Their sound has been described as an amalgamation of psychedelic rock, industrial, synth-pop and avant-garde. They have released over 40 records and continuously tour the world.
Members of the band have also collaborated with Nurse With Wound, The Dresden Dolls, Jarboe, HNAS, Jim O'Rourke, Skinny Puppy's cEvin Key, forming The Tear Garden. Ka Spel accompanied Skinny Puppy for a small part of their 1988 European 'Head Trauma' tour in Sweden. Key also appears on the 1994 album 9 Lives to Wonder.
A Sunset for a Swan
The Legendary Pink Dots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Juliet, his future bride, jumps naked in the water. Figure eights
And scuba dives, deep down she's blowing suicide. She
Squeaks and metamorphosizes movie stars and slaughters.
Johnny's staying serious, his face is kind of frozen, one
Eye is completely closed, and one eye is wide open. It swivels
From a sunset to a swan. It weeps for every goddamn thing
That's wrong. When Johnny's holding Juliet, it's like I hold my
Carton. I flick it from the window ledge and stuff it on the
Waterbed. The black smoke rises overhead, then settles over
London. I am staying serious, my face is kind of frozen. One
Eye is completely closed, and one eye's staying open. It
Swivels from a sunset to a swan. It weeps for every goddamn
Thing that's wrong. When Johnny's holding Juliet, it's like he
Holds his cigarette. He hangs her from the window ledge, and
Blows her over London. She'd pick a star and pirouette, she'll
Turn a cartwheel on my head. I grit my teeth, put up with it,
Because it's all for fun.
The lyrics to "A Sunset for a Swan" by The Legendary Pink Dots depict a scene in which a young couple, Johnny and Juliet, are spending time by the riverside. While Johnny sits bored on the riverside, Juliet jumps into the water naked and engages in various activities like figure eights and scuba diving. However, she also contemplates suicide underwater. She also transforms into different movie stars and kills them. Johnny, on the other hand, appears stoic and unfazed by Juliet's activities. He symbolically oscillates between a sunset and a swan, expressing sorrow for everything that is wrong in the world.
The two individuals seem disconnected from each other, even when they are physically touching. As the singer observes Johnny holding Juliet, it is likened to how they hold a cigarette. They squeeze and flick it away, ignoring the warning on the cigarette package. The black smoke from the cigarette rises overhead and settles over London, a metaphor for how our actions can harm others. The singer also appears to be disassociated, reflecting Johnny's behavior, with one eye closed and the other open, rotating from a sunset to a swan.
The song is open to interpretation, but it seems to be addressing themes of disconnection, apathy, and the consequences of our actions. It illustrates the characters' indifference to their surroundings and their own self-destructive acts. The switch between perspectives also causes the audience to question their role in similar situations.
Line by Line Meaning
Johnny with the roving eyes sits bored upon the riverside, as
Johnny sits bored by the river as he watches his fiancé Juliette jump in and out of the water.
Juliet, his future bride, jumps naked in the water. Figure eights
His fiancé Juliette jumps naked in the water, performing figure-eights and scuba-diving.
And scuba dives, deep down she's blowing suicide. She
Juliette scuba-dives and blows suicide, going deep down under the water.
Squeaks and metamorphosizes movie stars and slaughters.
She squeaks like a mouse and transforms into movie stars, while at the same time, slaughtering characters.
Johnny's staying serious, his face is kind of frozen, one
Johnny remains serious, with a frozen face where one eye is closed and one is open.
Eye is completely closed, and one eye is wide open. It swivels
One of Johnny's eyes is fully closed, while the other is wide open, and it swivels to look at different things.
From a sunset to a swan. It weeps for every goddamn thing
The swiveling eye shifts from a sunset to a swan while lamenting every wrong thing in the world.
That's wrong. When Johnny's holding Juliet, it's like I hold my
Johnny holding Juliet is analogous to how the singer handles their cigarette.
Cigarette. I squeeze it, choosing to forget the warning on the
I purposely forget the warning label on my cigarette and squeeze it.
Carton. I flick it from the window ledge and stuff it on the
After flicking the cigarette from the window ledge, I jam it on the waterbed.
Waterbed. The black smoke rises overhead, then settles over
The cigarette's smoke rises and lingers over London.
London. I am staying serious, my face is kind of frozen. One
I also remain serious with a frozen face and swiveling eye.
Eye is completely closed, and one eye's staying open. It
One eye remains closed while the other remains open and looks around.
Swivels from a sunset to a swan. It weeps for every goddamn
The eye shifts from a sunset to a swan while crying over every wrong thing in the world.
Thing that's wrong. When Johnny's holding Juliet, it's like he
When Johnny holds Juliette, it parallels his holding a cigarette.
Holds his cigarette. He hangs her from the window ledge, and
As if to go along with the cigarette analogy, Johnny hangs Juliette from a window ledge.
Blows her over London. She'd pick a star and pirouette, she'll
He blows Juliette over London. She would select a star and twirl while also turning a cartwheel on top of the singer's head.
Turn a cartwheel on my head. I grit my teeth, put up with it,
Juliette cartwheeling on the singer's head makes them grit their teeth, but they accept it and go along with it.
Because it's all for fun.
The odd activity is all done in the name of fun.
Contributed by Kaitlyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.