[ S | Introduction | Song Index ]
See You in Hell
The song:
Lessons of our many years finally learned.
- Source: Lost Songs booklet -
|
Sentry
The song:
The feeling that it is war but nothing seems to happen might be inspired by
Wilfred Owens poem "Exposure" (1918):
Our brains ache,
in the merciless iced east winds that knive us...
Wearied we keep awake because the night is silent...
Low, drooping flares confuse our memory of the salient...
Worried by silence, sentries whisper, curious, nervous,
But nothing happens.
Watching, we hear the mad gusts tugging on the wire,
Like twitching agonies of men among its brambles.
Northward, incessantly, the flickering gunnery rumbles,
Far off, like a dull rumour of some other war.
What are we doing here?
The poignant misery of dawn begins to grow...
We only know war lasts, rain soaks, and clouds sag stormy.
Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army
Attacks once more in ranks on shivering ranks of grey,
But nothing happens.
Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence.
Less deathly than the air that shudders black with snow,
With sidelong flowing flakes that flock, pause, and renew;
We watch them wandering up and down the wind's nonchalance,
But nothing happens.
Pale flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces-
We cringe in holes, back on forgotten dreams, and stare, snow-dazed,
Deep into grassier ditches. So we drowse, sun-dozed,
Littered with blossoms trickling where the blackbird fusses,
-Is it that we are dying?
Slowly our ghosts drag home: glimpsing the sunk fires, glozed
With crusted dark-red jewels; crickets jingle there;
For hours the innocent mice rejoice: the house is theirs;
Shutters and doors, all closed: on us the doors are closed,-
We turn back to our dying.
Since we believe not otherwise can kind fires burn;
Nor ever suns smile true on child, or field, or fruit.
For God's invincible spring our love is made afraid;
Therefore, not loath, we lie out here; therefore were born,
For love of God seems dying.
Tonight, this frost will fasten on this mud and us,
Shrivelling many hands, puckering foreheads crisp.
The burying-party, picks and shovels in their shaking grasp,
Pause over half-known faces. All their eyes are ice,
But nothing happens.
- Source: Project Gutenberg -
[ Back to Sentry ]
|
Shot 18
The song:
The song treats the same topics as Vengeance
and The Hunt.
Thou shalt not kill:
Fifth commandment (a set of ten rules God personally gave Moses for all Jews
to obey. See also Ten Commandments).
Slate is cleaned:
To wipe the slate clean means to "forgive or forget past faults or offences;
make a fresh start".
- Source: The New Oxford Dictionary of English -
Christian martyr:
Someone who dies rather than deny his Christian belief and is therefore worshipped by
the Catholic Church. The first official martyrs appear in the bible.
- Read more: Wikipedia
-
Teeth for teeth, eyes for eyes:
Biblical quotation: "And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give
life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." This is often
misinterpreted as an invitation for revenge, when really it is a warning not to
react disproportionately.
- Source: The Bible. Exodus, 21: 23-25 - Read more:
Wikipedia -
[ Back to Shot 18 | Back to Chinese Whispers ]
|
Sleepwalking
The song:
Robert recorded this as a demo idea and wanted words written for it. Justin
wanted to leave it alone. In the end we got Ed [Alleyne-Johnson] to put some
violin on it and left it as an instrumental.
- Source: B-Sides and Abandoned Tracks booklet -
|
Smalltown England
The song:
This is basically about the same attitude as Poison
Street.
- Source: Robert Heaton in an
interview
with Chris Benn in May 1997 -
Rock the boat:
Do something that upsets the balance of a situation.
- Source: Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English -
Incrowd:
"A small group of people perceived by others to be particularly fashionable,
informed or popular".
- Source: The New Oxford Dictionary of English -
Nothing ventured, nothing gained:
Proverb: "You can't expect to achieve anything if you never take any risks".
- Source: The New Oxford Dictionary of English -
Pint:
568 ml. Here: a glass of beer.
Bowling Lane:
There does not seem to be a street of that name in
Bradford; however, there are districts called Bowling, West Bowling and East
Bowling, to the south and south west of the centre, with a Bowling Old Lane in
West Bowling and a Bowling Back Lane in Bowling.
|
Snelsmore Wood
The song:
If you drive from here down to Southampton and you want to miss the M25, you
will go on something which is now known as the Newbury bypass. I haven't actually
been on it yet, but I think it's probably only a matter of time before I find
myself driving down it. And when I do, somewhere under that road, in a place
called Snelsmore Wood, is the remains of my old long hair, that a security guard
kindly pulled out for me - bastard. I wanna sing this song as a dedication to
a battle that happened there three years ago.
- Source: Justin Sullivan, Red Sky Coven, 15/03/99, Hop and Grape, Manchester
-
Justin also mentioned on several occasions, how satisfactory it felt to join the Road Protest Movement, because then he knew his enemies and felt he was at the right place at the right time.
Killing is also about the Road Protest Movement.
Newbury is a district and town in the county of Berkshire,
to the west of London. Snelsmore Common, The Chase, Enborne
Road, Redding Copse, Tothill and Andover Road were some
of the places the protesters had their camps, The Chase furthermore was a nature
reserve.
- Read more: Wikipedia
-
Kennet Canal:
Probably the Kennet and Avon Canal, linking the rivers Kennet and Avon, that
flows through Newbury.
- Read more:
Wikipedia -
Yellow Jackets:
People wearing yellow jackets; very likely the workers felling trees or building
roads. They stand with the "Thick Blue Line", i.e. they are on the same side
as the police, against the demonstrants.
Thick Blue Line:
I guess, a line of policemen in blue uniforms, ready to block people's
way or to attack.
[ Back to Snelsmore Wood | Back to 1984 ]
|
Someone Like Jesus
The song:
I think it's a kind of key song and I think it's the best song that I have written
for over ten years. You know when you sometimes meet people who are very good
or when you are in a situation that is full of love and good things and there
is something in you and you don't know what it is that makes you want to tear
it all down or do something really bad or something very distructive. The basic
feeling of the song is this darkness we all carry around with us and we don't
know why. The last verse is not about me, it's someone else's story.
- Source: Justin Sullivan in an interview with German online music magazine
DocRock before the release of 'Eight' -
[ Back to Someone Like Jesus ]
|
Southwest
The song:
Yet another song about the sea, like Big Blue,
Marry the Sea, Ocean Rising,
Sun On Water,
Twilight Home and Wipeout.
A-roads:
Major roads in Great Britain that are not motorways.
- Read more:
Wikipedia -
Pentire:
A coastal place in Cornwall, in the south-west of England.
- Read more: Wikipedia
-
Indian Summer:
Period of dry, unseasonably warm weather in late October or November in the
central and eastern United States. This autumn warm period also occurs in Europe,
where in Britain it is called All-hallown summer or Old Wives' summer.
- Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica -
|
Space
The song:
The biblical stories are a rejection of God.
- Source: Justin Sullivan in an interview with German magazine Zillo
10/90 ; my translation-
Should the Devil come:
Biblical reference: "[1] Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted of the devil. [2] And when he had fasted forty days and forty
nights, he was afterward an hungred. [3] And when the tempter came to him, he
said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. [4]
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. [5] Then the devil
taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
[6] And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it
is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands
they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
[7] Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord
thy God. [8] Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain,
and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; [9] And
saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and
worship me. [10] Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is
written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
[11] Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto
him.
- Source: The Bible. Matthew 4.1-11 - Read more:
King
James Bible -
Quotation:
Stafford's quote is from a book I have at home. It is full if things astronauts
said when seeing the earth from outside. That's also what the song is about:
seeing all this beauty from outside.
- Source: Justin Sullivan in an interview with German magazine Zillo
10/90 ; my translation-
Thomas Stafford:
Born 17/09/1930. American astronaut who flew two Gemini rendezvous missions
(1965-66) and commanded the Apollo 10 mission (1969) - the final test of Apollo
systems before the first manned landing on the Moon - as well as the Apollo
spacecraft that docked with a Soviet Soyuz craft in space in 1975.
- Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica - Read more:
Wikipedia -
[ Back to Space ]
|
Spancil Hill
The song:
A traditional Irish song abut the homesickness of an
Irish immigrant. Spancil Hill is a real place in County Clare at the west coast
of Ireland.
- Read more: Wikipedia
-
23rd June:
Midsummer Eve. The next day is Midsummer Day, celebration of the return of summer.
Each 23rd June the famous Spancilhill Horse Fair takes place.
Spirit of the Falklands
The song: The Falkland Islands War was a brief undeclared war
fought between Argentina and Great Britain in 1982 over the control of the Falkland
Islands and associated island dependencies. Argentina had claimed sovereignty
over the Falkland Islands (which lie 300 miles [480 km] east of its coast) since
the early 19th century, but Britain had occupied and administered the islands
since 1833 and had consistently rejected Argentina's claims. In early 1982,
Argentina gave up on its long-running negotiations with Britain over the issue
and instead launched a military invasion of the islands. Argentine troops invaded
the Falklands on April 2 of that year and easily overcame the small garrison
of British marines there. Argentine troops seized the associated islands of
South Georgia and the South Sandwich group (1,000 miles (1,600 km) east of the
Falklands) the next day. By late April Argentina had more than 10,000 troops
stationed on the Falklands. In response, the British government under Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher declared a war zone for 200 miles (320 km) around
the Falklands and assembled a naval task force with which to retake the islands.
On April 25, while the British task force was steaming 8,000 miles (13,000 km)
to the war zone via the British-held Ascension Island, a smaller British force
retook Georgia Island. On May 2 the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano
was sunk by a British submarine as it approached the war zone, and further battles
ensued between the land-based Argentine air force and the British naval force.
Attempts by both the United Nations and the United States to mediate the crisis
at this point proved unsuccessful. Argentine air attacks sank two British destroyers
and two frigates but failed to prevent the British from making an amphibious
landing near Port San Carlos, on the northern coast of East Falkland, on May
21. From this beachhead the British infantry advanced southward to capture the
settlements of Darwin and Goose Green, after which they turned eastward to surround
the Falklands' capital of Stanley on May 31. The large Argentine garrison there
surrendered on June 14, effectively ending the conflict. The British reoccupied
the South Sandwich Islands on June 20. The British captured about 10,000 Argentine
prisoners during the war, all of whom were afterward released. Argentina sustained
about 700 men killed, while Britain lost about 250. Argentina's ignominious
defeat severely discredited the military government and led to the restoration
of civilian rule in that country in 1983. I think it is also not completely irrelevant to mention that
Margaret Thatcher's popularity in Britain was at a low point at the time Argentina
invaded the Falklands. Starting a war once again proved to be an efficient method
to distract attention from national problems and regain popularity.
Fight the good fight: Fight the good fight with all thy might; Run the straight race through God’s good grace, Cast care aside, upon thy Guide, Faint not nor fear, for He is near, - Read more:
King
James Bible -
Horns and tails: [ Back to Spirit of the Falklands ]
I still think that a lot more could have been done at that time to try and get
a peaceful solution. Thatcher was set on a war, and just went ahead with the
unnecessary sinking of the Belgrano. It was like, sod it, let's have a war.
If anybody told me that they found the song insulting because they'd had friends
or relatives killed in the war, I'd say I am very sorry but I still stand by
every word of the song. Because the song is, in fact, in sympathy with the people
who died, not an insult to them. It's a straight political song against the
politicians who sent those young guys out there. And I don't think that all
war is wrong, just that particular one was bloody stupid. I'm not a pacifist
by any means.
- Source: Justin Sullivan in an interview
with the Melody Maker on 28th July 1984 -
- Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica - Read more:
Wikipedia -
"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art
also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." is
a biblical quote (1 Timothy 6.12), which also inspired this hymn by J. S. B.
Monsell (1811-75):
Christ is thy Strength, and Christ thy Right;
Lay hold on life, and it shall be
Thy joy and crown eternally.
Lift up thine eyes, and seek His face;
Life with its way before us lies,
Christ is the Path, and Christ the Prize.
Lean and His mercy will provide;
Lean, and the trusting soul shall prove
Christ is its Life, and Christ its Love.
He changeth not, and thou art dear.
Only believe, and thou shalt see
That Christ is all in all to thee.
The way the devil looks according to Christian mythology.
Still Here
Matthew Hopkins: Bloodstone: Tiger Eye: Heinrich Kramer:
Jacob Sprenger:
Torquemada:
Seven by seven, all the ravens:
An English witchhunter during the time of the
English Civil War.
- Read more: Wikipedia
-
A stone that is green with red flecks.
- Read more:
Wikipedia -
A yellow-brown stone.
- Read more: Wikipedia -
A churchman and inquisitor (1430?-1505), author
of the most famous medieval book on witchcraft, Malleus Maleficarum
(Hexenhammer) (1486).
- Read more: Wikipedia -
Another inquisitor (1435-1495), sometimes believed to be the co-writer of
Kramer's Malleus Maleficarum.
- Read more: Wikipedia -
Tomas de Torquemada (1420-1498), a Spanish
inquisitor.
- Read more:
Wikipedia -
There is a German fairy tale called "The Seven Ravens" about seven brothers that
have been cursed and turned into ravens to be saved by their sister. There are
also frequent mentions of the number seven or "seven by seven" in the bible,
where the number signifies perfection.
- Read more: Wikipedia entries on
The Seven Ravens and
Seven -
Stoned, Fired and Full of Grace
Our will be done: Grace:
Wasted lands: [ Back to Stoned, Fired and Full of Grace ]
Deliberate misquotation of the "Lord's Prayer", the most important
Christian prayer, which says "Your (i.e. God's) will be done".
- Read more: Wikipedia -
In Christian theology, the concept that God grants people salvation irrespective
of actions or proven worth ("Everything will be forgiven"), because by being
crucified Jesus Christ suffered substitutionally for
mankind.
- Read more: Wikipedia -
Perhaps this echoes "The Waste Land" (1922), the title of a very influential
long poem by T.S. Eliot.
- Read more: Wikipedia
-
Stupid Questions
The song:
The title is self-explanatory; it applies to journalists,
it applies to everybody. People have often come up to me and said, "I heard
that song Stupid Questions, you wrote that song about me, didn't you?" And we
say "Maybe" . . .
- Source: Robert Heaton in an interview with German radio station Radio Bremen
4 in February 1989 -
Sun on Water The song: Other songs about the sea are Big Blue,
Marry the Sea, Ocean Rising,
Southwest,
Twilight Home and Wipeout. Abel and
Cain: [
Back to Sun on Water | Back to Western Dream |
Back to Whites of Their Eyes ]
In an interview after the release of Navigating by the Stars, Justin
said: "The album is concerned with what I like to call 'the other world'....
Nature, emotion, vastness, the whole large cosmos, where single persons are only
a part of the large whole. That is why so many songs are about the sea. I love
the sea. I need places that imply vastness. In narrow rooms, houses, even in the
wood I feel constricted because I can't see the horizon. But there is also
another side to it. Perhaps you know the feeling? When I was little, I tried to
be very small when I was very scared. For example, when I was outside on a field
and it got dark. But that was rather a test of courage than reassurance. Vast
spaces can be very intimidating, one feels lost. I like it to sometimes feel
small. In moments where you can see far out you can also better look inside
yourself. You can meet God, so to speak."
- Source: Interview with
sallys.net; my translation from German -
Biblical figures who would never walk arm in arm. They are the first and second
sons of Adam and Eve (the first people God created). Abel raises sheep and Cain
cultivates land. When God accept's Abel's
sacrifice but rejects Cain's, Cain kills his brother and then denies his murder.
God curses Cain to wander the earth but puts a mark on his forehead to prevent
people from killing him.
- Source: The Bible. Genesis, 4.1-17 - Read more:
King
James Bible -
Sunset
The song: Emperor: Sunset: As Jochen from New
Zealand explains, Sunset is also short for the famous Sunset Boulevard in Los
Angeles, that leads through several expensive residential areas, its most famous
part being the Sunset Strip with many exclusive boutiques, restaurants, rock
clubs and night clubs. Niko: R'n'B: Fall of Rome: [ Back to Sunset |
Back to Into the Wind ]
24
I think the song was written after an unsatisfactory New
Model Army tour through the USA in 1993. In early live versions the last line
was "Good bye, America".
In the fairy tale 'The Emperor's New Clothes' by Hans Christian Andersen there
is a vain emperor who is only interested in clothes. One day two swindlers tell
him that they can weave beautiful clothes that are invisible to unfit or stupid
people. The emperor asks them to make some clothes for him, and while the swindlers
get loads of money for only pretending to weave and sew, nobody around them
dares to admit that they don't see anything. Eventually, the emperor goes out
in a procession to present his new suit, and everybody is full of admiration,
until finally a little child shouts: "But he is naked!" Now everybody else admits
that they cannot see the clothes, but the emperor finishes the procession.
- Source: Andersen, Hans Christian, 'The Emperor's New Clothes' - Read more:
Folklore and Mythology Electronic
Texts -
The setting sun is a recurrent symbol for the American dream and
the settlement of the western territories in the 19th century (cf.
All Consuming Fire).
- Read more: Wikipedia
-
Perhaps Niko Bolas, the American producer of the 1993 album The Love of
Hopeless Causes.
Rhythm and Blues is a popular music genre combining jazz, gospel, and blues
influences, first performed by African American artists.
- Read more: Wikipedia
-
Possibly a reference to The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman
Empire, an influential book by the British historian Edward Gibbon
(1737-1794). Gibbon introduced the theory that the Roman Empire fell because it
had become too big and the loss of civic virtue (strength and industriousness)
among the Romans made it easy for "Barbarians" to take over the empire which
they had served. I remember to have read (but when and where?) this theory in
connection with the foreign policy of the USA, which supposedly become weaker
the further they extend their influence on forgeign countries.
- Read more:
Wikipedia -