Throwing Muses is known for performing music with shifting tempos, creative chord progressions, unorthodox song structures, and surreal lyrics. The group was set apart from other contemporary acts by Hersh's stark, candid writing style; Donelly's pop stylings and vocal harmonies; and David Narcizo's unusual drumming techniques eschewing use of cymbals. Hallucinatory, febrile songs by Hersh occasionally touched on the subject of mental illness, more often drawing portraits of characters from daily life or addressing relationships.
Donelly left the band in 1991 and was a member of The Breeders and Belly, before starting to perform solo. She also contributed vocals to the Throwing Muses self-titled album in 2003. Hersh has also worked solo, and fronts the power trio 50 Foot Wave (which also includes Muses bassist Bernard Georges). Narcizo works in graphic design and has a musical project Lakuna.
In March 2003, Throwing Muses came back with their eighth album, Throwing Muses, which also saw the return of Tanya Donelly who provided backing vocals on the album. A greatest hits compilation titled Anthology was released in 2011. The band's ninth album, Purgatory / Paradise was released on October 29, 2013 in the UK and November 11 in the US. In early 2014, the band toured a few U.S. cities, with Donelly opening for the East Coast dates.
Flood
Throwing Muses Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fly, and you get high, right?
Try, you get by all right
Try and you get by all right
Ryde, you're my bright light
You're my bright light
Oh god, I'm high
Waterfalls of light
Flood my eyes with light
Flood my eyes with my aching eyesight
My aching eyesight
My aching eye, aching eyesight
My aching eyesight
My aching eyes
The opening lines of Throwing Muses's song Flood are the enigmatic "Fly, you get high, right? Fly, and you get high, right?" which sets the tone for a surreal and dreamlike song. This chorus seems to be about reaching a higher state of consciousness or being, though it is unclear whether this is achieved through drugs or some other kind of experience. The phrase "try and you get by all right" suggests that striving to achieve this state is difficult and requires effort, but ultimately worthwhile. The next lines of the chorus, "Ryde, you're my bright light, you're my bright light," introduces the character of Ryde, who seems to act as a beacon of light in the singer's life. This may be a person or a metaphorical figure, but whoever they are, they bring hope and positivity to the singer's existence.
The verses of the song explore the theme of sight and perception, using vivid images like "waterfalls of light" and "flood my eyes with my aching eyesight" to describe the intensity of the singer's visual experience. This heightened sense of awareness may be linked to the idea of getting high, but it could also be seen as a manifestation of the singer's emotional state. The repetition of the phrase "my aching eyesight" adds to the sense of unease or discomfort that underlies the more serene chorus.
Overall, Flood is a song about the quest for transcendence and the beauty, pain, and strangeness that can come with that journey. It is a testament to the power of poetic language to evoke a dreamlike state that invites the listener to contemplate their own experiences of altered states and heightened feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Fly, you get high, right?
If you take flight, do you feel a buzz of euphoria?
Try, you get by all right
If you make an effort, can you manage to survive?
Ryde, you're my bright light
You are the source of light that illuminates my life
Oh god, I'm high
My elevated state is beyond my control
Waterfalls of light
Cascades of light overflowing my senses
Flood my eyes with light
Immerse my vision with radiance
Flood my eyes with my aching eyesight
Overwhelm my aching eyes with brilliant clarity
My aching eyes
The source of my pain and discomfort
Lyrics © HEYDAY MEDIA GROUP LLC
Written by: Kristin Hersh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind