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 ↴
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?
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
Coil's "Where Are You?" is a hauntingly beautiful track that speaks about being lost and alone in the world. The lyrics are evocative and poignant, leaving a deep impression on the listener's mind. The opening lines, "Where are you? Are you hiding from me? Are you still looking for things that no one else can see?" create an eerie and mysterious atmosphere, suggesting that the singer is searching for someone who may be lost in the world or intentionally hiding from them.
The lyrics also suggest a sense of isolation and confinement. The line "Is the cage you love the home you also hate?" suggests that the person may be trapped in a situation they cannot escape from, yet they cannot let go of it either. The singer encourages them to come out of hiding and reveal their true self, even if it may be scary or painful. The lyrics also speak about the fear of death, with the line "Your fear of death attracts such strange objects, smothering you, hiding you, don't let it spoil you."
The song also has a sense of desperation in it. The line "Poor little ghost boy, let me be your human toy" suggests that the person is in need of someone to provide them with emotional or psychological support. The repeated line "I'll wrap my last kiss in a bandage" could be interpreted as a plea to help heal the person's emotional and psychological wounds.
Line by Line Meaning
Where are you?
Asking the whereabouts of someone
Are you hiding from me?
Questioning if the person is deliberately avoiding contact
Are you still looking for things that no-one else can see?
Asking if the person is still pursuing a fantasy or delusion that no one else believes in
Are you in some place that we cannot reach?
Questioning if the person is in a location inaccessible to others
Are you bathing in moonlight or drowned on the beach?
Asking if the person is experiencing a serene or fatalistic state
Are you surrounded by things we cannot penetrate?
Asking if the person is in a situation that others cannot understand or influence
Is the cage you love the home you also hate?
Questioning if the person is in a situation that gives them comfort but also causes them pain
Your fear of death attracts such strange objects
Noticing that the person's anxiety about their mortality draws peculiar and unwanted things to them
Smothering you, hiding you, don't let it spoil you
Advising the person not to let their fears consume them and interfere with their life
Show yourself so the others may see you
Encouraging the person to come out of hiding and allow others to understand them
So the others may feed you
Implying that by revealing themselves, the person will be able to receive support and care from others
They want to be near you
Noticing that others have a desire to be close to the person
If you can't get enough of your hypnotic injection
Acknowledging the person's addiction to something that mesmerizes them
Then it's time to put an end to this invalid function
Suggesting that it's time for the person to break away from their unhealthy habit
Poor little ghost boy
Sympathizing with the person's vulnerability and lost nature
Let me be your human toy
Offering themselves as a companion or follower to the person
No-one's seen you for years
Observing that the person has been absent for a long time
Have your wounds grown wings? Are you feasting on fears?
Asking if the person's traumas have transformed into something that they use to fuel themselves
I can see your dark corona is eating into you
Noticing that the person's negative energy is harming them internally
Life lies with the scissors inside her
Suggesting that the essence of existence involves cutting away and letting go of things that damage us
The surgeon was a butcher
Imploring others to be cautious about who they let manipulate and wield power over them
All of us are wounded, anaesthetised in A&E
Reflecting on how everyone carries emotional scars and how we try to numb ourselves from them
Numbed by stuff we should not see
Observing that we often feel overwhelmed or traumatized by things we witness or experience
Each of us lies bleeding
Acknowledging that we all carry emotional pain and vulnerabilities
Our rivers intermingling
Suggesting that our emotional wounds connect us to each other
I'll wrap my last kiss in a bandage
Offering a gesture of love and care to the person who is hurting
Contributed by Aiden F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Eduardo
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 injunction
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
frafroudaki
Where are you? No-one's seen you for years Have your wounds grown wings? Are you feasting on fears? 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
Diego Gauze
poderosa letra por la chucha
Vickie Vanlandingham-Hashemi
frafroudaki I love this
sweetmovie74
Coil, throbbing gristle, nurse with wound, this stuff is way creepier than any black metal.
Beqa Zaalishvili
@Hell Interface p
seven gates 👁️
Silencer ????
Tzur lifshitz
@Delhi Delirium xasthur
Space Cadet
Black metal was never meant to be creepy. Black metal in its ultimate form uses a minimalist sound that creates an atmosphere that death metal can not. Listening to stuff like Bathory's "Enter the Eternal Fire" and "Call from the Grave" as well as stuff like Ancient's "Natten's Skjonnhet" and Emperor's "Into the Infinity of Thought" you get a sense of something grander in the sound.
Sally Lauper
@Delhi Delirium Hey- thanks for your detailed response. I can't wait to check out some of the bands you've referenced. I must say though- this is one of Coil's darkest songs, and that's saying something.
Adam Hughes
I love the irony that Coil couldn't actually play any musical instruments yet they made some of the best music ever created. So wish I had seen them live, alas they left an amazing discography of music for us to enjoy forever. Jhon and Peter you will always live on through your music yet you will always be missed. Coil, best band that ever existed.