The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, fo… Read Full Bio ↴The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms the core of the band. The band's current line-up also includes founding member Eva Gardner (bass), Omar's brother Marcel Rodríguez-López (keyboards, synths, percussion), Linda-Philomène Tsoungui (drums) and Leo Genovese (keyboards, saxophone).

Known for their energetic live shows and concept albums, The Mars Volta formed following the break-up of Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala's previous band, At the Drive-In. Seeking to experiment and expand their sound, Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala recruited Gardner, Isaiah "Ikey" Owens (keyboards), Jon Theodore (drums) and Jeremy Ward (sound manipulation) to form The Mars Volta. The band released their debut EP, Tremulant, in 2002, with Gardner leaving the band prior to recording their debut album, De-Loused in the Comatorium. She was replaced by Red Hot Chili Peppers bass guitarist Flea for the sessions. The Rick Rubin-produced album received widespread critical acclaim upon its release in 2003.

The band's second studio album, Frances the Mute (2005), was self-produced by Rodríguez-López and was the first to feature longterm members Juan Alderete (bass) and Marcel Rodríguez-López. The album debuted at #4 on the US Billboard 200 and became the band's biggest commercial success, selling over 500,000 copies in the US and achieving Gold certification from the RIAA. The band's third studio album, Amputechture, was released in 2006 and was the last album to feature Theodore. In 2008, the band released The Bedlam in Goliath, a concept album inspired by the band's turbulent experiences with a ouija-type talking board. The album's first single, "Wax Simulacra" was awarded a Grammy Award in 2009 for Best Hard Rock Performance. The band released its fifth album, Octahedron, in June 2009.

Following the release of their sixth album, Noctourniquet (2012), and a run of reunion shows with At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta entered a hiatus in September 2012. Rodríguez-López subsequently formed a new project, Bosnian Rainbows, and the band formally broke up after disagreements between Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala. The duo repaired their friendship and reunited in 2014 for a new project, Antemasque, and further At the Drive-In tours and recording sessions.

Reuniting in secret in 2019, Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala recorded a new studio album, The Mars Volta, with Gardner, Marcel Rodríguez-López and drummer Willy Rodriguez Quiñones. The band announced their reunion – after ten years of public inactivity – with an art installation called L'ytome Hodorxí Telesterion, in June 2022. For the band's live return, jazz pianist Leo Genovese and drummer Linda-Philomène Tsoungui were added to the line-up.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mars_Volta

Studio albums
De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003)
Frances the Mute (2005)
Amputechture (2006)
The Bedlam in Goliath (2008)
Octahedron (2009)
Noctourniquet (2012)
The Mars Volta (2022)
Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazon (2023)

Asilos Magdalena
The Mars Volta Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Enfermo llegue
Y para componerme ando de vago
No me des tu obedencia
Porque te enseño mi cuerpo de lobo
De donde la piel estuvo débil
Con una hambre que no me deje cantar

En mi vida

El oscuro me mantiene
Cuando yo te vi
En la lluvia me prometistes tu sangre
Yo no me quedo, en mi vida
El oscuro me mantiene
Cuando yo te vi
En la lluvia me prometistes tu sangre
Yo no me quedo

Y ya que caíste de este mundo
Cargo una navaja, Dios mío, para ti
¿Cuantas veces me mordiste?
¿Y cuantas veces yo me fui?

Ya no me estoy enamorado
Con tus mentiras
El infierno me duermo
Porqué el infierno es la unica verdad

En mi vida
El oscuro me mantiene
Cuando yo te vi
En la lluvia me prometistes tu sangre
Yo no me quedo, en mi vida
El oscuro me mantiene
Cuando yo te vi
En la lluvia me prometistes tu sangre
Yo no me quedo

Estrella de la mañana
Samael, te persigo a ti
Y si me quedo sin alas
Además me muero por ti

Estrella de la mañana
Samael, te persigo a ti
Y si me quedo sin alas
Además me muero por ti

Estrella de la mañana
Samael, te persigo a ti
Y si me quedo sin alas
Además me muero por ti

Estrella de la mañana
Samael, te persigo a ti
Y si me quedo sin alas
Además me muero por ti

Estrella de la mañana
Samael, te persigo a ti

Y si me quedo sin alas
Además me muero por ti

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Mars Volta's song Asilos Magdalena are centered around themes of darkness, obsession, and desire. The singer of the song is a troubled individual who is sick and struggling to compose himself. He warns the listener to not give him obedience because he reveals himself as a "body of a wolf" who is weakened by an insatiable hunger that prevents him from singing. The darkness in his life seems to be a constant presence that he cannot escape, but he finds himself drawn to an ambiguous "you" who promises him her blood.

The singer declares that he won't stay in his life because the darkness maintains a hold on him. His description of his infatuation with the mysterious "you" is disturbing and violent, as he carries a knife to protect himself from her bites. However, he ultimately declares that he is no longer in love with her lies and that he sleeps in hell because it is the only truth. The song concludes with repeated chants of "Estrella de la mañana" (Morning Star) and "Ismael te persigo a ti" (Ismael, I pursue you), showing that the singer's obsession and desire persist despite his claims of moving on.

Overall, the lyrics of Asilos Magdalena convey a sense of tortured emotion and spiritual unrest. The singer's struggle with darkness and his desire for the mysterious "you" create a sense of tension and unease, which is heightened by the song's complex and unconventional musical structure.

Line by Line Meaning

Enfermo llegue
I arrived sick

y para componerme ando de vago
and I wander around to compose myself

No me des tu obediencia
Don't give me your obedience

por que te ense~no mi cuerpo de lobo
because I show you my wolf-like body

a donde la piel estuvo debil
where the skin was weak

con una hambre que no me deja cantar
with a hunger that doesn't let me sing

En mi vida,
In my life,

el oscuro me mantiene
the darkness keeps me

cuando yo te vi
when I saw you

en la lluvia me prometistes tu sangre
in the rain, you promised me your blood

Yo no me quedo en mi vida
I don't stay in my life

el oscuro me mantiene
the darkness keeps me

cuando yo te vi
when I saw you

en la lluvia me prometistes tu sangre
in the rain, you promised me your blood

yo no me quedo
I don't stay

Y ya que caiste de este mundo
And since you fell from this world

cargo una navaja
I carry a knife

dios mio
my God

para ti
for you

Cuantas veces me mordiste
How many times did you bite me

y cuantas veces yo me fui
and how many times did I leave

Y ya no me estoy enamorado
And I'm not in love anymore

con tus mentiras
with your lies

el infierno me duermo
I fall asleep in hell

por que el infierno es la unica verdad
because hell is the only truth

Estrella de la mañana
Morning Star

Ismael te persigo a ti
Ismael, I pursue you