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.
THUG
Swans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Submission means you get murdered.
You get revenge when you wait for it.
Frustrated means you're insane.
He's a dead thing under the sheet.
Causing pain.
Sex turns impotence into decay.
Unconscious repression degrades the real thing.
You're polluted with fear you need comfort.
You can't kill what you don't see.
You can't' think what you don't own.
You can't rub what you don't recognize.
You don't get what you really deserve.
You can't fight if you don't feel it.
Obedience pays if you use it right.
You degrade yourself when you hide your fear.
When you eat your pain you keep you nerve.
Use it right.
Or don't feel it.
Use it right or don't feel it.
The lyrics of the song Thug by Swans tell a story of misery, submission, revenge, frustration and fear. The opening line "The only real thing's misery" hints towards a pessimistic view of life where suffering seems to be the predominant feature. The line "Submission means you get murdered" implies that giving in to authority or control of others is tantamount to death of one's own freedom, identity and individuality. Revenge is seen as a means of getting even, of balancing the wrong done to oneself, of restoring power and respect. However, frustration turns into madness, leading one to become a dead thing under the sheet, causing pain to others.
The lyrics are crammed with paradoxes and contradictions. The line "Sex turns impotence into decay" suggests that despite the promise of pleasure, sex ultimately leads to emptiness, decay and loss of vitality. The line "Unconscious repression degrades the real thing" hints at the danger of suppressing one's true feelings or desires, by leading to self-denial, sublimation and even perversion. The line "You can't fight if you don't feel it. Obedience pays if you use it right" suggests that feeling one's emotions is necessary for fighting back against oppression, but obedience can help you gain power if used wisely. However, hiding one's fear is seen as self-destructive as it resembles stuffing oneself with pain like food to no end.
Overall, the lyrics of the song Thug are a commentary on the dark and twisted aspects of human psychology, where one's fears, desires, and ambitions can lead to both self-destruction and self-fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
The only real thing's misery.
Misery is the only honest and true thing in life.
Submission means you get murdered.
Giving in to someone else's will results in the death of your own desires and self-worth.
You get revenge when you wait for it.
Seeking vengeance requires patience and waiting for the right moment.
Frustrated means you're insane.
Feeling consistently frustrated can drive someone to madness.
He's a dead thing under the sheet.
This person is lifeless and emotionless under their exterior.
Causing pain.
The act of causing pain is a powerful and often addictive force.
Sex turns impotence into decay.
Sex can turn feelings of inadequacy into a destructive mindset.
Unconscious repression degrades the real thing.
Ignoring deep-seated issues can lead to a deterioration of one's true self.
You can't kill a criminal need.
Deep-rooted desires cannot be extinguished through force alone.
You're polluted with fear you need comfort.
Fear clouds our judgment and makes us seek comfort in unhealthy ways.
You can't kill what you don't see.
The unseen problems and emotions within ourselves cannot be defeated without acknowledging them.
You can't' think what you don't own.
Understanding requires taking ownership of one's thoughts and experiences.
You can't rub what you don't recognize.
One cannot improve without recognizing and admitting their flaws.
You don't get what you really deserve.
The world is often unfair and doesn't give people what they truly deserve or desire.
You can't fight if you don't feel it.
Emotion is a necessary driving force behind standing up for oneself or one's beliefs.
Obedience pays if you use it right.
Obeying authority can be beneficial if it helps achieve a greater goal, but blind obedience can lead to negative consequences.
You degrade yourself when you hide your fear.
Suppressing fear can lead to a loss of self-respect and self-worth.
When you eat your pain you keep you nerve.
Enduring pain and trauma can build resilience and strength.
Use it right.
Harnessing emotions and actions in a positive way can lead to progress and success.
Or don't feel it.
Alternatively, one can choose to reject certain emotions or actions if they do not serve them in a positive way.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind