Who
Coil Lyrics


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And who by fire, who by water,
Who in the sunshine, who in the night time,
Who by high ordeal, who by common trial,
Who in your merry merry month of may,
Who by very slow decay,
And who shall I say is calling?

And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate,
Who in these realms of love, who by something blunt,
And who by avalanche, who by powder,
Who for his greed, who for his hunger,
And who shall I say is calling?

And who by brave assent, who by accident,
Who in solitude, who in this mirror,
Who by his lady's command, who by his own hand,




Who in mortal chains, who in power,
And who shall I say is calling?

Overall Meaning

Coil's song "Who" poses a series of questions about who will meet certain fates, both natural and man-made. These questions touch on themes of life, death, and destiny, while also exploring the ways in which different people are subject to different trials and tribulations. Through the repetition of the refrain "And who shall I say is calling?" the song also suggests a sense of uncertainty and unknowability about the future and the forces that determine our fate.


The first verse explores various modes of death and asks who will be affected by each of them. Some of the deaths listed are natural, such as those caused by fire, water, or slow decay. Others are more ambiguous, such as those caused by "high ordeal" or "common trial." The second verse continues this exploration, with a particular focus on death by human agency. Here, we see who might be subject to violent or self-inflicted deaths, as well as those who might fall victim to greed or hunger.


Overall, "Who" presents a complex meditation on the unpredictable nature of human life and fate. Through its repetition of the central refrain, it also suggests a sense of unease or anxiety about the unknown forces that may be at work in our lives.


Line by Line Meaning

And who by fire, who by water,
Who will die in a fire and who will drown?


Who in the sunshine, who in the night time,
Who will die during the day and who will die during the night?


Who by high ordeal, who by common trial,
Who will die during a difficult challenge and who will die during an ordinary difficulty?


Who in your merry merry month of may,
Who will die in May, a typically cheerful month?


Who by very slow decay,
Who will die slowly and painfully?


And who shall I say is calling?
Who is calling for all these deaths?


And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate,
Who will die alone in her bed and who will die by drug overdose?


Who in these realms of love, who by something blunt,
Who will die from a blunt object in the midst of love?


And who by avalanche, who by powder,
Who will die in an avalanche and who will die from a gun shot?


Who for his greed, who for his hunger,
Who will die because of their greed and who will die because of their hunger?


And who shall I say is calling?
Who is calling for all these deaths?


And who by brave assent, who by accident,
Who will die in a brave action and who will die from an unexpected accident?


Who in solitude, who in this mirror,
Who will die alone and who will die as a reflection of themselves?


Who by his lady's command, who by his own hand,
Who will die because of their lover's orders and who will die by their own hand?


Who in mortal chains, who in power,
Who will die in captivity and who will die in their position of power?


And who shall I say is calling?
Who is the force behind all these deaths?




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Leonard Cohen

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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lifemelon - ZoePeponi

John Balance singing together with Leonard Cohen in heavens

King Of Comedy

uhhh....

surikatana

Second voice is Mr. Marc Almond

VomeinsamenMädchen Sophie

♥♥♥

CrazyCatHusband

RIP LC

Ilio Sarni

POLKA VERY INTERESTING I VOTE FOR THIS BAND AS BLACK SABBATH

beautiful flower

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUKKKKKKKKKENING. MISSS. YU. MAN. ,. SOOOO. MUCH!!!!!!

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