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.
Signs
Cardiacs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
After we shot to his death
The horse and the rocking boy
Folded up like a dead balloon
All breathing not welcome
Ah kiss me I'm sore
Million eyes watching all but is
Worth a kiss on this phiz
Oh my saviour create me to die alone
I'm what you flush I'm your children
Nursing a desire with poison
Mothering stray waifs with germs
All trying to kill them
Then sleep better and easy
Awaken all the guilties
Now come down here for all of us
And throw this off axis
Without trying too hard
Starry shake and awaken all the guilties
Protect the innocent lambs
Make we sleep better and easy
All his loss all not was
And where is his eyes?
Think on this you did not miss
Didn't know if your distress
Were short not everlasting
Sleep thee well better and easy
All this loss no what cost no more
No more the horse and the rocking boy
Million eyes watching all but is
Worth a kiss all on this phiz ah!
This is ah!
This is ah!
Plant me oh joy!
Oh my saviour create we all to die alone no
No more the horse and the rocking boy
No more the horse and the rocking boy
No more the horse and the rocking boy
No more the horse and the rocking boy
The lyrics to Cardiacs' song "Signs" are quite abstract and difficult to fully understand. However, the song seems to be exploring themes of death, guilt, and loneliness. The first stanza describes a scene of death and decay, with "dry bones" and a "dead balloon" representing lifeless objects. The line "Ah kiss me I'm sore" may reference a desire for comfort or affection in the face of these harsh realities. The second stanza features more cryptic imagery, with references to poison and stray waifs. The line "All trying to kill them" suggests an overall sense of danger and vulnerability.
The chorus of the song shifts towards a plea for protection and rest. The line "Sleep thee well better and easy" repeats several times, along with the image of "innocent lambs" who need to be protected. The final stanza seems to be grappling with the idea of mortality, with the repeated line "Oh my saviour create we all to die alone no" hinting at a longing for immortality or a fear of dying alone. However, the song ultimately ends on a note of hope, with the repetition of "No more the horse and the rocking boy" suggesting a release from suffering and a move towards something better.
Overall, the lyrics of "Signs" feature a combination of surreal imagery and emotional intensity, with themes of death, safety, and hope woven throughout.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleep them well all them dry bones
Rest the dead bones peacefully
After we shot to his death
Following someone's violent death
The horse and the rocking boy
The horse and the rocking chair
Folded up like a dead balloon
Crushed and lifeless
All breathing not welcome
Death for all, with no exceptions
Ah kiss me I'm sore
Embrace me while I'm in pain
Million eyes watching all but is
Everyone is being watched by the masses
Worth a kiss on this phiz
Valuing your affection towards someone's face
All on this phiz and more
Everything on that face and beyond
Oh my saviour create me to die alone
Divine power lets me pass away alone
I'm what you flush I'm your children
I'm the waste that you get rid of, and also your offspring
Nursing a desire with poison
Cultivating a wish with something harmful
Mothering stray waifs with germs
Taking care of abandoned kids with diseases
All trying to kill them
All aiming to end their lives
Then sleep better and easy
Peacefully slumber now
Awaken all the guilties
Rise up the ones full of regrets
Now come down here for all of us
Descending down for the sake of everyone
And throw this off axis
Disrupting the norm
Without trying too hard
With ease, and not forcibly
Starry shake and awaken all the guilties
Moving heavenly and arousing the sorrowful ones
Protect the innocent lambs
Shielding the pure ones
Make we sleep better and easy
Letting us rest well without worry
All his loss all not was
Everything bereaved, everything that didn't happen
And where is his eyes?
What happened to his sight?
Think on this you did not miss
Reflecting on something you didn't forget
Didn't know if your distress
Unsure if you're bothered by something
Were short not everlasting
Only transient, and not permanent
Sleep thee well better and easy
Rest peacefully without worries
All this loss no what cost no more
All the losses, without any price tag from now on
No more the horse and the rocking boy
The horse and the rocking chair, no more
Million eyes watching all but is
Watching all, but is it worth it?
Worth a kiss all on this phiz ah!
Worthy of a kiss, all of that face
This is ah!
This is plain and simple
Plant me oh joy!
Plunge me into happiness!
No more the horse and the rocking boy
The horse and the rocking chair, no more (repeated)
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE, HANNAH SMITH, JAN-AI EL-GONI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sparkey
Sleep them well all them dry bones
After we shot to his death
The horse and the rocking boy
Folded up like a dead balloon
All breathing not welcome
Ah kiss me I'm sore
Million eyes watching all but is
Worth a kiss on this phiz
All on this phiz and more
Oh my saviour create me to die alone
I'm what you flush I'm your children
Nursing a desire with poison
Mothering stray waifs with germs
All trying to kill them
Then sleep better and easy
Awaken all the guilties
Now come down here for all of us
And throw this off axis
Without trying too hard
Starry shake and awaken all the guilties
Protect the innocent lambs
Make we sleep better and easy
All his loss all not was
And where is his eyes?
Think on this you did not miss
Didn't know if your distress
Were short not everlasting
Sleep thee well better and easy
All this loss no what cost no more
No more the horse and the rocking boy
Million eyes watching all but is
Worth a kiss all on this phiz ah!
This is ah!
This is ah!
Plant me oh joy!
Oh my saviour create we all to die alone no
No more the horse and the rocking boy
No more the horse and the rocking boy
No more the horse and the rocking boy
No more the horse and the rocking boy
Avant Prog
It's weird to arrive at a post that nobody's commented on in 8 years. Love Cardiacs. I'm old, just discovered them 5 years ago and it's an ongoing process.
Kate M.
reminds me of a certain weird time in my life (early twenties were a minefield), but i loved it then and i love it still. thanks for uploading!
Imogen Mangle
I don't really bother with learning or trying to understand lyrics a lot of the time but I feel like this, especially the second verse, mades a lot of sense to me. Tim was really packing some hard core cosmic angst in this one.
Erin Wallace
"The horse and the rocking boy" makes me think of 'The Rocking Horse Winner' or Kaspar Hauser or something equally dark.
Lagomorph
I always took it to be about post-coital depression and Tim's weird guilt about flushing a used condom down the toilet..."Sleep them well all them dry bones, after we shot to his death", "Folded up like a dead balloon", "million eyes watching", "Oh my saviour create me to die alone, I'm what you flush I'm your children".
Sam
@WDeeGee1 Hahahaha!
BassBassBass
This is just too good.
814mfg
I'm reminded of Syd Barret in the quiet parts then it explodes into this amazing anthem. Just brilliant.
Jakob
Beautiful song.
Sparkey
Sleep them well all them dry bones
After we shot to his death
The horse and the rocking boy
Folded up like a dead balloon
All breathing not welcome
Ah kiss me I'm sore
Million eyes watching all but is
Worth a kiss on this phiz
All on this phiz and more
Oh my saviour create me to die alone
I'm what you flush I'm your children
Nursing a desire with poison
Mothering stray waifs with germs
All trying to kill them
Then sleep better and easy
Awaken all the guilties
Now come down here for all of us
And throw this off axis
Without trying too hard
Starry shake and awaken all the guilties
Protect the innocent lambs
Make we sleep better and easy
All his loss all not was
And where is his eyes?
Think on this you did not miss
Didn't know if your distress
Were short not everlasting
Sleep thee well better and easy
All this loss no what cost no more
No more the horse and the rocking boy
Million eyes watching all but is
Worth a kiss all on this phiz ah!
This is ah!
This is ah!
Plant me oh joy!
Oh my saviour create we all to die alone no
No more the horse and the rocking boy
No more the horse and the rocking boy
No more the horse and the rocking boy
No more the horse and the rocking boy