'Eye Of The Hunter' was recorded at Brendan's Quivvy Church studio in County Cavan in Ireland. It's a relatively isolated setting - one which allows its owner space to pursue his interests, which range from music to astronomy and archery to arboriculture. Dead Can Dance's music often suggested a search for meaning and sense in the world, and Brendan has taken up a similar journey. But instead of looking at the external world, he has decided to explore the inner world of his own private universe. "People have multiple personalities which are always evolving," he says. "This record deals with the different facets of my own personality." "Eye Of The Hunter's deeply personal songs explore the theme of loss - both of life and love - but they are not bereft of hope. "Saturday's Child," which opens the record, poignantly describes the changing relationship between Brendan and his father after the latter suffered two debilitating strokes. "Sloth" deals with time lost to anger, addiction and inertia, preventing us from achieving our true potential. "The Captive Heart" deals with the attempt to keep love afloat over a long distance. A cover of Tim Buckley's "Must Have Been Blind" features one of the record's more extravagant arrangements, with layers of pedal steel supporting Brendan's soaring vocals. An emotional centerpiece is the haunting, autobiographical "Voyage of Bran". Brendan Perry toured Europe and North America in support of Eye Of The Hunter. But - apart from a number of local performances and workshops in Ireland - he subsequently remained out of the public eye until Dead Can Dance reformed for a series of live concerts in the spring of 2005.
His second album entitled 'Ark' was released 7 June 2010. This album was very different from 'Eye of the Hunter', notably because it will feature rhythm machines and electric guitars.
Two more Dead Can Dance albums followed; 'Anastasis' (2012) and 'Dionysius' (2018) along with a selection of live releases; 'Live Happenings I-V' (2012) and 'In Concert' (2013). 'Live Happenings' was a selection of live tracks released in 5 separate parts online. Each part consisted of 4/5 tracks. These were recordings from the 2005 DCD tour. 'In Concert' was recordings from the 2012 tour.
During the time between albums Brendan also moved from Ireland to Bretagne/Brittany, France and during February/March 2019 completed a solo tour in France, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany, starting in La Souterraine (FR), closely followed by a Dead Can Dance tour which started in Rennes (FR) in May 2019.
Ten years after 'Ark', on 20 November 2020 Brendan released his third solo album 'Songs of Disenchantment: Music from the Greek Underground'. Initially released in digital formats (MP3/FLAC) and via streaming (Spotify, Amazon Music etc) The physical vinyl and CD versions followed in Spring 2021. This is an album of Greek songs in the Rebetiko street music style (Greek blues?). All the songs are cover versions of 1920s-1930s Greek songs but have been translated in to English. Brendan plays all the instruments himself including traditional instruments like Bouzouki, Saz, Baglama & Tsouras along with lutes and the dulcimer, which DCD fans will be familiar with.
Next up is a Dead Can Dance's Europe tour in 2022, rescheduled from 2021 due to Covid restrictions.
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Brendan Perry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You’ve had your day out in the park
You better come inside
Before it gets too dark
We’ve all had a great time
Playing with our private world
Event horizon
It’s all over
It’s the final curtain call
For too many life forms
There’s just no time left at all
What you going to do when the rain comes?
Are you going to sail on the rising seas like Noah?
What you going to feed your little orphans
When there’s no more fish in the sea forever?
No more Sundays
And no more religion for you
No more pie in the sky
And no man in the moon
What you going to do when the rain comes?
Are you going to live on your holy desert island?
Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea
As our world slowly stops turning forever
The song "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" by Brendan Perry is a cautionary tale about the consequences of our actions on planet Earth. The lyrics suggest that humanity has had its day "out in the park" and now it's time to come inside before it gets too dark. The metaphorical darkness here is a reference to the impending environmental disaster that is looming over the planet, and the need for humanity to take action before it's too late.
The lyrics go on to suggest that we have been living in our own private world, completely oblivious to the reality of the situation around us. The "event horizon" mentioned in the lyrics is a reference to the point of no return, where the damage we have done to the environment becomes irreversible. The final curtain call has arrived, and there is no time left for the many life forms on Earth.
The song then shifts to a more personal level, asking the listener what they are going to do when the rain comes, when there is no more fish in the sea, and when there is no more religion or hope left. The message is clear: we are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, with a need to take action before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
It’s all over
The end of the world as we know it has arrived
You’ve had your day out in the park
Humanity has enjoyed its time on Earth, but nature has had enough
You better come inside
We must seek shelter and safety from the impending collapse
Before it gets too dark
Before total destruction and chaos engulfs the planet
We’ve all had a great time
Humanity has had a joyous experience on Earth
Playing with our private world
Humans have been selfishly exploiting and damaging the planet
Event horizon
A point of no return for the planet's destruction
Here on planet Earth
Our planet is the only home we have, and it is in grave danger
It’s the final curtain call
Time has run out, and this is the end
For too many life forms
Numerous species are going extinct due to humanity's actions
There’s just no time left at all
We have run out of time to save the planet
What you going to do when the rain comes?
How will we survive the impending disaster?
Are you going to sail on the rising seas like Noah?
Will we be able to adapt and start anew after the destruction?
What you going to feed your little orphans
How will the most vulnerable members of society survive?
When there’s no more fish in the sea forever?
What will happen when the planet's resources are completely depleted?
No more Sundays
The end of religious practices and traditions
And no more religion for you
Religion will not save us from the impending doom
No more pie in the sky
False hope and empty promises will not help us
And no man in the moon
The end of romanticized notions and idealizations of the world
Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea
Stuck in a difficult situation with no good options
As our world slowly stops turning forever
The end of everything as we know it
Contributed by William S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.