Trip Shakespeare was an alternative rock band formed at Harvard University … Read Full Bio ↴Trip Shakespeare was an alternative rock band formed at Harvard University by Matt Wilson (guitar/vocals) and Elaine Harris (drums) in the early 1980s. After a year of performing as a duo, Wilson convinced Harris to relocate to Minneapolis, Wilson's hometown, where they joined up with bass player John Munson, a Chinese language major at the University of Minnesota. Shortly after releasing their first album, Applehead Man, in 1986, the band's roster expanded to include Dan Wilson, Matt's older brother who would eventually go on to form Semisonic with Munson and another Harvard grad, Jake Slichter.

Swing
Trip Shakespeare Lyrics

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Swing, she sprung down from a
Tree this spring
On a rope of white mercy with a
Bell to ring
Yeah, she swung down to my
World hung down on a string

Her jaw fell open with a gaping

Sound
And her pipes of white mercy
Tried to blow me down
And the horns all blast me down
When she speaks my name

Swing. She ring rattled in a
Randy way
When she woke me one morning
On a Saturday
And a chain fell around my head
Bells, baubles and pearls

Then she pulled open all the
Organ stops
And the waves were black now
With the purple tops
And a chord of old mercy blew
From her face like rain
She's my only mistress
Ring now, ding dang, bells of the
World
Swing! She swung down on a red
Iron hook
In a robe of lime sequins and
Bells she took
All the charms that could jail my
World among weapons and
Greed

Then the child angels that made
Up her train
Tried to pull my skull open as
She drove my brain
To the point of white mercy she
Became all the baubles and

Pearls, bells, baubles and
Beads, all the love that I need.

Overall Meaning

The song "Swing" by Trip Shakespeare is a poetic depiction of the singer's encounter with a mysterious woman, whom he refers to as "Swing". The woman swings down from a tree on a rope of white mercy with a bell to ring, seemingly descending from a higher realm. Her arrival in the singer's world is marked by a jaw-dropping moment and the blast of horns, which suggests that her presence is powerful and transformative.

As the song progresses, Swing's impact on the singer intensifies. She wakes him up one morning on a Saturday, ringing bells and chains around his head. She then proceeds to "pull open all the organ stops" and unleash a chord of old mercy, which fills the air with a sound akin to rain. This imagery suggests that Swing's presence is akin to a spiritual awakening, and that her music has a cleansing effect on the singer's psyche.

In the final verse, Swing descends on a red iron hook, dressed in a robe of lime sequins and bells. Her charms "jail" the singer's world among weapons and greed, and the child angels that make up her train try to "pull [his] skull open" as she drives his brain. The image of a woman riding a hook, surrounded by child angels, evokes biblical imagery and suggests that Swing is a kind of divine figure. By the end of the song, Swing has become the embodiment of all the love the singer needs, as represented by the baubles, pearls, bells, and beads that make up her adornments.

Overall, "Swing" is a thematically dense and musically intricate song that works on multiple levels. It combines poetic language with a catchy melody and rich instrumentation to create a vivid and memorable listening experience.

Line by Line Meaning

Swing, she sprung down from a Tree this spring On a rope of white mercy with a Bell to ring
She descended with grace and ease from a tree this spring, using a white rope with a bell attached that she rang as she came down.

Yeah, she swung down to my World hung down on a string
She arrived in my world while hanging from a string.

Her jaw fell open with a gaping Sound And her pipes of white mercy Tried to blow me down And the horns all blast me down When she speaks my name
When she saw me, she was so amazed that her mouth hung open. Her voice, which sounded like a mercy to me, was blowing me away, and her words hit me like a bunch of horns.

Swing. She ring rattled in a Randy way When she woke me one morning On a Saturday And a chain fell around my head Bells, baubles and pearls
She woke me one Saturday morning with a loud and flirty ringing sound. Throughout the room, a chain that contained bells, baubles, and pearls was making noise.

Then she pulled open all the Organ stops And the waves were black now With the purple tops And a chord of old mercy blew From her face like rain She's my only mistress Ring now, ding dang, bells of the World Swing!
She opened up all of the organ stops in the room, causing the waves to turn black with purple tops. A peaceful sound came from her face, like rain, and she became my only queen in the world.

She swung down on a red Iron hook In a robe of lime sequins and Bells she took All the charms that could jail my World among weapons and Greed
She arrived on a red iron hook while wearing a lime sequin and bell robe. She collected all the charms that could have imprisoned me in a world full of weapons and greed.

Then the child angels that made Up her train Tried to pull my skull open as She drove my brain To the point of white mercy she Became all the baubles and Pearls, bells, baubles and Beads, all the love that I need.
The little angels that followed her were trying to open my skull while she was controlling my brain. She became everything I needed, like baubles, pearls, and bells – everything that represents love and contentment.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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