The band originally consisted of Damon Tutunjian (vocals, guitar), Seana Carmody (vocals, guitar), Andy Bernick (bass) and Ben Drucker (drums), with second bassist Morgan Andrews joining in 1992. Andrews and Drucker left in 1993, and Carmody left to form Syrup USA in 1994.
Currently, the band consists of Tutunjian, Bernick, Rob Laakso (guitar), Deborah Warfield (vocals) and Adam Pierce (drums).
The band has released four albums since their formation: "Blonder Tongue Audio Baton" (1993), "They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of the Salons" (1996), "The Yes Girls" (2000) and "Cats of the Wild, Volume 2" (2003).
His Love Just Washed Away
Swirlies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Helps her face look flush and full
Running laps all around
The daughter's head keeps spinning like a spiral shell
And there she goes goes goes
There she goes into the water
Swimming with the seals and weeds
From the trees drops the man who bought her love
He found her body on the seashore
As he walked his early morning stroll
Clothes were gone
Body breathed no more
Dried by the sun
He took her in his arms arms arms
Washed away
The lyrics of Swirlies's song "His Love Just Washed Away" describe a tragedy that took place on a beach where a young girl drowned in the warm water. The lyrics evoke a sense of youth and innocence as the girl is described as swimming with the seals and weeds, and her face looks flush and full from being in the water. However, the tone of the song changes abruptly as the man who bought her love appears. He is described as coming from the trees with clothes and promises of make-believe. It is implied that he was involved in her death as he is the one who found her body on the seashore during his early morning stroll. The lyrics suggest that the man took the young girl's life by leaving her in the water, where her body was eventually dried by the sun. He then takes her in his arms, but it is too late as her body is lifeless and gone.
The song captures the emotional depth of losing someone to tragedy and the haunting feeling that such a loss leaves behind. The lyrics, written in a dreamy and esoteric way, offer an eerie description of the events that took place on the beach. The melody intensifies the mood of the song, adding to its dreamlike quality, making it feel like a demented memory that lingers long after it's finished.
Line by Line Meaning
She grew up in warm warm water
She spent her formative years in a world of comfort and ease.
Helps her face look flush and full
The warm water helps her maintain a healthy and vibrant appearance.
Running laps all around
She moves through life with energy and purpose, constantly in motion.
The daughter's head keeps spinning like a spiral shell
Her mind is chaotic and confused, like a spiral that leads nowhere.
And there she goes goes goes
She marches on, without a care in the world.
There she goes into the water
She immerses herself in her own world of comfort and safety.
Swimming with the seals and weeds
She finds security in the natural world, surrounded by creatures both gentle and harsh.
From the trees drops the man who bought her love
A man enters her life, offering to fulfill her desires and needs.
With clothes and promises of make believe believe believe
He uses material possessions and empty promises to win her trust and affection.
He found her body on the seashore
The man discovers her lifeless body washed up on the beach.
As he walked his early morning stroll
He comes across her on his routine walk along the shore.
Clothes were gone
Her clothes had been removed, perhaps indicating foul play.
Body breathed no more
Her life had been tragically cut short.
Dried by the sun
The sun had exposed her lifeless body to the elements, drying it out and making it all the more fragile.
He took her in his arms arms arms
The man gently retrieves her body, holding her close as a gesture of love.
Washed away
The power of his love fails to revive her, leaving her to the mercy of the waves and the passage of time.
Contributed by Addison H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.