Swans - Helpless Child (live)

[@ephemeralsolidity1004]

This is the peak of rock music.

[@trardac]

This is the peak of music

[@HateDisease]

@@trardac This is the peak.

[@sweetmemes1661]

@@HateDisease This is

[@RSilva-ku3dn]

@@sweetmemes1661 This

[@sauarkrokur818]

T

[@anickner1178]

I wish I was born at the time to see them play that song live...

[@tortimania5734]

Agree

[@gasmaskboi19371945]

At least you're alive to see them live anyway!

[@Machinima1827]

most likely you wouldn't know them, and if you did, you wouldn't appreciate them as you do now

[@wanneske1969]

They still exist and play live after covid

[@yvindaleskjr-nordheggen6776]

@@Machinima1827 I saw them live on this tour in 1997. Never been so fucking hypnotized and “musically raped” in all my life. They had this surround drone sound going from 20:00 until they went on stage at 01:30. 5 and a half hour with one sound on repeat. When they entered the stage and played “feel happiness” and “helpless child” “the sound” etc, it was by far the best and most insane concert experience I’ve ever attended. And seen some big names like Pink Floyd, Rammstein, Depeche Mode etc. NOTHING is even close to this concert. So I didn’t. Know what I was going to back then but it marked me for life as one of the biggest happening in my now soon 50 year old life. If I could relive ONE concert again it would be that one.

[@mammontustado9680]

13:18 is such a beautiful angle. There's something about voyeuristically witnessing raw emotion translated into music. Props to the dude with the camera for capturing this.

[@MortonGoldthwait]

9:12 That chord brings my knees to the earth every time I hear it.

[@growskull]

f#m

[@adrianhernandez98]

​@@growskull is it? i was completely sure that I listen a D major

[@growskull]

@adrianhernandez98 i mean theyre pretty similar chords so it might be a different voicing but i think f#m sounds like a best fit

[@adrianhernandez98]

@@growskull i will try with f#m next time, but i guess they'll sound pretty similar, as you said

[@EvilLadderGaming]

Def a D major. He’s doing the typical open C major shape but with a capo on the 2nd fret. So it’s gotta be a D major

[@battousai12]

This is not just music. Its magic and Gira is a Shaman.

[@davidmckelvey2601]

Now I know where Godspeed You! Black Emperor got their sound.

[@originalsynthesist2268]

Hear muh!

[@sheilamccarthy5473]

How are people just casually chatting at the start of the performance like this amazing feat isn't happening before them

[@danielplainview2584]

It takes most people a while to catch up with genius.

[@davidtalbot9325]

I have been alive longer than nature intended. I can honestly say this fucking amazing music has kept me alive. It's like...medicine.

[@batcaver]

Swans of the mid 90's is definetly their best period IMHO ! Magic performances on this tour !!

[@nathanburnett9529]

this video made me cry

[@jasonlynn1017]

The Sublime crashes from out of these chords, Helpless Child and Blood Promise stand with the greatest musical heights of any century: Wagnerian, infinite and inenarrable. This music is the howl of being human.

[@civilizedworm666]

I dream to see them, LIVE. Wish Jarboe would come and tour with them, again

[@7crosschop]

It is as intense as you can imagine.

[@LucyGoosey4636]

@@7crosschop what songs have you heard them plau

[@howardgoodwin8633]

@@LucyGoosey4636 learn how to spell before you commenr nwxr rimw

[@originalsynthesist2268]

All my brothers and sisters of Swans, rejoice that such embodiment of the human/divine was given to us. I will always love Michael and Jarboe. Especially Michael, as his band here was clearly one of the top 10 artists in any medium anywhere.

[@hzdmc7122]

Music can't get any better than this

[@nicholasvaccari3075]

They ripped open reality here. They opened a sacred circle and let the other beings through. They were conduits of eternity. And its captured on film? Gods/Goddesses forgive us..

[@Skeebins]

nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh nAHHHH just SWANS LIVE YEAHH

[@jasonlynn1017]

It should be on film to remind a thousand generations how to feel in a world gone dark and dead.

[@alexandraeast4511]

I adore this song, I’ve heard it many many times and the live version on Swans Are Dead too but I’ve never seen it with a video. This had me in tears in less than 30 seconds. Michael Gira and everyone who has ever worked with Swans. I love you. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much...

[@crisha721]

this is one of their best songs. I love them so much

[@ratskin1782]

Saw them live in 95 and "final" gig in 97 at LA2

[@user-vd7io9jc8f]

lucky bastard

[@MDK2_Radio]

Saw them in Denver on the same two tours. Since this was an unreleased song in 95 there was no preparation for it. I swear the place felt like it was levitating. For their return in 97 it wasn't as epic, but Jarboe's take on I Crawled was a hell of an unexpected trip. Genuinely frightening at the end.

[@cyrus2857]

must've been life changing

[@marcellix]

💀 San Francisco 1995

[@abeautifulswansong]

You lucky fuck

[@AlejandroRomero-zv1fo]

05/24/24 I have just discovered this masterpiece, Swans will now be a part of me until I die...

[@supplechap5429]

I love the quality.

[@Manzur89]

One of the most epic songs ever made, and they played it so amazingly on stage,thanks for uploading the whole thing, the video on two parts just break the trip

[@PolicemanPlanet]

id argue this version is better than the album version tbh

[@PolicemanPlanet]

yeah no you were right this version fucks

[@balance1182]

eternal love

[@paulsenkans3401]

Enlightening music. Thank you, Swans.

[@PolicemanPlanet]

[Verse 1] Now you be the mother and I'll be your fool I'll hide myself deep inside Your crimson pool The muddy water runs Beneath your folds You won't let me breathe; You won't let me go Now you'll be the stranger and I'll be the white-skinned son You'll blacken my innocence With sugar and opium [Verse 2] The children were suffocating Down in your damp cave And you were the mother And I was the sleeping slave Protect me from violence Hold me in your cool lips You'll drug me with kindness So I can pretend I exist Now you be the only child I'll suck on your breast You'll feed me with gasoline I'll burn my name in your head

[@user-id8vi9bg4n]

cmon everyone knows the words to the greatest song of all time

[@DanielHernandez-hg5ey]

thanks mr policeman

[@PolicemanPlanet]

thanks daniel hernandez

[@LucyGoosey4636]

In this one he puts the last four lines of the second verse at the beginning of the second verse

[@chethongo]

amazing footage.

[@candikmen6078]

this song always reminds me something i forgot. breath. love. hate. write. dont write.

[@ryandenis7667]

this is history

[@eduardovelasquez9023]

So much passion when playing this song! This is mesmerizing. 😍

[@chaktsallo2165]

This footage is pure gold! Cheers for the upload

[@frankfertier34]

les chants désespérés sont les chants les plus beaux. je me fais avoir à chaque coup, et chaque fois j'en redemande.

[@HiGlowie]

I’d love to be a fly on the wall when the synths/samples for this song were being programmed. The patches sound complex due to all the motion and subtle variety.

[@revengerknight92]

90s manifesto

[@richardwilliamson4848]

Amazing. I saw them in San Francisco circa 1992- WOW!

[@wanneske1969]

I love this guy

[@ryannMW7]

The best song of all time.

[@Farcallo]

Wow that's just a fantastic performance. Thank you so so much for the upload!

[@ryannMW7]

Melhor música de todos os tempos

[@kraftyhandz]

Absolutely, gorgeous.

[@blacksmokegearjammer]

Amazing.

[@griffinmoore6819]

Fantastic video.

[@shiverburn3264]

Is the percussionist playing vibraphone with two mallets with one hand and keeping the beat on the hi-hat with the other hand?

[@ScisaacFisaac]

Most trained percussionists use two mallets to a hand like it's nothing, early as middle school sometimes. It's crazy. That, and keeping multiple beats going.

[@oryangoat5915]

I think so, but both are keeping the beat though. In the intro the vibraphone seems more random / free form but later it plays a structured melody

[@bastiangustavsen3168]

haha indeed, thats why he is still the drummer of swans to this day ;)

[@explayq230]

lo-fi with filed recording version

[@milesnoname7904]

Ayyy another Schopenhauerian Swans fan !

[@mzcv2371]

Belleza

[@xildu4830]

This is happening

[@zkills1783]

This is the music OAT

[@n11k.nd3k]

awesome

[@swans7618]

No words.

[@delhidelirium9091]

I love the instrumental part where some dude gets possessed by Jarboe´s epic keys in this , so this dude just goes : ´This is it! This is my fukking jam ... have some of this fukkers ! ` - just erupts in front of Gira tripping his ass off just playing some noisy, loud ,mean souding power chords all over the place not giving two shits about anything - ´ more dissonant , the merrier ! ` ... it´s his guitar by itself along with Jarboe´s keyboards and a bunch of all other noise which he completely ignores , an ´helpless child` filling in for Norman Westberg who actually accomplishes a decent performance here ... fukking epic !

[@pfisterbuddy]

Oh man......

[@gnisiseggmine5809]

do you still have this in original quality somewhere?

[@_n4nom4n]

Kings of pain

[@mrlucas9072]

12:34 the synths come in

[@wolfgabe8925]

Who’s the other guitar player hitting those deafening chords at 7:55? the one in the T shirt looking at Michael

[@TheMadalucard]

Joe Goldring, he was the bass player for this tour and played 3rd guitar on Helpless Child it seems.

[@woah3157]

@@TheMadalucardI wish there was a comprehensive tab of all 3 guitars on this. It sounds like the second guitarist is playing open d or something

[@yvindaleskjr-nordheggen6776]

To the 5 people that gave thumbs down on this one: Hannah Montana rules!!!

[@_ben_miller]

Lol. Atta boy

[@The_Jnrel]

Is discovering Swans before 18 a good thing or a bad thing?

[@ImaginalComponent]

Anyone know the date or venue of this gig?

[@lorenzo_paiano_]

1995 for sure

[@ImaginalComponent]

@@lorenzo_paiano_ obviously 1995 but i was hoping more for confirmation of venue, country, filmmaker, etc...

[@lorenzo_paiano_]

@@ImaginalComponent ok i now found out watching the film Where Does A Body End that the gig was at Paradiso in Amsterdam (obviously in 1995)

[@supplechap5429]

444 likes. The heavenly nature of this video leaks through! :0

[@user-mc6mg4ef2j]

SWAGS

[@peepnox7747]

:)

[@mybloodyabsolen]

Anyone knows the chords???

[@breakingthestitch2507]

During the parts where he’s singing a I think it starts with an F#m then it’s a C# and a Dmaj

[@growskull]

f#m c#sus but the crescendo is all f#m

[@dingopictures3342]

Gira's performance was truly fantastic but the crowd was too noisy. How can someone talk while they play this song?

[@Curtainkob]

And I couldn't be there. I was born in 1993, and am living my youth in one of the shittiest ages of humankind, with shitty music and shitty people. But Michael is still alive, at least

[@bierdlll]

The guitar is too loud and there is no melody.

[@torsofuckd]

Lloré