Bauhaus first broke up in 1983. Peter Murphy began a solo career while the other members continued as Tones on Tail and later as Love and Rockets. Both enjoyed greater commercial success in the United States than Bauhaus had, but disappeared from the charts in their homeland. The band reunited for a 1998 tour and on a more permanent basis in 2005. The group announced plans to disband again following the release of their final album Go Away White in 2008.
The release of Go Away White signaled the end of the band and there was no supporting tour. Drummer Kevin Haskins said in an interview that they “were getting along really well, but there was an incident that occurred.” As a result, “some of us just felt that we didn’t want to carry on as a working unit.” In an interview with SuicideGirls, bassist David J said about the breakup: “You have a test tube, and you pour in one chemical, and you pour in another chemical, and something happens. It starts to bubble. Pour in another chemical, and it starts to bubble a bit more. You pour in a fourth chemical, and it bubbles really violently, and then explodes. That’s my answer.” Peter Murphy claimed in another interview that he “he was most satisfied with the bonding on an emotional level. It was good to be working together and to put the past behind us and it was very positive. The result was coming out really fast, so it was exciting and it was very enjoyable,” but in the end “That rocky character worked and I think it was a bit right to finish it, really.”
Murphy also stated in his MySpace blog that “there’s a lot more to it than this ‘incident’ that I’ve heard bandied about. In any group’s business there are constant incidents, so what? Committing to being in a band takes tolerance, love, and a massive commitment. I’ve walked on that stage at times when I could emotionally barely manage to and give it all just the same. If I’d let some disagreement or bad word distract me from that goal, then I’d need to question my integrity. Anton Corbijn once related to me how Bono of U2 talked about one of the reasons that U2 had survived was that they’re unlike many English bands; there was a kinship and priority given to each other as family. I personally sympathize with that. ‘There is no love where there is no Love.’”
A Bauhaus reunion was aborted in 2022 after Peter Murphy forced the band to cancel the tour as he entered rehab.
(2) Bauhaus was also the name of an Italian jazz rock band. They made recordings in 1974 but they weren’t released until almost thirty years later.
The Spy in the Cab
Bauhaus Lyrics
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The unseen mechanized eye
Under surveillance
The road is full of cats eyes
It's sick function to pry
The spy in the cab
Coldly observing, callously reserving
Automated autonomy
Playing on his mind
The spy in the cab
The spy in the cab
An eye for an eye
A spy for an eye
An eye for an eye
A spy for a spy
A twenty-four hour unblinking watch
Installed to pry
Installed to cop
The spy in the cab
The spy in the cab
The spy in the cab
I spy with my little eye spy with my little I spy with my
Little eye spy with my little I spy
The lyrics to Bauhaus's "Spy in the Cab" are a commentary on the rise of surveillance culture in modern society. In the song, the singer describes a hidden camera or "mechanized eye" installed in a car, which observes and records the driver's every move. The act of spying is portrayed as cold, callous, and invasive, with the driver's privacy being violated at every turn.
The chorus of the song, with its repetition of "An eye for an eye, a spy for an eye," suggests a dangerous cycle of surveillance and retaliation, with each act of spying prompting more surveillance in turn. The lyrics are a warning against the dangers of unchecked surveillance and the erosion of individual freedoms that can occur as a result.
The song also contains a playful element, with the repeated refrain "I spy with my little eye" subverting the dark subject matter by invoking a children's game. This juxtaposition underscores the unsettling nature of the song's theme, suggesting that the ubiquity of surveillance has become so normalized in our society that we are almost desensitized to it.
Line by Line Meaning
Hidden in the dashboard
There is a surveillance camera hidden in the dashboard of the car
The unseen mechanized eye
The camera is a mechanized device that is not visible
Under surveillance
The driver is being monitored
The road is full of cats eyes
The road has reflective markers, which can be used to track the car's movements
It's sick function to pry
It is unethical and invasive to use technology to spy on others
The spy in the cab
The camera is acting as a spy in the car
Coldly observing, callously reserving
The camera is monitoring without feelings or concern
A drivers time
The camera is taking up the driver's time and attention
Automated autonomy
The camera is operating independently without human input
Playing on his mind
The camera is causing the driver to feel uneasy and paranoid
An eye for an eye
The use of surveillance technology is a form of retaliation
A spy for an eye
Surveillance technology is being used against those who use it to watch others
A twenty-four hour unblinking watch
The camera is constantly recording without interruption
Installed to pry
The camera was installed to spy on the driver
Installed to cop
The camera was installed to monitor and catch wrongdoing
I spy with my little eye spy with my little I spy with my Little eye spy with my little I spy
The phrase 'I spy' is being repeated, emphasizing the theme of surveillance and spying
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANIEL GASTON ASH, KEVIN HASKINS, DAVID JAY, PETER JOHN MURPHY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind