The Innocence Mission are a folk band featuring the beautiful, mesmerizing … Read Full Bio ↴The Innocence Mission are a folk band featuring the beautiful, mesmerizing vocals of Karen Peris, and the guitar backing of her husband, Don Peris.

Their signature style is dreamy slow songs, with beautiful melodies.

The original band, including Mike Bitts (bass), and Steve Brown (drums), was formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the early 80s when the members met during a Catholic school production of Godspell. Although all members of the band have contributed musically, Karen Peris does most of the group's writing.

Their eponymous debut album, released in 1989 (A&M Records), was produced by Larry Klein, then-husband of Joni Mitchell, and recorded in the couple’s basement recording studio. The album peaked on the Billboard charts at #167 in 1990, and the album’s second track, "Black Sheep Wall", released as a single in 1989, peaked at #22 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks. The album’s fifth track, "Clear to You", was used on the soundtrack of the pilot episode of Beverly Hills 90210. Klein also produced their 1991 follow up, Umbrella.

Their third and final A&M album, Glow, released in 1995 (A&M Records), Was produced by Dennis Herring, who had previously produced two records for Camper Van Beethoven. This album is a departure from Klein's heavier production style. Whereas the first two releases may have brought to mind The Sundays and The Cocteau Twins with their moody keyboards, Herring's lighter touch gave more emphasis to the group's guitar work and to Karen's vocals and lyrics.

Glow contains songs that appear on the soundtracks of the films Empire Records, and Dream for an Insomniac, as well as the television series Party of Five. The album’s second track, Bright as Yellow, peaked on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks at #33.

In 1999 the band recorded for a new label, Badman. Additionally, drummer Steve Brown left the band to pursue a career as a chef. On the subsequent album, Birds of My Neighborhood, Brown played drums and brushes on "Snow," but otherwise the group became a trio. Now bereft of drums, their sound took an even more acoustic direction. Some songs featured just Don and Karen, and a few, such as "She May Turn Around," featured only Karen's voice and instrumentation.

The 2000 release of Christ is My Hope, featuring religious music that had inspired them over the years, was independently released on their own website. Small Planes, released in 2001, featured outtakes from Glow and Birds of My Neighborhood. 2003's Befriended was their next "regular" album.

In 2004, the Innocence Mission released Now the Day is Over, a collection of lullabies. Except for "My Love Goes With You," all songs are cover versions, such as a stripped-down vocal and piano rendition of Henry Mancini's Moon River,

The Innocence Mission's new album We Walked in Song was released March 13, 2007.

Surreal
The Innocence Mission Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Don't fire your gun at the pressure
It's only surreal
Don't heed the crowd noise and laughter
They're only surreal
This is a test
For discovering who really needs you
The answers will come soon enough

You hold my heart
And your fingers are shaking
Don't drop it
Fumbling in darkness
The darkness is only surreal
I know that there is a light in here somewhere
Do you see it?
You'll have to turn it on

Can you see it, now?
Can you see it?
Can you see it, now?
I know that there is a light in here somewhere

Do you see it?
You'll have to turn it on

Overall Meaning

The song "Surreal" by The Innocence Mission is a ballad about the fear of the unknown and the importance of trust in a relationship. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, urging the listener not to give in to the pressure of the unknown and instead trust in the process of discovery. The song encourages us to not let the crowd noise and laughter distract us from our goals, and to instead focus on discovering what is truly important.

Throughout the song, the singer talks about the darkness that surrounds them, but assures their loved one that they hold onto their heart and that they will not let go. The darkness is a symbol of the fear and uncertainty that one might feel when facing the unknown, but the light is a symbol of the hope that can be found by trusting in the process and staying strong.

In the end, the song acknowledges that discovering the answers to our questions may take time, but that trusting in the process and persevering through the darkness will ultimately lead us to the light.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't fire your gun at the pressure
Don't act impulsively under stress

It's only surreal
It's not real

Don't heed the crowd noise and laughter
Don't be influenced by others' opinions

They're only surreal
They're not real

This is a test
This situation is a way to find out who needs you

For discovering who really needs you
To reveal who cares about you

The answers will come soon enough
The results will become clear in time

You hold my heart
You have my affection

And your fingers are shaking
You're nervous or anxious

Don't drop it
Don't let go of our relationship

Fumbling in darkness
Struggling in uncertainty or confusion