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.
Big Strong Boss
Swans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Big strong boss
Break my back
Blood runs black
Cut my throat
Kill me snake
Do what I say
You're the boss
The lyrics of "Big Strong Boss" by Swans are cryptic and dark, as is typical of their style. The song seems to depict a dysfunctional relationship between two opposing forces, a character who is subservient and the big strong boss who dominates him. The character, who is referred to as a "stupid snake," is being controlled by the big strong boss, who has the power to cut his throat and kill him. Despite the threat of violence, the character remains loyal and obedient, saying "do what I say, you're the boss."
The lyrics suggest a power dynamic that is based on fear and violence rather than trust and mutual respect. It's unclear whether the character wants to break free from this relationship or is content to remain in it despite the abuse. The repetition of the phrase "big strong boss" highlights the controlling nature of the relationship and the subservience of the character.
This song is open to interpretation, as with most of Swans' work, and could be a commentary on relationships, power dynamics, or the nature of control itself. Swans often use intense and sometimes disturbing imagery in their music, and "Big Strong Boss" is no exception.
Line by Line Meaning
Stupid snake
You are a foolish and deceitful creature resembling a snake
Big strong boss
You are a powerful authority figure with immense strength and influence
Break my back
You inflict unbearable physical and emotional pain upon me, making it feel like my spine is shattering
Blood runs black
The negative impact of your actions has caused a deep sense of despair and darkness within me
Cut my throat
You are willing to cause me extreme harm and even death in order to maintain your position and control
Kill me snake
I am so desperate to escape your grasp that I would rather die than continue to be under your influence
Do what I say
You demand complete obedience and loyalty, and expect me to act according to your will without question or resistance
You're the boss
You are the one in charge, and I must submit to your authority no matter how much it hurts me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
V. Watson
Stupid snake
Big strong boss
Break my back
Blood runs black
[Refrain]
Cut my throat, black
Cut my throat, black
Throat, black
Throat, black
Throat, black
Black
[Verse 2]
You're boss
Big strong boss
Break, back
Break, back
Boss, back
Boss, back
Boss, back
[Refrain]
Big strong boss
Big strong boss
Big strong boss
Big strong boss
Boss, back
Boss, back
Boss, back
Boss, back
Boss, back
Back
Back
Back
Back
Kyle Jackson
I cannot get over how awesome the end of this song is. It just stops mid-note like it crashed into a brick wall. Floored.
PeterFondaLovedLSD
It's perfect for smashing iron to.
Great gym song.
Jim Rader
i do miss swans live. in lieu of their live performances, i take megadoses of thorazine then hit my head 467 times with a sledgehammer. you all shld try this, it really works.
Elijah Stroer
The descriptions of each songs are so wholesome
Tyler
Only song I know of that has both no beginning or ending. It just happens.
Mister Ganaathy
the FILTHY grime covered sound they have on the bass is just so goddam good throughout the this whole record
Diego Santoyo
This sounds like Unknown Pleasures of Joy Division in the cold, vast and dark void it puts you, only that UP is depressed and anhedonic, on the other hand Filth is insane in the best and worst of ways at the same time
Raef Inoh
@J Ariza bruh are you serious? They actually innovated and were important in their genre. Some shit like the eagles are the most overrated cause they didn't do anything remotely interesting with their music.
d cool4
this nigga said anhedonic bruh what
Kamryn Rist
While i'm just as annoyed with everyone comparing every post-punk song to Joy Division, I really don't understand why some people hate Joy Division with a burning passion, they had some songs that slapped (other than Love Will Tear US Apart).
I guess maybe some people's brains are wired differently, or music is actually not subjective and I just have shit taste.