submissions
| Toyah – Marionette Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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I would hazard a guess that this is about Margaret Thatcher and the Falklands War. Not sure of all the references, but the 'City of whores' is presumably London. 'The Bell Tower' is possibly a reference to the tarot card The Tower, which is usually seen as a symbol of strife and war. |
submissions
| Toyah – Elocution Lesson Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Like 'Creepy Room', this song refers to Toyah's childhood, which was blighted by physical disabilities, dyslexia and speech disability. These required extensive and often traumatic therapy.
'Elocution Lesson' is especially about speech therapy. |
submissions
| Toyah – Angel & Me Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Insanity seems to be a frequent topic in Toyah songs. A lot of it probably stems from her childhood experiences, including intensive therapy for several physical disabilities, speech therapy and dyslexia. The song 'Creepy Room' particularly refers to this part of her childhood.
In this case, she appears to be speaking with the voice of an asylum inmate who can't understand why others can't see her 'angel', and who eventually resorts to violence and (apparently) murder, and briefly makes her escape. As she's recapture, she seems to revert to a fugue state of some kind, and imagines herself safe with the angel. |
submissions
| Toyah – I want to be free Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Pretty obvious as an anti-consumerist, punky, smash-it-up type anthem. The video shows Ms. Willcox apparently being observed in an asylum or perhaps watch house, smashing up various iconic items of consumer culture. |
submissions
| Soul Asylum – Runaway Train Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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According to wikipedia, it's about "staying in a dorm room with a bug collection". Which seems a bit odd, but might explain the firefly reference.
Otherwise, depression and isolation would seem to be the consensus.
Just as an aside, the Australian version of the video had to be re-cut after it was found that some of the people in it, including Anja Habschied and Gabor Neugebauer, and I think Simone Schmidl, were found to have been victims of notorious 'Backpacker murderer' Ivan Milat (the sick creep 'Wolf Creek' was loosely based on). Very sad. |
submissions
| Bauhaus – Who Killed Mr. Moonlight? Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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Roseweave: I recall "goth" being used around at least by '84 or '85 at the latest. At the time, it was seen as a sort of cartoonish bit of fun for those of us who grew up on Addams Family and RKO horror reruns, and definitely not to be taken seriously.
I was quite surprised, in the mid '90s, when a younger acquaintance mention having goth friends: "You mean goth is STILL around? Well, I never, you kids these days, etc ..."
Most amusingly, I now work with a goth kid of 19, who had never heard of Bauhaus until I burnt her some CDs last week. |
submissions
| Bauhaus – Hollow Hills Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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I think you will find that it is most directly inspired by an Arthur Machen story, which actually contains the line "For invasion of their hollow hills is surely recommended not" |
submissions
| The Pogues – Sally MacLennane Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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If I recall correctly, in "A drink with Shane MacGowan", he says that it's based on his own experiences working behind a bar as a youngster? |
submissions
| The Pogues – South Australia Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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This is a traditional Australian song.
I remember them playing this as one of their opening numbers on their first Australian tour in 88, and it absolutely brought the house down. |
submissions
| The Pogues – Turkish Song Of The Damned Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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I've heard a similar story as fairportfan's, except that it was something about them being in Turkey and hearing a Damned song.
Some of the lyrics are paraphrased from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Shane also used the phrase about the minstrel "who stoppeth one in three", from the same poem, in the song "Fiesta". |
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