Disavowing the punk rock roots of many of their alt-rock contemporaries, they have a diverse, densely layered, and guitar-heavy sound, containing elements of gothic rock, heavy metal, dream pop, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, shoegazing, and, in later recordings, electronica. Corgan is the group's primary songwriter; his musical ambitions and cathartic lyrics have shaped the band's albums and songs, which have been described as "anguished, bruised reports from Billy Corgan's nightmare-land".
The Smashing Pumpkins broke into the musical mainstream with their second album, 1993's Siamese Dream. The group built its audience with extensive touring and their 1995 follow-up, the double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart. 1998's Adore would just barely miss out, peaking at number two. With 30 million albums sold worldwide, the Smashing Pumpkins were one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands of the 1990s. However, internal fighting, drug use, and diminishing record sales led to a 2000 break-up.
In 2006, Corgan and Chamberlin reconvened to record a new Smashing Pumpkins album, Zeitgeist. After touring throughout 2007 and 2008 with a lineup including new guitarist Jeff Schroeder, Chamberlin left the band in early 2009. Later that year, Corgan began a new recording series with a rotating lineup of musicians entitled Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, which encompassed the release of stand-alone singles, compilation EP releases, and two full albums that also fell under the project's scope—Oceania in 2012 and Monuments to an Elegy in 2014. Chamberlin and Iha officially rejoined the band in February 2018. The reunited lineup has released three albums so far—Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. in November 2018, Cyr in November 2020, and ATUM in 2023.
Thru The Eyes Of Ruby
The Smashing Pumpkins Lyrics
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And drag me in with maybes, yeah
Your innocence is treasure, your innocence is death
Your innocence is all I have
Breathing underwater
And living under glass
And if you spin your love around
The secrets of your dreams
And is not quite what it seemed
To appear to disappear
Beneath all your darkest fears
I believe in never
I believe in all the way
But belief is not to notice, belief is just some faith
And faith can't help you to escape
And with this ring I wed thee true
And with this ring I wed thee now
And with this ring I play so dead
But no one's asking for the truth, so let me tell you
If you spin your love around
The secrets of your dreams
You may find your love is gone
And is not quite what it seemed
To appear to disappear
Beneath all your darkest fears
To the revelations of fresh faced youth
No one will come to save you
So speak your peace in the murmurs drawn
But youth is wasted on the young
Your strength is my weakness, your weakness my hate
My love for you just can't explain
Why we're forever frozen, forever beautiful
Forever lost inside ourselves
The night has come to hold us young
The night has come to hold us young
The night has come to hold us young
The night has come to hold us young
The night has come to hold us young
The night has come to hold us young
The lyrics of The Smashing Pumpkins’s song Thru the Eyes of Ruby can be interpreted as a reflection of the singer’s internal struggle between his desire for love and his fear of losing it. The opening lines “Wrap me up in always, and drag me in with maybes” suggest a need for security and assurance, but the following lines “Your innocence is treasure, your innocence is death” illustrate the potential dangers of becoming too attached to someone. The line “Breathing underwater and living under glass” could symbolize the singer’s feeling of suffocation and isolation in his relationship.
The repetitive refrain “If you spin your love around, the secrets of your dreams, you may find your love is gone and is not quite what it seemed” further emphasizes the singer’s anxiety about the fragility of love. The line “To appear to disappear beneath all your darkest fears” suggests that the singer is aware of the possibility of losing his lover due to his own fears and insecurities.
The second half of the song introduces the idea of faith and how it can’t always help us escape our problems. The line “Your strength is my weakness, your weakness my hate” could represent the contradictions and complexities within relationships. The final lines “The night has come to hold us young” could represent a yearning to hold onto the feeling of youth and innocence in love, despite the challenges that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Wrap me up in always
I want you to always be with me, to never leave my side
And drag me in with maybes, yeah
Even if you're not sure, please bring me along and let's find out together
Your innocence is treasure, your innocence is death
Your purity is something I cherish and yet it could also lead to our downfall
Your innocence is all I have
I value your innocence and it's the only thing that keeps me going
Breathing underwater
I feel like I'm struggling to survive in a situation that's suffocating me
And living under glass
I'm trapped and can't escape from a situation that feels like it's under a microscope
And if you spin your love around
If you look at your feelings in a new way
The secrets of your dreams
The hidden things you desire
You may find your love is gone
Your feelings may change
And is not quite what it seemed
It may not be what you thought it was
To appear to disappear
Something can seem like it's fading away
Beneath all your darkest fears
In the depths of your most intense anxieties
I believe in never
I don't believe in anything lasting forever
I believe in all the way
I believe in giving everything I have
But belief is not to notice, belief is just some faith
Believing in something doesn't necessarily mean it's true, it's just a matter of faith
And faith can't help you to escape
Believing in something won't change your situation
And with this ring I wed thee true
I promise to be faithful to you
And with this ring I wed thee now
I commit to you in the present moment
And with this ring I play so dead
I'm going through the motions and pretending to be okay
But no one's asking for the truth, so let me tell you
No one is interested in what's really happening, but I'll tell you anyway
To the revelations of fresh faced youth
Looking back on the mistakes of my younger self
No one will come to save you
You're on your own, no one will rescue you
So speak your peace in the murmurs drawn
Say what you need to say, but don't expect anyone to hear you
But youth is wasted on the young
Young people often don't appreciate or understand the things they have until later in life
Your strength is my weakness, your weakness my hate
The things that make you strong make me feel weak, and the things that make you weak make me feel angry
My love for you just can't explain
I love you, but I can't fully articulate why
Why we're forever frozen, forever beautiful
We're stuck in this moment, but it's a beautiful one
Forever lost inside ourselves
We're trapped in our own thoughts and feelings
The night has come to hold us young
We're trying to hold onto our youth and stay young, but time is passing us by
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIAM PATRICK CORGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind