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  1. Tracks
  2. Swans
  3. The Seer
  4. Lunacy

TRACK

Swans

Lunacy

Release date: 28th August 2012

From The Seer
Spotify
More on Swans

About This Track

'Lunacy' opens The Seer with a descent into fractured consciousness. Swans, joined by Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker on co-vocals, build the track from sparse, almost liturgical repetition: phrases like "break the chain, hide within" and "kill the truth or speak the name" accumulate with hypnotic dread. The refrain strips everything back to its title, hammered dozens of times until language itself becomes a blunt instrument. The song moves from cryptic verse into an outro of relentless finality. "Your childhood is over" repeats six times, each iteration a small death, a closing of doors. There is no resolution, only the sound of something collapsing inward, the band's characteristic heaviness deployed not for catharsis but for entrapment.

"Lunacy" is a track by Swans, from the album The Seer, released 28th August 2012. Full lyrics are available below.

About the Artist

Swans

Swans

Lyrics

Lunacy

[Verse 1]

In the mind of no one

Forming sun, forming love

Break the chain, hide within

Innocence, not innocent

Innocent in no sense

Eat the beast, keep him in

Take the blame, speak the name

[Refrain]

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

[Verse 2]

Hide beneath, your monkey skin

Feel his love, nurture him

Kill the truth or speak the name

[Refrain]

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

Lunacy, lunacy

[Outro]

Your childhood is over, is over

Your childhood is over, is over

Your childhood is over, is over

Your childhood is over, is over

Your childhood is over, is over

Your childhood is over, is over

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From The Seer

2012
Listen
Album
The Seer
The Seer
Swans
Release year
2012
  1. —93 Ave. B Blues
  2. —Lunacy
  3. —A Piece of the Sky
  4. —The Seer Returns
  5. —Mother of the World
  6. —The Apostate
  7. —Avatar
  8. —The Seer
  9. —The Daughter Brings the Water
  10. —The Wolf
  11. —Song for a Warrior

More from Swans

Albums & EPs

Oxygen
2014
Soundtracks for the Blind
Soundtracks for the Blind
2001
White Light from the Mouth of Infinity
White Light from the Mouth of Infinity
1991
The Glowing Man
The Glowing Man
The Seer
The Seer
Die Tür Ist Zu
Die Tür Ist Zu

Explore

More tracks by Swans

  1. A Little God in My Hands (Live) (2025)
  2. Amnesia (leaving meaning.)
  3. Away
  4. Away (Live)
  5. Birthing
  6. Birthing (Live)
  7. Cathedrals of Heaven
  8. Cathedrals of Heaven (Live)
  9. Don't Go
  10. Ebbing

Showing 10 of 50

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Credits

Production & Engineering

Writer
Michael Gira
Lyricist
Michael Gira
Producer
Michael Gira
Engineer
Bryce Goggin, Kevin McMahon
Drums
Phil Puleo, Thor Harris, William Rieflin
Vocals
Alan Sparhawk, Mimi Parker
Acoustic Guitar
Michael Gira, William Rieflin
Additional Vocals
Christopher Pravdica, Kristof Hahn, Phil Puleo, William Rieflin
Assistant Engineer
Adam Sachs, Boris Wilsdorf, Marco Paschke
Bass Guitar
Christopher Pravdica, William Rieflin
Bells
Thor Harris
Clarinet
Thor Harris
Electric Guitar
Kristof Hahn, Michael Gira, William Rieflin
Hammered Dulcimer
Phil Puleo, Thor Harris
Handclaps
Christopher Pravdica
Harmonica
Michael Gira
Lap Steel Guitar
Kristof Hahn
Lead Vocals
Michael Gira
Mastering Engineer
Doug Henderson
Mixing Engineer
Kevin McMahon
Percussion
Phil Puleo, Thor Harris, William Rieflin
Piano
Thor Harris, William Rieflin
Pre-Mastering Engineer
Jamal Ruhe
Sound Effects
Michael Gira
Synthesizer
William Rieflin
Vibraphone
Thor Harris
Violin
Thor Harris
READ MORE ABOUT SWANSREAD MORE ABOUT SWANS
READ MORE ABOUT SWANSREAD MORE ABOUT SWANS

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