For each Swirling Eddies release, band members adopted pseudonyms for the liner notes; "Camarillo Eddy" (Terry Scott Taylor), "Berger Roy Al" (Tim Chandler), "Gene Pool" (Greg Flesch), "Arthur Fhardy" (Rob Watson), "Spot" (Jerry Chamberlain), "Hort Elvison" (David Raven) and, on later albums, "Prickly Disco" (Gene Eugene). These pseudonyms were dropped for their third album, Zoom Daddy.
The band released its debut album on Alarma Records in 1988 entitled Let's Spin!. 1989's Outdoor Elvis featured the band's first two radio hits, "Driving in England" and "Hide the Beer the Pastor's Here!". The title track included classic lines such as: "It's said he croons when the moon's above, singing tenderly 'Hunk of Burning Love.'" The band's documentary video, Spittle and Phlegm was released the following year.
The band's stage shows are rare and unusual, to say the least. Since the band was formed in the late 1980s, they have only performed about six or seven live concerts. In 1990, the band performed at The Cornerstone Festival in drag, belting out covers like "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar", The Animals' "We've Got To Get Out Of This Place", The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World".
In 2004, the band began to work on their first album of original, new material in ten years entitled The midget, the speck and the molecule. The first new song to surface, a rough mix of "Giants in the Land," was made available in March of 2007 exclusively to people that preordered the album before it was finished. The recording sessions ended in May of 2007 and the album was released on July 23, 2007
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Hell Oh
The Swirling Eddies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is anyone here?
You don't get the picture
Hell glows bright and clear
And I'm just a cynic talking about a white-bleached sepulchre
I'm bringing ants to your picnic
They're feeding on a dead man's bones
Hello
Isn't it clear?
Have I failed to tell you?
Heaven is oh so near
There once was a cynic who talked about a white-bleached sepulchre
I'm the bee at your picnic who stung you 'til you had to run home
Countdown to occupation, oh, oh, oh, oh
Countdown to salvation, oh, oh, oh, oh
Hello
The Swirling Eddies's song Hell Oh is a sarcastic take on the theme of heaven and hell. The lyrics start with the singer sarcastically asking if anyone is there, referring to the idea of hell not being real. The next line "you don't get the picture, Hell glows bright and clear" insinuates that the listener is not understanding the serious nature of the subject matter. The singer then refers to themselves as a cynic, and talks about a "white-bleached sepulchre", which is a biblical reference to a tomb that is beautifully adorned on the outside, but on the inside is full of dead people's bones. The singer then talks about bringing ants to the listener's picnic, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for bringing unpleasantness or destruction to their comfort. The ants are also feeding on a dead man's bones, a metaphor for the decay and ugliness of death.
The song then switches to a more positive tone when the singer talks about heaven being near. However, this tone is quickly reversed with the singer referring to themselves as the bee at the listener's picnic who stung them until they had to run home. This again is a metaphor for the unpleasantness that comes with the subject matter of heaven and hell, and how it's not always easy to confront. The "countdown to tribulation, occupation, salvation" lines signify that the time is coming for individuals to confront the idea of heaven and hell, whether it be through tribulation, occupation, or salvation.
Overall, the song is a critique on the dichotomy of heaven and hell, and how easy it is for people to brush it off as not being real or important, while at the same time it's something that should be confronted and pondered. The song uses sarcasm and metaphor to convey this message.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello
The singer is trying to get someone's attention.
Is anyone here?
The singer is asking if anyone is listening or paying attention.
You don't get the picture
The singer feels misunderstood or like their message isn't getting across.
Hell glows bright and clear
The artist believes that Hell is a real and ominous threat.
And I'm just a cynic talking about a white-bleached sepulchre
The artist sees themselves as a pessimistic voice of warning about something that looks good on the outside but may be rotten inside.
I'm bringing ants to your picnic
The singer is disrupting someone's enjoyment with unpleasant or unsettling things.
They're feeding on a dead man's bones
The ants represent something unpleasant or destructive that is drawing sustenance from something else's decay or destruction.
Hello
The artist is again trying to get someone's attention.
Isn't it clear?
The artist believes that the message they are trying to convey is obvious.
Have I failed to tell you?
The artist is now questioning whether they have been effective in conveying their message.
Heaven is oh so near
The singer believes that there is a positive alternative to Hell that is within reach.
There once was a cynic who talked about a white-bleached sepulchre
The artist is referencing a previous line to draw a parallel.
I'm the bee at your picnic who stung you 'til you had to run home
The singer is continuing the theme of disrupting someone's enjoyment with something unpleasant or painful.
Countdown to occupation, oh, oh, oh, oh
The singer believes that something threatening or negative is imminent and is counting down to its arrival.
Countdown to salvation, oh, oh, oh, oh
The singer believes that something positive or redemptive is imminent and is counting down to its arrival.
Contributed by Samantha F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.