The group was formed in 1988 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by vocalist Daniel Greaves, guitarist Joey Serlin, bassist Pete Loewen and drummer Sammy Kohn. Serlin was a comic fan and named the group after the DC comic. They released their debut album, McLaren Furnace Room, in 1992. (The album was named for one of the band's rehearsal spaces, the furnace room of the McLaren Hotel in Winnipeg.) The single "Cracked" garnered the band significant airplay on rock stations, but was quickly eclipsed by the anti-spousal abuse anthem "Run and Hide", which became the band's breakthrough hit.
Loewen left the band, and was replaced by Ken Tizzard. The band's 1994 album In the Trees confirmed their place in Canadian rock with the hit singles "Boneyard Tree", "All Uncovered" and "Lusitana".
Their 1996 album Brand New Day was not as well-received by critics or audiences -- "Zoom", "Incarnate" and "Shut Up" were moderately successful singles, but none achieved the kind of success that the band's earlier singles had. 1998's Silent Radar was the band's return to commercial success, with the hit singles "Stereo", "Any Day Now" and "Brighter Hell".
Their 2001 album Slomotion saw the exit of Sammy Kohn and the remaining members experimenting with more industrial textures. As if prepared for a bad reception, the band also packaged the album with a second greatest hits disc. The album was, indeed, poorly received by fans and critics, with only the single "Absolutely Anytime" gaining any radio airplay.
The band subsequently broke up. Greaves went on to form Doctor with Rob Higgins, Tizzard joined Thornley, and Serlin appeared on Ryan Malcolm's debut album before forming his own new band, Redline.
In 2009, the band reformed and started touring again.
Lusitana
The Watchmen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beauty's only all I want to see
The windows regardless open everything
Funny how we pass them everyday
You're the lady with her calves all ripped up into seams
Your passing by is all I get to see
Lately I fear it's been too much for me
It's just when nothing ever changes
Drink the wine it rearranges
We'll be lying soon
On Lusitana's moon
We'll be lying soon
So high when courting comes by in the room
Slavery only not too far away
You and yours are always trying for everything
Funny how I pass you everyday
It's just when nothing ever changes
Drink the wine it rearranges
We'll be lying soon
On Lusitana's moon
I find that nothing ever changes
Just drink the wine to rearrange us
We'll be crying soon
On Lusitana's moon
So hard when anger's never felt so good
And beauty's only all I want to see
The sour Lusitana's ruling everything
Her body always sadly wrappes away
It's just that nothing ever changes
Drink the wine it rearranges
We'll be lying soon
On Lusitana's moon
I find that nothing ever changes
Just drink the wine to rearrange us
We'll be crying soon
On Lusitana's moon
The Watchmen's song "Lusitana" speaks to the human tendency to ignore the world around us and focus solely on our own desires and emotions. The first few lines discuss the dual nature of anger and beauty - how anger can feel good, and beauty is all we want to see. The song goes on to describe a woman passing by every day, and the fear that the singer's interest in her has become too much. The lyrics suggest that we often fail to fully see the people and things around us, instead only focusing on our own narrow desires.
The chorus repeats the idea that "nothing ever changes" and that drinking wine can help us rearrange our perspective. The song ends by referencing the "sour Lusitana" ruling over everything and the sadness of bodies being wrapped away. It's a bleak picture overall, suggesting that even though we have the power to change our perceptions, we are often too trapped in our own emotions to be able to make any real difference.
Line by Line Meaning
So hard when anger's never felt so good
It's difficult when the feeling of anger is so intense and pleasurable
Beauty's only all I want to see
I am utterly enamored with all things beautiful
The windows regardless open everything
The windows let in everything despite being open
Funny how we pass them everyday
It's remarkable how we pass by these things every day without really noticing
You're the lady with her calves all ripped up into seams
I see you, the lady with ripped seams on your calves
Your passing by is all I get to see
I only catch a glimpse of you when you pass by
Lately I fear it's been too much for me
I worry that my obsession with you is becoming overwhelming
It's just when nothing ever changes
Things are always the same, not varying
Drink the wine it rearranges
Drinking wine alters my perception of things
We'll be lying soon
We will soon be reclining, perhaps in an altered state of consciousness
On Lusitana's moon
We will be on the moon of Lusitana, wherever that may be
So high when courting comes by in the room
I feel exhilarated when flirting happens in the room
Slavery only not too far away
The threat of slavery always looms close by
You and yours are always trying for everything
You and your companions are always striving for whatever you desire
It's just that nothing ever changes
Things are always the same, unchanging
We'll be crying soon
We will soon be on the verge of tears
I find that nothing ever changes
I realize that things always remain the same
The sour Lusitana's ruling everything
The unpleasant Lusitana is in charge of everything
Her body always sadly wrappes away
Her body is always concealed in a sad way
Contributed by Lincoln B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Goddess
on Zoom
I would love to know the interpretation of this song.
I’m thinking it starts with his birth but now he is dying and he recalls how safe he was with his mother and she is smiling through the lights(in the starlight in heavens) and will carry him home because as he is on the earth her voice is a voice that he doesn’t love more(being the first loving voice he heard and will be the one that calls him to the other side or calls him home) .... calling to the other side of the river evokes the ferryman to me .....mid lyrics he said he’s done all he can met all he can and he is ready to let go