The Thermals' sixth LP and debut for Saddle Creek, Desperate Ground, was produced by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth) in Hoboken, NJ. Agnello and The Thermals completed the record and evacuated the studio just hours before Hurricane Sandy ravaged New Jersey, a fate quite fitting when you consider the product. Desperate Ground is a true scrappy and scratchy return-to-form for The Thermals, with all the raw power and unhinged adolescent energy that made their early LP's so insanely enjoyable. Lyrically, Desperate Ground is a brash and irresponsible ode to human violence, a black celebration of the inevitability of war and death. A dark and yet joyous affair, Desperate Ground tells the (murky) tale of a lone rogue in the night. One man, one path, one sword. An unceasing urge to destroy. A never-ending battle against the forces of nature. A destiny impossible to avoid.
In early 2013 The Thermals signed to Saddle Creek, a label they've known and admired for many years. The Thermals and Saddle Creek have a long history of sleeping on floors together: The Thermals have toured with Cursive and Ladyfinger, and Hutch and Kathy organized the first Bright Eyes show in Portland way back in 1999.
The Thermals were most famous for turning down $50,000 from Hummer, discovering the elusive fourth chord in punk rock (F#m) and for soundtracking that scene in Weeds where Mary-Louise Parker jumps in the pot-filled pool in her underwear.
The Thermals announced they were splitting in April 2018.
The Thermals lineup was Hutch Harris, Kathy Foster and Westin Glass.
We Were Sick
The Thermals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were sick at the talk!
So far from where we started,
Too far along to stop!
We were sick!
We were sick at the thought!
We never lose our grip,
Fed on the dirt!
Laid on the land!
Never gave a day away!
Never gave a damn!
Read all we could!
Shed all we had!
Every dirty germ
Another lesson that threads into man!
We were sick!
We were sick at birth!
Stuck around, had our fun!
Stuck a fork, we were done!
We were sick!
We covered the earth!
Us and all our friends,
And anyone getting us medicine!
We were sick!
Sick in the brain!
Too young to kill
Too old to contain!
Stick out our tongue catching the acid rain!
We were high! We were alive! We were sick!
Never pure, Never aware
Never a cure, Never a care
Never a need, Never a damn, the legacy!
The Thermals' "We Were Sick" is a raw and provocative song that speaks about the band's own journey, emphasizing that they have been sick at various stages of their lives. It starts with a loud and heavy electric guitar sound that immediately sets the tone for the song. The first verse emphasizes how they were sick and tired of talk and how they had come too far to quit.
The second verse of the song highlights how The Thermals never lost their grip and made it clear that they would never end up sick at the bottom. The lyrics here suggest that although life is hard and full of challenges, they will continue to persevere through it all. The following verse discusses how they were fed on the dirt, laid on the land, and never gave a day away. The band emphasizes how they have been through a lot of hardships and learned from each experience.
The final verse highlights how they were born sick, covered the earth, and were sick in the brain. Even though they were unable to be pure, aware, or cured in the past, they are still high, alive, and sick. The last lyrics emphasize their legacy, stating that they never needed anyone’s pity and that they always lived life on their own terms.
Line by Line Meaning
We were sick!
We were feeling ill or upset.
We were sick at the talk!
We were upset with the conversation that was happening.
So far from where we started,
We have come a long way from where we began.
Too far along to stop!
We are too invested to quit now.
We were sick at the thought!
We were upset with the idea.
We never lose our grip,
We always remain in control.
And end up sick at the bottom!
But we eventually crash and burn.
Fed on the dirt!
We consumed or were influenced by unsavory things.
Laid on the land!
We were grounded or connected to the earth.
Never gave a day away!
We never wasted our time.
Never gave a damn!
We never cared about anything.
Read all we could!
We absorbed as much information as we could.
Shed all we had!
We got rid of everything we possessed.
Every dirty germ,
Every negative experience or influence.
Another lesson that threads into man!
We learn from our negative experiences and they shape us.
We were sick at birth!
We were born with some sort of illness or inner turmoil.
Stuck around, had our fun!
We lived our lives to the fullest despite our struggles.
Stuck a fork, we were done!
We eventually met our end.
We covered the earth!
We and our friends were everywhere.
Us and all our friends,
We and our social circle.
And anyone getting us medicine!
We relied on others to make us feel better.
Sick in the brain!
We had mental health issues.
Too young to kill!
We were too young to die.
Too old to contain!
We were too set in our ways to change.
Stick out our tongue catching the acid rain!
We took risks and lived dangerously.
We were high! We were alive! We were sick!
Despite our struggles, we felt alive.
Never pure, Never aware
We were never innocent or ignorant.
Never a cure, Never a care
There was never a solution and we didn't care.
Never a need, Never a damn, the legacy!
We never had a need for anything and we just left our mark on the world.
Lyrics © TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: HUTCH HARRIS, KATHLEEN MICHELLE FOSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
hosaki24
love this band !!!
AlexisDaTokeVille
Greatest band alive
Jae Cha
Love you THERMALS!
freakologie
great band <3
gloriouspeanut
AWESOME!
Blicky Blockity
So sick I wonder if they’ll tour again.
KWiP
<3 The Thermals <3 KEXP <3 Seattle
hoolahop73
wahooo !!!
AZUN LULZ
WHY hasnt any one said this? CCCCCHHHHUUUUCCCKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!