Beefeater string together the 'caught in the air' vocals of Tomas Squip, the precise guitar of Fred Smith and Dug E. Bird's mathematical bass (having studied classical piano did him no harm). By combining musical styles they challenge the listener to once again ask, "how does anyone classify music?"
Bedlam Rainforest
Beefeater Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deepest jungle nightmare bedlam dream
Or so it seems, tropical, scary-mad but serene
Spinning mad but serene
There′s the White House looming into view
There's the fence that weaves throughout this zoo
And there′s a bald man who dances
Spinning mad but serene
And there's another man who's spinning free
Planet-eyed, he circles around a tree
With these two in my eyes
I can′t help but realize
Spinning mad, calling me
Utakapopata wimbo huu nitakuwa nimekwenda
From this grove, I hear them call my name
Drop it all, drop it all, give in to the rain
Alluring sound, yeabo, the crazy beat
A fooldrum talking, dance with me
The world′s spinning loose
Someday I'm lost, I hear it calling, dance with me
Utakapopata wimbo huu nitakuwa nimekwenda
In the street, a lost procession rules
A thousand imbeciles, a train of fools
In their preying eyes I see such a rage
Such primitivity and so savage
A madman shaman chants and walks alone
In this crazy city, no one′s home
And I might never find my way back home
Forever stumbling through this asylum
From this grove, I hear them call my name
Drop it all, drop it all, give in to the rain
Alluring sound, yeabo, the crazy beat
A fooldrum talking, dance with me
The world's spinning loose
Someday I′m lost, I hear it calling, dance with me
Utakapopata wimbo huu nitakuwa nimekwenda
The song "Bedlam Rainforest" by Beefeater is an evocative narrative of a haunting and surreal vision of an otherworldly rainforest. The singer observes a jungle nightmare, with images of spinning, dancing, chanting, and lost procession that evoke a primitive and chaotic atmosphere. Amidst all of this, the singer hears a call to dance with the rain, to give in to the alluring sound and the crazy beat that seems to be everywhere. The haunting repetition of the Swahili phrase "Utakapopata wimbo huu nitakuwa nimekwenda" at the end of each verse adds to the otherworldly and hypnotic atmosphere of the song.
The song's lyrics offer an intriguing mix of seemingly disparate images that are linked by a common sense of madness and chaos. The White House, the bald man, the spinning, the lost procession, and the rainforest all seem to be part of a larger tapestry of madness that the singer is experiencing. The free-form structure of the song, with its irregular verse lengths, staccato delivery, and sudden shifts in mood, adds to the sense of unpredictability and instability that permeates the song.
Overall, "Bedlam Rainforest" is an enigmatic and mesmerizing song that evokes a sense of primal and timeless sensibility. The blend of different musical genres, such as punk, jazz, and African rhythms, adds to the eclectic and original nature of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
In the evening haze, I see this scene:
As day turns to dusk, I witness a vision:
Deepest jungle nightmare bedlam dream
It appears to be a terrifyingly chaotic dream of a jungle.
Or so it seems, tropical, scary-mad but serene
Although it seems like a crazy, dangerous jungle, it remains oddly serene.
Spinning mad but serene
Everything is spinning in madness, yet it still feels serene.
There's the White House looming into view
In the distance, the White House can be seen looming.
There's the fence that weaves throughout this zoo
A fence can be seen weaving through the jungle like a zoo.
And there's a bald man who dances
A man without hair can be seen dancing.
And he stamps his feet and chants
The bald man is stomping his feet and singing a chant.
Spinning mad but serene
Although the man is spinning around in madness, there's still a sense of serenity.
And there's another man who's spinning free
There's another man spinning around freely.
Planet-eyed, he circles around a tree
The man has wide eyes like a planet and is circling around a tree.
With these two in my eyes
Watching these two men spinning like this,
I can't help but realize
I can't help but come to a realization.
Spinning mad, calling me
These spinning men are driving me mad and calling me to join them.
Utakapopata wimbo huu nitakuwa nimekwenda
When I find this song, I'll have gone.
From this grove, I hear them call my name
The jungle grove is calling out to me.
Drop it all, drop it all, give in to the rain
They are urging me to forget everything and embrace the rain.
Alluring sound, yeabo, the crazy beat
The sound of the rain is enchanting, and the rhythm is wild.
A fooldrum talking, dance with me
It's like a foolish drum asking me to dance with it.
The world's spinning loose
The world feels like it's spinning out of control.
Someday I'm lost, I hear it calling, dance with me
At times, I feel lost, and I can hear the call to dance.
In the street, a lost procession rules
In the streets, a group of people who are lost are in control.
A thousand imbeciles, a train of fools
There are countless foolish people moving in a train-like procession.
In their preying eyes I see such a rage
I detect a deep anger in their predatory stares.
Such primitivity and so savage
They are very primitive and savage in nature.
A madman shaman chants and walks alone
A crazy shaman is walking alone and chanting his incantations.
In this crazy city, no one's home
In this insane city, there is no sense of belonging.
And I might never find my way back home
I may never be able to find my way back home.
Forever stumbling through this asylum
I will be forever lost in this madhouse.
Contributed by Carson Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@skillybe
Most successful Afro-Beat / Hardcore mashup track I've ever heard. Not that there's much competition. Astounding originality. RIP Fred.
@markulyssestraeger
woof!