The song appeared on an episode of Rescue Me.
"The Widow" is notably the only short, pop-structured song on Frances the Mute, although the album-version features a lengthy, non-radio-friendly, atonal outro of organ and electronic spasms, taking up the later half of the track. The edit of "The Widow" cuts the last instrumental part of the regular album track and fades out when the vocals start to become distorted. It is also the only Mars Volta song to chart in the United States. The song is notable for its consistently high lead vocals which never go below the alto register.
The song features a brief trumpet part from Flea after the second chorus. Omar performs a brief solo in the same section. On the version of the single called "Frances the Mute", the studio version is replaced by a live recording of one of the first performances of the song at The Wiltern in 2004, and features only acoustic guitar and vocals, with some distortion effects.
The single also contains the 14-minute track "Frances the Mute", which was not included on the album of the same name. Many fans, based on comments by the band, consider this additional song as part of the Frances the Mute album and place it first in the running order, before "Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus".
The Widow
The Mars Volta Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Made of clove splintered shards
They're the kind that will talk
Through a wheezing of coughs
And I hear him
Every night
In every pore
He just makes me warm
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Must I hide?
'Cause I'll never
Never sleep alone
Look at how they flock to him
From an isle of open sores
He knows that the taste is such
Such to die for
And I hear him
Every night
On every street
The scales that do slither
Deliver me from
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Then I'll hide
'Cause I'll never
Never sleep alone
Oh, Lord
Said I'm, said I'm
Said I'm, said I'm bloodshot for sure
Pale runs the ghost
Said I'm
Swollen on the shore
Swollen on the shore
Every night
In every pore
The scales that do slither
Deliver me from
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Then I'll hide
'Cause I'll never
Never sleep alone
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Let me die
'Cause I'll never
Never sleep alone
The lyrics to The Mars Volta's song "The Widow" provide a haunting and eerie portrayal of a man with "fasting black lungs made of clove splintered shards." The singer hears him every night "in every pore," and although the man's presence is unsettling, he somehow also manages to make her feel warm. The man seems to be surrounded by people, as the lyrics suggest that "they flock to him" from an "isle of open sores." The singer knows that the man's taste is "such to die for" and hears him every night "on every street." The scales that slither seem to offer the singer some kind of release, although it is not clear exactly what they are delivering her from.
Line by Line Meaning
He's got fasting black lungs
His lungs are consumed by his addiction to smoking, causing them to rapidly deteriorate
Made of clove splintered shardes
The smoking has resulted in his lungs being filled with sharp clove particles
They're the kind that will talk
The sound of his coughing serves as a reminder of the harm smoking has caused
Through a weezing of coughs
His coughing is so severe and constant that it is difficult for him to breathe
And I hear him every night
The artist is tormented by the sound of his coughing every night
In every pore
The coughing is so ingrained in the singer's consciousness, it feels as though it permeates every part of their being
And every time he just makes me warm
Despite the unpleasantness of the coughing, the singer feels comforted by the familiarity of the sound
Freeze without an answer
The artist is experiencing a state of mental paralysis and confusion
Free from all the shame
The artist feels liberated from the guilt that often comes with addiction
Must I hide
The artist feels as though they must hide their feelings about the smoker and their addiction
'Cause I'll never never sleep alone
The singer feels that their connection to the smoker and their addiction is so strong that they will always be affected by it
Look at how they flock to him
Despite the harm he is causing himself, people are still drawn to the smoker and his addictive behavior
From an isle of open sores
The smoker is surrounded by people who are also struggling with addiction and suffering from the consequences
He knows that the taste is such
The smoker is aware that their addiction is driving them to consume something that could ultimately kill them
Such to die for
Despite the risks, the smoker is unable to resist the addictive substance
On every street
The artist hears the coughing everywhere they go, a constant reminder of addiction's grip on the smoker
The scales that do slither
The artist is grappling with the temptations of the addiction and trying to resist its pull
Deliver me from?
The singer wishes to be released from the cycle of addiction and its devastating consequences
Oh Lord
The singer is pleading for divine intervention
Said I'm bloodshot for sure
The artist has been driven to exhaustion and is feeling the physical effects of addiction's toll
Pale runs the ghost
The artist is drained of life and energy, feeling like a ghost of their former self
Swollen on the shore
The artist feels stranded and helpless, unable to escape the pull of addiction
Let me die
The singer acknowledges the deadly consequences of addiction and is resigned to their fate
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: Cedric Bixler, Omar Rodriguez
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rosedawson435
For your Karaoke:
He's got fasting black lungs
Made of clove-splintered shards
They're the kind that will talk
Through a wheezing of coughs
And I hear him every night
In every pore
And every time he just makes me warm
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Must I hide
'Cause I'll never, never sleep alone
Look at how they flock to him
From an isle of open sores
He knows that the taste is such
Is such to die for
And I hear him every night
On every street
The scales that do slither
Deliver me from...
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Then I'll hide
'Cause I'll never, never sleep alone
Oh Lord
Said I'm, said I'm, said I'm,
Said I'm bloodshot for sure
Pale runs the ghost
Swollen on the shore
Every night
In every pore
The scales that do slither
Deliver me from...
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Then I'll hide
'Cause I'll never, never sleep alone
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Let me die
'Cause I'll never, never sleep alone
Like if you use it!
@auswitch
El tiene pulmones negros en ayunas
Hechos de fragmentos astillados de clavos
Ellos son del tipo que habla a través de una ráfaga de tos
Y yo lo oigo cada noche
En cada poro
Y cada vez que el me da calor me congelo sin una respuesta
Me libera sin ninguna vergüenza
Tengo que esconderme
Porque nunca, nunca duermo sola
Mira como todos desembarcan en él
Desde una isla de orillas abiertas
El sabe que el sabor es de una calidad para morirse
Y yo lo oigo cada noche
En cada calle
Las escalas que hacen resbalar
Me liberan del helaje sin respuesta
Libre de toda la vergüenza
Y más tarde me esconderé
Porque nunca, nunca duermo sola
Oh Dios
Lo que digo es que
Estoy inyectada de sangre
Sin duda
Corre pálido el fantasma
Hinchado en la orilla
Cada noche
En cada poro
Los escalones que hacen resbalar me alejan de!
Congelada sin respuesta
Libre de toda vergüenza
Luego me escondo
Porque nunca duermo sola
Congelada sin respuesta
Libre de vergüenza
Déjame morir
Porque nunca volveré a dormir sola.
@hafizalish
He's got fasting black lungs
Made of clove-splintered shards
They're the kind that will talk
Through a wheezing of coughs
And I hear him every night
In every pore
And every time he just makes me warm
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Must I hide
'Cause I'll never, never sleep alone
Look at how they flock to him
From an isle of open sores
He knows that the taste is such
Is such to die for
And I hear him every night
On every street
The scales that do slither
Deliver me from...
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Then I'll hide
'Cause I'll never, never sleep alone
Oh Lord
Said I'm, said I'm, said I'm,
Said I'm bloodshot for sure
Pale runs the ghost
Swollen on the shore
Every night
In every pore
The scales that do slither
Deliver me from...
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Then I'll hide
'Cause I'll never, never sleep alone
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Let me die
'Cause I'll never, never sleep alone
@sarahgil172
He's got fasting black lungs
Made of clove splintered shardes
They're the kind that will talk
Through a weezing of coughs
And I hear him every night
In every pore
And every time he just makes me warm
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Must I hide
'Cause I'll never never sleep alone
Look at how they flock to him
From an isle of open sores
He knows that the taste is such
Such to die for
And I hear him every night
On every street
The scales that do slither
Deliver me from?
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Then I'll hide
'Cause I'll never never sleep alone
Oh Lord
Said I'm bloodshot for sure
Pale runs the ghost
Swollen on the shore
Swollen on the shore
Everynight
In every pore
The scales that do slither
Deliver me from?
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Then I'll hide
'Cause I'll never never sleep alone
Freeze without an answer
Free from all the shame
Let me die
'Cause I'll never never sleep alone
@KenzoTheBuddha
I went to Highschool with them. They were in my art class as seniors and I was a freshman. First time I heard them at battle of the bands on our football field. I knew they would be world famous from 1 minute in!
@aud6571
That's dope as hell!!
@adamsandlersspleen
Were they At The Drive-In at the time?
@alexandracondra3820
So jealous - shoulda made sure you helped or had all those babies
@allenmcdonald1878
Oh wow
@amandaredd3057
dude, that is freaking awesome-sauce
@nikateymurzadeh8284
It's been 11 years, and this song randomly popped into my head.
@jesseisBAWCE
Mine too!
@modiggady
Bro you have no clue! I've had the instrumental in my head but could never remember the name of this song!!! It popped on my Spotify and when it started playing it came right to my head that this was the song!! Thank you Spotify and thank you Mars Volta🤤🤤🍻🍻
@buffalophil3630
Still rocking this amazing song