Cardiacs, originally called Cardiac Arrest, was an English band formed in 1… Read Full Bio ↴Cardiacs, originally called Cardiac Arrest, was an English band formed in 1977 and led by Tim Smith (1961-2020). Noted for their complex, varied and intense compositional style and for their eccentric, theatrical stage shows, they have been hailed as an influence by many newer groups and artists.

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.

Dive
Cardiacs Lyrics

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Cancel my lowness with a high
So here we go
Caught in arrears with your different ideas
And I'm saving all my troubles in my
Deceptive calendar mind
It's a dreadful situation really

"What's in a name?" says Elaine and her mind

Is a part of everything in time
She's fattened up for eating
With all her parts left behind
She's a sucker for your deepness
Shall we d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-dive?

The will and the ability to grow
A foetus of my own some time - dies
[But it does it nicely]

The world she says there's wrong
In all she says and do-be-do's
We understand but I can't when her hand
Is in saving all her troubles in her
Deceptive calandar mind
It's a dreadful situation really
D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-dive!

Life is bad so we are led to believe
Bad news makes moneys world go round
Anna Ford hammers a post into a cup of mud
Claiming it is the ground
Really then anything is better than that
Is better than watching your
Fake news win in the end
But now it's my turn
Here we go

Oh the grand old Duke of York
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again

Oh no!
Dive!

Life's a part and it lies on top of me
Life is constantly on my mind
Life's a part and it lies on top of me
Life is constantly on my mind
Life's a part and it lies on top of me
Life is constantly on my mind

Life's a part and it lies on top of me
Life is constantly on my mind

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Cardiacs' song Dive in are filled with poetic and abstract language, making it difficult to derive a concrete meaning from the words. In some ways, it seems like the lyrics may not be meant to make sense at all, but rather to serve as a sort of stream-of-consciousness expression of emotions and ideas. The song begins with the lines "Cancel my lowness with a high/So here we go." These lines suggest a desire to escape or transcend negative feelings, with the word "lowness" being a stand-in for depression or sadness. The phrase "so here we go" could be interpreted as an indication that the singer is about to embark on a journey of some sort--perhaps a metaphorical journey for self-improvement.

The second verse introduces a character named Elaine, whom the singer describes as being "fattened up for eating/With all her parts left behind." The meaning of these lines is opaque, but they seem to suggest a sense of unease or dread about the situation Elaine finds herself in. There's also a suggestion of something sinister--the idea that Elaine has been prepared for some unknown purpose, and that her "parts" have been taken from her. The lines "She's a sucker for your deepness/Shall we d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-dive?" seem to fit within this same vague sense of unease and danger.

The final verses of the song are similarly inscrutable, with phrases like "Life's a part and it lies on top of me" imparting a feeling of weightiness or burden. The repetition of the line "Life is constantly on my mind" seems to reinforce this sense of worry or preoccupation. Despite the obscurity of the lyrics, the song's dense, complex instrumentation and passionate vocal delivery give the impression that the feelings behind the words are urgent and deeply felt.

Line by Line Meaning

Cancel my lowness with a high
Elevate my mood and cancel out any negative emotions

Caught in arrears with your different ideas
Behind in terms of understanding your unique perspective

And I'm saving all my troubles in my Deceptive calendar mind
I'm keeping track of my problems in my mind, but hiding them from others

It's a dreadful situation really
The current situation is very difficult and unpleasant

"What's in a name?" says Elaine and her mind/Is a part of everything in time
Elaine believes that a name isn't important and that her mind is connected to all of time

She's fattened up for eating/With all her parts left behind
Elaine has allowed herself to be manipulated and is now left with nothing

She's a sucker for your deepness
She falls for your complex thoughts and ideas

Shall we d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-dive?
Should we take the plunge and risk everything?

The will and the ability to grow/A foetus of my own some time - dies/[But it does it nicely]
I have the desire and capacity to create new life, but sometimes it just doesn't work out

The world she says there's wrong/In all she says and do-be-do's
Elaine thinks the world is unjust, and this comes through in her words and actions

We understand but I can't when her hand/Is in saving all her troubles in her/Deceptive calendar mind
We try to empathize with Elaine, but we can't fully understand her because she hides her problems from us

D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-dive!
Let's take a huge risk and see what happens

Life is bad so we are led to believe/Bad news makes moneys world go round
We are taught that life is difficult and that tragedy sells

Anna Ford hammers a post into a cup of mud/Claiming it is the ground
Sometimes people try to convince us of something that isn't true or real

Really then anything is better than that/Is better than watching your/Fake news win in the end
Anything is better than blindly accepting false information

But now it's my turn/Here we go
I'm ready to take action and see where it leads

Oh the grand old Duke of York/He had ten thousand men/He marched them up to the top of the hill/And he marched them down again
Sometimes leadership can lead us in circles, without any real progress

Oh no!/Dive!
Despite the risks, let's go for it!

Life's a part and it lies on top of me/Life is constantly on my mind
Life is heavy and always present, weighing on my thoughts and actions