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.
For Good and All
Cardiacs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lost my energies hole
Leaves me bod and leaves me soul
Leaves me lingering whole
Leaves me lingering whole
She sustains cruel delicate care
For all her daughters feathers and fur
To find the place where is to lie
Leaf and bark bone and hair
Turn to seed 'neath her stare
Seed to burst soar and rise
Ours for love is the care
Tending each everywhere
And she turns her water slow
Across her face all creatures glow
Heaven holds her breath to dear
To shake the shade from all of our fear
And put to rest another year
Timelike pulse shakes fierce through chain
With banks spread calm to reach her flame
And all is hushed through foul and din
Save for the whir and chime within
Prying eyes it's what you need
A friend that hides is friend indeed
It leaves me bod It leaves me soul
And leaves me lingering whole
Lost my chance and lost my home
Lost my energies hole
Leaves me bod and leaves me soul
Leaves me lingering whole
Leaves me lingering whole
She sustains cruel delicate care
For all her daughters feathers and fur
Unite as one to march at our side
To find the place where is to lie
Leaf and bark bone and hair
Turn to seed 'neath her stare
Seed to burst soar and rise
Ours for love is the care
Tending each everywhere
Thoughts and things devoid of soul
Unwind all creatures from the coil
We cast our coals to star the sky
And rake our ashes heaven high
All species come to bring her near
Above and below the horizon
Hung rich with dreams to wreath her brow
For good and all to recall
All species come to bring her near
Above and below the horizon
Hung rich with dreams to wreath her brow
For good and all to recall
The song "For Good and All" by Cardiacs seems to be a complex tribute to the interconnectedness of all living creatures, as well as the power of nature to sustain and nurture life. The lyrics detail the loss of a home and a chance, but also the lingering sense of wholeness that remains. The first verse mentions both the physical and spiritual components of this loss, leaving the singer with a sense of emptiness. However, this loss is contrasted with the sustained care of a feminine force that takes care of all her daughter's feathers and fur. This force seems to represent nature itself, gathering all creatures to march as one towards a place of rest.
In the second verse, the song speaks more directly to the idea of nature as a sustaining force. Trees, leaves, and water are invoked as sources of life and growth, with attention given to the slow passage of time and the steady pulse of nature. The third verse brings in the idea of prying eyes and the importance of a friend who can hide secrets. Once again, the sense of loss and lingering wholeness is emphasized. The final verse seems to bring everything together, with all species coming to offer tribute to the feminine force of nature while casting their coals to star the sky.
Overall, "For Good and All" is a tribute to the life-sustaining power of nature, as well as the sense of unity and interconnectedness that comes from recognizing that power. The song's lyrics are highly poetic and prone to multiple interpretations, but the general sense of reverence for the natural world is clear.
Line by Line Meaning
Lost my chance and lost my home
I have missed my opportunity and lost my place of shelter
Lost my energies hole
I have lost my motivation and enthusiasm
Leaves me bod and leaves me soul
It leaves my body and soul depleted
Leaves me lingering whole
The situation affects me completely, leaving me feeling whole but alone
She sustains cruel delicate care
Mother nature is both harsh and gentle in her treatment of her creations
For all her daughters feathers and fur
She takes care of all her creations, whether they have feathers or fur
Unite as one to march at our side
All of her creations come together as one to support and accompany us on our journey
To find the place where is to lie
To discover where we belong in the natural world
Leaf and bark bone and hair
All parts of her creations, including trees, animals and humans
Turn to seed 'neath her stare
Under her watchful gaze, all living things eventually die and return to the earth
Seed to burst soar and rise
From death new life emerges, growing and reaching towards the sky
Ours for love is the care
It is our responsibility to care for all of nature with love and compassion
Tending each everywhere
We must take care of all living things, no matter where they are found
And she turns her water slow
Mother nature moves at her own pace and in her own way
Across her face all creatures glow
All living things are illuminated by her grace and beauty
Heaven holds her breath to dear
Even the divine holds its breath in awe of her power
To shake the shade from all of our fear
She has the ability to dispel our fears and anxieties
And put to rest another year
She brings a sense of peace and closure to the end of each year
Timelike pulse shakes fierce through chain
The beat of nature's heart permeates all living things and is felt strongly
With banks spread calm to reach her flame
The natural world is able to remain serene and balanced in order to connect with its source
And all is hushed through foul and din
All noise and distractions fall away and there is a sense of stillness
Save for the whir and chime within
The only sound is the beat of nature's heart, which resonates within us all
Prying eyes it's what you need
We all need someone who will watch over us and protect us
A friend that hides is friend indeed
A true friend is one who is always there for you, even if they go unnoticed
Thoughts and things devoid of soul
Material possessions and intellectual pursuits are meaningless without a sense of spirituality
Unwind all creatures from the coil
We must all embrace our mortality and learn to accept the cycle of life and death
We cast our coals to star the sky
Our actions have the power to create beauty and wonder in the world
And rake our ashes heaven high
Even our failures and losses can become a source of inspiration and growth
All species come to bring her near
All living things are drawn towards the beauty and power of nature
Above and below the horizon
Nature is all around us, both visible and invisible
Hung rich with dreams to wreath her brow
We all have aspirations and goals that are inspired by nature
For good and all to recall
We must remember and honor the importance of the natural world forever
Contributed by Nathaniel K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.