Drummer Victor DeLorenzo said that he would be open to recording new material with the Violent Femmes, but on July 15, 2013, it was announced that Dresden Dolls drummer Brian Viglione would be replacing DeLorenzo as the band's drummer. In a statement, DeLorenzo said "It's always hard to write a eulogy for a lost loved one. In this case, I sadly lament the loss of a dream and an ideal that was once Violent Femmes." Viglione is credited as the drummer on the 2016 release We Can Do Anything but would later be replaced by John Sparrow, who had played in the Violent Femmes backing band previously.
Their music is an innovative combination of American folk music and punk rock. The lyrics mix common adolescent themes like yearning for love, sex and affection with explorations of sin, death, and the hope of salvation. Their songs often express both a lyrical and musical sense of humor. Critics often attribute the Violent Femmes as laying the groundwork of dynamicism for the 90s grunge movement.
In its early days, the band frequently played coffee houses and street corners. They were discovered by James Honeyman-Scott (of The Pretenders) on August 23, 1981, when the band was busking on a street corner in front of the Oriental Theatre, the Milwaukee venue that The Pretenders would be playing later that night. Chrissie Hynde invited them to play a brief acoustic set after the opening act. The band signed to Slash Records and recorded their eponymous debut in July 1982.
The group quickly gained a small cult following after the release of their self-titled album that never burgeoned into widespread popularity, although a few songs from this album did get some recognition ("Add It Up", "Blister in the Sun" and "Gone Daddy Gone"). The debut album Violent Femmes went platinum ten years after its release, and "Blister in the Sun" has become an alternative rock radio staple.
I Danced
Violent Femmes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sang before I had a tongue.
I laughed before I had two eyes.
Loved before my heart was young.
I swam before I had two hands
and held the distance in my toes.
Before I heard the stars I knew
the wild compulsion of the rose.
Before I came into this day.
I knew before my grave was made,
the worms eat only death away
the worms eat only death away
I danced before I had two feet
I danced before I had two feet
I danced before I had two feet
I danced before I had two feet.
The lyrics to Violent Femmes' song "I Danced" are poetic, existential, and mysterious. The song begins with the line "I danced before I had two feet," which suggests that the singer's existence transcends their physical form. This line could be interpreted as a metaphor for the human spirit or soul, which dances and moves even when the body cannot. The following lines continue in this vein, as the singer claims to have sung before having a tongue, laughed before having eyes, and loved before having a young heart. This suggests that the core essence of humanity, such as expression, emotion, and connection, exists beyond the physical body and is innate to our being.
The next line, "I swam before I had two hands and held the distance in my toes," paints a picture of a free-spirited, unbounded being. The singer is not limited by the constraints of the physical world, but can swim and move with the distance held in their toes. The line "Before I heard the stars I knew the wild compulsion of the rose" is enigmatic and open to interpretation. It could refer to a deep sense of knowledge and understanding that transcends time and space, or an understanding of the interconnectedness of all things. The final lines "I bore the fruits of many lies. Before I came into this day. I knew before my grave was made, the worms eat only death away" suggest that the singer has lived many lives and has experienced the full range of human emotion, including the pain of betrayal and the inevitability of death.
In summary, the song "I Danced" is a poetic meditation on the essence of human existence, the impermanence of life, and the enduring nature of the human spirit. It invites listeners to contemplate the mysteries of life and to consider the possibility of something greater than our physical selves.
Line by Line Meaning
I danced before I had two feet.
I experienced joy and freedom before I even had the physical ability to dance, suggesting that our innate desire for self-expression is not limited by our physical limitations.
Sang before I had a tongue.
I found ways to express myself even before I had the means to do so, acknowledging the universal human desire to communicate and share emotions through creative outlets.
I laughed before I had two eyes.
I experienced pure, unbridled joy even before I was able to see and interpret the world around me, emphasizing the power of emotional experience over simple sensory input.
Loved before my heart was young.
I felt love and connection before I even had a fully developed sense of self, suggesting that love and relationships are fundamental to the human experience.
I swam before I had two hands and held the distance in my toes.
I traversed great distances even before I had the physical ability to do so, underscoring the human capacity for perseverance and the pursuit of adventure and exploration.
Before I heard the stars I knew the wild compulsion of the rose.
I understood the beauty and power of nature on an intuitive level, recognizing the intrinsic value of our natural world and our place within it.
I bore the fruits of many lies.
I experienced the consequences of deceit and dishonesty, acknowledging the complexity of human relationships and the pain that can be caused through dishonesty.
Before I came into this day.
I existed before my current form and identity, implying a sense of permanence and inevitability in the human experience.
I knew before my grave was made, the worms eat only death away.
I understood the natural cycle of life and death, recognizing the ultimate impermanence of our physical bodies and the transformative power of death in the natural world.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: GORDON JAMES GANO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind