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.

Rosetta Stone
Throwing Muses Lyrics

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Slept for a long time
Gone for a long time
If you ain't hiding
You can't see

Stand me where i can see you
Fill my pockets, fill me in
If I ain't collecting

I can't win

Everybody goes to the window
I can't remember what's outside
Hit the ground running
Sleep with the Rosetta Stone

Stay here where I can see you
It's not a good time that I like

It's a soft, a cold
And a high

Overall Meaning

The song Rosetta Stone by Throwing Muses has intricate and enigmatic lyrics that mystify listeners. The song seems to be a melancholic reflection on the passage of time and the isolation that comes with it. The opening lines of "Slept for a long time, gone for a long time" suggest that the singer has been in a state of dormancy, perhaps due to depression or despair. The line "If you ain't hiding, you can't see" could be a commentary on how people can only see what they wish to see, and how pain and suffering can be hidden away.

As the song progresses, the lyrics become even more cryptic. The line "Hit the ground running, sleep with the Rosetta Stone" is one of the most intriguing. It could mean anything from trying to escape the past to searching for a way to decode the mysteries of life. The lines "Stay here where I can see you, it's not a good time that I like, it's a soft, a cold, and a high" suggest that the singer is not afraid of loneliness and prefers it to the harshness of reality.

Overall, the meaning of the song remains shrouded in mystery, and each listener is invited to interpret its lyrics in their own unique way.

Line by Line Meaning

Slept for a long time
I've been dormant and inactive for a prolonged period

Gone for a long time
I've been absent and missing for an extended period

If you ain't hiding
Unless you're concealing something from me

You can't see
You won't be able to perceive things clearly

Stand me where I can see you
Position yourself where I can observe and take notice of you

Fill my pockets, fill me in
Give me all the necessary details and information

If I ain't collecting
If I'm not gathering and assembling things

I can't win
I won't be able to prevail or succeed

Everybody goes to the window
Everyone is curious and trying to catch a glimpse of something

I can't remember what's outside
I can't recall or envision what's beyond this place