Sometimes people in the Kevin Coyne Group start discussions about Kevin songs. Here are a few extracts of the most interesting
trends.
Take on the Bowers (Oct 2004) (lyrics)
I just associate the idea of 'bowers' as being quiet / dark and somewhat secret places. Hence the metaphor being to fight against 'dark, hidden' things -- with the anti-metaphor of singing 'silence' (which means the exact opposite of what it literally means. ie Sing out about all those dark / silent / hidden things we'd all rather keep quiet about. (Tim)
Well reading the whole text, bowers is almost certainly a metaphor for dark thoughts or bard things that have happened etc. Sing Out Silence could be taken could be either in the sense I just posted or -- Silence could be taken as 'relief' from all those dark thoughts/things -- this would tie up better with the end For God burns those in fear, but love is all for those that care, but love is all for those that care Sing on, sing on, sing on, sing on Dark heartless melody is lost, dark heartless melody is lost Great lyrics -- but what the hell are fortune's feathers.. :-))))))) (Tim)
I always thought this was a song about the relationship between the inner child and the adult man. The inner child being of course hidden from view (hence the bower) represents love and innocence while his brother, the adult, is over come with worldly problems. Fortune's arrows haven't favored him : `How high the hills he had to climb, how tight the bow, how sharp the twine'. Although the inner child and the adult are one and the same person they are represented as brothers hence the reference to `fratricide' because if the `one whose heart is torn' takes the option of suicide then he must also murder the innocent `childhood love within'. The figure of God of course represents the ultimate judgment for the adult would-be suicide `For God burns those in fear, but love is all for those that care'. So `love' represented by the inner child triumphs and again this is represented by the `arrow's of fortune' motif. The tight bow and sharp twine are replaced by the softer `let fortune's feathers kiss release' so that the `Dark heartless melody is lost'. It would seem fair to say then that here we have a song whose root lies in the conflict between a Freudian (internal and external `self') and a Roman Catholic view of the world. Cleverly KC seems to have found a resolution. But I might have got it very wrong of course; I usually do! (Paul)
On the matter of what it means: I wonder if Kevin is partly subconsciously stringing together a sort of profound poetry for sounds and complicated meaning that even he wouldn't be entirely clear what it all means - it depends on the listener..... (Chris P)
Your right of course Chris that it does depend on the listener and that is what makes it fun. We can't even argee on the lyrics (not for the first time I seem to remember the subject of 'clay medals') so it's not suprising that we're all going to get something different out of the words even if they are the correct ones. So there is no 'right way or wrong way' just a personal interpretation. If someone has another interpretation then please don't be shy and write about it. What I think this song does illustrate however is that Kevin is a wonderful poet and his lyrical work can be far richer than any other of the so called singer songwriter poets such as Dylan or Cohen. Their work is based largly on the external world and is therefore very visual lyrically whereas Kevin can, as this song illustrates, take us to somewhere else: an internal world with all its fears,etc. As you would expect, it may not be a world that is logical or rational at all and yet beauty and enlightenment can be found in the most unexpected places. Perhaps we can imagine standing with the Princes on the watchtowers or eating oranges with Suzanne at her place near the river but Kevin's fearless honesty seems to have the ability to take you to the very edge sometimes. That I would argue is his genius. (Paul)
While a book of lyrics would be a wonderful thing to have it's the ideas expressed in those lyrics that need further exploration prior to any publication. `Take On The Bowers' is a prime example. Let's have a look at this internal / external self dialogue idea a little bit closer. It'll take about twenty minutes to play the 'Sanity Stomp Game.' Listen again to 'Take On The Bowers' from that self dialogue perspective that has already been discussed. Then play track four 'Somewhere In My Mind' and you could argue that it's the external voice praising the love within (the intern) `I gt a heart of gold me', `I love myself'. Note the symbolic use of 'clouds' is also present as in 'Bowers'. Now play track one 'Fat Man' and view it as the internal voice talking to the external and it becomes a song of what? Self loathing? Do we have a link or a theme here? If you think so open the Sanity Stomp Game Part Two posting. (Paul)
Now, play 'Take On The Bowers' again but this time view it from the perspective of a higher moral authority. Not God, but someone like the patron saint of lost causes (Saint Anthony?) who is addressing the brothers and sisters of the church - the congregation. Here the 'bowers' are as you suspected in an earlier mail people literary bowing. They are at prayer which is both silent and personal (`sing out silence loud and clear'). But the prayers or silent songs are not about `the child of love' which implies the brotherly / sisterly love that is the essence of Christian teachings in such phrases as `Love they neighbor as they self' but are songs of fratricide - `let me win the lottery and not you', `let my country win the war and not yours'. These are the self-orientated unanswered prayers Ð the lost dark melodies at the end of the song. The middle section (`Help the one whose heart is tornÉ') could be about the salvation of the lonely suicide who excepted the true word (love) of God and was saved (`God did speak and life renewed') and is therefore more likely to gain a place in heaven than the `bowers': the `infant heart white clouds accrued' could be read as `a heart that is pure and excepts the true love of God is more likely to gain a place on a fluffy cloud in Heaven'. Listen to it this way and it becomes a polemic against the organized church and not an internal/external dialogue at all because it is the `bowers' who should be praying for and helping the brothers and sisters; the lost and fallen, through Christian love. So here's another way to look at the song. The common theme that seemed to exist in this and `Somewhere in My Mind' and "Fat Man' isn't there at all. And that my friend is the point. There are many ways to listen and appreciate the richness of Kevin's songs, writings and pictures. They speak to us all in a multitude of ways and so naturally have different meanings for each of us. Yet, for us, the brother and sisterhood of Coyne if you like, the discussion we've been having the last few days is part of what should be a wider agenda. For example, `Bowers' is a song that was neglected when `Sanity Stomp' was released in 1980 and has been dormant ever since. It only took a question from Chris (thanks Chris) to draw attention to it and it doesn't matter if we disagree on the meaning of the song or not. The important thing is that from the first question posted on the `bowers' a real gem of a song has been reclaimed. I'll hold my hand up here and say I never took much notice of the song before but since this discussion for me it's been given a new existence and I'll never listen to it in the same old neglectful way again. The group now stands at 100+ so don't sit there in `silent prayer' and wonder about the meaning of some song or line tucked away on a neglected LP. Post your question and who knows another great-lost gem might be revealed and gain the recognition it deserves. Then of course, when we do get of copy of the complete lyrics we can enjoy it all the more. It won't be left on the shelf next to the unplayed copy of 'Sanity Stomp'. (Paul)
To the discussion of Kevin`s lyrics "Take on the Bowers" I`d like to add that they remind me very much of the visionary poetry of the 18th century poet William Blake. In a way you might call him an 18th century Kevin Coyne: he illustrated his poetry with his own drawings, he set them to music, he was a religious mystic and had the image of the madman. So I think Kevin must have always felt a kind of kinship with this man. Not only the content, but also the phrasing and the allegory Kevin uses are simlar to Blakes language. In his "Songs of Innocence and of Experience" Blake contrasts the state of happiness, which is equated to the child`s innocent approach to and perception of the world, with the perception of the world that comes with and is marred by "experience", experience which shows us the limitations of the human condition and its evil aspects. His prevalent poetic device is what Blake called "Doctrine of Contraries". But the contraries are also seen as something that is a necessity in our lives. Here is a quote from Blake`s text "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell": Without Contraries is no progression. Attraction and repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary to human existence." To Blake God is both "the tyger and the lamb", the one who resolves the contraries. Blake`s poetry was also in a way aimed at the conventional Protestantism of its time, the "crime of religion". To me it is all there in Kevin`s lyrics: Blake`s contrasts, Blake`s diction, his imagery: the infant child in contrast to evil powers, the plea for mercy, the white clouds, the hills and rivers, the singing, the inner light, the bow and arrow and even the bowers - in one sense of the word - in one of his most famous poems "England! awake!awake! awake! /Jerusalem thy sister calls! ...... Receive the Lamb of God to dwell/ in England`s green and pleasant bowers." Blake`s poetry was popularized by the Beat Generation poet Allen Ginsberg, who claimed that he himself had had visions of Blake. He sang and recorded some of Blake`s poems. Indeed a number of musicians from Mike Westbrook to Jah Wobble have used Blake`s poetry as a source of inspiration. (Horst)
Now that's an interesting theory Horst but I don't know if I'm convinced. I can see why you make the association with KC and Blake's modes of expression but I can't see any of Blake's influences that you've talked about in the artwork of Kevin that I've seen or in any of the prose I've read ('Show Business' & 'Party Dress'). The main problem is the language Kevin uses. If you take someone who is obviously influenced by Blake such as Van Morrison in the late 1970's and 1980's, then you can clearly see a very spiritual/mystic imagery and even direct references to Blake in 'Dweller On The Threshold' and of course 'Ancient Of Days'. Morrison's lyrics are characteristically metaphysical which he again acknowledges by the name check in 'Rave On John Donne'. As for Kevin, I think he's coming from a totally different place. He doesn't elevate his subjects to the `metaphysical plain' because they seem to me to be purely based in this world and are all around us. 'Bowers' is a prime example. If it's a song about the hypocrisy of those that attend church and pray for selfish reasons rather than practicing the 'message' of the Christian faith then it is expressed in language that is worldly rather than metaphysical. Sure, you might argue that there are references to arrows and clouds akin to Blake but these are a part of the universal language of the Christian Faith and I would suggest that Kevin's are used here with a more secular slant akin to 'the arrows of misfortune'. To me it's more of a song of protest rather than a `Doctrine Of Contraries' style resolution. Yes God does save the suicide but the emphasis is on those who should have saved him (or her) namely the 'bowers'. Although I would like to be the first to admit that I'm wrong, I cannot see any evidence of the "Doctrine of Contraries" in Kevin's work. The dialectic theory of George Wilhelm Fredrich Hegel is surely a greater attraction for a disillusioned Roman Catholic and perhaps the "Doctrine of Contraries" a more appropriate calling for the spiritually troubled Quaker - Van Morrison. But hey, I'm always ready to learn Horst. (Paul)
Please don`t get me wrong: I wasn`t saying that I find traces of Blake in every song or story that Kevin writes - I was referring to this PARTICULAR song, which to me seems to be DIFFERENT from his other songs as far as the use of language and imagery is concerned. What I wanted to say was that I think Kevin for some reason used a language that echoes that of Blake in THESE lyrics - maybe because he felt that he was going mad at that time and was looking for some spiritual guidance or support (which he admits he has often sought - cf. Saviour). As I tried to point out I too can see some criticism of the established faith here or as you put it "it`s a song about the hypocrisy of those who attend church and pray for selfish reasons" - Blake himself criticized religious hypocrisy and the established Protestant church, as I wrote before. As to the "Doctrine of Contraries": it is obvious to me that the text is full of contraries: silence - loud and clear, childhood love - fratricide, hot and warm, inner light - suicide, sing on - dark heartless melody and indeed some more. And it is God himself who brings back harmony and peace ("God did speak and life renewed"....and then there is peace and release, love of/for those who really care, and the dark heartless melody is lost in the end). I`d say it is not only a song that criticizes religious hypocrisy but also shows that / how it can be overcome. It was also said before that this song may be interpreted as a statement about the relationship between the "inner child and the adult man" - Blake`s poetry is indeed centered around this topic, especially in "Songs of Innocence and Experience". By the way, Blake is not a member of the group of the so-called Metaphysical Poets (e.g. John Donne, John Milton) - he was born more than a hundred years after they died. I remember, once when Kevin visited me in the 80s we got into talking about Blake and he expressed his sympathy for this poet and showed some interest in a book of his drawings that I have - which effected in my sending him two or three postcards with drawings by Blake (that I had acquired at the Tate Gallery and I felt a bit sorry about giving them away) for Christmas greetings or birthday wishes. Please understand: I totally agree that Kevin uses "worldly" language in most of his songs - but here I guess it is different, extraordinary, not his usual diction, like poetry from an earlier age. Horst P.S.: I guess I mentioned this before - I once saw a Van Morrison biography on his bookshelf. (Horst)
Again some very interesting points Horst. First up I wasn't implying that Blake was part of the so called `metaphysical poets' but simply that the language he uses is metaphysical in the wider sense of the word. I hate the term 'visionary' as it implies something worth seeing. I guess 'Bowers' boils down to, no matter which way you read this lyric; the central act of God and not mankind saving the suicide. Of course it's the motivation of the narrator on the road to the suicide's salvation that is revealing. It may lead to a conclusion that is an epihany based on the priciples of the "Doctrine of Contraries",or perhaps, it's a simple 'Jennifer Rush' - 'The Power Of Love'(a revelation in itself Horst!). Then again it might be a combination of the two or nothing whatsoever to do with either. I guess you pays your money and takes your choice but one thing for sure, it's a song that deserves far more attention than it's got in the last twenty four years. How many other gems lie undisturbed amongst the records and discs? (Paul)
Rivers of Blood (Sep 2007) (lyrics)
"Rivers of Blood" was a speech given by Enoch Powell (ultra-right wing) in April 1968 predicting 'rivers of blood' if the UK didn't stop immigration. (Percy)
Certainly is a direct link with [Enoch] Powel's speech and the original quote from Virgil's Aeneid' and Kevin's `Rivers Of Blood'. Kevin's song is of course anti-war as each generation appears to support and urge on the next as they too march off to war:
'Children ?? marching up the Wandsworth Road
Their arms up raised in little salutes
Their fathers approving, they're smiling on
Saying, "Well done, well done, give them son!"
What did you do in the war, Daddy? What did you do, what did you do?
What did you do in the war? Son, I expect, expect the same of you'
In Virgil's `Aeneid' it shouldn't be forgotten that the Sibyl is prophesising:
`wars, terrible wars, and the Tiber foaming with blood'
and whereas Powell in his speech used this imaginary to support his theories on immigration Kevin calls for an end to such self fulfilling prophesies:
`No more, no more, no more rivers of blood
Give the children a chance, give us all a chance'
I remember the Rivers of Blood speach pretty well. Whilst it was made in 1968, it resonated for a long time after it was made, the fact that it is still remembered today in the UK by people of my generation gives an indication of that. Much as I am sure that in France the student riots of 68 still have a resonance today in France. (Tim)
I went to see Kevin perform at Birmingham Barbarellas nightclub shortly after the "Rivers of Blood" session was broadcast on the readio. We spoke to him in the bar before the show and he explained that the song was his reaction to the then recent publicity that the National Front were receiving. During the show Kevin also spoke of Martin Webster (a senior member of the N F) in less than complimentary terms! (Graham)