything else
I am at my breaking point
White lightning comes down and I'm down like the rest
I hope that death will come quickly and end my suffering
Oh white lightning
A metaphor for death as the ultimate release from pain
White lightning gonna make everything alright
I hope that death will bring peace and relief from my suffering
Sometimes I just can't take it anymore I just cant take it
I am overwhelmed by my pain and feel like I can't keep going
Demons crawling on my back saying shit I don't wanna hear
Negative, self-destructive thoughts are consuming me
I just don't wanna hear it
I am desperate to escape the voices in my head
I turn down the lights and I stay quiet
I retreat into isolation to avoid facing my pain
My head in my hands
I am overwhelmed by despair and hopelessness
Contributed by Evelyn A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.