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)
Ouroborous
The Mars Volta Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quoting alarms
Guillotine smirks
In your house I smothered
Sight unseen
Sworn to harm
Ground to a powder
Don't you ever, ever, ever trust my mercy
Don't you ever, ever, ever trust my mercy
When will you flirt with all that's burning
Keep them safe and by your side
Of all that's left
A lucid home
Anecdote settles
In the smear of this corpse
If the larvae speaks
Ask where to go
They mount the maker
With a sulfur in fume
Don?t you ever, ever, ever trust my mercy
Don?t you ever, ever, ever trust my mercy
When will you flirt with all that's burning
Keep them safe and by your side
Of all the warnings that you gave me
With all components in the fault
Have you ever heard me scraping it will be hard to hold
Don't you ever, ever, ever trust my mercy
Don't you ever, ever, ever trust my mercy
When will you flirt with all that's burning
Keep them safe and by your side
Of all the warnings that you gave me
With all components in the fault
Have you ever heard me scraping it will be hard to hold
All I hear mending the gap
Fall in here might not make it back
Call that someone may they hear you
Take me with you It's not safe in here
And all you ask is why, why, why
And all you ask is why I'm certain
You're holding on
Mirror floats to the surface (holding on)
Of all the warnings that you gave me
With all components in the fault
Have you ever heard me scraping it will be hard to hold
Of all the warnings that you gave me
With all components in the fault
Have you ever heard me scraping it will be hard to hold
They lost the presence they were holding
Looks like the tenants flickered off
If the cell that holds me breaks me
It'll be hard to hold
The Mars Volta's song Ouroborous is a cryptic and surreal narrative that explores the themes of trust, betrayal, and loss through a series of abstract and enigmatic images. The first stanza sets the tone for the song with its menacing and ominous imagery of alarms, guillotines, and suffocation. The lyrics suggest a sense of danger and impending doom, as if the singer is warning their companion of some impending threat. The repetition of the phrase "Don't you ever, ever, ever trust my mercy" underscores the message of mistrust and sense of unease permeating the song.
The second stanza continues the surreal tone with images of burning and larvae, which could signify the destructive and transformative powers of fire and metamorphosis. The line "Of all that's left, a lucid home" creates a paradoxical image of clarity and stability amidst chaos and destruction. The following lines also suggest a sense of journey and exploration, as the singer searches for a way to escape or transcend their current state.
The final stanza of the song is the most cryptic and abstract, with lines that seem to defy easy interpretation. The imagery of a floating mirror and tenants flickering off creates a sense of disorientation and fragmentation, as if the singer's reality is falling apart. The line "If the cell that holds me breaks me, it'll be hard to hold" suggests a sense of vulnerability and fragility, as the singer faces the possibility of losing control or being broken apart.
Overall, the lyrics of Ouroborous create a haunting, dreamlike landscape that invites multiple interpretations and resonates with a sense of unease and disconnection.
Line by Line Meaning
It appears to me
It seems like something to me
Quoting alarms
Referencing warnings
Guillotine smirks
A tool for execution smiling in a mocking way
In your house I smothered
I suffocated in your home
Sight unseen
Without being seen
Sworn to harm
Promised to cause damage
Ground to a powder
Reduced to dust
And soaked through the board
Absorbed into the floor
Don't you ever, ever, ever trust my mercy
Do not ever rely on my kindness
When will you flirt with all that's burning
When will you choose to engage with dangerous things
Keep them safe and by your side
Ensure their safety and proximity
Of all that's left
The only remaining thing
A lucid home
A clear and understandable residence
Anecdote settles
A story or account finds a place to rest
In the smear of this corpse
Amidst the smudge left by a dead body
If the larvae speaks
If the young insect talks
Ask where to go
Inquire about where to travel
They mount the maker
They climb the creator
With a sulfur in fume
Emitting a gas with a distinctive odor
Of all the warnings that you gave me
Out of every caution you expressed to me
With all components in the fault
With all the parts broken
Have you ever heard me scraping it will be hard to hold
Did you ever imagine how difficult it will be for me to maintain control?
All I hear mending the gap
All I can perceive is the act of bridging a division
Fall in here might not make it back
Entering this place could cause permanent consequences
Call that someone may they hear you
Requesting that someone listens to you
Take me with you It's not safe in here
Let me accompany you as it is dangerous here
And all you ask is why, why, why
Your only question is 'why?'' repeated multiple times
And all you ask is why I'm certain
You inquire about my certainty despite repeatedly asking why
You're holding on
You are maintaining a grip
Mirror floats to the surface (holding on)
A reflection appears on top of the water
They lost the presence they were holding
They can no longer maintain the essence they were grasping
Looks like the tenants flickered off
It seems that the occupants disappeared suddenly
If the cell that holds me breaks me
If the confinement that contains me shatters my spirit
It'll be hard to hold
It will be challenging to keep myself from falling apart
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CEDRIC BIXLER, OMAR RODRIGUEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind