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.
Pearl
Throwing Muses Lyrics
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Move things
I write in his wall
I have no mind at all
Hot things
Move him
I write on his wall
I think she's a pretty little fool
She holds me down, she flows
She has a back like Marie
I think he's a crazy bastard
Drives me home, he goes
You have a back like Marie
You have pearls in your eyes
And you use your burning to wrap yourself in
And you use your fever to hide yourself away
And you use sweating to keep me down
And you use your heat to have me
And you use your fire to be stronger than me
And you use your flame against me
I won't come back like Marie
The pearls on my eyes
These pearls on my eyes
They make me blind
I write on your wall
I have no eyes at all
I write on your wall
I have no eyes at all
The song "Pearl" by Throwing Muses is a haunting and atmospheric piece that conveys a sense of obsession, desperation, and vulnerability. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but one possible reading is that they are about a toxic and codependent relationship. The singer seems to be caught in a cycle of writing on the other person's wall, which could be a metaphor for trying to make a connection or express oneself, but failing to get through. The repeated references to "hot hands" and "hot things" suggest a physical and sexual intensity that is both alluring and destructive. The lines "I have no mind at all" and "I have no heart at all" could mean that the singer feels like they are losing their identity or agency in the relationship.
The chorus of the song has several powerful and evocative lines that are repeated with variations throughout. "You have pearls in your eyes" and "these pearls on my eyes, they make me blind" could be interpreted as metaphorical images of beauty and pain. The image of pearls could evoke a sense of preciousness and rarity, but also of something that forms around an irritant or injury, much like how a relationship can be both a source of pleasure and a source of pain. The repeated references to heat, sweating, fever, and fire could represent the intensity of the feelings involved, but also the destructive potential of that intensity.
Overall, "Pearl" is a complex and powerful song that invites multiple readings and interpretations. The sense of yearning and desperation in the lyrics is matched by the haunting and beautiful melodies that weave in and out of the arrangement.
Line by Line Meaning
Hot hands
Intense passion or desire
Move things
Having an effect, provoking a reaction
I write in his wall
Leaving a mark, expressing oneself
I have no mind at all
Lack of rational thought or reasoning ability
Hot things
Intense passion or desire
Move him
Having an effect, provoking a reaction
I write on his wall
Leaving a mark, expressing oneself
I have no heart at all
Lack of empathy or compassion
I think she's a pretty little fool
Perception of someone as naive or misguided
She holds me down, she flows
Simultaneously oppressive and fluid in nature
She has a back like Marie
Referring to a historical figure, potentially Marilyn Monroe
I think he's a crazy bastard
Perception of someone as unstable or unpredictable
Drives me home, he goes
A means of transportation, departure
You have a back like Marie
Referring to a historical figure, potentially Marilyn Monroe
You have pearls in your eyes
Tears or a reflection of emotions
And you use your burning to wrap yourself in
Using one's own intensity as protection or insulation
And you use your fever to hide yourself away
Using one's own intensity as a means of escape or avoidance
And you use sweating to keep me down
Exerting control or dominance through physicality
And you use your heat to have me
Using one's own intensity as a means of attracting or seducing
And you use your fire to be stronger than me
Exerting power or influence through one's own intensity
And you use your flame against me
Using one's own intensity as a weapon or source of conflict
I won't come back like Marie
Distancing oneself from a historical figure, potentially Marilyn Monroe
The pearls on my eyes
Tears or a reflection of emotions
These pearls on my eyes
Tears or a reflection of emotions
They make me blind
Being unable to see clearly due to emotional distress
I write on your wall
Leaving a mark, expressing oneself
I have no eyes at all
Lack of clarity or vision
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: KRISTIN HERSH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind