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.
Mania
Throwing Muses Lyrics
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What are we supposed to see?
What are they supposed to want?
Get a job! you scare me
I sing here I'm alone here
I'm with you over here
Marshmallow brain I need an umbrella
My hands are cupped and full of blood
My eyes are spirals
I am on my knees and praying
That is how I pray cause that's how you pray
Rat rat rat rat rat rat
Tongue thickens I am with those who eat drugs
Who peek over the wall and get shocked
Shocking is therapy
Electrify your head!
Pianos in my hearing
Vincent, me ear is falling off
Who left me alone?
What do you mean you're alone?
Goddamn wolves
No one has that dream
Hallucinate I need an umbrella
If I'm gonna go insane
I think she want to be crazy pick a brain!
I think I'm running away
Oh boy, God?
I'm gonna scare that boy again?
Not again
Centerdale to Providence
Middletown to Armageddon
A road is in my dream
Centerdale is in my dream
Drums! carry me over the wall
You! left me alone
What do you mean you're alone?
I peek over the wall and get sick
Sickness is therapy
Electrify your head!
Catalyst I need an umbrella
If I'm gonna slit my wrist
Pick your hands up
Put them on your head
Move it around and say
This is too much it doesn't fit
Your feet say nothing but move your hips
Move your hips, move your hips
Rat rat rat rat rat rat
Mania
"Mania" is a song by Throwing Muses that explores themes of mental illness and drug use. The lyrics are fragmented and disjointed, conveying a sense of confusion and disorientation. The song opens with the line "What means hallucinate?" which sets the tone for the rest of the piece - it's a question that doesn't have an answer, at least not a clear one. The repetition of "get a job!" throughout the song suggests a societal pressure to conform and be productive, and the fear associated with those who don't fit into that mold.
The singer is alone but also with someone else, a paradox that is never fully explained. She references having a "marshmallow brain" and needing an umbrella to stand in the rain, indicating a sense of vulnerability in her state. The refrain of "rat rat rat" gives a sense of agitation and perhaps paranoia. The song ends with a call to action to "move your hips," indicating a desire to break free from the restrictions of society and the constraints of the mind.
Overall, "Mania" is a contemplative piece that touches on several themes related to mental illness and societal expectations. It doesn't offer any easy answers or solutions, but instead invites the listener to enter into the fragmented and chaotic world of the singer's mind.
Line by Line Meaning
What means hallucinate?
Questioning the understanding of the term 'hallucinate'
What are we supposed to see?
Asking what the expected outcome of a situation should be
What are they supposed to want?
Questioning the desires of a certain group of people
Get a job! you scare me
Expressing fear and concern while telling someone to find employment
I sing here I'm alone here
Singing while acknowledging being physically alone in a certain location
I'm with you over here
Being with someone emotionally while physically being in a different location
Marshmallow brain I need an umbrella
Feeling the need to protect oneself from the overwhelming effects of certain situations
If I'm gonna stand in the rain
If I'm going to force myself to face difficult circumstances
My hands are cupped and full of blood
Feeling guilty and responsible for something bad that has happened
My eyes are spirals
Feeling dizzy, confused, or overwhelmed
I am on my knees and praying
Communicating the act of prayer while physically being on one's knees
That is how I pray cause that's how you pray
Praying in a certain manner because that is how it was taught or learned
Rat rat rat rat rat rat
The repeating sound of a rat's movements
Tongue thickens I am with those who eat drugs
Experiencing drug use through the thickening of the tongue
Who peek over the wall and get shocked
Watching the actions of others and being surprised by what they do
Shocking is therapy
Being shocked by something can serve as a form of therapeutic release
Electrify your head!
Encouraging something to shock or awaken the mind
Pianos in my hearing
Hearing the sound of pianos
Vincent, me ear is falling off
Referencing Vincent Van Gogh's moment of ear self-mutilation
Who left me alone?
Feeling abandoned by someone
What do you mean you're alone?
Questioning the truthfulness of someone's claim to being alone
Goddamn wolves
Expression of annoyance or frustration at a group of people
No one has that dream
Suggesting that no other person shares in a specific desire or hope
Hallucinate I need an umbrella
Feeling the need to protect oneself from the overpowering effects of hallucination
If I'm gonna go insane
If I'm going to lose control of one's actions or mental health
I think she want to be crazy pick a brain!
Observing someone who seems to desire symptoms of mental illness
I think I'm running away
Feeling the need to escape or flee from a certain situation
Oh boy, God?
Expressing confusion or questioning in regards to religious beliefs
I'm gonna scare that boy again?
Worrying about or anticipating causing fear in someone
Not again
Expression of frustration or disappointment at a repeating event
Centerdale to Providence
Name of a road or distance between two towns
Middletown to Armageddon
Name of another road or space between two destinations
A road is in my dream
Seeing or remembering a road within a dream
Drums! carry me over the wall
Symbolic representation of using music to overcome a barrier or obstacle
You! left me alone
Blaming someone for feeling emotionally abandoned
I peek over the wall and get sick
Looking beyond what is put in front of one's eyes and reacting negatively
Sickness is therapy
Using illness or negative bodily sensations as a form of therapeutic release
Catalyst I need an umbrella
Requesting something to prevent the negative effects of a catalyst or trigger
If I'm gonna slit my wrist
Considering or contemplating self-harm
Pick your hands up
Encouraging someone to take action or responsibility
Put them on your head
Physically placing one's hands on one's head as a symbolic gesture
Move it around and say
Using physical movements and words as an expression of emotion
This is too much it doesn't fit
Feeling overwhelmed or unable to understand a situation
Your feet say nothing but move your hips
Allowing one's body to move or take action despite internal turmoil or lack of direction
Mania
The title of the song or a reference to a state of intense excitement or euphoria
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Kristin Hersh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind