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.
I Hold My Love in My Arms
Cardiacs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I walk my love in mornings gleam
Our love, I know, will never go
I strive to keep her aglow
Our head heavy lovers charms
I hold my love in my arms
In my arms I hold her she loves me
So with as a bride I'll take
Our love, I know, will never go
I strive to keep her aglow
Our head heavy lovers charm
I hold my love in my arms
The lyrics to "I Hold My Love in My Arms" by Cardiacs are very poetic and seem to describe a deep and passionate love between two people. The singer talks about how they wash their love with dew's wet dream and walks their love in the morning's gleam, almost as if their love is a living entity that needs care and attention.
The singer also seems to be very committed to this love, saying that they strive to keep their love aglow and that they know it will never go. The line "Our head heavy lovers charms" seems to suggest that the weight of their intense love is almost overwhelming, but that they are holding onto each other tightly.
Overall, the lyrics paint a vivid picture of a powerful and all-consuming love that is worth fighting for and holding onto with all their might. The song is full of emotion and is performed with a lot of passion and intensity.
Line by Line Meaning
I wash my love with dews wet dream
I care for my love with the utmost tenderness and affection
I walk my love in mornings gleam
I journey with my love through the brightness and optimism of each new day
Our love, I know, will never go
I have complete faith in the permanence and steadfastness of our bond
I strive to keep her aglow
I put in continuous effort to ensure that my love is radiant and flourishing
Our head heavy lovers charms
Our love is powerful and all-consuming
I hold my love in my arms
I embrace my love with a sense of security and protectiveness
In my arms I hold her she loves me
I am grateful for the reciprocation of love and devotion in our relationship
Her view must feed me as I wake
The mere sight of my beloved nourishes my soul and energizes me each morning
So with as a bride I'll take
I am committed to treating my love with the respect and reverence that a bride deserves
Contributed by Katherine D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.