Coil spent the next period of its existence exploring visual media. In late 1984 they recorded a rendition of Tainted Love (originally recorded by Gloria Jones, but made popular by Soft Cell in the 80s), producing a widely banned, hallucinogenic video clip featuring Marc Almond as the Angel of Death; despite considerable controversy at home, the video ultimately found its way to the archives of the Museum of Modern Art. After spending several years working with filmmaker Derek Jarman on the feature The Angelic Conversation, Coil issued a remixed edition of their soundtrack. Following 1986’s Nightmare Culture, a collaboration with Boyd Rice produced as split release with Current 93, Christopherson and Balance invited Stephen Thrower to join the group in a full-time capacity. As a trio, they recorded 1986’s LP Horse Rotorvator, introducing orchestral, jazz, and middle Eastern textures into the mix; this album included The Anal Staircase.
In 1987, Coil issued The Unreleased Themes for Hellraiser, a collection of atmospheric gothic instrumentals commissioned for but ultimately cut from the Clive Barker horror film, followed by compilation album Gold Is the Metal (With the Broadest Shoulders), a remixed history of the group’s first several years of work. Unnatural History, another career overview, effectively ended the first phase of the band’s career in 1990; when Coil resurfaced a year later with Love’s Secret Domain, their music reflected the strong influence of the acid house culture. Another long layoff brought on by financial difficulties ended in 1995, when the group - now consisting of Sleazy, Balance, and Drew McDowell - signed to Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor’s Nothing Records to release Backwards, an album which was never officially released, although it is available in a number of bootleg versions. Additionally, they recorded the LP Worship the Glitch, issued under the name ELpH, and in 1996 cut A Thousand Lights in a Darkened Room as Black Light District.
1998 marked a significant stylistic shift for Coil, as the group moved away from the industrial dance sound they pioneered in the first half of their career towards what Balance referred to as "Moon Musick". This began with the release of four seasonal EPs throughout that year, coinciding with the equinoxes and solstices; this marked the group making further forays into ambient and neoclassical styles. Lyrically, there was a push towards naturalistic, pagan imagery, and an emphasis on free form, improvisatory chants. All four of these releases were later collected and released as Moons Milk (in Four Phases) in 2002. Coil also put out a purely drone based project, Time Machines, under that alias the same year.
In 1999 Coil started to work with Thighpaulsandra, and with him released the chilling Musick to Play in the Dark, a dark, meditative work featuring mostly intoned vocals from Balance, and exploring deeper electronic textures and pitches. A second volume followed in 2000. After years of refusal to do so, Coil started to perform live again in 1999. They released a number of albums containing the various shows they did in the period 2000 - 2004. Coil have released a lot of material in very limited editions, and have distributed certain records only at concerts. In 2003 they started a project to re-issue these tracks. Amidst their sporadic touring, and growing internal tensions within the group, Black Antlers was released in 2004, consisting of many of the songs played in concert at the time. This would prove to be the last studio recording put out in Balance's lifetime.
Jhonn Balance’s long-time struggle with alcoholism led to his death on 13th November, 2004. He fell from the second floor window at his home, while drunk, and died a short time after. Coil’s last live performance took place at Dublin’s City Hall on 23 October 2004 and is expected to appear on the forthcoming DVD box set “Colour Sound Oblivion”. A number of songs that were (as good as) ready were released in autumn 2005 as a last farewell to Jhonn.
Peter Christopherson passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 25, 2010. Instead of sending flowers in memory of Peter Christopherson, people were asked to donate money to help children affected by AIDS in Thailand, the country he loved and died in.
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Fire of the Green Dragon
Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Earth that fed you
Now must eat you
The Earth which fed you
Now it must eat you
Teach me something new
I'm driving you... Ahahaha
And I'm gonna give you honey if I can
Do they know? No
Children of the blind in a blindfold
There's an angry light in the stones
There's an angry light in the stones
On Fire... Ahahaha
Re-align the ancient isles
And I'm gonna give you honey if I can
And I'm gonna give you honey if I can
I'm driving you, children
There's a terrible blinding sound made by the sun
Teach me, teach me something new
The lyrics to Coil's song Fire of the Green Dragon are metaphorical and esoteric, with many possible interpretations. One possible interpretation is that the Earth, symbolized by the Green Dragon, is both nurturing and destructive. It gives life and sustenance but also takes it away. The line "The Earth that fed you, now must eat you" suggests a cycle of life and death, where everything that lives must eventually return to the Earth.
The singer seems to be seeking knowledge and guidance from the Earth, asking it to "teach me something new." They also mention giving the Earth honey, which could represent a symbolic offering or a way of showing respect and gratitude. The mention of "children of the blind in a blindfold" could be a reference to the human race, who are often unaware of the interconnectedness of all things and the cyclical nature of life and death.
The imagery of stones and an angry light suggests a sense of danger or warning, and the singer seems to be driving the "children" towards some kind of new understanding or alignment with the "ancient isles." The final line, "Teach me, teach me something new," suggests a desire for continued learning and growth.
Line by Line Meaning
Sound now
The beginning of the song, signaling for attention
The Earth that fed you
Refers to the cycle of life and the fact that everything comes from the earth
Now must eat you
Symbolizes the end of the cycle, where everything goes back to the earth
The Earth which fed you
Repetition of the first line, emphasizing the theme of the song
Now it must eat you
Repetition of the second line, emphasizing the theme of the song
Teach me something new
Request for knowledge and growth
I'm driving you... Ahahaha
Ambiguous line, could represent the power dynamic between humans and the earth or the control of the artist over the listener
And I'm gonna give you honey if I can
Offering something sweet or beneficial, perhaps as a way to appease
And I'm gonna give you honey if I can
Repetition of the previous line, emphasizing the artist's intentions
Do they know? No
Questioning the knowledge or awareness of others
Children of the blind in a blindfold
Metaphor for ignorance and lack of awareness
There's an angry light in the stones
Possible reference to the energy and power of nature
There's an angry light in the stones
Repetition of the previous line, emphasizing the energy and power of nature
On Fire... Ahahaha
Symbol of transformation and change, could also represent destruction
Re-align the ancient isles
Call for a return to previous ways or traditions
And I'm gonna give you honey if I can
Repetition of the previous lines, emphasizing the artist's intentions
And I'm gonna give you honey if I can
Repetition of the previous lines, emphasizing the artist's intentions
I'm driving you, children
Possible continuation of the power dynamic established earlier
There's a terrible blinding sound made by the sun
Visual and auditory imagery, may represent the power of the natural world
Teach me, teach me something new
Reiteration of earlier request for knowledge and growth
Contributed by Taylor V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.