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Failure Lyrics by Swans

Various Failures

1991

[Verse 1]
And I, I've been lonely
And I, I've been blind
And I, I've learned nothing
So my hands are firmly tied
To the sinking lead weight of failure

[Verse 2]
I've worked hard all my life
Money slips through my hands
My face in the mirror tells me
It's no surprise that I am
Pushing the stone up the hill of failure

[Verse 3]
And they tempt me with violence
And they punish me with ideals
And they crush me with an image of my life
That's nothing but unreal
Except on the goddamned slaveship of failure

[Verse 4]
And I'll drown here trying
To get up for some air
But each time I think I breathe
I'm laid on with a double share
Of the punishing burden of failure

[Verse 5]
I don't deserve to be down here
But I'll never leave
And I, I've learned one thing
You can't escape the beast
In the null and void pit of failure

[Verse 6]
When I get my hands on some money
I'll kiss its green skin
And I'll ask its dirty face
"Where the hell have ya been?"
"I'm the fuel that fires the engines of failure"

[Verse 7]
And I'll be old and broken down
And I'll forget who and where I am
I'll be senile or forgotten
But I'll remember and understand
You can bank your hard-earned money on failure

[Verse 8]
I saw my father crying
I saw my mother break her hand
On a wall that wouldn't weep
But that certainly held in
The mechanical moans of a dying man who was a failure

[Verse 9]
My back hurts me when I bend
'Cause I carry a load
And my brain hurts like a knife-hole
'Cause I've yet to be shown
How to pull myself out from the sucking quicksand of failure

[Verse 10]
Some people lie in Hell
Many bastards succeed
But I, I've learned nothing
I can't even elegantly bleed
Out the poison blood of failure
Credits
Swans

Swans

About “Failure” by Swans

Read the complete lyrics to "Failure" by Swans from the album "Various Failures" in 1991. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under USA, In English, Neofolk.

"Failure" is performed by Swans. from the album "Various Failures" in 1991 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Failure", explore more songs by Swans using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Swans · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Failure" is credited to Swans. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Failure" appears on "Various Failures" in 1991.

Visit the Swans artist page at /artist/swans for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

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A Piece of the Sky (Demo)
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