Angels of Light include many New York City collaborators, including Dana Schechter of Bee and Flower, Kid Congo Powers of The Cramps, Larry Mullins aka Toby Dammit, Bliss Blood of The Moonlighters and Pain Teens, Thor Harris of Shearwater, and most recently the Brooklyn band Akron/Family.
Gira talks about the Angels project :
I write the songs on acoustic guitar, then gather musicians and friends, and build up the orchestrations with them in the studio and in live performances. I guide the process, but solicit their creative contributions actively. Each recording contains the contributions of an ever-changing plethora of amazing musicians, whom I thank here heartily!
After many years (too many to comfortably contemplate!) of dwelling on "sonic overload" with Swans, I now concentrate on augmenting the songs I write with orchestrations that support the basic song, rather than the sound itself taking over.
My goal is to achieve the same sense of magic I experienced as a child listening to Burle Ives recordings of Brer Rabbit and other such marvels, including the early Disney children's records I listened to long ago.
I view the arrangements as little films created to make a context for the words and voice, so that one can drift off into the world the music creates. I produce the Angels recordings, and the production of the recordings is as important to me as the songs themselves.
Most of the instruments used in the recordings are acoustic, but not all. Electric guitars, bass and drums etc., are sometimes used (as well as an occasional electronic sound, or loop), but I intentionally steer clear of a "Rock" sound. It doesn't interest me at all any more.
However, I have no particular fealty to "The Song" as if it were some sacred codex. On the other hand, just sitting around my house, writing these things, and finally coming up with a statement that I think makes sense, I want to bring them to life as much as possible, in new and challenging ways for both myself and you, so I always strive to present them in a fresh and interesting context.
For this reason, I'm always changing the sonic approach from record to record.
All Angels of Light albums have been released on Michael Gira's label Young God Records.
The name Angels of Light was first used by the spiritual theater group founded by drag queen Hibiscus of The Cockettes. It is not known whether Gira's group was named in homage to Hibiscus's similarly metaphysically-minded group.
Two Women
The Angels of Light Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
on your porcelain white back
and you, you cut the cord in me,
and you, you wore the mask—
painted red, with golden cross,
and in your hands of glitter blue,
you hold the knife that cuts the sun,
the polished knife, it cuts me too.
and I thank you for my birth,
I hear your voice, like silver crystals,
raining tears upon these words.
And I, I remember
I remember who you were.
I saw you standing in the ruins,
cut from white stone and yellow earth . . .
Then you come for me . . .
Through the hills of iron,
through the leaves of rust,
through the turning white mist,
through the steel wire and underbrush,
through the lines that mark your face,
through the living joy that I erased,
beneath the pools of shining glass,
beneath the water and through the past . . .
You come for me, and you come for me . . .
You put your eyes in my head,
you put your voice in my mouth,
you put your mind in my mind,
you put your blood in my blood,
you put your hand into my side,
you put your lips onto my skin...
and you come for me, you come for me . . .
and you come . . .
And the fire will burn my eyes out,
but the truth will refuse to leave my mouth.
And the water will run thick black,
and this planet will rupture and crack.
And you people will whisper with her name,
and your children will curl up in the flames.
And her fingers will touch the empty space,
and the starlight will shine behind her face.
And her body will show the secret heat,
and the ocean will gather at her feet.
And her two arms will hold the life I lost,
but her blue eyes will nullify the cost—
of attrition, self-hate and inner rage,
running down my face and through my veins.
I'll kneel naked upon the burning coals,
I'll steal the diamond that flashes in your soul,
if you'll come for me—
if you come for me—
Will you come for me . . . ?
And we'll rise above,
we'll rise and rise and rise above . . .
(I can't live without you.)
The song "Two Women" by The Angels of Light is a hauntingly beautiful tribute to a woman who has had a profound impact on the singer's life. The opening lines describe the act of writing a poem on the woman's back, which implies a deep level of intimacy between them. The woman is depicted as a powerful, almost mythic figure who has "cut the cord" in the singer, freeing him from some form of emotional bondage. She is also described as wearing a mask painted red with a golden cross, which suggests a link to Christian symbolism and the idea of sacrifice. The woman holds a knife that "cuts the sun," which could potentially represent her ability to control or manipulate the world around her. Despite her power, however, the singer is "nailed onto her shadow," suggesting that he is in some way dependent on her.
As the song progresses, the singer describes the woman's journey to find him, "through the hills of iron, through the leaves of rust." She puts her eyes, voice, mind, blood, hand, and lips onto him, which could symbolize an intense merging of their identities. The singer is willing to endure intense pain and hardship if it means being reunited with her. The final verse speaks of fire, water, and the end of the world, but the woman remains a constant presence. She holds the singer's lost life in her arms and nullifies the cost of his suffering. The song ends with a plea for her to come for him, so that they can rise together above it all.
Overall, "Two Women" is a complex and emotionally charged song that explores themes of intimacy, sacrifice, dependency, and transcendence. It is open to a variety of interpretations and can be read as a love song, a religious allegory, or something else entirely.
Line by Line Meaning
I, I wrote a poem on your porcelain white back
The singer used their words to symbolically express their love for someone else.
and you, you cut the cord in me,
The beloved killed the singer's ability to feel independent from them.
and you, you wore the mask- painted red, with golden cross,
The beloved presented a false persona to others that was embellished with religious symbolism and sexual desire.
and in your hands of glitter blue, you hold the knife that cuts the sun,
The beloved has immense power and can control even things as large and powerful as the sun.
the polished knife, it cuts me too.
The beloved's power extends to the artist, as they are also controlled by the beloved.
And I'm nailed onto your shadow, and I thank you for my birth,
The singer is completely dependent on the beloved for their sense of self and existence and is grateful to them for it.
I hear your voice, like silver crystals, raining tears upon these words.
The beloved's words are as clear and precious as crystals, full of emotion that moves the singer to tears.
And I, I remember I remember who you were.
The artist fondly reminisces on the beloved's past self, before they became who they are now.
I saw you standing in the ruins, cut from white stone and yellow earth . . . Then you come for me
The beloved is a broken version of their former self and seeks to find solace by controlling the artist.
Through the hills of iron, through the leaves of rust... You come for me
The beloved seeks the artist through harsh and gritty environments and circumstances.
You put your eyes in my head, you put your voice in my mouth... and you come for me
The beloved is so intertwined with the singer that their own senses and abilities are replaced with the beloved's.
And the fire will burn my eyes out, but the truth will refuse to leave my mouth.
The artist will not sacrifice their own beliefs and feelings even if it means great pain and destruction for them.
And the water will run thick black, and this planet will rupture and crack.
The singer predicts terrible things that will occur but the beloved's power renders them not afraid.
And her fingers will touch the empty space, and the starlight will shine behind her face.
The beloved can manipulate space and time and is an otherworldly being, full of mysterious and beguiling power.
And her body will show the secret heat, and the ocean will gather at her feet.
The beloved is able to control even the immense power of the ocean, a symbol of great power in and of itself.
And her two arms will hold the life I lost, but her blue eyes will nullify the cost—
The beloved has healing power, able to resurrect what was lost at great personal cost, but loses none of their own strength, represented by their eyes.
of attrition, self-hate and inner rage, running down my face and through my veins.
The artist has intense emotional pain that they feel inside and out, a constant source of inner turmoil.
I'll kneel naked upon the burning coals, I'll steal the diamond that flashes in your soul... if you'll come for me— if you come for me— Will you come for me...?
The singer will go to great lengths to obtain more of the beloved's power, even if it means painful sacrifice, and still has total devotion and reliance on the beloved.
And we'll rise above, we'll rise and rise and rise above . . . (I can't live without you.)
Together, the singer and the beloved will transcend mortal limitations and exist in a state of boundless power and love.
Contributed by Kaitlyn O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.