In 1996, Mad Child and Prevail went to the B-Boy Summit in San Diego, California, where Mad Child won several rap battles and was initiated into the Rock Steady Crew, legendary to the hip hop/b-boy scene. The Crew is held in great respect as hip hop's highest collective - to join one must win a contest of skill against one of the highest ranked members. Swollen Members is one of only three rap groups affiliated with Rock Steady.
That same year, the duo began recording their first tracks, with help from many of their friends from the scene - MCs, DJs, and producers, including Rob the Viking. Rob would continue to work with the group through the years, eventually joining them later. From the praise they were receiving, they decided it was time to release their material as a group. With the subsequent release of three 12" singles on Mad Child's record label Battleaxe Records, the group quickly established themselves in the scene and built a respectable following. The next logical step was to release an album, which was titled Balance and released in 1999.
Balance received wide critical acclaim and has been claimed by the band to have sold in excess of 50,000 copies. Featuring collaborations with artists such as Everlast, Divine Styler, and Dilated Peoples, the album also netted Swollen Members the 2001 Juno Award for Best Rap Recording.
Following Balance, Swollen Members recorded and released Bad Dreams, which successfully dodged the so-called "sophomore curse" many artists suffer upon their second release. Bad Dreams was released on November 13, 2001, featuring guests such as Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, Son Doobie, Joey Chavez, and former member Moka Only. Like their debut, Bad Dreams was surprisingly successful for an independent rap album and brought Swollen Members global acclaim. Surprisingly, it appealed to both underground and mainstream audiences, with several singles reaching platinum status in Canada.
The album also earned Swollen Members their second Juno Award, and four MuchMusic Video Awards. The group continues to tour, visiting every major market possible and performing hundreds of shows a year; some with nearly 15,000 audience members. The media continues to give their music and live shows excellent coverage around the globe, and both new and old singles receive solid airplay on college and commercial radio. Their tracks have also been featured in a multitude of films, television programs, extreme sports videos, commercials, video games (especially games produced by Electronic Arts, which has a studio in their hometown of Vancouver), and compilation albums, the sales of which total in the millions when combined.
Swollen Members have appeared on numerous television shows, in addition to having several of their live shows televised. Like their singles, their music videos have been heavily played on both the Canadian MuchMusic and the American MTV, as well as on many independent video shows.
2002's Monsters in the Closet, their third release, brought them greater fame than ever before. Where Moka Only and Rob the Viking had only peripherally assisted the duo before, they now became official members of the group. Monsters included several unreleased tracks and remixes, as well as collaborations from fellow British Columbian Nelly Furtado and Saukrates of Def Jam. Production credits included Evidence from Dilated Peoples.
2003 brought Heavy, released yet again to critical acclaim and powerful sales, despite dismal video play time on MuchMusic. The band considers it the bridge between their underground origins and their potential for fame. Unfortunately the album was controversial among Swollen Members' fanbase. Many fans claim that Swollen Members have removed many elements of their style which had awarded them in the past. The lines were drawn between fans who began to listen to Swollen Members when Monsters in the Closet came out and fans attracted by the earlier two albums (especially Balance). They continue to tour, playing both local and international shows to the delight of their hometown fans.
In 2005 Moka Only decided to break off from the group for a second time and continue work on his solo career.
In 2006 Swollen Members released their fifth full album, Black Magic. It is understood that Mad Child and Prevail made an attempt to return to their previously critically acclaimed style and method. Their previous album Heavy was seen by the band as a disappointment, and isn't listed on their official site discography.
In August 2006, Swollen Members released their new single "Put Me On - Feat. Everlast" off of their new album, "Black Magic".
Their next CD is scheduled to be released at the end of the summer of 2008. According to the band's website, Mad Child will soon release a solo album.
Paradise Lost
Swollen Members Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Scared I'm gonna trip my fingers
These fingers stuck in your third eye
As I gotcha paralyzed your heart venture
Bad tidings residing in liberal
Until nightfall I might crawl outta the shadows in your sleep
Cause my wrist bone's connected to the hand bone's connected to the
Jizz nasty I can never let it walk on by
Cybernetic snake charmer
All you can get
Your sweat glands and pores in your skin
Release spores from within leviathan
Can't hang unless you swing by the neck
Untempered instrumentals got you smooth
As thinking continental cruise
Your core bruise until your spine and
Press rewind too many times
And catch several shurikens
To your mind and soul as I swallow it whole
I see you grippin' on
Cybertron optimist call me crypticon
Synchro on quartz tryin' to thwart the upending doom
Croonin' like coyotes at the moon
When its almost high noon niggas swoon like ninjas
Unite west coast avengers
Drift fine swollen member
[Madchild]
Sparkling crackling
Tackling stacked assailants
Medieval magicians practice under heavy surveillance
The ultimate quartet indestructible unpredictable
Symbolic sorcerers collaborate with one trick to pull
The trick is to focus
Make millions from swollen billions
Seek the weak and destroy
Soldiers controlling civilians
Deploy the daredevil dimension
Competition cringes
They couldn't get open if they came equipped with hinges
Addicted to dope injected by swollen syringes
This flame thrower singes and burns you to a crisp of ashes
I'm ill suffer from constant hot flashes
Bad rock annihilates violator retaliates
Vertibreaker will mutilate
Ghost causing sirens
Hands of hostility strangling evil tyrants
Who worship the power plant I've seen many strange things
Protect the sacred circle and beware of the changelings
[Tony Da Skitzo]
Move the masses changing your acetone mono
We're high tech phonos slash ?
Labyrinth spreading chaotic activity
Wide open door frivolling away like cumulus clouds
Your a black rose lost in my black flag
Motel strange corridors
With the only sensor receptacles receiving technical difficulties
Mics philiac ?
No gimmicks
A patch over your left eye
?
While the venomous
Serum leaks in your heart print
Indent a paragraph and the message is sent
Transparent sentiments
That are radioactive
And leave a fritz like apocalypse
Leaving the former ?
Attempt your consciousness like triplets
Back to back to back like ?
In a foreign country we still excavate doves
Isolate you to a torture
Merchants in my village
Remains of no life just cold breezes and past souls
Mistaking fake saviors
Blessed in his own castle
Now its just relics left back ?
And the color is tinted
[Prevail]
Enter the uncensored sensor of lord magenta
A member of mensa doctor mind bender
Middle earth fabric tearer like ?
My crushed velvet cape drags through the quicksand
And long last and scribe masters with poisonous penmanship
Summer equinoxes and winter solstices shift liquid land
I lift my crooked hands and orchestrate
The blatant containment of force so fluorescent
You're surely asking for your melting pot
To be a meeting spot
For contaminate contestants
Even Nostradamus couldn't predict these Nosferatu's
With advanced sharpened lance and pierce you
The lyrics of Swollen Members' song, Paradise Lost, contain an eerie and profound message that envelopes futuristic and apocalyptic tones. The song's overall theme is related to despair and loss of control, deftly sung by the artists' vocals. The first verse, by Brady, presents a sense of fear and uncertainty, where the singer mentions his desire to touch someone's third eye, aka the pineal gland, to open their spiritual vision. The third eye metaphors continue throughout the verse, where the singer implies his desire to incapacitate someone emotionally and mentally, to control them. The second verse by Madchild, takes the singer's fear and portrays it as anger and aggression towards the authorities and their control over civilians. The verse uses symbolism, where the singer mentions that they seek the weak and destroy them, using sorcery, flame thrower, hands of hostility, and vertibreakers. Followed by Tony Da Skitzo's verse, which explains the singer's desire to make a difference in the world by changing perceptions and bringing forth chaotic activities to instigate thoughtfulness. The verse then goes on to explain their sense of isolation and confusion amid dynamic situations. Finally, concluding with Prevail's verse, which speaks of the singer's superiority in intelligence and knowledge. The verse also presents the need for control over the landscape by means of orchestration implied through poison penmanship, lifting of crooked hands, etc., to minimize contamination and prevent impending doom.
The overall message of the song is to reflect on the loss of control, a sense of despair and impending doom caused by the human race's relinquishment of power to authorities. The song shifts through perspectives, delving into personal desires, anger, hopefulness, and control. The lyrics' use of symbolisms, metaphors, and profound words like Nosferatu, advanced sharpened lance, liquid land, and venomous serum, all contribute to painting an eerie and compelling picture of a dystopian future.
Line by Line Meaning
Scared I'm gonna trip my fingers
I am afraid that I will make a mistake
These fingers stuck in your third eye
I am captivating your attention and control
As I gotcha paralyzed your heart venture
I am restraining you, and you cannot escape
Bad tidings residing in liberal
There is a negative aura around us
Until nightfall I might crawl outta the shadows in your sleep
I may appear in your dreams when you least expect it
Cause my wrist bone's connected to the hand bone's connected to the
I am trying to incapacitate you completely
Jizz nasty I can never let it walk on by
I am not going to let anything slide
Why do I feel so high when it strikes mid-knight in shining armor
There is something that excites me about danger
Cybernetic snake charmer
I have control over you through technology
All you can get
This is all that you will receive
Your sweat glands and pores in your skin
Your body is reacting to the situation
Release spores from within leviathan
Something is growing inside of you
Can't hang unless you swing by the neck
You cannot handle the situation without consequences
Untempered instrumentals got you smooth
The situation is surmountable
As thinking continental cruise
Thinking is like a journey through uncharted territory
Your core bruise until your spine
You are experiencing emotional and physical pain
And press rewind too many times
You cannot dwell on the past too much
And catch several shurikens
You will be attacked unexpectedly
To your mind and soul as I swallow it whole
I will consume your thoughts and emotions
I see you grippin' on Cybertron
You are clinging to technology
Optimist call me crypticon
I am an enigmatic figure
Synchro on quartz tryin' to thwart the upending doom
I am trying to prevent a catastrophic event
Croonin' like coyotes at the moon
I am howling with pleasure
When its almost high noon n*****s swoon like ninjas
People will be affected by the situation
Unite west coast avengers
We must come together to face the challenge
Drift fine swollen member
We must stay fluid and adaptive
Sparkling crackling
There is energy and excitement in the air
Tackling stacked assailants
We are fighting against formidable opponents
Medieval magicians practice under heavy surveillance
We have to be careful and strategic
The ultimate quartet indestructible unpredictable
We are unstoppable and cannot be contained
Symbolic sorcerers collaborate with one trick to pull
We are working together with a common goal
The trick is to focus
We need to stay focused on our objective
Make millions from swollen billions
We will profit greatly from our work
Seek the weak and destroy
We must eliminate any vulnerabilities
Soldiers controlling civilians
We have power and control over others
Deploy the daredevil dimension
We are entering a dangerous situation
Competition cringes
Our rivals are intimidated by us
They couldn't get open if they came equipped with hinges
Our opponents cannot overcome us
Addicted to dope injected by swollen syringes
We are hooked on power and success
This flame thrower singes and burns you to a crisp of ashes
We will destroy anything in our path
I'm ill suffer from constant hot flashes
We are experiencing physical and emotional disruption
Bad rock annihilates violator retaliates
We will punish those who cross us
Vertibreaker will mutilate
We will cause serious harm
Ghost causing sirens
We are causing alarm and chaos
Hands of hostility strangling evil tyrants
We are fighting against oppressive rulers
Who worship the power plant I've seen many strange things
Our enemies have bizarre and sinister intentions
Protect the sacred circle and beware of the changelings
We must stay vigilant and protect what is important
Move the masses changing your acetone mono
We are influencing people's opinions and beliefs
We're high tech phonos slash ?
We are using technology to our advantage
Labyrinth spreading chaotic activity
Our influence is causing chaos and confusion
Wide open door frivolling away like cumulus clouds
Our opportunities are abundant and fleeting
Your a black rose lost in my black flag
You are at our mercy
Motel strange corridors
We are in a precarious situation
With the only sensor receptacles receiving technical difficulties
We are experiencing problems with our equipment
Mics philiac ?
We are obsessed with our microphone
No gimmicks
We are not putting on a show
A patch over your left eye
You are being blinded to the truth
?
This line is indeterminate
While the venomous
We are dangerous and threatening
Serum leaks in your heart print
We are contaminating your thoughts and beliefs
Indent a paragraph and the message is sent
We are making a significant impact
Transparent sentiments
Our intentions are clear
That are radioactive
We are powerful and influential
And leave a fritz like apocalypse
We are causing destruction and chaos
Leaving the former ?
This sentence is incomplete and its meaning is unclear
And the color is tinted
The situation has taken on a new aspect
Enter the uncensored sensor of lord magenta
We are accessing an important source of power
A member of mensa doctor mind bender
We are highly intelligent and skilled
Middle earth fabric tearer like ?
We are destroyers of the natural and supernatural world
My crushed velvet cape drags through the quicksand
Our appearance belies our true nature
And long last and scribe masters with poisonous penmanship
Our words have a powerful impact
Summer equinoxes and winter solstices shift liquid land
The world is changing in unpredictable ways
I lift my crooked hands and orchestrate
I am in control of the situation
The blatant containment of force so fluorescent
Our power is unmistakable
You're surely asking for your melting pot
You are in danger
To be a meeting spot
We have gathered for a specific purpose
For contaminate contestants
We are competing against each other
Even Nostradamus couldn't predict these Nosferatu's
Our actions are beyond prediction
With advanced sharpened lance and pierce you
We will attack with precision and skill
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: GEORGE DON GILMORE, GEORGE ARTHUR RAGAN, ARON ERLICHMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind