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.
Quiet As A Mouse
Cardiacs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And they run back and then pat on the head
Hang on, can we not make them alive?
That's wicked
No, because like put all the dead ones in a round circle
Yeah, pretty as a picture
Why, why would they not be better alive?
Because for a lot of people
Quiet as a mouse
Look who's coming round the corner
Hello
Do you know him?
It's tiny Bob Leith, pretty as a picture
Shall, shall we beat him senseless?
Yes, but this is where I take my time
Quiet as a mouse
The lyrics to Cardiacs' song Quiet As A Mouse involve two individuals having a conversation about life and death. They begin by observing a group of dead animals, and one person suggests that it would be better if they were brought back to life. The other person argues that for certain people, the quietness of the dead animals is more appealing than the liveliness of live ones. This idea of finding beauty in death is further explored when they encounter a man named Tiny Bob Leith. Despite considering attacking him, the singer eventually decides to take their time with him, observing him in his quietness.
The lyrics invoke themes of mortality, morality and the human experience. The discussion about bringing the dead animals back to life can be interpreted as an existential crisis, questioning the meaning of life and what happens after death. There is also a concept of aestheticism in the lyrics, where the quiet stillness of things can be seen as more beautiful and appealing than the chaos and liveliness of life. This can be contrasted with the desire to inflict harm on Tiny Bob Leith, showing a complex relationship with morals and emotions.
Overall, the lyrics to Quiet As A Mouse leave interpretation up to the listener, allowing for a multitude of meanings and themes to arise. With its haunting melody and surreal imagery, the song invites listeners to question their own relationship with life and death.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh look
An observation has just been made
And they run back and then pat on the head
The observer has witnessed a specific action
Hang on, can we not make them alive?
A question has been asked concerning the possibility of reviving something
That's wicked
An opinion has been stated about the proposed action
No, because like put all the dead ones in a round circle
A reason is given for why the proposed action cannot be taken
Yeah, pretty as a picture
The observer remarks on the appearance of something
Why, why would they not be better alive?
A question is posed regarding the potential benefits of reviving something
Because for a lot of people
A justification is given for why something is not desirable
This one looks too quiet
The observer makes a judgment about a certain quality
Quiet as a mouse
A simile is used to describe the level of noise made by something
Look who's coming round the corner
The observer points out the arrival of a person
Hello
A greeting is made to the newcomer
Do you know him?
A question is asked regarding the relationship between the observer and the newcomer
It's tiny Bob Leith, pretty as a picture
The observer provides a description of the newcomer
Shall, shall we beat him senseless?
A suggestion is made regarding a violent action
Yes, but this is where I take my time
A response is given to the suggestion, with an indication that a different approach will be taken instead
Contributed by Isabella J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.