Marginally associated with the no wave scene at first, their original sound was slow and extremely heavy, with live performances that were often so brutal and physical that in a number of instances certain audience members were made ill, police were called and venues were shut down. This early physical sound is possibly best heard on the live album Public Castration Is A Good idea.
Their initial style shifted a little by the time Swans released seminal twin albums Greed and Holy Money. The music had sped up, at times being even more punishing than their earlier output. Drum machines and samples were slightly more prominent. Michael Gira was joined vocally by Jarboe which gave the band a broader sonic range. Tracks featuring Jarboe were often quieter, even pretty, acting as counterpoint to the more harrowing themes on the albums. Over time, this style would come to dominate Swans' output, although they somehow seem to have been able to make a strummed acoustic guitar seem as brutal as their earlier amped-up assaults. The lush instrumentation of their albums from the late 1980s and the 1990's anticipated the birth of post-rock.
Swans eventually broke up in 1997; Gira went on to release some solo work, later forming the band The Angels Of Light, who continue many of the themes and styles found in (later) Swans. Jarboe releases solo work and frequently works with other bands and artists; recently she released an album with Neurosis, a group clearly heavily influenced by Swans.
The influence of Swans upon the music world is profound. Across their 15 years of existence, the various styles they explored gave birth to grindcore (Napalm Death, Nasum) modern "cinematic" post-rock (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mono), and atmospheric sludge metal (Isis, Neurosis).
In January 2010, Michael Gira reactivated Swans and released a new album, My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky on September 2010, and the band simultaneously embarked on a world tour scheduled to last eighteen months. The band had been chosen by Portishead to perform at the ATP I'll Be Your Mirror festivals that they curated in July 2011 at London's Alexandra Palace and in September 2011 in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
On August 28, 2012, Swans released The Seer, a double-album running almost 2 hours in length. Frontman Michael Gira described the album as taking "30 years to make. It's the culmination of every previous Swans album as well as any other music I've ever made, been involved in or imagined. But it's unfinished, like the songs themselves. It's one frame in a reel. The frames blur, blend and will eventually fade." Describing the songwriting process, Gira said, "The songs began on an acoustic guitar, then were fleshed out with (invaluable) help from my friends, then were further tortured and seduced in the studio, and now they await further cannibalism and force-feeding as we prepare to perform some of them live, at which point they'll mutate further, endlessly, or perhaps be discarded for a while."
On May 12, 2014, Swans released their thirteenth LP, To Be Kind. Produced by Michael Gira and recorded by John Congleton. It received positive reception from critics which made the group continue to make more albums that have also have received positive reviews.
It was announced on July 22, 2015, that the band was releasing their fourteenth studio album, titled The Glowing Man. The album was released on June 17, 2016.
After The Glowing Man released, the band took a hiatus lasting nearly a year in 2017 and ending in 2018. The band released their fifteenth studio LP Leaving Meaning the next year. The same year, a documentary about Swans was released titled “Where Does A Body End?”.
In March 2021, Michael Gira released a tracklist of an upcoming Swans album, titled The Beggar. It was released on June 23, 2023.
Better Than You
Swans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Met you at a party
But it was just my family and yours
Dancing in the daylight
Three years is a long time
We couldn't stay together we were too scared of forever
We were second guessing
If there something better than this
But ever since we were kids
I knew I would always love you
There's nothing much better than this
Holding on to second chances
Decided we would try it again
And we're better for it
You were walking
I thought maybe you saw me
I wish you would have stopped and said hello
I know that it's been ages
And we don't have to rush this
I was thinking maybe we could catch up over coffee
Now we're here and
There's nothing much better than this
I don't wanna say it for you
Ever since we were kids
I knew I would always love you
Nothing much better than this
Holding on to second chances
Decided we would try it again
And we're better for it
Yeah we go around and round
Till we reach the end of ourselves
Now I think it's time to admit
There's nothing much better than this
Yeah we go around and round
Till we reach the end of ourselves
Now I think it's time to admit
There's nothing much better
There's nothing much better than this
I don't wanna say it for you
But ever since we were kids
I knew I would always love you
There's nothing much better than this
Holding on to second chances
Decided we would try it again
And we're better for it
Cuz even on a Sunday morning
Even when it doesn't come easy
I'm not giving up like the first time
I'm not giving up like the last time
Even on a Sunday morning
Even when it doesn't come easy
I'm not giving up like the first time
I'm not giving up like the last time
There's nothing much better than this
I don't wanna say it for you
But ever since we were kids
I knew I would always love you
There's nothing much better than this
Holding on to second chances
Decided we would try it again
And we're better for it
Swans's song Better Than You is a nostalgic love song that communicates the depth of love that the artist feels towards their partner. The song reflects on a teenage romance where the artist met the love of their life at the age of thirteen. They both attended a family gathering where they danced together in the daylight. Three years later, they found themselves questioning their love for each other, and they couldn't stay together because they were scared of forever. The artist confesses that they knew they would always love their partner, and they couldn't find anything much better than being with them.
The chorus reveals that the artist and their partner stayed apart for some time before deciding to work on their relationship again. They held on to second chances and tried to make their romance work once more. The artist acknowledges that it wasn't easy, but they were better for it. They go around and round till they reach the end of themselves, but they don't give up on each other like the first or last time. The artist believes there is nothing much better than being with their partner, even when it doesn't come easy.
Line by Line Meaning
I was thirteen
At just the age of thirteen, I met you at a party.
Met you at a party
I came across you at a gathering.
But it was just my family and yours
It was merely a party of our families.
Dancing in the daylight
We enjoyed ourselves by dancing in the daylight.
Three years is a long time
A period of three years is quite long.
We couldn't stay together we were too scared of forever
We did not last together since we were afraid of a long-term commitment.
We were second guessing
We questioned our compatibility.
If there something better than this
We were doubtful if there was a better option for us.
I don't wanna say it for you
I don't want to speak for you.
But ever since we were kids
Since our younger years, I had always known I'll love you.
I knew I would always love you
Deep down, I had always known we had a connection.
There's nothing much better than this
What we have is amazing, and there is no better alternative.
Holding on to second chances
We decided to grasp the opportunity to try again.
Decided we would try it again
Together, we made the decision to give it another go.
And we're better for it
Our decision paid off, and we eventually became better partners.
You were walking
I saw you walking by.
I thought maybe you saw me
For an instant, I thought you caught my gaze.
I wish you would have stopped and said hello
I would have appreciated it if you stopped for a chat.
I know that it's been ages
I realize it's been a while since we met.
And we don't have to rush this
We don't have to be in a hurry regarding this.
I was thinking maybe we could catch up over coffee
Perhaps, we can meet over coffee and have a conversation.
Now we're here
Now, we are together.
Yeah we go around and round
We experienced a bumpy ride with a lot of ups and downs.
Till we reach the end of ourselves
We stuck with each other till we could no longer take it.
Now I think it's time to admit
I believe now is an appropriate time to confess.
I'm not giving up like the first time
I am determined not to repeat the mistakes of our first attempt at a relationship.
I'm not giving up like the last time
I am determined not to repeat the mistakes of our last relationship.
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Dawson Shorman, Libby Swan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@godzilla5742
I'm so glad I'm better than you (I'm so glad)
I'm so glad I'm better than you are
I'm so glad I'm better than you (I'm so glad)
I'm so glad I'm better than you are
Sit here, now look in the mirror
Something's wrong, your face is distorted
Feel the flow, there's blood in your body
And you can see clearly every heartbeat you make
Close your eyes, touch your mouth in the mirror
That's the wound that is made where the past meets the future
I'm so glad I'm better than you (I'm so glad)
I'm so glad I'm better than you are
And I can see clearly through this veil of reality
And I can remember the feel of your skin
No, you never knew me and you never will
When nothing's there, nothing is concealed
I'm so glad I'm better than you (I'm so glad)
I'm so glad I'm better than you are
I'm so glad I'm better than you (I'm so glad)
I'm so glad I'm better than you are
Yes, we're better than you (we're better than you)
We're better than you are (we're better than you are)
Yes, we're better than you (we're better than you)
We're better than you are (we're better than you are)
Yes, we're better than you (we're better than you)
We're better than you are (we're better than you are)
Yes, we're better than you (we're better than you)
We're better than you are (we're better than you are)
Yes, we're better than you (we're better than you)
We're better than you are (we're better than you are)
Yes, we're better than you (we're better than you)
We're better than you are (we're better than you are)
Yes, we're better than you (we're better than you)
We're better than you are (we're better than you are)
Yes, we're better than you (we're better than you)
We're better than you are (we're better than you are)
Yes, we're better than you (we're better than you)
We're better than you are (we're better than you are)
Yes, we're better than you (we're better than you)
We're better than you are (we're better than you are)
Yes, we're better than you (we're better than you)
We're better than you are (we're better than you are)
Yes, we're better than you (we're better than you)
We're better than you are (we're better than you are)
@JapanoiseBreakfast
Michael Gira's vocals in the first 20 seconds of the song are haunting.
@1234567890noone
He came out talented, of course
@perks6292
He went so deep in his childhood memories that he reverted to infancy
@calebeedude5331
Can I just say that “white light from the mouth of infinity” is the most epic album name ever and fits the tone of the album so well
@LeeGee
It's a quote from a sci-book but which one....I've forgotten.....
@marysuspirium3328
They deserve way bigger following. A very special band
@aedgardaethelredd5578
fuck yeah.
absolute genius.
@AP-bz4hd
Too real for mass appeal
@thrashingputz5163
Nah.
@vars666
@AP best response. The masses aren't very bright