I was delighted to see that Brompton Oratory is part of your set list for your tour. This song captured me for some reason. Twenty years ago, I used to lie on the floor in my small apartment, playing this song on repeat. It made me sad, safe and hopeful at the same time. I remember thinking a lot about the lyrics and wondering what was behind them. Now I finally have the opportunity to ask you.
SARA @ Issue no. 294Listening to Frogs on the ol’ Spotify so spend that 0.001 pence wisely, but got thinking: I have no fucking idea what this song is about. I love it, but its lyrics are meaningless to me. So, my question is this: what makes you decide whether a lyric is great or should be dumped cos it’s utter shit, cos, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, you walk a very fine tightrope between the two, my man. Anyway, best go, nice catching up, love to you and yours and all that.
BARRY @ Issue no. 289I work in the music industry and there is a lot of excitement around ChatGPT. I was talking to a songwriter in a band that was using ChatGPT to write his lyrics, because it was so much ‘faster and easier.’ I couldn’t really argue against that. I know you’ve talked about ChatGPT before, but what’s wrong with making things faster and easier?
LEON @ Issue no. 248I asked Chat GPT to write a song in the style of Nick Cave and this is what it produced. What do you think? Verse 1: In the depths of the night, I hear a call A voice that echoes, through the hall It’s a siren’s song, that pulls me in Takes me to a place, where I can’t begin Chorus: I am the sinner, I am the saint I am the darkness, I am the light I am the hunter, I am the prey I am the devil, I am the savior Verse 2: I walk the streets, with my head held high I’ve got my demons, but I’ll make them fly I’ll dance with the devil, and I’ll play his game I’ll be the one, to call his name Chorus: I am the sinner, I am the saint I am the darkness, I am the light I am the hunter, I am the prey I am the devil, I am the savior Bridge: I’ve got the blood of angels, on my hands I’ve got the fire of hell, in my eyes I’m the king of the abyss, I’m the ruler of the dark I’m the one that they fear, in the shadows they hark Chorus: I am the sinner, I am the saint I am the darkness, I am the light I am the hunter, I am the prey I am the devil, I am the savior Outro: So come with me, to the edge of the night Where the darkness and the light collide We’ll walk the line, between the good and the bad And we’ll see, who comes out on top in the end.
MARK @ Issue no. 218My favourite lyrics from your album Ghosteen are on the final track: “The kid drops his bucket and spade / And climbs into the sun.” I find this so deeply powerful and evocative, although I really can’t say exactly what it means, and I suspect that if I did have an easy and concrete explanation then it would lose much of its power. But of course, the line between profoundly ineffable and nonsensical can be a fine one. My question is, what is your creative process for coming up with these lyrics that may not have an obvious meaning but are nonetheless trying to say something important?
JEREMY @ Issue no. 202Do you ever feel the need to change lyrics, when performing live, which may be problematic in 2020, for example “a fag in a whalebone corset dragging his dick across my cheek”? Or are you happy to preserve the lyric as a product of its time, and respect the original content?
GAVIN @ Issue no. 86What is the song ‘Rings of Saturn’ about? I find myself in these lyrics. In Berlin I couldn’t stop crying when you performed it live. “Up and further up, up, up, up.” Is this song about evolving? I would love to know what you had in mind.
LISA @ Issue no. 56