I don't think there is any other song whose music captures the essence of the lyrics, that's someone falling, then drowning... the bass always descending, the guitar whirling, then the bass finally gets the bottom and tries to reach the surface, just like someone drowning...
melly80
Big Hand
Wild Mood Swings member aka Hormona
The 1981 versions were amazing (I think so because I first listened to Drowning Man from the Curiosity tape and later the studio version on Faith), but if you can, grab a live version from late November 1981... longest versions ever!
by the way, does he sing "could I only help YOU love" or "could I only help YOUR love?. I know oficially it's YOU, but I don't know where I read YOUR (and anyway, it doesn't matter really).
Not sure if this has been confirmed but this is what I've been told about the lyrics of this song...
Robert read Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast series, and Faith contains a few references to the novels, this song in particular is about a character's death in the series, which is death by drowning. Robert is writing the song as a narrative through the eyes of one of the main characters, not the aforementioned one, who was distraught by this death.
It's interesting to know that he didn't stop writing songs about novels after Killing An Arab, if this is the true origin of the lyrics!
The lyrics are a shortened version of a chapter in the book Gormenghast, the second book of the Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake. The lyrics describe the last moments and thoughts of Fuchsia almost to the letter with some exceptions. The phrase "you leave me breathing like the drowning man" might refer to another event in the book where the old keeper of ritual drowns in the hands of the antagonist. The wailing tone of the song comes from the sudden and untimely death of the young Fuchsia. The song is a one of the focal points of the visionary album and explores the same gothic themes as the books: The beauty of despair and decline. The fragileness of beauty and youth. The stagnation of rituals and lore.
One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain So hit me with music, hit me with music
I just checked and at least the long liner notes/booklet on the remastered CD package contain no mention about Mervyn Peake. This is just plain wrong since 2/3 of the lyrics of this song is straight out of the book. I don't even know what the copyright laws say about this, is it public domain? Anyway, more people deserve to know about the unique books that sparked one of the most beautiful songwriting on the album and have influenced writers to this day.
One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain So hit me with music, hit me with music
For anyone interested here's my detailed analysis / comparison of the texts. I cannot quote the chapter due to copyright reasons and it's very long.
The chapter is number "Seventy-Five" of the book "Gormenghast" by Mervyn Peake. The chapter is about 3-5 pages long, depending on typeset. I've written in red the phrases that are taken straight from the book, word by word, minus only a change in pronoun or other insignificant change. The green words are Robert describing the events of the chapter in his own words. The words in grey have no resemblance to the text or events in the chapter and are Robert's own invention/narrative. It should be noted that in the book the phrases in question mostly do not appear in the same order as in the lyrics, but are scattered throughout the chapter and are written in prose, not poetic/lyric, so they are mostly included in longer sentences. If you count the words, about 50% of the lyrics is copied directly from the book (red), and an additional 15% is Robert describing in his own words the events (green).
So here's something for Robert: next time you play the song (and oh please, play it!!), give some credit to Mr. Peake and you'll have a ghost that is bigger than that of Edgar Allan Poe's to accompany you.
She stands twelve feet above the flood She stares Alone Across the water The loneliness grows and slowly Fills her frozen body Sliding downwards
One by one her senses die The memories fade And leave her eyes Still seeing worlds that never were And one by one the bright birds leave her
Starting at the violent sound She tries to turn But final Noiseless Slips and strikes her soft dark head The water bows Receives her And drowns her at it's ease Drowns her at it's ease
I would have left the world all bleeding Could I only help you love The fleeting shapes So many years ago So young and beautiful and brave
Everything was true It couldn't be a story
I wish it was all true I wish it couldn't be a story
The words all left me Lifeless Hoping Breathing like the drowning man
Of Fuchsia You leave me Breathing like the drowning man Breathing like the drowning man
One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain So hit me with music, hit me with music
For anyone interested here's my detailed analysis / comparison of the texts. I cannot quote the chapter due to copyright reasons and it's very long.
The chapter is number "Seventy-Five" of the book "Gormenghast" by Mervyn Peake. The chapter is about 3-5 pages long, depending on typeset. I've written in red the phrases that are taken straight from the book, word by word, minus only a change in pronoun or other insignificant change. The green words are Robert describing the events of the chapter in his own words. The words in grey have no resemblance to the text or events in the chapter and are Robert's own invention/narrative. It should be noted that in the book the phrases in question mostly do not appear in the same order as in the lyrics, but are scattered throughout the chapter and are written in prose, not poetic/lyric, so they are mostly included in longer sentences. If you count the words, about 50% of the lyrics is copied directly from the book (red), and an additional 15% is Robert describing in his own words the events (green).
So here's something for Robert: next time you play the song (and oh please, play it!!), give some credit to Mr. Peake and you'll have a ghost that is bigger than that of Edgar Allan Poe's to accompany you.
She stands twelve feet above the flood She stares Alone Across the water The loneliness grows and slowly Fills her frozen body Sliding downwards
One by one her senses die The memories fade And leave her eyes Still seeing worlds that never were And one by one the bright birds leave her
Starting at the violent sound She tries to turn But final Noiseless Slips and strikes her soft dark head The water bows Receives her And drowns her at it's ease Drowns her at it's ease
I would have left the world all bleeding Could I only help you love The fleeting shapes So many years ago So young and beautiful and brave
Everything was true It couldn't be a story
I wish it was all true I wish it couldn't be a story
The words all left me Lifeless Hoping Breathing like the drowning man
Of Fuchsia You leave me Breathing like the drowning man Breathing like the drowning man
I think Robert has acknowledged this in interviews a few times.