I haven't added a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds track in ages. Today's song, "There is a Light", comes from the Batman Forever soundtrack.
As with many songs I think this one is pretty literal when it lists a few bad elements and then goes onto the light in the sky. I'm pretty sure that this case all of the bad elements are pretty much just that with the light being the bat signal in the sky.
One could simply say this is a superhero song, but a bad ass version by Nick Cave. I wonder how often we let things slide or simply avoid doing anything out of fear. How often do we let the bad guys do what they want because it's easier to look the other way? Somewhere deep within all of us lies a superhero, we need only shine a light and let the "bad ass" out.
Hey there sugar where ya gunna go?
I'm going downtown Daddy-O
What ya gunna do when you get there, girl?
I'm gunna get messed up in a God-Shaped Hole
Hey Mr Hophead, what ya gunna do?
I'm going downtown for some bad ju-ju
Ya going downtown too, Mr. Gigolo?
Damn right I am, Daddy-O...
There is a light thay shines over this city tonight
There is a light that shines over this city tonight
Let it shine
O Mr High Roller where ya gunna go?
Where the real high-rollin rollers roll real dough
Hey Mr Killer Man what ya gunna do?
Me and Mr Death are going downtown too
Ain't there one God Fearing citizen about?
They're all holed up and they ain't comin' out
What about Mr. Preacher to forgive us our sins?
Not that carrion crow with blood on his chin
And Mr. Politician can't he lend a hand?
He's too busy sucking on the guts of this town
And what about God and this Armageddon?
He's all blissed out, man, up in Heaven
Ain't there nowhere to run, ain't there nowhere to go?
(repeat line 3 more times)
Yeah, look to the sky, Daddy-O
There is a light that shines over this city tonight
There is a light that shines over this city tonight
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
What are the little kids gunna do, man?
The little kids are all standing around
What are the kids doing, do you know?
They are looking to the Sky, Daddy-O
When the light shines, find the thing that fears you most and turn it against the foe.
Showing posts with label nick cave. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nick cave. Show all posts
Monday, February 13, 2012
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Where the Wild Roses Grow
Ah the joys of social media, constantly reminded of classics that just sit round the corners of consciousness yet always play a part in our daily lives.
I fell in love with this one, possibly as far back as 1995 when I first saw the music video. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" is a duet between Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue. While they may seem an unlikely duo Cave penned this song with Kylie in mind.
While a rather macabre song (as most of Cave's tend to be) the imagery is truly beautiful, which is part of the point behind the song. In this case Cave's character ends up killing Kylie's character in order to preserve beauty. But as with so many things, dying young rarely keeps things as beautiful as they should be.
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
She stared in my eyes and smiled
For her lips were the colour of the roses
That grew down the river, all bloody and wild
When he knocked on my door and entered the room
My trembling subsided in his sure embrace
He would be my first man, and with a careful hand
He wiped at the tears that ran down my face
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
On the second day I brought her a flower
She was more beautiful than any woman I'd seen
I said, "Do you know where the wild roses grow
So sweet and scarlet and free?"
On the second day he came with a single red rose
He said "Give me your loss and your sorrow"
I nodded my head, as I lay on the bed
"If I show you the roses, will you follow?"
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
On the third day he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he knelt (stood smiling) above me with a rock in his fist
On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
And she lay on the bank, the wind light as a thief
And I kissed her goodbye, said, "All beauty must die"
And lent down and planted a rose tween her teeth
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
In the end, the only thing that was left of Elisa Day was a bed of roses. Perhaps even the most grim of circumstances can leave something of beauty behind even if it is totally unintended. Perhaps it's hope that needs us and not the other way around.
I fell in love with this one, possibly as far back as 1995 when I first saw the music video. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" is a duet between Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue. While they may seem an unlikely duo Cave penned this song with Kylie in mind.
While a rather macabre song (as most of Cave's tend to be) the imagery is truly beautiful, which is part of the point behind the song. In this case Cave's character ends up killing Kylie's character in order to preserve beauty. But as with so many things, dying young rarely keeps things as beautiful as they should be.
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
She stared in my eyes and smiled
For her lips were the colour of the roses
That grew down the river, all bloody and wild
When he knocked on my door and entered the room
My trembling subsided in his sure embrace
He would be my first man, and with a careful hand
He wiped at the tears that ran down my face
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
On the second day I brought her a flower
She was more beautiful than any woman I'd seen
I said, "Do you know where the wild roses grow
So sweet and scarlet and free?"
On the second day he came with a single red rose
He said "Give me your loss and your sorrow"
I nodded my head, as I lay on the bed
"If I show you the roses, will you follow?"
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
On the third day he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he knelt (stood smiling) above me with a rock in his fist
On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
And she lay on the bank, the wind light as a thief
And I kissed her goodbye, said, "All beauty must die"
And lent down and planted a rose tween her teeth
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
In the end, the only thing that was left of Elisa Day was a bed of roses. Perhaps even the most grim of circumstances can leave something of beauty behind even if it is totally unintended. Perhaps it's hope that needs us and not the other way around.
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