As well as Smith, around 23 musicians were part of the Cardiacs over the years, including Smith's brother, Jim, and multi-instrumentalist, Sarah Cutts, who married Tim Smith in 1983.
Their music combined the excitement and energy of punk with the intricacies and technical cleverness of early British progressive rock, a combination sometimes referred to as pronk, although frontman Smith disavowed this classification.
Cardiacs released eight studio albums plus a number of live albums, compilation albums and singles between 1980 and 2007, and are best known for the 1988 minor hit single "Is This the Life?" They are also noted for attracting strongly diverse responses: they have remained one of Britain's leading cult rock bands during their four-decade-spanning career, but have also attracted virulent critical attack (including a lengthy editorial ban from the British music magazine New Musical Express).
On the 30th June 1990, Cardiacs played at Salisbury Arts Centre (a former church). The show was recorded and initially the video of it was released on VHS tape under the name "All That Glitters Is A Mare's Nest". The video helped Cardiacs achieve a cult following, with pirated copies of the video, being highly sought after. The audio from the show was released on CD in 1995.
The band was on hiatus following the 2008 hospitalisation of Tim Smith after a heart attack and series of strokes which affected his speech and movement.
Commenting on his condition, in 2017, Smith wrote: “Imagine if you were wearing a skintight bodysuit made of fishnet all around you, with electrical pulses going all the time. This is what my body feels like unless I fall asleep.”
In 2018, fundraising was set up for Tim Smith, which included the comment “This condition has affected Tim’s movement, his dexterity, his ability to speak, and it has added painful muscle tone and spasms that are a permanent feature of his life these days.”
On Tuesday 21st July 2020, at around 10.30 pm, Tim Smith passed away at his home, as a result of a heart attack.
Cardiacs final album, "LSD" remained unfinished at the time of Tim Smith's death. At the time of his death, Cardiacs still remained a cult following, their recordings were not, for example, available on Spotify. For many years there were few new copies of Cardiacs albums in circulation. Later on, re-releases became available on CD and then vinyl.
A Wooden Fish On Wheels
Cardiacs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never time to persue my interests
Will I ever find the time
For a quick taste of the high life?
I'm so perplexed though it doesn't really seem
To affect the high and mighty
And I can't see you ever
See me coming up and coming whoops-a-daisy
One, two, nothing counts in this complex world
Lights are in the making
Never see them changing
Always stay the same for me, oh
Out in the air, on the top in the open
Conversation is to be expected
And I can't form the words
So I just maintain my silence
My breathing space is limited
The people always walking
Round my hallway on the stairs below
Always seem to end up on the road before me
Things they really seem to bore me
Driven around all the shops always closing
And it appears that I've been mended
And I can't see me ever
Turning up trumps into your life
See me coming up and coming whoops-a-daisy
One, two, nothing counts in this complex world
Lights are in the making
Never see them changing
Always stay the same for me, oh
The lyrics of "A Wooden Fish On Wheels" by Cardiacs touch on themes of frustration, alienation, and feeling trapped in one's mundane routine. The singer seems to be stuck in a cycle of going to shops that are always closing, unable to pursue their own interests or taste the high life. The high and mighty don't seem to be affected by these struggles, and they can't see anyone ever turning up trumps (a British phrase meaning to unexpectedly succeed) in their life.
The singer is aware of their own lack of communication skills - they can't even form the words to speak in conversation, so they maintain their silence. They feel limited in their own breathing space by the constant presence of other people and the boredom of their routine. This sense of feeling trapped is reinforced by the repeated refrain of "one, two, nothing counts in this complex world" and the idea that lights are always in the making, but never seem to change.
Overall, "A Wooden Fish On Wheels" paints a picture of frustration and trapped potential, with the singer feeling unable to break free from their routine and make meaningful connections with others.
Line by Line Meaning
Going around all the shops always closing
Constantly running errands but always missing store hours
Never time to persue my interests
Too busy to engage in personal hobbies or passions
Will I ever find the time
Worrying if there will ever be free time to enjoy life
For a quick taste of the high life?
Yearning for a brief moment of luxury or excitement in life
I'm so perplexed though it doesn't really seem
Feeling confused and uncertain, while others seem unaffected
To affect the high and mighty
Not influencing those in power or with privilege
And I can't see you ever
Unable to envision someone bringing positive change to one's life
Turning up trumps into my life
Coming into one's life and having a significant, positive impact
See me coming up and coming whoops-a-daisy
Appearing out of nowhere and sometimes encountering mishaps or mistakes
One, two, nothing counts in this complex world
Feeling insignificant in a chaotic, unpredictable world
Lights are in the making
Hopes and dreams are still being developed
Never see them changing
Feeling stagnant and unsure if progress will ever occur
Always stay the same for me, oh
Constantly encountering the same problems or issues
Out in the air, on the top in the open
Being in a situation with potential for growth and expansion
Conversation is to be expected
Anticipating social interaction or communication
And I can't form the words
Unable to express oneself or communicate effectively
So I just maintain my silence
Choosing to refrain from speaking or engaging in conversation
My breathing space is limited
Feeling trapped or suffocated in one's environment
The people always walking
Continuous movement or activity happening around oneself
Round my hallway on the stairs below
Hearing the sounds of others walking in the hallway or staircase nearby
Always seem to end up on the road before me
Experiencing setbacks or delays in achieving one's goals or aspirations
Things they really seem to bore me
Feeling uninterested or apathetic towards current surroundings or situations
Driven around all the shops always closing
Continuously running errands but always missing store hours
And it appears that I've been mended
Seeming to have recovered or improved from a prior issue or problem
And I can't see me ever
Unable to envision oneself making a positive impact in someone else's life
Turning up trumps into your life
Becoming an important or beneficial presence in someone else's life
Contributed by Sarah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.