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.
Mexican Women
Throwing Muses Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blood becomes a foreign substance
And see it as you let it dry
I forgive my nature or I'll be my saint
I can always feel you in heaven
Living in the past I think
If I remember that I'll forget this
Kill the sky The sun'll fry us
Burn the rain we'll die
Stares from the back stairs
I tie your tie, set tables
I won't run your party,
You can't run my life
But the waters run deep
Once there was two Mexican woman
Ran over the hills ripped off their skin
And ate it up
Leave the town for the children
[Lay their skin across the fire]
Leave their rings to their daughters
And fly up
It's raining again
Come home
It's raining in his hands
Oh catch it be brave grow
You make me cry
Understand?
Be safe, no worry
So look what you do
You freeze my songs
And please
Come on
Catch me back I can go faster than fast
Catch me go get back a date
Land a seal too fast
Catch me go get back a date
Spin the wheel too fast
Help me go get back a date
Live a day the past
The lyrics to Throwing Muses’ song Mexican Women are complex and open to interpretation. At its core, the song seems to be about leaving home and the changing nature of identity that occurs as a result. The opening lines “Leave home, blood becomes a foreign substance, and see it as you let it dry” suggest a sense of separation and disconnection. The singer is grappling with the fact that the place they once called home no longer feels familiar or comforting. They may also be struggling with their own identity and how it has transformed since leaving home.
The lines “I forgive my nature or I'll be my saint” suggest that the singer is trying to come to terms with who they are and find some peace with it. They don’t want to be at war with themselves or constantly fighting against their own nature. This idea is echoed later in the song when the singer says “But the waters run deep”. Here, we see that there is much more going on beneath the surface than what is immediately visible. The waters are murky and complex, and it’s difficult to know exactly what’s going on.
The song introduces themes of violence and brutality with the lines “Once there was two Mexican women, ran over the hills ripped off their skin, and ate it up”. These lines are particularly jarring given the preceding lines about forgiveness and nature. It’s unclear what the significance of these lines are, but they add a sense of danger and unpredictability to the song. Overall, Mexican Women is a song that explores complex themes of identity, violence, and coming to terms with oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
Leave home
Depart from home
Blood becomes a foreign substance
Become estranged from one's own family
And see it as you let it dry
Realize the gravity of a situation only after it has passed
I forgive my nature or I'll be my saint
Accept one's own flaws
I can always feel you in heaven
Feel the presence of a loved one even after their passing
Living in the past I think
Tend to dwell on the past
If I remember that I'll forget this
Cannot focus on current situation when mind is occupied by memories
I know you well
Know someone like the back of one's hand
Kill the sky The sun'll fry us
Expressing the desire to have a fresh start by erasing everything
Burn the rain we'll die
Metaphorically conveying the hopelessness of the situation
Stares from the back stairs
Feeling watched and judged from afar
I tie your tie, set tables
Fulfilling one's duty in a relationship
I won't run your party,
Refusing to be subservient to someone else's wishes
You can't run my life
Asserting an independence in life choices
But the waters run deep
The situation is more complicated than it appears
Once there was two Mexican woman
Beginning a story with an anecdote
Ran over the hills ripped off their skin
Suggestively gory embellishment to add suspense to the story
And ate it up
Completing the gory set-up in suspenseful, graphic detail
Leave the town for the children
Suggesting the need to protect the children from the past, graphic story
[Lay their skin across the fire]
Completing the gory conclusion of the story
Leave their rings to their daughters
Respecting the memory of the deceased
And fly up
Conveying the hope for an afterlife
It's raining again
Metaphor for repetition of sorrow
Come home
Inviting a loved one back into one's life
It's raining in his hands
Metaphor for the beloved's sorrow
Oh catch it be brave grow
Encouraging the beloved to be brave and face their sorrow
You make me cry
Expressing the deep pain caused by the beloved's suffering
Understand?
Requesting empathy from the beloved
Be safe, no worry
Expressing concern for a loved one's safety
So look what you do
Confronting the beloved about their actions
You freeze my songs
Blocking the creative spirit of the songwriter
And please
Offering one last chance to rekindle the relationship
Catch me back I can go faster than fast
Challenging the beloved to catch up
Catch me go get back a date
Provoking the beloved to attempt to rekindle the relationship
Land a seal too fast
Metaphor for trying to fix a situation too hastily
Spin the wheel too fast
Metaphor for impulsivity
Help me go get back a date
Requesting the beloved's help to fix the relationship
Live a day the past
Suggesting that living in the past is not productive
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind