Cannons Lyrics
Tempests threaten us today
There's no respite, from long dark nights
Just the fantasy of spring
From the hailstones of summer
To a scorching winter land
A frozen death sleep, then this heat
Beats down on this bucked land
From city limits fireball
And in a headless chicken run
Race red and screaming fire engines
The the cannons came
Beneath its baleful eye
The cannon shot, the cannon crack
Disturbing night dreams
To the lakes and to the shores
Left behind a near ghost town
Save the life of the cannons resounding
Still there was no rain
Hovers the preying sky
The cannons aim jabs at the eye
Heralding the rain .....
"In the middle of all this, I saw a documentary about this period of freak weather in the '20s, when it was either incredibly hot ot ridiculously cold. TS Eliot had written a poem about it. Apparently, in desperation, the locals would fire a cannon into this oppressive sky each night in the hope of bursting a rain cloud. The image of this deserted town, with someone having to stay behind to fire the cannon, stuck with me and became "Cannons" on the new album"
- SIOUXSIE as quoted in SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES THE AUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY
SIOUXSIE: " 'Cannon': "It was inspired by seeing a book programme about T. S. Eliot. I think it was. And it touched upon this freak weather period in the 20's, when it was either incredibly hot and oppressive or ridiculously cold when it shouldn't have been. Apparently, in desperation about what to do a cannon was shot into this oppressive sky every night in the hope of bursting a rain cloud. The image of this deserted town, with someone having to stay behind to fire the cannon, stuck with me." Source: NME 28/09/8.
CARRUTHERS: "In Spanish medieval times, if it hadn't rained and the crops were suffering then they pointed a cannon into the sky in the hope of bursting the clouds." Bang! Source: Melody Maker 1986.
Back in the day when there was a drought people used to in an act of desperation would fire cannons into the sky in hope that it would release rain.
Some leaders turn to war to revive an ailing country
I love this song. In fact, I do an acoustic cover of it at my shows. I love the "oppositness" of "the hailstones of summer and "a scorching winter land". That's intersting that they would shoot cannons in hopes of "opening" the sky for rain. Brilliant song...one of my favourites off of Tinderbox!