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.
Manhoo
Cardiacs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Flamed raised in shame on a speedier course
And who's to blame for
Breakings its own self-inflicted graceless home?
Blind be spirit-core with its lies
A misty veil hides a pitiful vengeance born to sail on
All of the seas and a-never returning
Oceans and obsolete
Kindly spears core with its penknife
Blind be spirit and lost again and dust in eyed
Heavy heads get buried deeper
Sand in scratching naked eyes
Lost again in a lie all dreadful Oh yeah!
When truth looks like a lie in a different way and
Kept alive and bound by bad chains in a
Beautiful cage
Inside is fear and stable minds
Always forever questioning stubborn you
Befriending your tears and in a different way
The need to takesome beauty sleep deep in the
Ocean is obsolete
Blind be spirit-core, with its lies
Sand in scratching naked eyes
Lost again in a sea sick land all weepier
Blast me silence and hurt me ears and blast again
With a rifle all dreadful Oh yeah!
Blind be spirit dust in eyed heavy heads get deep and-
Truth looks like a lie, was held it out to him
Who shook the tree viciously for LOVE
Blind be spirit and lost again and dust in eyed
Heavy heads get buried deeper
Sand in scratching naked eyes
Lost again in a sea sick land all weepier
Blast me silence and hurt me ears and blast again
With a rifle all dreadful Oh yeah!
Belly-eyed bleeder all terminal, decieve, you fivver of the order
Comes up swimming up a shape with a stinging tail
The lyrics in Cardiacs' song "Manhoo" paint a picture of a spirit, blind to its own lies, sailing on a course of self-destruction. The opening lines "burned as bright as a rocket, all falsehoods set alight" suggest that this spirit has been consumed by its own lies and false beliefs, leading to a rapid downfall. The lyric "blind be spirit-core with its lies, a misty veil hides a pitiful vengeance born to sail on all of the seas and a-never returning" suggests that the spirit is unable to see the truth and is driven by a desire for revenge that only leads to further sorrow and affliction.
The lyric "when truth looks like a lie in a different way, kept alive and bound by bad chains in a beautiful cage" reflects the idea that the spirit is trapped in a cycle of lies and delusions that seem beautiful on the surface, but are in reality keeping it imprisoned. The chorus of "lost again in a lie all dreadful, blind be spirit dust in eyed, heavy heads get buried deeper, sand in scratching naked eyes" further emphasizes the spirit's inability to see the truth and the consequences of its actions.
Overall, "Manhoo" appears to be a cautionary tale about the dangers of self-deception and the importance of facing the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may seem.
Line by Line Meaning
Burned as bright as a rocket. All falsehoods set alight
The lies that were once there burned to ashes in a spectacular way.
Flamed raised in shame on a speedier course
The flames of the falsehoods grew and spread rapidly, bringing shame to those who spread them.
And who's to blame for Breakings its own self-inflicted graceless home?
Who is responsible for the destruction of one's own messy and chaotic life?
Blind be spirit-core with its lies
The lies have blinded one's innermost self.
A misty veil hides a pitiful vengeance born to sail on all of the seas and a-never returning
The thirst for revenge hides behind a hazy cover and drives one on a journey of no return.
Needs to take some beauty sleep deep in the Oceans and obsolete
One needs to escape into the ocean and leave behind the things that no longer matter.
Kindly spears core with its penknife
Harsh words are used to open up one's innermost self for healing.
Heavy heads get buried deeper Sand in scratching naked eyes Lost again in a lie all dreadful Oh yeah!
The weight of the troubles intensified, leading one to be lost in a horrible lie.
When truth looks like a lie in a different way and Kept alive and bound by bad chains in a Beautiful cage Inside is fear and stable minds
The truth can sometimes seem like a lie, but it's hidden inside a beautiful prison of fear and stability.
Always forever questioning stubborn you Befriending your tears and in a different way The need to take some beauty sleep deep in the Ocean is obsolete
One needs to overcome stubbornness and make peace with themselves to experience true peace in the ocean of life.
Sand in scratching naked eyes Lost again in a sea sick land all weepier Blast me silence and hurt me ears and blast again With a rifle all dreadful Oh yeah!
Being lost in a world of chaos and hurt, it feels like things can't get any worse and there is no hope left.
Truth looks like a lie, was held it out to him Who shook the tree viciously for LOVE
When the truth seems unbelievable, it can be shown to someone who is willing to fight hard for love.
Belly-eyed bleeder all terminal, decieve, you fivver of the order Comes up swimming up a shape with a stinging tail
Someone who is a deceiver is often punished with consequences that are painful.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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