The four members of The Deadly Syndrome are Chris Richard, William Etling, … Read Full Bio ↴The four members of The Deadly Syndrome are Chris Richard, William Etling, Mike Hughes, and Jesse Hoy.

The first time I met Mike from The Deadly Syndrome, he was throwing up on my couch. He had been out drinking the night before with Will, tore the head off a paper mache dummy, wrestled it across a stranger’s front lawn and then stumbled up to my house (I was living with Will and Jesse, and soon Chris would move into the garage) where he puked all over everything and passed out.

There was a lot of that sort of thing when The Deadly Syndrome first got together. Everyone was running around having fun, working shitty jobs, and writing music all the time. The house was drowning in instruments. There were cheap old organs that somebody picked up off Craigslist. Guitars, pianos, keyboards, violins, all broken down and beat up, just laying around in case somebody needed them.

The weeks started to revolve around shows. You know how whenever someone says, “You should check out my friend’s band?” how your immediate reaction is “are you saying that just because they’re your friend?” I never had that problem. The guys attacked the stage; the audience lost their minds. Their shows were like festivals (with lots of cardboard cut outs). It was a wonderful couple of years.

And then it stopped being fun.

It’s a cliché to say that youth is fleeting. But it’s true. And it’s hard to separate youth from rock and roll. That’s not to say The Deadly Syndrome are a bunch of geriatrics, they aren’t. But after two years of being together they were four guys who loved music, but still weren’t able to do it for a living. Four guys who were getting older and starting to think about things like financial security, maybe starting a family, having a car that didn’t break down all the time, getting health insurance, etc – all the stuff that keeps making more and more noise as the years go by and you start growing up.

And growing up is tricky business in rock and roll. Because the truth is that while age doesn’t stifle creativity, it certainly encourages stagnation. And stagnation leads to a sad and boring road that either ends with too much thinking about The Good Old Days or Fat Elvis.

So after a couple of years I think the guys weren’t sure what to do. If you’ll allow me another cliché, things were starting to feel like an ending, rather than a beginning. At this point they could have very easily broken up. Left on good terms and gone their separate ways. Or they could have written another Ortolan. Similar songs played in the same venues, stretching out the good times as far as they could. Instead they moved all of their stuff into a cabin up in the woods and started over.

There weren’t a lot of updates, no hand wringing or bragging, nothing specific, just the occasional word that things were moving along. And then one day after about nine months had gone by, they let everyone know that they had finished an album and were calling it Nolens Volens.

The songs, the production, it all seems to be the work of a band that has found its strengths, and is busy seeing how far they can push them. You can hear the earlier, younger band throughout all the songs, but there’s something else there as well. A sort of self-assurance that gives each song its own life and space, along with a patience that usually isn’t associated with rock and roll.

More than anything else though, Nolens Volens is about growing up. About the give and take that comes with age and responsibility, about remembering the energy of youth and infusing it into a new, older life.

Or not. Fuck it, maybe I’m over thinking it. Maybe they just made a great record and plan to release it later this year and that’s all there is to it. After all, they’re all still in their 20’s for god’s sake! Why am I talking about growing up? There’s still plenty of time for being young, playing the music too loud, and puking all over everything just before passing out.

–Jason Greene

Wolves in the Garden
The Deadly Syndrome Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You say you're going to
The garden, and I should come and play
I feel like I should tell you there,
There were wolves there yesterday

We walked and I said nothing
I didn't want to hurt the mood
I know we can't outrun them

But the flowers smell so good

Those wolves in the garden
Wolves in the garden...
Wolves in the garden...
Ahhhhh
It's a sunny morning
They gave no warning
Those wolves, those wolves
In the garden

I know I could have saved us
But we'd have never known this day
If this is where we had to go
Well then I'm glad we went this way

All that's left to see is
What kind of flowers we'll become
I'm sure we'll be the kind
That bring children out into the sun

Those wolves in the garden
Wolves in the garden...
Wolves in the garden...
Wolves in the garden...
It's a rage storm forming
It gave no warning
Those wolves, those wolves
In the garden

Wolves in the garden...
Wolves in the garden
In the garden...
Wolves in the garden...
Wolves in the garden...

Wolves in the garden...
Wolves in the garden...
Wolves in the garden...
Wolves in the garden...

Wolves in the garden...

In the garden...
Wolves in the garden...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Deadly Syndrome's song "Wolves in the Garden" speak to the idea that danger can unexpectedly come in the midst of beauty. The singer is warned of the wolves in the garden but chooses to ignore it, wanting to enjoy the moment and the beauty of the flowers in the garden. The wolves are symbolic of the unpredictable and dangerous aspects of life that can come unexpectedly, even in the midst of something beautiful. The singer reflects that while the wolves may not have been ultimately outrun, it was worth taking the risk and experiencing the beauty of the garden. The final lines suggest that despite the danger, the singer is optimistic about what is to come and the positive impact they will have on the world.

The song's lyrics can be interpreted in a variety of ways, depending on the listener's individual experiences and perspectives. Nonetheless, it speaks to the idea that life can be dangerous and unpredictable, yet ultimately worth experiencing for the moments of beauty that can make it all worthwhile.

Line by Line Meaning

You say you're going to
You mention that you are heading towards

The garden, and I should come and play
The garden you mentioned is a place to have fun and so, you request me to accompany you

I feel like I should tell you there,
However, I sense the need to inform you about something

There were wolves there yesterday
A pack of wolves were sighted at the garden yesterday

We walked and I said nothing
As we walked, I kept silent

I didn't want to hurt the mood
I refrained from expressing my concerns as I didn't want to spoil the good mood

I know we can't outrun them
I am aware that we cannot escape the wolves by running away from them

But the flowers smell so good
Despite the danger, the scent of the flowers is too tempting to ignore

Those wolves in the garden
The pack of wolves in the garden

It's a sunny morning
It is currently a bright and pleasant day

They gave no warning
The wolves appeared suddenly without any indication

Those wolves, those wolves
Those dangerous creatures, those dangerous creatures

I know I could have saved us
I believe that I could have prevented any potential danger

But we'd have never known this day
However, if I had intervened, this unique day might not have happened

If this is where we had to go
If this was the designated place we decided to go to

Well then I'm glad we went this way
Then, I am content that we chose to visit it anyway

All that's left to see is
Our current focus is to witness

What kind of flowers we'll become
What we will ultimately blossom into

I'm sure we'll be the kind
I am confident that we will turn out to be one of a kind

That bring children out into the sun
The type that lures the young ones outside to play under the sun

It's a rage storm forming
It seems that a destructive situation is brewing

It gave no warning
This impending disaster provides no signs of warnings

Wolves in the garden...
The pack of wolves in the garden...

In the garden...
Inside the garden...

Wolves in the garden...
The pack of wolves in the garden...

Lyrics © TUNECORE INC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Christopher Richard, Jesse Charles Hoy, Michael Hughes, William Etling

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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