Coil (1982–2004) was initially established in London in 1983 as an experime… Read Full Bio ↴Coil (1982–2004) was initially established in London in 1983 as an experimental solo outlet for ex-Psychic TV member John Balance, and became a full-fledged experimental sonic manipulation unit a year later following the arrival of keyboardist / programmer Peter Christopherson (Sleazy), a founder of Psychic TV as well as a member of Throbbing Gristle. After debuting with the 17-minute ritual recording How to Destroy Angels, Balance and Sleazy recruited the aid of Possession’s Stephen Thrower, J.G. “Foetus” Thirlwell, and The Virgin Prunes’ Gavin Friday to record their full-length 1984 bow Scatology, an intense, primal work of sculpted industrial noise thematically devoted to the concepts of alchemy and transmutation.

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.

http://www.thresholdhouse.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coil_(band)

Where Are You
Coil Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Where are you?
Are you hiding from me?
Are you still looking for things that no-one else can
See?

Where are you?
Are you in some place that we cannot reach?
Are you bathing in moonlight or drowned on the beach?

Where are you?
Are you surrounded by things we cannot penetrate?
Is the cage you love the home you also hate?

Your fear of death attracts such strange objects
Smothering you, hiding you, don't let it spoil you
Show yourself so the others may see you
So the others may feed you
They want to be near you

If you can't get enough of your hypnotic injection
Then it's time to put an end to this invalid function
Poor little ghost boy
Let me be your human toy

Where are you?
No-one's seen you for years
Have your wounds grown wings? Are you feasting on
Fears?
I can see your dark corona is eating into you
You're surrounded by things we cannot penetrate
Is the cage you love the home you also hate?
Life lies with the scissors inside her
The surgeon was a butcher
All of us are wounded, anaesthetised in A&E
Numbed by stuff we should not see
Each of us lies bleeding
Our rivers intermingling
Poor little ghost boy
Let me be your human toy

I'll wrap my last kiss in a bandage
I'll wrap my last kiss in a bandage

I'll wrap my last kiss in a bandage
I'll wrap my last kiss in a bandage

Overall Meaning

The song "Where Are You" by Coil is a haunting and melancholic track that explores themes of isolation, fear, and death. The lyrics are directed towards an individual who is missing and the singer is searching for. The opening lines, "Where are you? / Are you hiding from me?" suggest that the singer has been looking for this person for some time but has not been successful in locating them. The next few lines, "Are you still looking for things that no-one else can see? / Are you in some place that we cannot reach?" imply that the missing person may be hiding from the world or exploring a realm that others cannot enter.

As the song progresses, the singer becomes more desperate in their search, asking if the missing person is surrounded by things they cannot penetrate or if they are trapped in a cage they hate and love. The lines, "Your fear of death attracts such strange objects / Smothering you, hiding you, don't let it spoil you" suggest that the missing person may be consumed by their fear of dying and that they may be using unusual methods to try and evade it.

In the final verse, the singer addresses the missing person directly, offering themselves as a human toy and suggesting that the missing person is like a "poor little ghost boy." The final lines, "I'll wrap my last kiss in a bandage" suggest a sense of finality and resignation, as if the singer is coming to terms with the fact that the missing person may never be found.

Overall, "Where Are You" is a haunting and evocative song that explores the themes of isolation, fear, and death, and raises questions about the limits of human understanding and the nature of our existence.

Line by Line Meaning

Where are you?
Asking the whereabouts of someone.

Are you hiding from me?
Wondering if the person is avoiding them on purpose.

Are you still looking for things that no-one else can See?
Questioning if the person is on a quest for something unattainable.

Are you in some place that we cannot reach?
Curious if the person is in an inaccessible location.

Are you bathing in moonlight or drowned on the beach?
Asking if the person is experiencing extreme emotions or circumstances.

Are you surrounded by things we cannot penetrate?
Asking if the person is in a situation that is impenetrable or difficult to understand.

Is the cage you love the home you also hate?
Questioning if the person is in a place or mindset that they simultaneously love and hate.

Your fear of death attracts such strange objects
Noting that the person's fear of death draws unusual things to them.

Smothering you, hiding you, don't let it spoil you
Urging the person not to let their fear control their life and wellbeing.

Show yourself so the others may see you
Encouraging the person to reveal themselves to others.

So the others may feed you
Hinting that the person is in need of emotional or physical nourishment from others.

They want to be near you
Asserting that others desire to be close to the person.

If you can't get enough of your hypnotic injection
Implying that the person may be addicted to something, possibly dangerous or unhealthy.

Then it's time to put an end to this invalid function
Suggesting that it's time to break free from the harmful behavior or addiction.

Poor little ghost boy
Addressing the person with a term of endearment or possibly empathy.

Let me be your human toy
Offering to be of assistance or companionship to the person.

No-one's seen you for years
Stating that the person has not been in contact with others for a long time.

Have your wounds grown wings? Are you feasting on Fears?
Asking if the person has become consumed by their past traumas or anxieties.

I can see your dark corona is eating into you
Observing that the person's negative energy is affecting them.

Life lies with the scissors inside her
Suggesting that life is in the hands of fate or the unknown.

The surgeon was a butcher
Commenting on a failed medical procedure or possibly a metaphor for something that went wrong.

All of us are wounded, anaesthetised in A&E
Declaring that everyone is hurting and may be numbing their pain or emotions in some way.

Numbed by stuff we should not see
Feeling numb or desensitized due to experiencing or witnessing something traumatic.

Each of us lies bleeding
Asserting that everyone is suffering in their own way.

Our rivers intermingling
Comparing the emotional pain and suffering of people to rivers that mix together.

I'll wrap my last kiss in a bandage
Expressing a desire to protect or care for someone who is hurting.

I'll wrap my last kiss in a bandage
Repeating the previous line for emphasis or poetic effect.

Contributed by Keira O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@taniaorwhatever

33w↑7

Lyrics:

Where are you?
Are you hiding from me?
Are you still looking for things that no-one else can see?

Where are you?
Are you in some place that we cannot reach?
Are you bathing in moonlight or drowned on the beach?

Where are you?
Are you surrounded by things we cannot penetrate?
Is the cage you love the home you also hate?

Your fear of death attracts such strange objects
Smothering you, hiding you, don't let it spoil you

Show yourself so the others may see you
So the others may feed you
They want to be near you

If you can't get enough of your hypnotic injection
Then it's time to put an end to this invalid function

Poor little ghost boy
Let me be your human toy

Where are you?
No-one's seen you for years
Have your wounds grown wings? Are you feasting on fears?
I can see your dark corona is eating into you

You're surrounded by things we cannot penetrate
Is the cage you love the home you also hate?

Life lies with the scissors inside her
The surgeon was a butcher
All of us are wounded, anaesthetized in A&E
Numbed by stuff we should not see
Each of us lies bleeding
Our rivers intermingling

Poor little ghost boy
Let me be your human toy

I'll wrap my last kiss in a bandage ( x4 )