Swans - Love Will Save You 

I’m a black man who mostly grew up listening to hip-hop and R&B. I ran into the Swans by sheer coincidence and this song in particular. When that outro hits, i feel mostly sad for the people in my circle of friends who’ll never get to experience this beautiful work of art simply because they won’t even give it a chance. It’s so beautiful

An interpretation I saw on the song meanings website: "Love can blind you of misery and shelter you from emotional pain, but the jaded, cynical, or loveless have no such imaginary shield. "

The piano caught me off guard and literally made me tear up, one of the most beautiful and somehow desperate melodies I’ve ever heard.

I always thought that this song was about abusing love as a way to not have to self-reflect. As long as you use love, you don't have to deal with inner demons and go through the depths of your own soul. As long as everything seems light, everything seems to be okay. But there cannot be light without darkness, so therefor, love can only save you once you have entered and accepted, challenged and even conquered yourself on your way to light.

only swans can make a song that is very depressing and uplifting at the same time

This album either saved my life or made me miserable, depending which side of the memory coin you polish up for the biography.

One of the greatest albums of all time.

Two bottles of wine and Swans.

“... love’ll save you from the guilt you feel when you betray your only friend ...”

SAVE YOURSELF . NOBODY ELSE WILL.

I always interpreted the more uplifting parts on the 3rd and 4th choruses as a sort of underlying hope that love would, actually, save the guy. Notice that during those choruses he doesn't get to sing the "me" and is instead interrupted by the more positive instrumental.

I like to think this song is about how sometimes you have hope for everyone else but you

Love will save you when the ocean splits itself in two Love will save you when the cold wind blows right through you Love will save you when the poison eats the precious air And love will save you from the snake that crawls around down there But it won't save me Love will save you from the evil and the greed of ignorant men And love will save you from the guilt you feel when you betray your only friend Love will save you from yourself when you lose control And love will save you from all the lies your lover ever told you But it won't save me Love will save you from the truth when you think you're free Love will save you from the cold light of boring reality Love will save you from the corruption of your lazy-minded soul And love will save you from your selfish and distorted goals But it won't save me Love will save you from the black night and the lightning and the ghost Love will save you from your misery, then tie you to the bloody post Love will save you from the hands that pull you down beneath the sea Love may save all you people, but it will never, never save me

This makes me feel like I do when listening to Leonard Cohen. It doesn't sound like him nor does it remind me of him, the feeling I get from listening to Swans is how I feel when listening to LC. it's like arriving at the same destination via two different journeys.

Still probably my favorite track Swans ever released. It’s kind of funny, but I was always much more attracted to their abrasive early material, I suppose however when we get older and get over ourselves we become more willing to branch out in terms of of the music we listen to.

Jesus Christ, this song brings me close to tears so often.

There's no denying that this is one of the most beautiful songs of all time. That outro is one of the most epicly emotional, powerful and utmost uplifting instrumental outros in the history of music. Masterful.

If this song makes you tear up, you know you're old

This album is the definition of bittersweet. The bright and shiny instrumental contrasting directly with the soulcrushing nihilistic lyricism, it`s something that creates a very introspective and lonely atmosphere, it`s like someone with depression that hides their pain behind a fake and mechanical happiness. Love Will Save You, Blind and Why Are We Alive are songs that make me feel an enhancing delight and heartaching pain at the same time.

Still epic after all these years.

I love the bass on this one. The sound, the playing. It’s excellent.

Somebody should write an analysis of Giras writing style. Swans lyrics are always one half transcendent and one half dark egoism. It's like recognizing the power of the divine but taking the side of the material. and the music just FLIES

It would be awesome, if Jarboe came back to Swans someday.

Anyone listening that never had to choke back a tear when the piano breaks through the driving, relentless rhythm isn't human. Michael Gira breaks your soul apart with the piano accompaniment (?) in this one.

This song is one of the few songs that I feel truly describes the way love is and can be, its beautiful and terrible all at once, Nice seeing Swans actually posted it too :)

[Verse 1] Love will save you When the ocean splits itself in two Love will save you When the cold wind blows right through you Love will save you When the poison eats the precious air And love will save you From the snake that crawls around down there [Refrain] But it won't save me [Verse 2] Love will save you From the evil and the greed of ignorant men And love will save you From the guilt you feel when you betray your only friend Love will save you From yourself when you lose control And love will save you From all the lies your lover told you [Refrain] But it won't save me [Verse 3] Love will save you From the truth when you think you're free Love will save you From the cold light of boring reality Love will save you From the corruption of your lazy-minded soul And love will save you From your selfish and distorted goals [Refrain] But it won't save... [Verse 4] Love will save you From the black night and the lightning and the ghost Love will save you From your misery, then tie you to the bloody post Love will save you From the hands that pull you down beneath the sea And love may save all you people But it will never, never save me [Refrain] No, it won't save Me

You're a musical genius, Michael

This song brings me an uplifting level of joy I can't quite explain.

it sounds like angels are singing on this track.

Transcendental every time.

Una delle più belle canzoni di tutti i tempi, secondo me. Cigni immensi!

In 1991, post-rock was fully birthed from albums like Slint’s Spiderland and Talk Talk’s Laughing Stock. Yet White Light From the Mouth of Infinity is almost willfully left out of the conversation of pioneering post-rock albums. Why? It’s time that this record is recognized as the masterpiece of post-rock that it so clearly is.

This song gives me the chillz....

During the otherwordly instrumental part, I have always heard Jarboe singing "happiness" and it's a bittersweet feeling

The final part of the song always makes me cry

Just when I needed to hear this most....

Fairly new to Swans. I was introduced through the new albums but from what I’ve heard, this album and Love of Life are right there with The Seer and To Be Kind.

Such a wonderful song! Love it.

this is so very amazing

This song always gives me chills!!!!!!!!!A masterpiece!!!!!!

Gosh I've loved this band my entire adult life. Still amazed. Still transfixed.

Here I am again, loving your music, loving this track, loving Swans.

White Light from the Mouth of Infinity and Love of Life both 'saved' me literally from depression in the early 90s - and helped me to become the mystic i feel i am today. the paradox ov Michaels harsh reality and Buddhist-like lyrics & Jarboes otherworldly voice and the incredibly gorgeous swirling sounds ov the music itself bring together the earth and sky, body and mind like no other music i have ever heard. without a doubt WLFTMOI remains one ov the most powerful and transcendent albums ov all time for me. thank you Michael, Jarboe, and your band.

i love this song

The verses remind me of a prayer, and the chorus is a piercing ray of light that shines through the chapel roof, lifting the prayer up into the air momentarily.

Best title for album in history. The music kicks ass also.

Use to love this song, would bring me a bit of solace in the numbness I was but now that I awoke to life and said yes to the existential and transfigurative power of love no way back. Love opens up everything, creates everything, brings everything to life and gives us a reason to live in the fck choas of life

And thank you, Michael Gira, for your extraordinary talent and your willingness to put these songs so freely on this publisher. I've been listening since the 90's and Jane Mary/cry one tear was the first 'swans song' that made me pay attention, realizing that there was something incredibly important happening here. The unfortunate part is that i've only ever had the chance to see You in my city once.

Bleak, but blissful. Another sort of song I love. I also love happy/sad music.

that piano melody is so inspiring

This is one of the best songs of all time imho

greatest album of all time !

Good hello. Thank you YGR/Swans for sharing this here. I have no players/turntables available currently, so this is a godsend. There must be hundreds of Swans racks that are hugely relevant important and beautiful to me, but wit what is happening in my life at the moment, this, paired with Miracle of Love are vastly meaningful to me. Crying my eyes out listening to this. (Next week I will think the same about Raping a Slave or something). Swans - my compendium to accompany me on life's journey. What times I have lived in to have Swans to track my trajectory as the years have rolled by. Thanks all who made it all possible.

I love Michael's classy sales pitch, one I have heeded. Great record.

Still absolutely relevant even in this year🖤🤘🏻

A sheer Masterpiece. 🙏

so beautiful, i love swans

Swans is a whole genre

I'll follow the cliche and say this song and album saved me

I COMPLETELY FORGOT THE WHOLE PIANO INTERLUDE (and ending) LIKE WHAT THAT IS BEAUTIFUL This album is just too good... it took a while but I'm glad I came back to it.

I remember this was the first song I played the day I met my ex gf. I used to play this song daily and I remember a beautiful hot summer we shared I would play this song all the time whilst driving. I have many good memories with this song. But now that's all gone. Nearly 3 years gone. I still miss her. Like I love this song so much but sometimes I just tear up and shed some tears. I miss all that so much.

Beyond words.

one of my favorite swans song

yes

This song opened my eyes, thank you Tuomas.

Shame more people haven’t heard this record. This was my first Swans album. So many soul crushing songs - this and Failure being my favorites. Great band.

Omg the swans yeah they save lives and stuff and they are like the beast eber and all that jazz omg

This song should have been as big as Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart. Bigger, actually.

The genius of these composition lies in the fact that the "happy" section of the song starts with a c Major chord, and that chord appears several times in the song before the "happy" section comes in (when Gira says "save"). So the second section is just an extension of that little part

That album cover is the best

this is my favorite song

Temazo por y para siempre!!!

Great song, very poetic

beautiful

Very Nick Cave, gorgeous ❤🇮🇹

the female backing vocals sound straight out of berserk

Emozioni...che band speciale...Gira un alieno

Preach!

Big. Keep going lads!

O amor ainda não me salvou

Sounds like the singer of cocteau twins in the background

Sei Liebe,ohne Liebe zu wollen oder zu brauchen !💕💞

❤

WHO SAYS THAT ROCK CAN'T BE SAVIOUR?

Here my friend, 3:40, from this minute on is the exact moment that you want to hear if you're not that into Swans

Epic

Someone should make a theatrical play out of this album.

It might save me.

💙

♥

I have friends who like a lotta different underground indie goth etc stuff over the past 30yrs and I too like much of it. However there are a few singers/bands where none other will go with me: Sunset Rubdown Small Leaks Sink Ships Swans Just to name a few. And I never ever meet ppl who know most stuff I like. Good music can be lonely.

Wait for it.That piano cuts deep....

Love this era of Swans. Can't get into the new stuff, though :(

🤘❤️🤘

The opening of this song makes me think of a section from the Throwing Muses song “honey chain”. Just me?

I badly want her back, guys. This song kills me and, on the same time, gives me a strength

Blessed despair

My vote to one up "Love Will Tear Us Apart" as an answer to, "What song shouldn't you play at a wedding?"

tremendisimo tema conchasumadre probablemente uno de los más hermosos que he escuchado en mi vida

Yes indeed, love will save you...but it won't save many...best you make sure you're included!!!