Unknown Mortal Orchestra (UMO) is a New Zealand psychedelic rock band forme… Read Full Bio ↴Unknown Mortal Orchestra (UMO) is a New Zealand psychedelic rock band formed in Auckland and currently based in Portland, Oregon, USA. Primarily composed of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Ruban Nielson, and bassist Jacob Portrait, the band was started by Nielson in 2010. The band's debut album was released in 2011 on Fat Possum Records. In November 2013, the band's second album, II, won Best Alternative Album at the New Zealand Music Awards.

In late 2010 the band's bandcamp account featured their single ‘Ffunny Ffrends’, a sort of alien beatnik pop music that echoed 60s psychedelia and krautrock minimalism with just a hint of gentle weirdness that suggested its roots might equally lie in the verdant indie of the equally distant New Zealand scene.

Ruban Nielson is a New Zealand native who transplanted to Portland, Oregon, USA with his band The Mint Chicks. UMO was a project conceived as Ruban’s escape hatch to a new musical dimension where his vision of junkshop record collector pop could be realised in a sound that recalled Captain Beefheart, Sly Stone and RZA jamming on some kids TV theme too dark to ever be broadcast.

The eponymous UMO debut album was released in 2011 on Fat Possum Records, followed by II (2013), Multi-Love (2015), Sex & Food (2018), IC-01 Hanoi (2018) and V (2023).

The Garden
Unknown Mortal Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden
Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden
Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark

In the garden
Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden

Imagine flying over hedgerows
Who knows where she goes?
I am just another victim
Of her system
Just a solitary vista
Somehow don't miss her
Just a lonely kind of loser
I lost with you

Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden
Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden
Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden
Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden

She just wandered off the radar
Head first, brain after
Wretched claws around my jawline
Fearful and feline
If you run across her spectre
Tell her I miss her
Just a lonely kind of loser
Come lose with me

Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden
Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden
Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden
Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden
Yeah, baby

Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden
Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden
Hold on tight
'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden
Hold on tight

'Cause it's violent after dark
In the garden

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Unknown Mortal Orchestra's song "The Garden" depict a tumultuous and intense relationship. The repeated phrase "Hold on tight, 'cause it's violent after dark, in the garden" suggests that the relationship becomes chaotic and unpredictable when darkness falls. The garden serves as a metaphor for the relationship itself, which may seem beautiful and serene during the day but becomes volatile and turbulent at night.

The lyrics also reveal a sense of longing and attachment to this person who seems to have disappeared. The line "Imagine flying over hedgerows, who knows where she goes?" suggests that the singer is unable to comprehend or understand the actions of this person. They feel like a victim of the chaos and unpredictability that this person brings into their life.

The singer refers to themselves as a "lonely kind of loser," expressing their feelings of loneliness and yearning for this person. They want to be lost with them, despite the difficulties and challenges that come with that.

Overall, the lyrics of "The Garden" convey the experience of being caught in a tumultuous relationship where love and chaos coexist. It explores the contradictory emotions and desires that can arise when we find ourselves intertwined with someone who brings both joy and destruction into our lives.

Line by Line Meaning

Hold on tight
Maintain a strong grip or hold on something

'Cause it's violent after dark
Because it becomes fierce and intense during nighttime

In the garden
Within the garden environment

Imagine flying over hedgerows
Visualize the experience of soaring above rows of shrubs

Who knows where she goes?
Nobody knows her destination or whereabouts

I am just another victim
I am simply another person suffering the consequences

Of her system
Of the rules or patterns she follows

Just a solitary vista
Merely an isolated and scenic view

Somehow don't miss her
Ironically, I do not feel the absence of her

Just a lonely kind of loser
I am a person who feels lonely and inadequate

I lost with you
I experienced defeat or loss in your company