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Reeling the Liars In Lyrics

Reeling the liars in.
We are reeling the liars in.
We are removing their face,
collecting their skin,
we are reeling the liars in.
We are burning them in a pile.
We are burning them in a pile.

The only true thing, the place to begin,
is to burn up the liar pile.

Now the sun will hide beneath the ridge tonight.
Clear flames of revenge will lick the black sky.
And I, I will sing as you eat their tongues.
For I am the saint who will lead them to us...

So I'm reeling the liars in, reeling the liars in,
Here is my hand, now drive the nail in, I am reeling the liars in.
Here is my tongue, now cut out my sin,
we are reeling the liars in.

There is only one way.
One place to begin.
By reeling this liar in.
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Cover art for Reeling the Liars In lyrics by Swans

Very literal i feel. I think i remember reading an interview with Gira also, where he said that this was simply a campfire song about burning liars in a pile... I can't really get anything else from the lyrics but that, either.

Cover art for Reeling the Liars In lyrics by Swans

Apparently Gira (also according to interview) has an intense dislike of liars/lying, so that's where it came from.

Cover art for Reeling the Liars In lyrics by Swans

From a 2012 interview with Gira [1]:

Q: One song I particularly enjoyed in its demo version was "Reeling the Liars In." Can you tell me about the vivid imagery in that song, or what inspired it?

A: [Laughs] I think that was written at the tail end of the infamous Bush era and I started with him in mind in particular. [I was] thinking about having to burn him and his cohorts in a pile. I was simultaneously reading a book about the Third Reich and that imagery came to mind. I also inverted that imagery on the narrator as well, since he is also subject to scrutiny.

[1] https://archives.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2012/03/14/michael-gira-on-performing-solo-and-the-time-he-wanted-to-murder-some-hipsters

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