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.
Fiery Gun Hand
Cardiacs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We will be sure as eggs is eggs that
Jesus will hold his fiery hand to the gun
And together we'll blow him to the ends of the earth
To the ends of the earth
See has no lines on the sore palms of his hands
On the palms of his hands
He went off dead
He went off dead with his hand with his
Big gun fire hand
Big gun fire hand in his mouth in his hand
And puts a big gun up inside of his mouth and he
Fires til he cries
A bullet his gullet and he fires til he cries
Up inside til he-
Click! (run!)
"Hello sir I'm in a tango in a different timing I will never lose my anger,
I haven't got a secret
Secrets are in my secret box down my avenue
Suck away my tiny dress
I'm cleaner than a filthy mess
Cleaner than a big mess!"
The lyrics of Cardiacs's song Fiery Gun Hand are open to interpretation, but at first glance, they seem to be referring to a violent and apocalyptic scene. The song starts with the singer referring to "sacred patience" and "short silence", suggesting that something important or significant is about to happen. The line "we will be sure as eggs is eggs" implies that what is happening is inevitable and sure to happen.
Then the lyrics take a darker turn as they describe Jesus holding his "fiery hand to the gun". The singer implies that they want to help in this violent act and together "blow him to the ends of the earth". There's a sense of desperation and anger in these words, as if the singer is seeking revenge.
The second half of the song is more chaotic, with references to a man who went off dead with a big gun in his hand. The lyrics describe him putting the gun in his mouth and firing it until he cries. It's a disturbing image that suggests mental illness or extreme despair.
Overall, the lyrics of Fiery Gun Hand are obscure and difficult to decipher. They seem to be referencing violence, despair, and a sense of hopelessness. There's an intensity to the words that leaves the listener feeling unsettled and uneasy.
Line by Line Meaning
Sacred patience (and a short silence) and
If we wait quietly, we can be absolutely certain that we will succeed; just like how we can be sure that eggs will always hatch.
We will be sure as eggs is eggs that
We will be completely sure that our plan will work out
Jesus will hold his fiery hand to the gun
We will make Jesus take responsibility and face the consequences of his actions
And together we'll blow him to the ends of the earth
We will defeat Jesus and send him away, far from us
To the ends of the earth
We will send Jesus as far away as possible from us
See has no lines on the sore palms of his hands
Jesus has no scars on his hands despite how he was supposed to have been crucified, which raises questions about his true identity
On the palms of his hands
This line repeats the previous one about Jesus not having any scars on his hands
He went off dead
Someone died abruptly or violently
He went off dead with his hand with his
Someone died holding something in their hand
Big gun fire hand
The deceased person's hand was holding a powerful weapon
Big gun fire hand in his mouth in his hand
The person died holding the weapon in their mouth
And puts a big gun up inside of his mouth and he
The person put a gun barrel into their own mouth
Fires til he cries
The person shot themselves repeatedly until they started crying from pain or sorrow
A bullet his gullet and he fires til he cries
The person shot themselves in the throat and continued firing until they cried
Up inside til he-
The sentence is unfinished, leaving what happens next to the listener's imagination
Click! (run!)
The sound of an empty gun chamber, followed by a command to run away
"Hello sir I'm in a tango in a different timing I will never lose my anger,
Someone is speaking to someone else, informing them that they are currently in a situation that requires them to handle things differently than usual, and that despite that, they will never lose their passion or determination
I haven't got a secret
The person doesn't have any secrets
Secrets are in my secret box down my avenue
If the person had secrets, they would be hidden in a specific location
Suck away my tiny dress
This line has no discernible meaning or context in relation to the rest of the song, and might be interpreted as a non-sequitur or a nonsense phrase
I'm cleaner than a filthy mess
The person is emphasizing their cleanliness and purity compared to something else that is extremely dirty or unkempt
Cleaner than a big mess!"
The person is even more clean than a huge disaster or chaotic situation
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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