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.
Sex God Sex
Swans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
I will pray
I will go down low
And I will pray to you
Down as low as I can go
I will go there and I will pray to you
I will beg you
I will beg you lord
I will deny you lord
Though I've done nothing wrong
Never in my live
No no no no no
I will beg you lord
And I will pray for you to forgive me now
I will go down to the centre of the earth
And I will curl up in flames
And I will beg you lord
Take me in your cruel arms
Take me down home
And will say
"Come into me, lord, come in now
Come on in
Praise the lord!
Praise God!"
Come into my heart, sweet lord
Come into my heart
I am open
I am torn apart
I am naked
And I am impure
I am sexless
I am foul
I am ignorant
And I am hateful
Forgive me lord
Come in
Come on in
Praise God
Praise the lord
Praise god
Praise the lord
Forgive m
These lyrics are from the song "Sex God Sex" by Swans, and they describe a person's willingness to submit themselves completely to God in a moment of intense spiritual catharsis. The singer is declaring their intention to pray to God, to beg for forgiveness, and to prostrate themselves before the divine presence. There is a sense of desperation and urgency in their words, as they profess their willingness to go to any lengths to connect with God, even if it means descending into flames and suffering.
The lyrics convey a deep sense of humility and self-denial, as the singer acknowledges their own ignorance, foulness, and impurity. They seem to be seeking redemption and absolution from God, even though they claim to have done nothing wrong in their life. This suggests a deep sense of guilt or shame that the singer is struggling to overcome, and their prayer is an attempt to find peace and forgiveness.
Overall, these lyrics can be interpreted as a powerful expression of religious devotion and spiritual surrender. They convey a sense of intense longing for connection with the divine, and a willingness to endure suffering and self-abnegation in pursuit of that connection. The singer's cries of "Praise God!" suggest that this prayer is ultimately an act of surrender to something larger and more powerful than themselves, and an acknowledgement of the limits of their own understanding and agency.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Nowheremovies
Listening to this album while working in the fields last summer was a real spiritual experience.
@kevingorman4175
Seeing this song played live was truly fantastic.
@zachmckeever5925
I heard this whole cassette back in 87 immediately after it came out. Minutes after purchasing it at that cassette store in the mall where they forced the employees to wear some sort of green striped aprons(what was the name of that place???). That was during a time at which "goth" had been around for a few short years and young high school freshmen like myself were catching on to it in a big way. I'd been listening to Bauhaus, and Joy Division, and some of the other darker groups like Nurse With Wound, Skinny Puppy, Ministry, Sisters of Mercy, and even blatant pop groups like The Cure and Depeche Mode. I was a huge My Bloody Valentine fan, Cocteau Twins (early albums like Garlands, and Treasure were my favorites then). I had all of Dead Can Dance's vinyl, at least that which had been printed. The Bauhaus spinoffs like Love and Rockets and Tones on Tail were in my vinyl collection along with stuff like Sioxsie and Smith's compilation "The Glove," which I enjoyed immensely and still do. However. The day I heard "Children of God," I felt a transcendence into something different. It was fucking religious. It still is. It pisses me off. I had such a killer vinyl collection. Vaughan Oliver's 23 Envelope artwork, Pixies' early editions, a World of Skin clear gold vinyl edition. The ex-fiance probably tossed it in a dumpster... Oh well, long live that whole kick ass era.
@buco72able
ONE OF THE GREATESTS ALBUMS ALL THE TIME
@ipnorospo38
Swans at their best. Great band.
@gman0047
That contrast between jarboe’s more melodic style and gira’s more dissonant style is what I like the most about this album. It’s like a battle between good and evil.
@arthurbludgeon
I heard this song for the first time in 1989 on a cassette mix tape, and I was forevermore a fan of the Swans. I have seen them perform three times over the years, and each time was a completely different experience...the most original act you will ever encounter!!!
@boyo7918
2:57 one of my favourite moments in any song
@richardroberson2564
One of the best Swans songs
@chrisdodson8118
Indeed it is - perhaps the best.