During the mid 90s Anohni started solo; after originally producing songs with Blacklips Performance Cult and other late-night cabarets she had a number of songs to work with. In 1995 she assembled a backing group—the self-styled Antony and the Johnsons—and began to focus on the musical side of her performances. The group built up a cult following at hip New York clubs such as the Kitchen and Knitting Factory. Anohni then received a NYFA for “performance art/emergent forms” which she used to record the Johnsons' debut album “Blue Angel”, that remained unreleased until Current 93 leader David Tibet signed Antony and the Johnsons to his Durtro label. The cast list of musicians on the album, released under the title "Antony and the Johnsons" in 1998, included Baby Dee (harp), Francois Gehin (bass), Todd Cohen (drums), Charles Neilson (guitar), and a number of string and woodwind players. This album later were reissued in 2000 and in 2004 by Secretly Canadian.
This collection of modern torch songs highlighted Anohni's soulful, multi-octave vocals and the Johnsons' graceful chamber pop arrangements, reaching a peak on "Cripple And The Starfish" and "Divine", the latter a tribute to the late transvestite movie star. Further recordings by Antony and the Johnsons emerged in the early years of the new millennium, including "I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy" and a shared EP “Live at St. Olave's” with Current 93, recorded live at Saint Olave's Church in London, England.
In early 2001 released 3 song EP "I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy", included covers of Mysteries of Love (Appeared originally on the film Blue Velvet) and Soft Black Stars.
Split EP included two new songs from the Johnsons, the first being You Stand Above Me, only one minute and thirty-six seconds long but containing all the melancholy and drama one would expect from the Johnsons. The other new track was The Lake which was an 1827 poem written by Edgar Allan Poe beautifully adapted to song. The Johnsons appear with Current 93 again on a 7”, with side B including the song Virgin Mary. This was limited to 500 copies, both released May 12th, 2003. By now the line-up of the Johnsons featured Todd Cohen, Jeff Langston (bass), Jason Hart (piano), Julia Kent (cello), Joan Wasser (violin), and Maxim Moston (violin).
It was around this time that Lou Reed heard the “I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy” EP. Reed then recruited Anohni for her album The Raven for guest vocals and took her on tour in 2003 which meant that Anohni appeared on Lou’s live album Animal Serenade. With the band now attracting wider attention, Anohni and the Johnsons signed to US based label Secretly Canadian. Secretly Canadian then reissued the band's debut to a wider audience in the USA.
The Lake was released the following year through the new label. It’s another 3 song EP including "The Lake" - Lou Reed appeared on Fistful of Love with guest vocals and guitar. The Horror Has Gone seems to be Anohni expressing the end of a depressing phase in her life, a positive lyrical change from her debut style.
In February 2005 Antony and the Johnsons released their second full length, I Am A Bird Now. It has guest appearances from Rufus Wainwright, Devendra Banhart, Lou Reed and Boy George. It went on to receive great critical acclaim in the UK and won Anohni the Technics Mercury Music Prize for 2005.
In 2006 Anohni appeared in the Leonard Cohen tribute concert and subsequent film "I'm Your Man." Her performance of "If It Be Your Will" is perhaps the highlight of the film.
The 5-song Another World EP was released on October 7, 2008. As promised, it shows a mixture of continuation of earlier songs' atmosphere as well as more experimental work. Antony and the Johnsons' third album, "The Crying Light", was released on January 19, 2009. This was followed by "Swanlights" in October, 2010. Both of these latter albums are less melodic and more experimental in nature the Anohni's earlier work and have met with critical acclaim yet little commercial success.
http://www.antonyandthejohnsons.com/
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Antony and the Johnsons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't use it anymore
It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
Feels like I'm knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Mama put my guns in the ground
I can't shoot them anymore
That cold black cloud is comin' down
Feels like I'm knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
You just better start sniffin' your own rank subjugation Jack
'Cause it's just you against your tattered libido, the bank and the mortician
Forever man
And it wouldn't be luck if you could get out of life alive
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
The lyrics of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Antony and the Johnsons is an interpretation of Bob Dylan's original song of the same title. The lyrics of the song imply a sense of imminent death and an individual's acceptance of the reality of that fact. The song begins with the singer, presumably a dying person, asking his mother to take the badge away from him because he can no longer use it. The badge could symbolize the person's identity or power, which they feel they can no longer wield. As it gets dark, the individual states that they feel like they are knocking on Heaven's door, which could mean that they are experiencing the fear of entering the afterlife.
In the next verse, the singer asks his mother to put away his guns because he can't use them anymore. The guns could symbolize violence or the ability to defend oneself; again, the singer is likely admitting that they are too weak to protect themselves. The line "that cold black cloud is comin' down" suggests an approaching death or sorrow. The chorus repeats the line "knockin’ on Heaven’s door," emphasizing the inevitability of death.
The last verse of the song contains a spoken word piece, where the singer addresses someone named Jack. He speaks about "your tattered libido," "the bank" and "the mortician," implying a sense of despair and hopelessness about the brevity of life. The final line "it wouldn't be luck if you could get out of life alive" suggests that death is the one certain thing in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama take this badge from me
I do not want nor can I bear the responsibility and duties of this badge anymore
I can't use it anymore
I am incapable of using this badge anymore due to the emotional burden it carries
It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
The situation is worsening and the outcomes are no longer visible
Feels like I'm knockin' on Heaven's door
I am experiencing a sense of near-death encounter and the prospect of stepping into the afterlife seems more realistic
Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door
I desperately seek salvation and liberation from my strenuous and unbearable existence
Mama put my guns in the ground
I no longer desire to carry and use my guns
I can't shoot them anymore
My interest in shooting or harming others has completely faded away
That cold black cloud is comin' down
I am immersed in a gloomy and depressive state of mind
You just better start sniffin' your own rank subjugation Jack
You need to realize and recognize your own oppressed and oppressed state of being
'Cause it's just you against your tattered libido, the bank and the mortician
You are alone in your pursuit and fight for survival against your own worldly desires, financial constraints, and the inevitability of death
Forever man
The struggle and suffering of life is a constant and never-ending process
And it wouldn't be luck if you could get out of life alive
Surviving this life is not a matter of chance, it is impossible for us all to escape death
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, AUDIAM, INC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@leah354z2
Mama, take this badge off o' me
I can't use it anymore
It's gettin' dark, much too dark to see you
I feel I'm knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can't shoot them anymore
That long black cloud is going' down
I feel I'm knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Mama wipe this blood from my face
I'm sick and tired of the war
Don't know if it's night or if this is sun, rising high
Scared of knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door
@IWillHarvestYourToes
Antony's voice is the most bone chilling / haunting in the industry.
@circolombisque2285
Anohni*
@katharinamuller8455
i want this to play on my funeral
@ivorytower99
For me, it would be "Hope", from BAUHAUS.
@addiewages5761
Me too
@pierregregoire3579
I chose this song for my father's funeral, 7 years ago. Still hard to listen...
@katharinamuller8455
@Pierre Grégoire damn, i‘m sorry! Hope you are fine!
@pierregregoire3579
@Katharina Müller Thank you Katharina. I am fine indeed. Once evrey few month, I come back to this song. Thanks for your comment, I really appreciate you.
@arnoldmias
Oh my God. Best thing i heard in 2020
@silveriochoque8460
God how can he be so like this, it's just makes you wanna cry.