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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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coil_(band)
The Sewage Worker
Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But Paradise Disowned
Virgin Mary, weak and wild
Rids herself of an unwanted child
Price of love, Pain to pay
For a quick visitation in the hay
A reign of love
That stank of death
No Festival of Light
A moral mean majority
Who'd
"Kill a queer for Christ"
In Coil's song The Sewage Worker's Birthday Party, the opening lines "This is not Paradise Lost, but Paradise Disowned" sets the tone for a somber, bleak view of the world. The lyrics then mention the Virgin Mary, who is typically seen as a symbol of purity and divinity, being depicted as both "weak and wild" as she rids herself of an unwanted child. This is likely in reference to the many women who have had to go through the pain of abortion, even if it went against their religious beliefs, and depicts a reality that is often hushed up or ignored. The following lines "Price of love, Pain to pay, For a quick visitation in the hay" further highlight the consequences of a quick sexual encounter, where love can come at a great cost.
The lyrics then shift to a commentary on the prevailing attitudes towards sexual orientation and religion in society, where the "reign of love" is juxtaposed with a "stank of death". The line "Nowhere New Jerusalem, No Festival of Light" paints a picture of a world without hope or salvation, where even the most faithful are denied their heavenly reward. Finally, the lamentable state of things comes to a head with the line "A moral mean majority, Who'd 'Kill a queer for Christ'", where the hypocrisy of those claiming to follow a religion of love is brought to light. The lyrics of The Sewage Worker's Birthday Party tackle heavy themes of religion, sexuality, and societal norms, in Coil's signature unflinching style.
Line by Line Meaning
This is not Paradise Lost
This is not an idyllic world, but rather a hostile and bleak one
But Paradise Disowned
This world has rejected the idea of paradise and instead exists in a state of unpleasantness
Virgin Mary, weak and wild
The Virgin Mary is depicted as both innocent and untamed
Rids herself of an unwanted child
She gets rid of her baby, which is unwanted and perhaps the result of a forced sexual encounter
Price of love, Pain to pay
Love comes at a cost, and often this cost is suffering
For a quick visitation in the hay
The sexual encounter that led to the child being conceived was brief and occurred in a mundane and ordinary setting
A reign of love
This love was powerful and all-consuming, but also destructive
That stank of death
The love was suffused with death and decay, perhaps due to the unwanted child that was the result of the union
Nowhere New Jerusalem
There is no utopia or idealized place on earth for people to escape to
No Festival of Light
There is no celebration or joy to be found in this world
A moral mean majority
The majority of people in this world are cruel and self-righteous
Who'd
Who would
"Kill a queer for Christ"
These people would murder those who are queer (a term that often refers to LGBTQ+ individuals) in the name of their religion
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@foppishdilletaunt9911
Pop Music at its best.
@niveknomad2008
Industrial gold
@999alex9991
it's me or they are 2 version of this song? the swbp / this one, whats the difference?
@BintAlAbla1999
I bought the original album in 1984. This is the version on that album. Incredible track!!!!! Enjoy!
@subtledemisefox
The reissue changed the title for some reason, but as far as I know it's the same song.