Catatonia was formed in 1992, reputedly after songwriter Mark Roberts heard Cerys busking in Cardiff city centre. They had considerable success, their most famous hits being "Mulder and Scully", "Road Rage" and "Dead From The Waist Down". In September 2001, Cerys announced her departure from Catatonia after bouts of exhaustion and anxiety. Her departure was followed shortly by the breakup of the group.
Cerys is now performing her solo material (which is more folk/ country influenced) .
Not to be confused with the Swedish metal band Katatonia.
Cerys now has a solo album and is working as a DJ for Alternative radio Station BBC 6 Music.
Dead From the Waist Down
Catatonia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We should be making hay
But we're dead from the waist down
Like in Californ-i-a
Victory is empty
There are lessons in defeat
But we're dead from the waist down
We are sleeping on our feet
Bought us time on easy street
Now our paths, they never meet
We chose to court and flatter greed
Ego-disposability
I caught a glimpse and it's not me
Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Or else you're done for
When we're D from the W down
There's no contracts binding
No bad scene beyond repair
But when you're dead from the waist down
You're too far gone to even care
We stole the songs from birds in trees
Bought us time on easy street
Now our paths, they never meet
We chose to court and flatter greed
Ego-disposability
I caught a glimpse and it's not me
Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Or else we're done for
When you're D from the W down
Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Or else we're done for
When you're D from the W down
When you're D from the W down
D from the W down
D from the W down
"Dead From the Waist Down" by Catatonia is a song about being apathetic and complacent in life. The singer sings about the sun shining and how they should be making hay, which is a symbol for progress and productivity. However, they are "dead from the waist down" just like in California. The mention of California refers to the idea that the state is often portrayed as a place of carefree and laid-back living. The victory is empty, and there are lessons in defeat, but they are dead from the waist down and are sleeping on their feet. The lines "We stole the songs from birds in trees, bought us time on easy street" refer to the idea of taking shortcuts and not putting in the effort to create something original.
The chorus of "Make hay not war" emphasizes the idea of productivity over conflict. The singer warns that if we don't make hay, we will be "done for." There are no contracts binding, and nothing is beyond repair, but when we are "dead from the waist down," we don't care enough to fix things. The song highlights the danger of complacency and taking the easy way out in life.
Line by Line Meaning
The sun is shining
The day is beautiful and bright
We should be making hay
We should be productive and working
But we're dead from the waist down
We lack energy and enthusiasm for life
Like in Californ-i-a
Similar to the laid-back lifestyle in California
Victory is empty
Winning doesn't bring true fulfillment
There are lessons in defeat
We can learn from our failures
But we're dead from the waist down
We don't have the motivation to try again
We are sleeping on our feet
We're alive but barely functioning
We stole the songs from birds in trees
We take inspiration from nature and use it for our own purposes
Bought us time on easy street
We've enjoyed a comfortable life without truly earning it
Now our paths, they never meet
We've grown apart and have little in common
We chose to court and flatter greed
We prioritize money and material possessions over what's truly important
Ego-disposability
We don't value ourselves or others as we should
I caught a glimpse and it's not me
I realize that this lifestyle isn't who I truly am
Make hay not war
We should be working hard instead of fighting
Or else you're done for
Otherwise, you'll be defeated
When we're D from the W down
When we lack motivation and enjoyment in life
There's no contracts binding
We're not obligated to anyone or anything
No bad scene beyond repair
There's nothing so terrible that we can't fix it
But when you're dead from the waist down
When you have no energy and feel hopeless
You're too far gone to even care
You've lost motivation and resilience
Make hay not war
We should focus on positive action instead of conflict
Or else we're done for
Or else we'll be defeated
When you're D from the W down
When you've lost enthusiasm and energy for life
D from the W down
Dead from the waist down
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALED RICHARDS, CERYS MATTHEWS, MARK ROBERTS, OWEN POWELL, PAUL JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@maggiepuput6910
The sun is shining
We should be making hay
But we're dead from the waist down
Like in Californ-I-A
Victory is empty
There are lessons in defeat
But we're dead from the waist down
We are sleeping on our feet
We stole the songs from birds in trees
Bought us time on easy street
Now our paths, they never meet
We chose to court and flatter greed, ego disposability
I caught a glimpse, and it's not me
Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Or else we're done for
And we're D from the W down
There's no contracts binding
No bad scene beyond repair
But when you're dead from the waist down
You're too far gone to even care
We stole the songs from birds in trees
Bought us time on easy street
Now our paths, they never meet
We chose to court and flatter greed, ego disposability
I caught a glimpse, and it's not me
Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Or else we're done for
And we're D from the W down
Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Or else we're done for
And we're D from the W down
And we're D from the W down
And we're D from the W down
And we're D from the W down
And we're D from the W down
The sun is shining
The sun is shining
@davidcarrol110
This song was a melancholic farewell to Britpop.
@geoffclarke8934
Great song from a great era. Wish I could go back in time to the late 90s.
@Matalangitan
If you know someone named John Titor, go find him, he will help you
@chrisliam2
Oh if I could go back to days when we had music like this.
Very rare to find music like this these days.
@cookeymonster83
We still have music like this. You are listening to it right now. Music is present while it's played.
@tomelgato5128
Or music in general
@mrjoy8859
I've been looking for this song for 20 years and finally found it. The best memorable song, I really want to go back to the 90s era
@sharonunfiltered
Extraordinarily underrated
@Nickypink09
I know!
I was gonna say that!
This song is a masterpiece!!!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩
@RomyIgoeX
Absolutely beautiful. Breaks my heart to see people in thrall to dumb 'talent' shows when this kind of wondrousness is available.