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.
Speak
Swans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The idiot crawls
Into a crack
And eats his food
A diet of pain
He completely ignores
Closing his mouth
He closes his mind
And says:
Speak
Talk to me in my sleep [x2]
Walk me to the corner and strike a match
Put it on my toungue
And say: speak
The lyrics to Swans' song "Speak" present a picture of someone who is disconnected from the world around them. The character in the song is described as "inhuman and stupid," a harsh and judgmental portrayal of their mental state. They are the "idiot" who crawls into a crack and eats pain, a metaphor for how they are consumed by their own negative thoughts and emotions. This pain is all-consuming; the character "completely ignores" it, closing off their mind and their mouth.
Despite their isolation, the character in the song still speaks - to themselves, to the voices in their head, to anyone who will listen. They want to be heard, even if they can't connect with the world outside of themselves. The repeated refrain of "speak/talk to me in my sleep" emphasizes this desire for communication, however fleeting or impossible it may be.
The final lines of the song are particularly haunting: "Walk me to the corner and strike a match/Put it on my tongue/And say: speak." Here, the character is essentially asking to be physically burned, hoping that this extreme pain will somehow unlock their ability to speak and connect with the world. It's a disturbing image, one that suggests just how deep this character's pain and isolation runs.
Overall, "Speak" is a bleak and intense depiction of mental illness and isolation. It's a difficult song to listen to, but one that offers a harrowing glimpse into a mindset that many people might not be able to fully understand.
Line by Line Meaning
Inhuman and stupid
The behavior of the person being described is both lacking in basic humanity and intelligence.
The idiot crawls
The person being described is seen as foolish and helpless.
Into a crack
The person being described is hiding, perhaps physically or metaphorically, from something.
And eats his food
Despite being in a difficult situation, the person is still able to maintain their basic needs.
A diet of pain
The person is experiencing a lot of suffering and hardship.
He completely ignores
The person is intentionally avoiding something, even if it is causing them pain or discomfort.
Closing his mouth
The person is choosing not to speak or communicate, either out of fear or stubbornness.
He closes his mind
The person is becoming closed off or resistant to new ideas or experiences.
He talks to himself and listens
The person is having an internal dialogue or conversation, possibly as a way to cope with their situation.
And says: Speak
The person is calling out for someone or something to communicate with them and help them.
Talk to me in my sleep [x2]
The person is desperate for communication or guidance, even if it means receiving it in their dreams or subconscious.
Walk me to the corner and strike a match
The person is asking for guidance, someone to lead them out of their current situation.
Put it on my tongue
The person is willing to take risks, even if they are painful or uncomfortable.
And say: speak
The person is once again calling out for communication or guidance.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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