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)
Copernicus
The Mars Volta Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you want to seen her breathing again
Blur the days
Sleeping is just not an option
How come every time I walk, you crawl?
Then you cut out all the letters that make up this note
Until I find what happened to you
The solution inhaled from the rag I hold
Holds a maximum vacancy
As I held you in crippled bandages
Don't you stay up and wait for me
Left dangling in the wind
You're not there
I poke needles in the neck of a doll
She pokes back
Asking why can't I just let her lie
How come every time I walk, you crawl?
Then you cut out all the letters that make up this note
I won't, I won't give up until I find out
Until I find what happened to you
The solution inhaled from the rag I hold
Holds a maximum vacancy
As I hold you in crippled bandages
Don't you stay up and wait for me
Left dangling in the wind
Don't let the days escape
What I did brings more of them
And we'll be waiting just for them
[Repeat: x2]
Over my dead body
Over the search they lead
They won't find them anymore
[Repeat: x2]
The solution inhaled from the rag I hold
Holds a maximum vacancy
As I hold you in crippled bandages
Don't you stay up and wait for me
Left dangling in the wind
The lyrics to The Mars Volta's "Copernicus" are a haunting reflection on love and obsession, as well as the aftermath of loss. The opening lines urge the listener to "close the doors" in order to see the object of the singer's desire breathing again, suggesting that some kind of injury or trauma has occurred. The next few lines express the singer's inability to sleep, possibly due to anxiety or grief.
The phrase "How come every time I walk, you crawl?" is repeated throughout the song, which seems to reflect the power dynamic between the singer and the object of their obsession. The singer feels as though they are always moving too fast for the other person, who is unable to keep up. The use of a doll as a metaphor for the missing person is particularly striking, as the singer pokes needles into its neck in a gesture of frustration.
The repeated refrain of "The solution inhaled from the rag I hold / Holds a maximum vacancy" adds to the overall sense of unease and desperation in the song. The solution could refer to some kind of drug, possibly used to ease the singer's pain or help them forget. The final lines, "Don't let the days escape / What I did brings more of them / And we'll be waiting just for them," suggest that the singer is stuck in a cycle of obsession and pain that they cannot escape.
Line by Line Meaning
Close the doors
We need to close the doors to see if she's still breathing.
If you want to seen her breathing again
Closing the doors will help us better identify if she's breathing.
Blur the days
Time seems to be moving very slowly, we need to blur the days to make them go faster.
Sleeping is just not an option
We cannot rest or sleep, we need to stay alert and vigilant to find out what happened.
How come every time I walk, you crawl?
I am moving forward and trying to find answers, why are you falling behind?
Then you cut out all the letters that make up this note
Someone is trying to hide something and is cutting out important information that would help us uncover the truth.
I won't, I won't give up until I find out
I am determined to keep going until I find out what happened.
Until I find what happened to you
I won't stop until I get answers about what happened to her.
The solution inhaled from the rag I hold
I have a solution from a rag that I am holding onto.
Holds a maximum vacancy
The rag has the most potent solution that can help us understand what happened.
As I held you in crippled bandages
I have held onto you with the limited resources available to me.
Don't you stay up and wait for me
Don't wait up for me to come back, I might be gone for a long time.
Left dangling in the wind
You are left helpless, without anyone looking out for you.
You're not there
The person I'm looking for is not around, making it harder to find her.
I poke needles in the neck of a doll
I am taking out my frustrations by harming a toy doll.
She pokes back
The doll is not the only one being hurt, I am being hurt in return.
Asking why can't I just let her lie
The doll is questioning why I can't leave her alone and let her rest in peace.
Don't let the days escape
We need to make the most of every day and not let any time go to waste.
What I did brings more of them
Our actions influence the amount of time we have left, and we need to be careful with how we spend it.
And we'll be waiting just for them
We will be waiting for the days to come, in hopes of finding answers and closure.
Over my dead body
I am willing to do whatever it takes, even if it means risking my own life.
Over the search they lead
I won't let anyone else lead the search, I will take charge of the investigation.
They won't find them anymore
The ones we are looking for are gone, but we will keep looking for answers.
The solution inhaled from the rag I hold
The rag with the solution is still in my possession.
Holds a maximum vacancy
The rag still has enough potent solution to help us find answers.
As I hold you in crippled bandages
I am still holding onto you with the limited resources that I have at my disposal.
Don't you stay up and wait for me
I can't guarantee that I will be back soon, so don't wait for me.
Left dangling in the wind
We are still left in the dark, with no clear answers in sight.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CEDRIC BIXLER, OMAR RODRIGUEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind