Slur
Coil Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Roman land
Of Roman sands
And Roman sons

As I watch the sun sink down
On the blood red edge
Of the blood red town
There are shadows for sale
On the edge of town

At the edge of the night
Is a darkness seen
From the side of the light
(From the side of the night)

And the winds blow round
This sleeping town
This sleeping town
This Roman land
Of Roman sands
And Roman sons

And it seems to me
That when I close my eyes
All the lights in the world
Go out

And the night passes by
And you whisper to me
A thousand lies

I stare in surprise
Towards the desert's
Warm black
And the desert stirs
And the desert stares
Back
With a thousand eyes
Piercing eyes
Ancient eyes

And I ask my lover
"Do you know




Where the desert roses
Bloom and grow?"

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Coil's song Slur paint a picture of a Roman land made up of sand and sons. The singer watches as the sun sets on a blood red town, where shadows are for sale at the edge of the night. The darkness is seen from the side of the light, and the winds blow around the sleeping town. The singer describes the Roman land as having sands and sons, suggesting that the land and its people are ancient and steeped in history.


As the night passes by, the singer closes their eyes and all the lights in the world seem to go out. This is followed by a whisper of a thousand lies from their lover. The singer looks towards the desert's warm black and feels surprise as the desert stirs and stares back at them with a thousand, piercing, ancient eyes. The singer asks their lover whether they know where the desert roses bloom and grow, adding another layer of mysticism and intrigue to the already mysterious lyrics.


Overall, "Slur" seems to explore the duality of light and dark, and the ancient history and mystery that surrounds the land described. The desert, in particular, stands out as a powerful force that the singer feels drawn to and slightly intimidated by. The lyrics suggest that there is much to uncover and explore in this Roman land, and that there may be many secrets hidden beneath the sands.


Line by Line Meaning

Roman land
Describing the location.


Of Roman sands
Elaborating on the location.


And Roman sons
Indicating the inhabitants of the location.


As I watch the sun sink down
Narrating the scene of the sunset.


On the blood red edge
Emphasizing the color of the sunset.


Of the blood red town
Describing the location of the sunset and the predominant color of the town.


There are shadows for sale
Metaphorically depicting a dark environment.


On the edge of town
Clarifying the extent of the town.


At the edge of the night
Explaining the timing during early nightfall.


Is a darkness seen
Rendering the emotions of darkness felt.


From the side of the light
Expounding on the presence of light and darkness together.


(From the side of the night)
Repeating the earlier context.


And the winds blow round
Portraying the effect of winds.


This sleeping town
Describing the stillness of the town.


This Roman land
Reiterating the location.


Of Roman sands
Emphasizing the connection with the location.


And Roman sons
Reaffirming the inhabitants.


And it seems to me
Describing the singer's perspective.


That when I close my eyes
Explaining the occurrence during closed eyes.


All the lights in the world
Depicting the darkness felt.


Go out
Describing the suddenness of the darkness.


And the night passes by
Signifying the time proceeding further.


And you whisper to me
Narrating the presence of another person.


A thousand lies
Conveying that the whispers were not truthful.


I stare in surprise
Demonstrating the singer's reaction.


Towards the desert's
Referring to another location.


Warm black
Describing the feeling of the desert.


And the desert stirs
Personifying the desert.


And the desert stares
Metaphorically depicting the gaze of the desert.


Back
Concluding the prior context.


With a thousand eyes
Repeating the spoken metaphor.


Piercing eyes
Describing the gaze of the desert as sharp.


Ancient eyes
Suggesting the age of the desert.


And I ask my lover
Narrating the presence of another person.


"Do you know
Asking a question.


Where the desert roses
Describing a location.


Bloom and grow?"
Querying about the desert flora.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@riccardotoni5867

Roman land of Roman sands and Roman sons

As I watch the sun sink down
On the blood-red edge of the blood-red town
There are shadows for sale
On the edge of town
On the edge of the night
Is a darkness seen
From the side of the night

And the winds blow round this sleeping town
This sleeping town
This Roman land of Roman sands and Roman sons

And it seems to me that when I close my eyes
All the lights in the world
Go out
And the night passes by and you whisper to me
A thousand lies
I stare in surprise
Towards the desert's warm black
And the desert stirs
And the desert stares back
With a thousand eyes
Piercing eyes, ancient eyes
And I ask my lovers, "Do you know
Where the desert roses bloom and grow?"
And I ask my lovers, "Do you know
Where the desert roses bloom and grow?"
And I ask my lovers, "Do you know
Where the desert roses bloom and grow?"



All comments from YouTube:

@terrypussypower

I bought Horse Rotorvator for £3.99 in 1986 and still have it in mint condition, one of the best LP's ever !

@winning3329

sad this great band is gone. :(

@TheLynxie

I've listened to this about 600 times in a week. Such a great song.

@riccardotoni5867

Roman land of Roman sands and Roman sons

As I watch the sun sink down
On the blood-red edge of the blood-red town
There are shadows for sale
On the edge of town
On the edge of the night
Is a darkness seen
From the side of the night

And the winds blow round this sleeping town
This sleeping town
This Roman land of Roman sands and Roman sons

And it seems to me that when I close my eyes
All the lights in the world
Go out
And the night passes by and you whisper to me
A thousand lies
I stare in surprise
Towards the desert's warm black
And the desert stirs
And the desert stares back
With a thousand eyes
Piercing eyes, ancient eyes
And I ask my lovers, "Do you know
Where the desert roses bloom and grow?"
And I ask my lovers, "Do you know
Where the desert roses bloom and grow?"
And I ask my lovers, "Do you know
Where the desert roses bloom and grow?"

@XelrisMZ

Just discovered this. Late to the party but freaking out about it, it's beautiful.

@Brytons_Thoughts

This was some seriously other worldly stuff when I first heard this at 12 to 13 years old.
Seriously, in regards to industrial, I went from NIN to Coil. And NIN sounds like sunshine pop compared to this.
Coil and Throbbing Gristle took me to musical places I've never visited before.

@feukka1703

Bryton Cherrier a true industrial fan.

@isaisaschlonzer5339

I feel you,same with me

@user-oj5ts4cg2d

What’s NIN?

@adorno_gang37

@Welle Zxzxz Nine Inch Nails

More Comments

More Versions