The Blackwater Fever are an Australian blues guitar-drums band, formed in B… Read Full Bio ↴The Blackwater Fever are an Australian blues guitar-drums band, formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 2005. They were awarded Best Blues & Roots Act at the 2006 Sunshine Coast Music Festival. They issued their debut five-track extended play, Abused Blues, in January 2006 by the founding duo of Shane Hicks on vocals and guitar; and Rick DeMarco on drums.[1] The tracks had been recorded live-in-the-studio at OPM Studios, Brisbane. Hicks and DeMarco co-wrote "Blackwater", which provided the band's name, Hicks later recalled "[we were] brain storming for a band name we were having a hell of a time trying to come up with something. One of the first guitar/drums songs we wrote together was called ‘Blackwater’ and it’s about people catching a fever from drinking tainted water. Put all that together and you have our band name! We found out later that it was a term for severe malaria…. And because we were going for a dark swampy bluesy sound, we thought…. Perfect!"
By 2008 The Blackwater Fever had gained national radio exposure from youth radio station Triple J, on the Home & Hosed (October) and Roots 'n' All (November) segments,and from that station's Unearthed competition for new unsigned bands. In November 2008 they released their debut studio album, Sweet Misery, where DeMarco had been replaced by Andrew Walter on drums.

By late 2010 the line-up was a trio with Hicks and Walter joined by Jed A. Walters on bass guitar and keyboards. However their second album, In Stereo (June 2011), had been recorded before Walters had joined, "[Jed] didn't contribute to this album but he'll definitely be making a big contribution to the next one." Their third album, The Depths, appeared in March 2013 Luke Saunders of Reverb Street Press compared it with the previous two albums "[its] another intriguing step forward following the solid foundations the band laid on their dark and gritty debut, Sweet Misery (2009) and its more refined, equally accomplished follow-up, In Stereo (2011).

Burn Baby Burn
The Blackwater Fever Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She comes and lights my flame
When I was restless in the dark
And she lies beside my frame
To feel a little warmth

Throw our hearts to the fire
Oh and how we did burn
There'll be nothing left but cinder

When the morning comes

Oh baby how I will surrender
And how you set me alight
And I'm shaking like an ember
I'll be your sacrifice

Now in our darkest hour
In the fading of the light
She leaves me here in ashes
Never to return

Burn baby burn

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Blackwater Fever's song "Burn Baby Burn" capture the intensity and passion of a relationship that consumes both individuals involved. The opening lines, "She comes and lights my flame / When I was restless in the dark," paint a picture of a person entering another's life and bringing light and excitement where there was previously uncertainty and darkness. The use of the word "flame" symbolizes both the literal and metaphorical fire that this person ignites within the singer.

As the song progresses, it becomes clear that this relationship is both transformative and destructive. The line "Throw our hearts to the fire / Oh and how we did burn" suggests that the individuals involved willingly threw caution to the wind and fully embraced the intensity of their love. However, there is also a recognition that this level of passion comes with consequences. The line "There'll be nothing left but cinder / When the morning comes" implies that this all-consuming love may ultimately burn out, leaving nothing but ashes behind.

The chorus of the song further exemplifies the intense nature of this relationship. The singer expresses a willingness to surrender to the other person and describes being "set alight" by them. The imagery of shaking like an ember reinforces the idea that this relationship has the power to both ignite and consume.

The final verse brings a sense of finality and despair. The line "Now in our darkest hour / In the fading of the light" suggests that this relationship has reached its breaking point, with the flame fading away. The mention of being left "in ashes" implies that the relationship has not only ended, but has left the singer feeling destroyed and unable to recover. The phrase "Never to return" adds a sense of finality, emphasizing the irreparable nature of the damage caused by this passionate but destructive love.

Line by Line Meaning

She comes and lights my flame
She brings excitement and passion into my life

When I was restless in the dark
During times of uncertainty and darkness

And she lies beside my frame
She stays close to me, offering comfort and support

To feel a little warmth
Seeking solace and affection

Throw our hearts to the fire
Taking risks and giving everything we have

Oh and how we did burn
The intensity of our passion and desire

There'll be nothing left but cinder
After all is said and done, only ashes remain

When the morning comes
When a new day dawns

Oh baby how I will surrender
I willingly give myself over to you

And how you set me alight
You ignite my passion and desire

And I'm shaking like an ember
I am filled with excitement and anticipation