In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Don't be alarmed
It will not harm you
It's only lightning
Teenage lightning
Don't be afraid
Don't be expectant
Don't be afraid
Don't be reluctant
Don't be afraid
It's only lightning
Teenage lightning
It will not harm you
It's so real
It's unbelievably real
It's only lightning
Teenage lightning
It will not harm you
It's only lightning
Teenage lightning
Don't be afraid
Don't be expectant
Don't be afraid
Don't be reluctant
Don't be afraid
It's only lightning
Teenage lightning
It will not harm you
It's so real
It's unbelievably real
It's only lightning
Teenage lightning
Lyrics submitted by expletivedeleted
Teenage Lightning 2005 Lyrics as written by Peter Christopherson Ossian Brown
Lyrics © Mute Song Limited
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Sleazy has previously announced in concert that "Teenage Lightning" is "about the natural phenomenon you get when you get two teenagers together, and you rub them together, and you have a natural phenomenon called teenage lightning, which we've managed to capture a long time ago on Love's Secret Domain."
BlueKephra seems to have had part of the idea...but not quite enough. Max Ernst did have a work that's called "Les éclairs au-dessous de quatorze ans" or, directly translated, The lightning(s) under 14 years". I can see how this could be simplified to "Teenage Lightning".
However, it is important to note that the method of composition which Ernst used in order to make that work (and many others) is called 'frottage'. Pronounce the word as if you were pronouncing it in French. This was done by putting a sheet of paper on top of objects and rubbing a pencil on the paper directly over the object in order to get various textures, and then put a number of these together somehow. I used to do this as a child with coins.
In any case, I don't think it is an accident that 'frottage' also refers to non-penetrative sex wherein partners rub against one another. I'm quite certain that COIL had exactly this in mind.
Hence, if I were to explain this track's overall meaning, I'd say that it's about a template first sexual experience. Not necessarily one of COIL's experiences, but a general first, second, or, otherwise, early non-penetrative sexual experience that, I imagine, most people tend to have in their teens. Pointers:
Potential anxiety: "Don't be alarmed / it will not harm you" Intensity: "It's unbelievably real" Uncertainty in/of the act: "It's only me pursuing / something I'm not sure of" Love: "it is the lightning's / deep, dark love"
Finally, as an afterthought, the texture and the lyrics create a particularly surreal experience, which is, in my opinion, homage to Max Enrst's pioneering of the Surrealist movement in art and, at the same time, to the listener's previous experiences.
Sources:
youtube.com/watch moma.org/collection/browse_results.php en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-penetrative_sex