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.
You Know Nothing
Swans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And every lie that you pursue, eventually turns true
And I was told that your eyes would shine, a light up into space
And infinity would then consume this ordinary place
You know nothing, you know nothing at all
How could you know, you'll never know anything at all
You'll never know, you'll never know anything at all
You know nothing, you know nothing at all
The ocean whispered on the sore, and echoed in the ruins
Inside your body is a clear blue light, and time was made from this
Your shadows swallow everything it feels. You punish us with bliss
You know nothing, you know nothing at all
How could you know, you'll never know anything at all
You'll never know, you'll never know anything at all
You know nothing, you know nothing at all
The lyrics of Swans' "You Know Nothing" are philosophical in nature and explore the concept of reality, truth, and ignorance. The first two lines suggest that reality is not absolute and fixed but subjective and constantly shaped by an individual's beliefs and actions. The next line, "And every lie that you pursue, eventually turns true" can be interpreted as a warning against the power of self-fulfilling prophecies - the more you believe in something, even if it's false, the more likely it is to come true. This idea is reinforced by the lines, "You punish us with bliss," suggesting that even things that seem good or pleasurable can have negative consequences in the end.
The second stanza paints a vivid picture of a person standing in the midst of destruction and chaos. The use of fire and the crimson moon adds to the overall sense of danger and instability. The line "Inside your body is a clear blue light, and time was made from this" is enigmatic but can be interpreted as the idea that reality is created from within us and that time is a construct of our own making. The final lines of the song reinforce the idea that we are limited in our knowledge and understanding of the world, and that there is always more to discover and learn.
Overall, "You Know Nothing" is a complex and thought-provoking exploration of the nature of truth and reality.
Line by Line Meaning
And nothing is written in the book, reality is made by you
There is no predetermined path in life, it is entirely shaped by your actions and decisions.
And every lie that you pursue, eventually turns true
If you constantly deceive yourself or others, those lies will eventually take over and become the new reality.
And I was told that your eyes would shine, a light up into space
You were optimistic and hopeful that this person would bring light and positivity to the world.
And infinity would then consume this ordinary place
If this person was able to spread their positivity and light, it would transform the mundane world into something extraordinary.
You know nothing, you know nothing at all
You are ignorant and unaware of the true nature of things.
How could you know, you'll never know anything at all
It is impossible for you to have complete knowledge and understanding of the world.
You'll never know, you'll never know anything at all
The more you try to understand, the more you realize how much you do not know.
I saw you standing in the fire, beneath a crimson moon
You witnessed this person in a state of chaos and destruction, with the ominous red moon hanging overhead.
The ocean whispered on the sore, and echoed in the ruins
The soothing sound of the ocean was a stark contrast to the destruction and wreckage around them.
Inside your body is a clear blue light, and time was made from this
This person embodies a pure and beautiful energy that shapes the passage of time.
Your shadows swallow everything it feels. You punish us with bliss
Despite their positive energy, this person's darker tendencies can manifest and consume everything around them, even if it is unintentional.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MICHAEL ROLFE GIRA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stavmkr6024
And nothing is written in the book
Reality is made by you
And every lie that you pursue
Eventually turns true
And I was told that your eyes
Would shine a light up into space
And infinity would then consume
This ordinary place
[Chorus]
You know nothing, you know nothing at all
How could you know, you'll never know anything at all
You'll never know, you'll never know anything at all
You know nothing, you know nothing at all
[Verse 2]
I saw you standing in the fire
Beneath a crimson moon
The ocean whispered on the shore
And echoed in the ruins
Inside your body is a clear blue light
And time was made from this
Your shadow swallows everything it feels
You punish us with bliss
[Chorus]
You know nothing, you know nothing at all
How could you know, you'll never know anything at all
You'll never know, you'll never know anything at all
You know nothing, you know nothing at all
@kimwhitehurst1817
Saw this album in concert.
They had a meet and greet.
I was intimidated by Gira and when I asked for him to sign my poster (they gave out free ones) I stated that I didn't want anything thing crazy, just his signature.
He wrote, "I am not insane!"
@greenelfalchemybotanicals2629
nice
@rhombusskullvsteal1
To me swans music, particularly this album, is like auditory beer. It's bitter, cold, but lifts your spirits.
@cancersoul
for me too this album has a special place. Pity he penetrated Larkin Grimm beyond her will (and retreated soon after). There's some nuances in the story on both sides, regarding context, but after reading all I found in statements and interviews, I'm sure he did that, and he's lost quite some purity and thoughtfulness for that (especially because of his rudeness in reaction), in my experience. Therefor, this album holds that sense of purity, still, as all supposedly do until he contracted Grimm, temporarily...
@guitaristssuck8979
@@cancersoul BS
@cancersoul
@@guitaristssuck8979 What? That is what really seems to have happened based on all my info. Larkin was drunk one evening, Gira laid on the floor. Larkin let him come lay in a bed. Then it happened - while she was in a slumber state (and long before insisted Gira not to get into sexual conduct). He didn't feel well in the act, and retreated. She felt invaded. That's what all info tells me. Tell me something wiser and crucially more informed than your low-aimed two characters....
@guitaristssuck8979
@@cancersoul ...and you were there?
@cancersoul
@@guitaristssuck8979 man - don't try to put me in a corner I don't belong. I've been a Swans fan for almost 20 years, and I just care a bit, as they meant something. Being a fan of a living artist, to me, also means to be able to feel a link on a human level - morally, as well. I lost some level of sympathy for Gira when I read his first and formal statement. Later on, in some interview, he got into a bit more nuance. I'd hope, some day, he'd be really honest in some lyrics.
@alazorn6665
One of the greatest albums ever made!!
@littlebunnyvideoproduction2278
This song appeases my nihilistic crises