Throwing Muses is a post-punk alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newpo… Read Full Bio ↴Throwing Muses is a post-punk alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects. Originally fronted by two distinctive lead singers, Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly, stepsisters who both wrote the group's songs, Donelly left in 1991 to form Belly and, since Throwing Muses reformed in 2003, has guested during concerts and recordings.

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.

No Way in Hell
Throwing Muses Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Love's got this drag on it
No way in Hell would I turn to you
You know too damn much
No way in Hell
I'm gonna run your friend down
I'm gonna run your friend down
To the train In time for your hour
You sold my clothes to those girls

Drink till I'm numb then I'm gone
Say good night
I sleep with one hand on my clothes
I sleep with one hand on my heart
There's almost nothing left
Left to guard
For each time I say good-bye
I swallow you once every night
Say good night
No way in Hell would I give
No way in Hell would I fold
No way in Hell would I burn
No way in Hell would I go
No way in hell would I quake

No way in Hell would I dance
No way in Hell would I go...

Overall Meaning

In "No Way in Hell," Throwing Muses' lead singer, Kristin Hersh, sings about a complicated relationship that is founded on deceit and mistrust. Hersh sings, "Love's got this drag on it/No way in Hell would I turn to you/You know too damn much." These lines suggest that love is a burden and a hindrance to their relationship. The singer seems to be unwilling to trust her partner as he "knows too damn much." This line suggests that the partner is deceptive, with too many secrets that undermine their trust. Thus the singer affirms that her partner is not someone she can rely on.

The song takes a rather violent turn as she sings "I'm gonna run your friend down/To the train In time for your hour." Here the singer's violent tendensies are revealed as she tries to ruin her partner's rendezvous with a friend. The lyric "drink till I'm numb then I'm gone/Say goodnight" suggests that the singer often drinks to cope with her emotions and that she is distancing herself from the partner. The singer admits to guarding herself against the person she is speaking to. The lines "I sleep with one hand on my clothes/I sleep with one hand on my heart/There's almost nothing left/Left to guard" reveal that there is little left that she has not already lost or given away. The song ends with a steadfast refusal to submit to the partner's whims or be swayed by their charms.

Line by Line Meaning

Love's got this drag on it
Love is a burden and hindrance.

No way in Hell would I turn to you
I would never seek help from you.

You know too damn much
You have information that I don't want to be revealed.

No way in Hell
Absolutely not.

I'm gonna run your friend down
I will take action against your friend.

To the train In time for your hour
I will take your friend to the train station so they don't interfere with my plans for you.

You sold my clothes to those girls
You betrayed me and gave my possessions to others.

Drink till I'm numb then I'm gone
I will drink until I lose feeling and then leave.

Say good night
Goodbye.

I sleep with one hand on my clothes
I guard my possessions even while asleep.

I sleep with one hand on my heart
I protect my emotions and feelings even while asleep.