Retribution
Tanya Tagaq Lyrics


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Our mother grows angry
Retribution will be swift
We squander her soil
and suck out her sweet black blood to burn it
We turn money into God and salivate over opportunities
To crumple and crinkle our souls for that paper
That gold money has spent on us
Left us in small boxes, dark rooms
Bright screens, empty tombs
Left investing our time in hollow philosophies
To placate the fear of our bodies returning back into our mother
Demand awakening
The path we have taken has rotted




Ignite, stand upright, conduct yourself like lightening
Because the retribution will be swift

Overall Meaning

In Tanya Tagaq's song Retribution, the lyrics revolve around the theme of environmental destruction and its impending consequences. The mother referred to in the opening line is Mother Nature herself, who is growing angry at the way humans have been treating her. The following lines express how humans blindly exploit the resources of the earth, including oil, without any regard for the harm caused to the environment. The lyrics metaphorically compare money to God, where the pursuit of wealth becomes the ultimate goal and edifice of our existence. However, the singer draws attention to the fact that this gold has already been spent on us, leaving us in dark rooms and empty tombs, investing our precious time in vain philosophies to disguise our fear of death.


The second half of the song is a call for awakening to the dire consequences of our actions. Conveyed through vivid imagery of a path that has already rotted, the lyrics urge listeners to ignite and stand upright like lightning. The singer seeks to remind listeners that the retribution for our follies will be swift, and it is imperative to conduct ourselves responsibly before it is too late.


Line by Line Meaning

Our mother grows angry
The Earth is becoming increasingly angry with humanity for our careless actions


Retribution will be swift
The consequences of our actions will quickly catch up to us


We squander her soil
We waste the natural resources provided by the Earth


and suck out her sweet black blood to burn it
We relentlessly extract and burn fossil fuels, damaging the planet's ecosystems


We turn money into God and salivate over opportunities
We pursue wealth and material possessions as if they are the ultimate goal in life


To crumple and crinkle our souls for that paper
We sacrifice our well-being and personal fulfillment in order to accumulate wealth


That gold money has spent on us
Our obsession with money has ultimately left us empty and unfulfilled


Left us in small boxes, dark rooms
We live in cramped, isolated environments, disconnected from nature and each other


Bright screens, empty tombs
We spend most of our time staring at screens, leading empty, unfulfilling lives


Left investing our time in hollow philosophies
We pursue shallow, meaningless beliefs and ideologies to fill the void in our lives


To placate the fear of our bodies returning back into our mother
We use these beliefs to cope with our fear of death and the inevitable return of our bodies to the Earth


Demand awakening
It is imperative that we awaken to the reality of the damage we are causing to the planet and ourselves


The path we have taken has rotted
Our current way of life is unsustainable and destructive


Ignite, stand upright, conduct yourself like lightening
We must take action, stand up for what is right, and move quickly to address these problems


Because the retribution will be swift
If we don't take action now, the consequences of our actions will quickly catch up to us




Lyrics Β© Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Bernard Falaise, Jean R. Martin, Jesse Freeman Zubot, Tanya Tagaq Gillis

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@redwillowcreations6919

This matriarch is phenomenal. My 2yr old daughter loves Tanya and imitates her throat singing and performancing.

@mitchybee8258

❀️

@vincent2053

Lol

@SoundShinobiYuki

β€œMoney has spent US”, and the following lines, especially β€œhollow philosophies to placate the fear of returning to our mother”, that was such an eye opener (in the form of a massive backhand) to the disease that is modern capitalism. I’m no minimalist in most senses- but over the last few years I finally learned the philosophy of β€œI have ENOUGH. I don’t NEED this. This doesn't improve anything in my life or make me happy, so I won't own it.”

@torontoguy1097

Inuit woman making art. Making us proud!

@jackiepower2439

So great!

@williamdunn9053

Tanya Tagaq is one of my most favorite Inuit artists

@johnpetten8717

Raw, uncomfortable, primal,addictive. A song like this enrages the spirit within and unleashes it upon the world. I cant get enough

@peterbyrne5004

This is more metal than metal, and more punk than punk.

@cheyennet218

I’m here after listening to BjΓΆrk’s vocal album MedΓΊlla. Tagaq was featured on the song ancestors, and her performance was absolutely mind blowing. Because of this, I wanted to find out more about her.
From just listening to this song, it’s easy to see that Tanya is insanely creative. I have never heard anything like this song before, and that’s coming from a BjΓΆrk fan. I love how the intensity builds throughout the song, making it a beautifully harrowing experience for the listener. Personally, I found this a little hard to digest, because it’s so out of the ordinary, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful. Great work!

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