The Flaming Lips are known for their lush, multi-layered arrangements, spacey lyrics and bizarre song titles. They are also acclaimed for their elaborate live shows, which typically feature animal suits, puppets, streamers, video projections and complex stage light configurations.
In 2002, Q magazine named The Flaming Lips one of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die". In 2006, Oklahoma City named a street Flaming Lips Alley in their honor.
The group recorded several albums and EPs for Restless Records in the 1980s and early 1990s. After signing to Warner Brothers, they scored a #9 hit on the Billboard Alternative charts (and #55 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart) in 1994 with "She Don't Use Jelly". Although it would be their only hit single, the band has maintained critical respect and, to a lesser extent, commercial viability with sonically majestic albums such as 1995's Clouds Taste Metallic, 1999's The Soft Bulletin, 2002's Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and 2006's At War with the Mystics. The Flaming Lips' 12th studio album, Embryonic, was released in October of 2009. A complete cover of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon was released in May 2010. The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends, their collaborative album which features artists like Ke$ha, Bon Iver, Nick Cave and Erykah Badu, was released on Record Store Day, April 2012.
Their next studio album, tentatively titled The Terror, will be released in January 2013.
Their song "Do You Realize??" is the official State Rock Song of Oklahoma.
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One Night While Hunting For Faeries and Witches and Wizards To Kill
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And witches and wizards to kill
I came across a hole in a tree in the forest
I climbed inside the tree hole with small fear and loaded my gun
I should have heeded that small fear
I walked towards the wizard's cave shooting to
Shoot out his wizard brains
With a wave of his hand he created a force field
One of them shot through my temple and severed my eyes
Blinded by my own gun, I got up and turned around to run
Stumbling and tripping, I fell, blooded on the ground
The wizard and faeries and witches all came with their medicines to my side
They sprinkled some frog dust on my face, on my face, on my
I saw death's face but somehow his bad grip let me go
I awoke in a strange room with new eyes and that's when I saw her
The lyrics of The Flaming Lips's song "One Night While Hunting For Faeries and Witches and Wizards To Kill" depict a surreal and fantastical experience. The singer describes their pursuit of mythical creatures such as faeries, witches, and wizards, with the intention to harm them. However, their encounter takes an unexpected turn when they enter a hole in a tree and confront a wizard. Despite their determination to shoot the wizard, the singer's bullets are repelled by a force field created by the wizard. In a tragic twist of fate, one of the bullets ricochets and blinds the singer, causing them to stumble and fall.
As the singer finds themselves injured and helpless on the ground, they are surrounded by the very beings they sought to harm. The faeries, witches, and wizard come to their aid, offering them medicinal assistance. The use of "frog dust" implies a magical healing process that miraculously saves the singer's life. After this near-death experience and awakening in a strange room, the singer discovers a new perspective, symbolized by their "new eyes." It is at this moment that they see someone significant, implying the possibility of a profound emotional connection or transformative experience.
The song as a whole conveys themes of consequences, redemption, and the unexpected consequences of one's actions. It explores the boundaries between good and evil, as well as the transformative power of empathy and forgiveness. It suggests that even in the pursuit of harm, there is the potential for redemption and healing.
Line by Line Meaning
One night while hunting for faeries
During one evening, I embarked on a quest to search for mythical creatures known as faeries
And witches and wizards to kill
As part of my mission, I intended to eliminate any witches and wizards I encountered
I came across a hole in a tree in the forest
While exploring the dense forest, I stumbled upon a cavity within a tree
I climbed inside the tree hole with small fear and loaded my gun
Despite feeling a hint of trepidation, I gathered my courage and entered the hollowed tree, preparing my firearm
I should have heeded that small fear
In retrospect, I regret not paying closer attention to that initial feeling of unease
I walked towards the wizard's cave shooting to
Advancing towards the cavern where the wizard resided, I fired my weapon with the intention of
Shoot out his wizard brains
Fatally targeting the wizard's intellectual faculties
With a wave of his hand he created a force field
Using a simple gesture, the wizard generated an impenetrable barrier
My bullets, all ricocheting, bouncing around his old cave
The projectiles I discharged rebounded wildly, careening off the walls of his aged sanctuary
One of them shot through my temple and severed my eyes
Regrettably, one bullet pierced through my temple, resulting in the loss of my eyesight
Blinded by my own gun, I got up and turned around to run
Disoriented and unable to see due to the firearm's unintended consequences, I hastily rose and attempted to flee
Stumbling and tripping, I fell, blooded on the ground
In my disarray, I staggered and stumbled, ultimately collapsing on the bloodstained terrain
The wizard and faeries and witches all came with their medicines to my side
To my surprise, the wizard, along with the faeries and witches, hurriedly approached me with their medicinal remedies
They sprinkled some frog dust on my face, on my face, on my
Delicately, they applied a fine sprinkle of enchanted powder derived from frogs onto my countenance
I saw death's face but somehow his bad grip let me go
In that moment, I glimpsed the visage of death, yet somehow, its grasp on my life slipped away
I awoke in a strange room with new eyes and that's when I saw her
As I regained consciousness, I found myself in an unfamiliar space, yet a newfound clarity allowed me to perceive her presence
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT
Written by: Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind